KIM CLIJSTERS RE-DUX

Yesterday, I promised more on Kim Clijsters, who just retired from tennis at this tournament. I’m so sorry to take up so much time writing about sports recently, but I’m so wrapped-up in the US Open that it’s hard to think of anything else this fortnight.

These last few thoughts aren’t even so much about Kim, but on an interesting question I have for the future. And, with Andy Roddick going out yesterday, thus beginning his retirement from the sport, I had to finish out the topic today. (And even though I’ve never been a fan of his, I bawled like a baby when it was over.)

Kim and daughter Jada when Kim won the 2009 US Open.

I thought I was the only one who was upset about Kim’s getting ousted in the second round, because, now that my mother is gone, I know just one person besides me who watches tennis!!! But, the morning after I wrote about it, as I was web surfing, I saw that her retirement was the top sports story!!! I was so pleased that so many outlets were giving Kim her due.

But, this is what I was wondering even as that match went along: will the young player who defeated Kim, Laura Robson, turn out to be a Roger Federer, who took down the great Pete Sampras early in the former’s career, or will she be a Benjamin Becker? If you’re confused, and thinking I meant several-time grand slam champion Boris Becker, you’re mistaken. Benjamin is the young unranked player who defeated Andre Agassi at this very tournament in his farewell to the sport. We never heard of him again! Until last week, that is. I sometimes wonder what ever happened to him, and then, lo and behold, there he was playing American Ryan Harrison on one of the outside courts. Now in his thirties, he’s become just a trivia answer to the questions, “Who took out Andre in his last career match?” I feel for the guy; that can’t be an easy thing to live with.

And then earlier this summer, there was Lukas Gasol, the Czech who took down the mighty Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon. The commentators scoffed at his future abilities, and so far they appear to be correct; we haven’t heard of him since, either. [Note: we haven’t seen Rafa since then, either! His knee injury has kept him out of the sport since then, and he just announced ti will be at least another two months. What a shame.]

But Robson may turn out to be a different story. She’s been one of the great British hopes for a few years now, and she played the match against Kim like she’s here to stay. She impressed the heck out of sports greats like Chris Evert; no scoffing here. So, we’ll see. I actually hopes she turns out to be a contender, so that may lessen the pain that all we Kim Clijsters fans are feeling, if only just a bit.

I wrote that last one about Kim, (which you can still read here: www.itsnotaboutme.tv/news/2012/08/30/sports-kim-Clijsters,) the second her match was over, so I just banged out the column, while wallowing in my sadness at what had just happened. But, given a day or two to lick my wounds, it dawned on me just how lucky we all were that she came out of her first retirement so that we had someone on the female side to root for for these past three years. She had first retired several years ago, after winning her first Grand Slam event, the 2005 US Open. She got married, had a daughter, and cared for her ailing father until his death. She had no plans on returning to the sport.

But then, the Wimbledon officials asked her to play an exhibition to unveil their new roof, and she loved it so much, and realized she was still so good at tennis, that she staged a comeback, never thinking she’d win three more majors! So, all these years since 2009 have been a bonus for her. And us!!!

and now, she deserves to go back to her happy home life. She wants to have more children, and she deserves that time. And her future children deserve her! (Which is the opposite of what I always say about myself: my children are lucky I didn’t have them!)

I’m sad that I missed her opening night match, because I was at a party and Dish screwed me once again. [Note: if any of you know how I can find that one against Victoria Duval, please let me know in the Comments section below. I’d appreciate it. And let me know if you want the comment published, to help others, or if I should just use the info for myself.]

But now it’s time to wish her all the happiness in the world. I don’t’ think we’ll see the likes of Kim Clijsters again, in any sport!