Belgium’s Kim Clijsters Retires After US Open Second Round Exit

Former world no. 1 and four time Grand Slam winner Kim Clijsters (29) of Belgium has called time to her tennis career after losing 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) to 18-year-old Laura Robson of Britain in the second round of the US Open on August 29, 2012.

"It's been an incredible journey, and a lot of dreams for me have come true because of tennis. Now that I think about it, it's been a crazy rollercoaster at times, as well,” said the Belgium star.

Clijsters owned a 22-match winning streak in Flushing Meadows going back to 2003, a span in which she won the US Open three time, the second-longest string of wins in the Open era after Chris Evert's 31.

She walked away from the sport once before, in May 2007, then returned after a hiatus of two-plus years. Clijsters has won 41 WTA singles titles and 11 WTA doubles titles. She has four Grand Slam singles titles to her credit; three at the US Open, in 2005, 2009, 2010 and one at the Australian Open in 2011.

On 20 May 2012, Clijsters, who previously dated Austrlian tennis player Lleyton Hewitt, revealed that she would retire after the US Open. Kim Clijsters is married to American basketball player Brian Lynch and together they have a daughter.