Kim Clijsters. (picture adecco)

The 26-year-old Belgian left professional tennis in 2007 to start a family and in February 2008 she gave birth to daughter Jada. During her first career, Clijsters ranked for a total of 16 weeks as the No. 1 tennis player in the world, won 34 WTA singles titles and 11 WTA doubles titles. Her first official WTA Tour comeback tournament will be Cincinnati (USA), starting on August 10, followed by Toronto (CAN) on August 17 and the US Open in New York, which begins August 30. Kim will also be participating in the Diamond Games in Antwerp (Belgium) during mid-December 2009.

Patrick De Maeseneire, CEO of the Adecco Group, said: "We are delighted to sponsor the comeback of such a great personality as Kim Clijsters. The support of athletes around the world has a long-lasting tradition at Adecco. It embodies our values of helping passionate people to achieve their aims in the world of work and life."

"I am very excited about starting this partnership with Adecco as I return to competition and start my second professional career", said Kim Clijsters. "Teaming up with Adecco, a world leader in Human Resources, gives me confidence in taking up the challenge of combining my career with my family life. I feel it is important to partner with a brand which understands people's motivations, one that gives them the best advice and support to achieve a better working life."

Kim celebrates together with daughter Jada. (picture belga)

Kim  started her final well, made Caroline Wozniacki run and in the first two games the Danish had a lot of trouble catching up. In no time Kim took a 0-2 lead.

Still Wozniacki was not impressed. The Danish managed to get by on 2-0 and five break points and next took four games in a row. Kim seemed to have lost some confindence there and her service game was much less as well. Her game overall lacked the speed so typical of Kim in this US Open and the rhythm dropped in the match, all to the benefit of Wozniacki.

Kim fought back to 4-4, but had to give in another service game. However, as she next won three games in a row, Kim won the first set.

At the start of the second set the two were well-matched until 3-2. Then Kim found an opening in the otherwise secure defence game of Wozniacki. The Danish was no longer able to break through Kim's service and at 5-3 Kim was able to serve for the tournament. She did so with success. After her title in 2005 Kim wins her second US Open.

Kim Clijsters. (photo belga)

Kim Clijsters started the year eager to be training again on a frequent basis and her initial aim was to take part in a few exhibition matches. Her hunger for competition has proven bigger than assumed and she still enjoys thorough and strenuous training sessions. Which is why she decides to see what would be feasible, combined with her family life.

On 10 August Clijsters will be playing her first official match in Cincinnati, her first competition since she retired on 3 May 2007. The subsequent week Kim starts the Toronto tournament. On 31 August she returns to the US Open, the Grand Slam tournament she won in 2005.

"It all started with preparing for the gala match at Wimbledon, all pretty laid-back. I liked it that much I was onto my training schedule from my pro days and then the hunger for more comes automatically," Clijsters says. "I am look at this as a second career, not as a comeback as I am now in a situation where not everything evolves around tennis 24 hours a day. We'll see how I, Jada and the others in my environment respond to this."

On 17 May, Clijsters will be playing her first matches, during A Centre Court Celebration, the official opening of the retractable roof at Wimbledon. In June an exhibition match in Rosmalen awaits, followed by two more in the US in July. Kim will take stock after the official tournaments in August.

DIAMOND GAMES ANTWERP

From 10 to 13 December Kim Clijsters will be playing in her homeland Belgium again, at the renewed Diamond Games. The event in the Antwerp Lotto Arena will now be an 'invitations only' with eight top ace players. More details about the renewed Diamond Games will be made available in April.

The provisional schedule of Kim Clijsters looks like the following (in the autumn some more matches might follow):

Schedule

17 May: Wimbledon: A Centre Court Celebration: exhibition match against Steffi Graf and doubles with Tim Henman against Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi 14 June: Rosmalen: Ordina Open: : exhibition match against Michaella Krajicek 21 July: Saint Louis: WorldTeam Tennis Pro League with Saint Louis Aces tegen Springfield Lasers 22 July: Philadelphia: WorldTeam Tennis Pro League with Saint Louis Aces tegen Philadelphia Freedoms 10-16 August: WTA Cincinnati: Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open 17-23 August: WTA Toronto: Rogers Cup 31 August - 13 September: New York: US Open 10 - 13 December: Diamond Games, Lotto Arena, Antwerp

Eline Berings completed her stunning '09 indoor season on the highest of notes, winning the European indoor 60m Hurdles title in Torino in a new personal best, a new national record, and '09 European leading time of 7.92.

Lucie Skrobakova (CZE) finished 2nd in 7.95, with Derval O'Rourke (IRL) 3rd in 7.97. Berings' time puts her in 4th place on the final '09 world indoor list, behind Jones, USA (7.82), Carruthers, USA (7.89), and Lopes-Schliep, Canada (7.90). It was just one year ago that Berings finished the indoor season with a 60m Hurdles best of 8.05, ranking her 13th Europe/29th world.

Sarah Claxton also competed in the 60m Hurdles and in the semi-final equaled her own British record of 7.96 (2005). In the final she finished 8th with a time of 8.21. Claxton's season best 7.96 ranks her 4th Europe/11th world in the final '09 season listings.

Other Golazo-managed athletes competing in Torino, but not able to advance through the opening rounds, included Sigrid Vanden Bempt in the 1500m (4th in 4:12.36), Kevin Rans in the Pole Vault (13th with 5.40m), and Willem van Hoof in the 3000m (7th in 8:10.07).