Five-time Grand Slam champion and former world No.1, Maria Sharapova has been extremely impressed with Kim Clijsters coming out of retirement and returning to the WTA tour after giving birth to three children.

Former world No.1 Kim Clijsters is attempting to make a comeback on the Tour in January 2020 in Australia before the Australian Open 2020. The four-time Grand Slam.champion is coming back to professional tennis at the age of 36 after retiring at the age of 29 in 2007.

Maria Sharapova revealed that she respects the Belgian for what she has achieved in her tennis career – being one of the most athletic players on the WTA Tour and winning four major titles in her short career.

Talking about her resurgence to tennis, Maria Sharapova said, “I have so much respect for her. I mean when she was playing, I think she was with one of the most ambitious and athletic athletes on the court. I’m happy that she is doing it for herself, in order to motivate and work on herself, like spending the hours after spending three children.”

The 32-year-old Russian further explained that it is very difficult to come back and work on the body when your life is dedicated to a completely different path and she admires Clijsters for making such a bold decision at the age of 36.

“You know so much in your life is dedicated to completely different avenues. To go back to thinking, “Ok, and now I’m going to work on my body, I’m gonna work on myself, and I’m gonna work on my game”, I think it’s incredibly admirable,” Maria Sharapova added.

Earlier, Petra Kvitova also praised Clijsters for coming back on the tour. She said: “I didn’t expect that announcement, so it really surprised me that she’s coming back. I like Kim as a person and as a player. I think she achieved a lot. She is still a normal person which I really like.”