The great female tennis player from Belgium, Kim Clijsters, played the last match of her career against Venus Williams on Thursday in Antwerp, Belgium. Clijsters performed brilliantly in her farewell match and won it in the straight sets by 6-3, 6-3. Clijsters had announced her retirement during the US Open this year.
Approximately, 13000 fans were out there at the Antwerp Sports Palace to cheer for Clijsters for the last time and their favourite player didn’t disappoint them. She dominated right through the match and walked away with an easy victory.
In the press conference after her farewell match, Clijsters thanked her fans for giving her immense support for so many years. The Belgian superstar said, “I would like to thank my fans all over the world for supporting me for such a long period of time. I would definitely miss the tennis arena.
When asked why she decided to retire at such a young age, Clijsters said, “It’s not about age. It’s about hunger to compete. Throughout this year, I felt that I lost that hunger. I couldn’t focus enough and kept struggling in every tournament. After the Wimbledon Championship, I started thinking about it and finally, during the US Open, I felt that it was the right time to announce the retirement.”
When asked how hard the decision of retirement was, Clijsters said, “It was a very tough decision. When you play a particular sport for 15 years, it’s not easy to leave it suddenly. But, that’s the way it goes. Every sportsman has to take this decision one day.”
“I am pretty excited about my life after retirement. I can spend more time at home. I can do a bit of gardening and cooking. I am looking forward to all these things.”