US OPEN

August 29, 2020

Kim Clijsters

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How are you feeling physically after sitting out last week? Bigger picture, what are your emotions as you approach your return to Grand Slam tennis? It's been a while for you.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, I'll start with your second question.

It's always a pleasure for me to come to the US Open, whether it is for legends or for commentary or whatever. So to be here as a player is even more special. To be able to practice on Arthur Ashe, to walk around the courts, seeing everything happen up close, is a very nice feeling.

My stomach is feeling much better. I felt in World TeamTennis my level really went up to where I want it to be, where I've been training for getting in to it. I felt like I played some really good tennis there. Hopefully I can kind of drag that through here in the matches.

Q. You obviously have a storied history in Flushing Meadows. What would it mean to you to have a deep run, do something special here in 2020?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Trying to imagine how that would feel, I think it would feel incredible. I think what I focus on the most is to try and play good tennis. I think that's where it starts for me, playing good tennis.

I really enjoyed playing World TeamTennis. We had so many good players there. For me to be able to compete against them, win a couple matches here and there, play women's doubles, mixed doubles, singles, I really enjoyed that.

The feeling I have from playing high-level tennis when I had to, come up with some great tennis when I had to, that's so far what has meant the most to me since I came back. That's where I try to get to. Every week that I train, every day that I practice, I try to be a little bit better, get fitter every time.

I have to have patience. I teal like I'm hitting the ball really well in practice. I'm hitting the ball clean. I'm starting to see, read my opponents better. I think that was something that I was missing in the first couple tournaments I played, is anticipation, learning to read your opponents quickly, someone who you haven't played before. Maybe in the past it would take me a couple games to get used to their patterns a little bit, whereas now that takes a little bit longer. I feel in World TeamTennis I started to get that under control. Hopefully I can get that to keep going that way.

Q. When you look back on the great moments here, is there one that sticks out for you?

KIM CLIJSTERS: There's different moments. I remember one of the most, for me, big first moments was playing Serena, I think it was 1999, when I qualified. I played her I think first or second round. It was on the old Louis Armstrong stadium.

I think I was up 5-2. The tennis was just incredible. I remember the crowd just started to slowly towards the third set packing up the stadium. I ended up losing that match.

It was an incredible match. The atmosphere was great. For me, that kind of I think started the energy that I feel here when I play here. Any night match that you get to play here at the US Open on Arthur Ashe is incredible. It's nothing like anything else anywhere else.

Yeah, I've had some great tennis here. Obviously bringing Jada to the court when I won in 2009, 2010, those are moments that as a family, Brian and I, my husband, just share. Those are memories that you will think about forever.

Q. The thrill and electricity you get from a live crowd, night matches, you're not going to have that this year. What kind of impact is that going to have on you?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I'm sure it will have somewhat of an impact. We've seen in the past, many moments where the crowd, the energy of the crowd, the momentum changes because of one rally or something. That could still happen now. I think the impact of a crowd, it will be interesting to see. Also some players really thrive on those kind of moments. It's interesting.

I mean, for us walking around the courts, I've never been able to watch so many live tennis matches as in the last week at the site here, just walking around from court to court. There's always room to sit down (smiling). It's been nice to be up close and to follow it live.

Obviously it's much better with the fans here. A lot bigger now, too.

Q. There's been a bunch of news in the last 48 hours about the men's players joining together to form a union, a professional tennis players association, which gives them an outside representation group outside of the structure of the ATP. You have been on tour for a long time. What do you think of that idea? Do you think women's players would benefit from something similar? Have you heard anything about a combined body between the men and women?

KIM CLIJSTERS: To be honest with you, it was only the first time this morning that I heard about it. I was a little bit surprised to hear it. Obviously it's something where I would like to learn a little bit more about before I speak out about it. I would love to talk to Novak, love to talk to the guys who are ready to take this on, just to see what their point of view is, what their frustrations have been, just get some more information before I can even give a comment about it.

Q. Have you thought during your career the WTA structure has worked well for the players? Is there room for improvement there?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I have. I mean, I think there's always room for improvement, but that's with everybody. Because our sport is so international, worldwide, our sport changes as we get famous athletes from different parts of the world, new cultures come in. It changes.

But I do think that our tour has been very well run over the years. I've been on the board a few years ago now already. I feel they definitely listen. There was communication, good communication.

Can it be better? Of course, it can always be better. Can you please everybody at the same time? No, that's never going to happen.

I think it's important to have players on there who players trust, people on there who players trust. I think over the years we've done a good job in having that. We have a lot of players who are very outspoken and very involved in that. I think that's really important.

Q. What's been the hardest thing about getting yourself back into the shape you need to be in in order to compete at an elite level? Is this a different game that you're coming back to with the new generation of players?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I mean, for me, what is new is there's a lot of girls' names out there who I've never heard of. I have to kind of get used to that a little bit again.

For me the most important thing or the biggest difference is, like I said before, reading your opponents. Anticipation, that split second intuition, is something that I felt like has gradually improved. When I played World TeamTennis a month ago now or a couple months ago even, that's where I really felt like I was able to play a lot of tennis. I was able to play singles, mixed doubles, doubles. The more I played, the more that came back. That was really a good feeling. That was something missing in my previous matches that I played.

Again, obviously with everything that happened, with the COVID virus happening, I had to build that up again. That's why World TeamTennis was a great thing for me.

Q. It's been a free-for-all in women's tennis in the last few years, so many different women winning so many big championships. What do you think accounts for that, different than what has happened on the men's tour?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I think it's tough to really kind of put one reason for that. I think there's a lot of girls. We've seen some of the girls who were first-time Grand Slam finalists, then winning immediately. We Andreescu, Ostapenko. What Naomi Osaka did back-to-back US Open, Australian Open, was incredible.

There's a lot of girls who can play tennis at a very, very, very high level. What I think sometimes, like when I watch them or keep my eye on them the next few months after they have a great result, the inconsistency sometimes is there. What the reason for that is, I don't know. Is it because maybe lack of focus, extra pressure? I don't know what it is. You do see that a little bit.

It is hard. It is hard when you see what Serena and Venus have done for so many years. When I was playing, Justine and myself, we were playing quarterfinals, semifinals in a lot of Grand Slams that we were playing. I think we see a little bit less of that because there's a lot of girls now who at their best can beat anybody.

That's why it's really, yeah, tricky for any top players out there. There's a lot of lower-ranked players who are not seeded who they get to play in the fourth round and have a tough time with. You have to be ready from the get-go when you play any tournament now.

Q. You mentioned World TeamTennis. Do you think the WTA and ATP have used the time wisely of this corona break? Patrick Mouratoglou tried a few different things. A few tournaments in Europe tried different things. Do you think tennis is in a good state as far as the rules are concerned?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I'm definitely kind of an old school type of girl I would say. I like tradition. What I like about our sport is that we have definitely implemented technology into our sport over the years. I remember when on-court coaching came on, bringing the iPad on court to look at statistics. We have definitely done a lot I think already.

I think it's really important to keep the core of our sport to what it is. That's my opinion. Then again, I'm 37 years old. Maybe a 20-year-old player might think differently about that.

Q. With your career and what you've done as a competitor and mother, what is your perspective on Serena's pursuit of the all-time majors title?

KIM CLIJSTERS: What my perspective is on it? I think what she did early on, I think people kind of thought it was normal in a way. Like the great results she had not even a year after her daughter was born, playing Grand Slam finals, competing for Grand Slam titles, was I think incredible.

Obviously a lot of people talk about it. I think also for her, it gets harder to kind of not let it get to you I think. She's still working at it very hard, very passionate out there. That's what we love to see. She's a great competitor, always has been that. You can only support that for somebody who has achieved so much and done so much. For still fighting out there, I think it's incredible.

Q. You mentioned you were able to go around in the stands and watch a lot of matches. What were you taking out of that experience? What urged you to do that? Sometimes players want to practice and leave the site. You looked like you were genuinely enjoying the tennis.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I just enjoy watching tennis. I enjoy the sport. Yeah, I mean, there was no reason. Obviously it's fun when you get to go to a stadium and watch Serena play, you get to go to a stadium and it's empty and Novak Djokovic is playing.

Whenever we were, like, walking over to the gym, supporting the Belgians that are out here playing, any opportunity we had, we enjoyed going over there, kind of supporting the Belgians out there. Yeah, we were just watching tennis. Besides trying to find a little shade... I really enjoyed it. Yeah, I just enjoy watching tennis.

I've watched some doubles matches. Playing World TeamTennis, as well, our team grew really close. Playing with Neal Skupski, Jack Sock, we tried to watch each other, support each other. It's fun to be able to do that now.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much.