ROGERS CUP

August 17, 2005

Kim Clijsters

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, it just took me a while to get used to the new stadium. I didn't hit a ball the last two days until my warm-up today. You know, I just wanted to have a couple days off without touching the racquet. Didn't want to have anything to do with tennis. I think you just have to get used to it a little bit again. You know, I was just looking for my position on the court a little bit, trying to get used to the rhythm again. But, you know, like six games into the match, I felt like, you know, I still wasn't as good as I would like it to be. But it was, you know, like every game I felt like I was getting better. My serve was good today, so it was important.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah, I mean, it's a compliment. I look at it as a compliment. Other players might not like it sometimes and think, you know, there's more pressure. But I take it as a compliment. It means that I've been playing well and the people, they like my tennis.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, I definitely feel like I've played some really good tennis since I've come back from my injury. But, you know, 2003, where I obviously had probably my best year ever, you know, it's hard to compare because I feel like I've had two different careers now: after the injury and the before one. You know, it's different now. I feel like there I was just focusing on my tennis, but now there's so many other things I have to focus on, just looking after my body. I feel like I'm a lot more disciplined and a lot more focused on the things besides tennis, you know, just looking after my body. But I feel like all that helps me to keep focused on the court. I think I've matured on the court, yes.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, I have the week off. I'm not playing New Haven. That wasn't on my schedule. I remember it from two years ago, coming, playing Stanford, San Diego, LA, I came here tired. I think I beat Schiavone in the first round and lost to Krasnoroutskaya. I was really exhausted after that match, or during that match I was so I was tired. So when I signed my commitment form at the start of this year, obviously I wasn't -- I played the first three. Also with my wrist, I spoke to doctors, they were saying it's better that you're not -- you don't play four tournaments in a row. So I didn't. I left it open. But then I got hard-designated, I have no problem with it. I'm here. I'm happy to be here. It's a great event. It's the first time that I saw the new facilities. They look great. Looks like a Grand Slam almost. Everything is perfect here. I think they did a great job.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I don't know. You know, I love going to those. Those are definitely -- this is my favorite trips of the year. You know, sometimes I get homesick. This trip I don't get homesick. I don't know why. I enjoy playing all those tournaments, Stanford, San Diego, LA. I have a lot of friends there, a lot of Belgians who live there, as well. They're very relaxing weeks for me. Although there's a lot -- I play a lot of matches, but they're actually very relaxing for me. Yeah, that's why now, as well, just have to get used to my rhythm a little bit. But mentally and physically I think I feel pretty good, a lot better than I did two years ago when I came here.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Oh, there's so many things. I think not just tennis-wise, but also personally-wise. I think I got to -- people are saying, "You've matured." I don't think it's matured. I think I just got to know myself a lot better. That's a time where, you know, when I got injured, I was home, I was home for longer than I've ever been home. I was never home for more than two weeks before that. Now all of a sudden I was home three, four months in a row. You know, a lot of time I was very frustrated as well because. Then I just started to find little things, little hobbies. I started to do things. Little interests. And you learn. And now I have the perfect balance between life on the road and life off the road. I think that's something that I was looking for for a long time, to have the balance.