Nothing is going right for the four-time Grand Slam champion at the moment! For someone whose entire career has been defined by resilience, Kim Clijsters once again finds herself fighting a familiar battle—one not with an opponent across the net, but with her own body. The Belgian legend, known for her fearless comebacks and relentless fighting spirit, recently revealed that she had suffered a reinjury to her Achilles tendon, a setback that instantly drew an emotional response from the entire tennis fraternity.

A few weeks ago, the former world number one suffered a serious injury while featuring in an exhibition tennis event (Luxembourg Ladies Tennis Masters). Following that setback, she took to social media to share a video from her hospital bed, revealing that she had undergone surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon. “Hi guys, I am in a hospital, as you can probably tell. Ended up rupturing my Achilles tendon yesterday at the event in Luxembourg, which was not fun, but on the road to recovery now,” said Clijsters in that video clip. She said that she could never imagine her getting such a serious injury even after almost three years of her retirement from the sport. Having said that, Clijsters also added that she can’t wait to go back and spend time with her husband and kids to start recovery from the longstanding injury.

Her recovery was going well, but then…came yet another setback. Recently, Kim Clijsters uploaded a video clip on Instagram, where she explained the incident. She said, “I had to go pee in the middle of the night and ended up losing my balance. It was either fall on my face or put my bad foot down, and I guess it was a natural instinct or reaction to put my foot down. While I did that, I really hurt my Achilles again and had to go for an MRI a few days later, and it ended up being ruptured again.” As a result of this she was forced to restart her recovery process, which she described as really “frustrating.” Clijsters spoke about hos she feels a bit “useless” as a mother, struggling to help her children around the house due to her injury. Seeing her suffering, tennis legend Chris Evert dropped a comment on that post saying, “YOU ARE STRONG 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼❤️.”

Another former pro, Chanda Rubin, wrote, “Sending you love and strength for a speedy recovery!” Even players who have shared many battles with Clijsters during her playing career echoed similar sentiments. Caroline Wozniacki commented, “Feel better ❤️,” Flavia Pennetta wrote, “❤️💪,” while America’s Shelby Rogers also reacted to that post, “🙏💞”.

Messages poured in from all corners, and why not? Kim Clijsters‘ journey from winning multiple Grand Slams to retiring, returning, and inspiring mothers around the world has made her one of the sport’s most beloved figures. And as the tennis world continues to send prayers and encouragement her way, one thing remains certain—the heart of a champion never fades, even when sidelined. But how have things been shaping up for this Belgian superstar ever since her retirement? Seeing her never-ending love for the sport makes us wonder whether she intends to take up the coaching role in the near future.

How has life been after retirement for Kim Clijsters?

Kim Clijsters’ journey post-professional tennis has been rooted in family, giving back, and redefining her relationship with the sport. Plagued by injuries and having lost desire to compete, Clijsters retired from the sport in 2007 at the age of just 23. She got married to Brian Lynch, an American basketball coach and former player, meanwhile, and they are now parents to three children: a daughter, Jada (born 2008), and two sons, Jack (born 2013) and Blake (born 2016). Clijsters returned to the sport in 2009 and stunned the world, winning the US Open that year. Later on, she became the first mother to be ranked world number one.

Then again, she took retirement from the sport after the 2012 US Open and then made a comeback in 2020 before finally hanging up her rackets on 12 April 2022. Whenever she stepped onto the court, there wasn’t a single moment when we witnessed any lack of commitment; Clijsters was always there to give her best, be it a practice session or a competitive match. She claims her enormous determination, which she got from her parents, played a huge role in redefining her career.

After her retirement, she said, “My passion for tennis will never leave, no matter what I do. I feel a very big need to give back to tennis because I’ve gotten so much out of it. So, yeah, that will be the next phase, to see where can I go?” Ever since her retirement, she has declined several requests from current players to be a part-time coach, opting instead to focus on Jada’s burgeoning basketball career. However, talking about her own tennis, she’s often seen hitting balls at the nearby Atlantic Club in Manasquan.

Other than that, she also runs the Kim Clijsters Academy in Bree, Belgium, where she shares her knowledge of the sport. But when it comes to coaching, during a previous interaction on Tennis Bolshoi, she said, “I’ve thought about it several times, and there have been interesting suggestions from players, but travelling is too much for me. Also, I believe that to be a good coach, you need to spend 15-20 weeks a year with a player. “

She further added, “So, I don’t want to be a coach who is just available on the phone. I believe that personal contact, communication, and understanding of the player are necessary to be able to kind of read their mind and see. Yeah, I think it’s been made a little bit easier because of all of this technology, but I still believe that a coach should be there and should see how the player lives not only on the court but also off the court as well.” Although Clijsters finds coaching a really tempting job, especially working with a known player, she thinks her youngest child is just nine years old, so she’d prefer to stay at home for now.

Do you want to see Clijsters taking up the coaching role in the near future? Share your thoughts in the comment box.