Belgian tennis star Kim Clijsters is one of the most popular tennis players of her generation. Kim, the four-time Grand Slam champion, was ranked number one more than once in her career. After her retirement in 2012, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017. She announced that she will be coming out of retirement a while back, and recently played in the US Open 2020.
Quick Facts and Information on Kim Clijsters
| Full Name / Real Name | Kim Clijsters |
| Birthday / Date of Birth | 8th June 1983 |
| Age | 37 |
| Birth Sign | Gemini |
| Born Country | Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Hometown | Bilzen, Belgium |
| Ethnicity | Multiracial |
| Profession | Professional Tennis Player |
| Education (High School / College / University) | N/A |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife / Husband | Brian Lynch |
| Children (Son, Daughter) | 1 Daughter, 2 Sons |
| Social Media | Twitter / Instagram |
| Net Worth & Salary | $22 million |
| Height | 1.75 m |
Kim Clijsters’ Family And Early Life
Kim Clijsters was born on 8th June 1983 in Bilzen, Belgium to her father Lei Clijsters, and mother Els Vandecaetsbeek. Her parents were both professional athletes. Her father played football for the Belgium national team while her mother was a national artistic gymnastics champion. Her father Lei passed away due to lung cancer in 2009. Clijsters also has a younger sister Elke who also played tennis. Clijsters turned professional in 1997.
When Clijsters was 5 years of age, her father built her a clay tennis court at home as a gift to his daughter. Clijsters began playing tennis at an early age as a result, then later went on to attend lessons with her cousins and her uncle while her parents were away. Since then, Clijsters’ addiction to tennis started and she began playing with her sister at the Tennisdel Club in Genk by the time she was 7 years of age.
At the age of nine, Clijsters began working with Benny Vanhoudt along with her sister. Even when she was so young, Clijsters would train for 15 hours every week, including 5 separate hours of individual instruction.
Kim Clijsters’ Career
After joining the professional scene in 1997, Clijsters went on to have a very highly-rewarding career. Kim played in the Fed Cup in 2001 alongside her fellow Belgian Henin and led her country to glory. In 2003, Kim Clijsters was ranked number one in the world in both singles and doubles. Additionally, Clijsters holds 41 singles titles and 11 doubles titles on the WTA tour under her belt.
More importantly, Clijsters has four Grand Slam titles to show. Clijsters won the US Open three times and the Australian Open once. Due to her numerous achievements, Kim Clijsters has been named the Belgian Sportswoman of the Year. She also won the WTA Player of the Year award.
After many years of playing, Kim Clijsters opened the Kim Clijsters Academy in Bree, Belgium. Kim’s academy is a famous international tennis academy and it only took a few years for her academy to get to this position. More than 60 different nationalities train in Bree for at least 1 week and some have moved to Bree permanently just to train at Kim’s academy frequently. The academy organizes 3 international tournaments as well, giving their students more room to grow.
Kim Clijsters’ Retirement And Return
In 2007, Kim announced her retirement at the age of 23. At the time, Clijsters’ last win was against Samantha Stosur in Miami. Shortly before her last match, Clijsters also had a hip injury which made playing difficult for her.
Kim made her first return in 2009. However, since she was officially retired, her rankings were all voided. Hence, she had to tug at any string possible to jumpstart her second career. She eventually received wild cards for the Cincinnati Open, the Canadian Open, and the US Open. Eventually, Clijsters went on to win her second US Open Championship and became the first unseeded woman to win the title at the event, as well as the first mother to win a Grand Slam singles title since 1980.
Kim Clijsters’ Second Retirement And Comeback
In late 2012, Clijsters was unable to stay healthy. She was playing in the WTA Tour at the time. Kim won her first three games but needed to retire in the semifinals due to hip spasms. She returned to play in mid-June after some time on and off from tennis due to her hip.
Clijsters eventually entered the US Open, having not lost a single match there since the 2003 final. She recorded her last WTA singles match win against Victoria Duval in the first round, then lost to Laura Robson. Her career ended with a second-round mixed doubles loss when she officially retired for the second time.
After more than 7 years of her second retirement, Clijsters returned in 2020 to the professional tennis scene at the Dubai Tennis Championships as a wildcard. Her most recent game was in the US Open, where she played as a wildcard. Sadly, her grand slam comeback was shut down as she lost her first three games in the US Open.
Kim Clijsters Kids / Children / Married Life
Kim Clijsters is married to a former professional basketball player, Brian Lynch. The couple got married in 2007 when Clijsters retired from tennis for the first time. The couple had their first daughter, Jada Elly Lynch in 2008. After Kim’s second retirement, the couple had 2 more sons in Kim’s second retirement period; Jack, born in 2013, and Blake, the youngest, was born in 2016.
Jada was born in Tongeren, Belgium on February 27th. Kim shortly made a press release afterward, giving an interview on the birth of her baby. Kim stated,
“Jada didn’t come that late. I was due to give birth on February 25th and instead I gave birth two days later. Not that abnormal! [laughs] It was hilarious to hear twice on the radio that I had already given birth! Once I was at the hairdresser and the other time I was at home.”
Kim and Brian agreed on Jada’s name since it was to both of their likings, and her middle name Elly refers to Kim’s sister (Elke) who is Jada’s godmother, as well as to Kim’s dad (Lei). Kim said that Brian was a great dad and that he changed Jada’s diapers without any complaints! Brian wrote a little song for their daughter as well, and he plays it for her on his acoustic guitar.
As for the birth of their sons, Kim announced it directly to Twitter and Instagram and didn’t make another press release. However, it is very apparent that the family is doing very well and Kim’s three kids are amazingly wholesome. Kim’s daughter, Jada, even helps look after the 3-year-old, Blake.
Kim Clijsters’ Net Worth
As a multiple-time winner in many Opens and Grand Slams, Kim Clijsters has earned a lot in prize money. Top tier players like Clijsters earn over $300,000 annually. However, most tennis players don’t win that much in comparison. Clijsters’ has brought home $4 million from US Open wins multiple times, as well as Grand Slams and other tournaments. Overall, Kim Clijsters’ estimated net worth is above $22 million.
