US OPEN

September 2, 2020

Kim Clijsters

Press Conference

E. ALEXANDROVA/K. Clijsters

3-6, 7-5, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How would you characterize your performance? How disappointed are you?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I mean, I think leading up to the match today I didn't know my opponent. I just knew from last few days watching video on her. Then there was a matter of trying to get a feel for it out there, see how fast the ball is she hits, see how accurate her serve is, kind of get a feel for all that.

Yeah, I felt like I really started -- I was in the match from the start. I felt like I was, yeah, being aggressive and serving well, trying to keep her kind of off balance a little bit in her movement.

I felt like I had a couple chances early on in the second set where I had some breakpoints. Kind of lost my footing a little bit where I had a shorter ball, missed it. Then she started serving a lot better, I felt. She started returning better. Was just missing less I think than in the first set.

The third set, I felt like she was, yeah, just seeing the ball very well, just hitting her targets all the time.

Q. Do you chalk it up as another step in the right direction? Still encouraged to continue?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, I mean, of course. It's a process. That's what I told myself at the start when I took this challenge on, was that it's going to take a lot of hard work and losses. That's part of it.

We'll see what's up next. To be honest, I'm not sure at the moment yet. Yeah, we'll see. It's been a strange year obviously. When I started in Dubai and Monterrey, was excited to play more tournaments, have the family travel with me. But that obviously didn't happen. We'll see what the future holds.

Q. How were you feeling physically? You pulled out of Cincy last week. How did it feel today?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, it felt fine. I worked really hard the last few weeks to get ready, to let the stomach muscle heal, but at the same time train it, get it stronger. I think we did good.

Like I said, I really gave everything that I had to be ready for this match.

Q. Obviously there are so many different things about the tournament, but how did it feel to step on court after all these years?

KIM CLIJSTERS: It felt really nice. I mean, just being here. I've been here for a while now without playing a match. That was long, a long time to practice and be in the bubble for almost two weeks without playing a match. So I was excited to get out there and play my match. Obviously a late night tonight.

But, yeah, it's still fun to be out there. I enjoy it. My opponent is a great player. We had some good tennis out there. Yeah, that's what it's all about, is trying to bring good tennis.

Q. How does a loss feel at the moment given the perspective that you have? How do you see a loss at the moment?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I think I see it more, yeah, to look at things where I still need to work on. Even my opponent today, the match that I played so far, out of the three matches I play officially on tour, I think this by far was my best one. Looking at that, I think that's the most positive thing, is looking at the things that have to be better and keep building on the positive things.

I think, yeah, you look at a loss in a little bit more of a mature way in a sense than maybe 10 years ago.

Q. We noticed there's a basketball hoop in the balcony outside your suite. Is that for your husband or your kids?

KIM CLIJSTERS: No, a lot of the players that have been practicing for the last two weeks on center court, they were aiming into other players' suites. We decided to put a basketball hoop up, make it a little bit more tricky for them, see if they can hit the basket (smiling). Just to have something fun out there.

Q. How are they doing?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Some did okay, yeah. Some were way off. Some did good.

Q. What do you think of having a suite this year? Have you been watching other matches from there?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I mean, the suite has been great. The whole experience has obviously been very different. I have to say the USTA has done incredibly well first of all safety-wise to make sure that everything is done as safe as possible. Just the convenience for me, I wasn't seeded, but to receive a suite was obviously a big bonus. We felt very thankful to be up there and to watch the tennis the last couple of days. We've been able to watch everybody practice out there. That's always a lot of fun, too. It's been a nice bonus to have for sure.

Q. What's been the trickiest thing about the comeback? What has been the hardest part of the thought process of how to manage this time with your tennis career?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I think the hardest is getting into a match rhythm. I think that's been the hardest. I felt like when I was playing World TeamTennis, I felt like there, being able to play a lot of sets, singles, doubles, mixed doubles, really made me improve a lot. It was really clear for me that that's really what I need.

That's probably the biggest challenge, is whenever I'm out there on the practice court trying to somehow train your brain or put it in your mind that you try to make it a little bit more serious than other practice at times, to put some variety in there, to change it up a little bit.

Yeah, I've been training for a really long time now. So, yeah, I was really looking forward to getting out there tonight and to play my match.