HASSELT, Belgium - One of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's most celebrated players made her return from injury this past week, at her home event no less. Kim Clijsters was the top seed and defending champion at the Gaz de France Stars in Hasselt, taking the court for the first time since hurting her left wrist at Montréal in August. And although she had missed over two months, she certainly delivered, blitzing her first three opponents in straight sets and toughing out three set wins in the semis and final for her third title of the year. Look back at her winning week in the latest Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Player Blog.
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Sunday, November 5, 2006
Hello everyone!
I just finished my match and I beat Kaia Kanepi for the title, 63 36 64. She was hitting the ball hard and going for the lines. She was returning extremely well too, which surprised me the most. Sometimes, there are players without too much experience who can play well for a set or so, but she kept it up. It's great to see and she has a really good future ahead of her. She's a tall girl and moves really well. I had to play my best tennis at the end to get through.
I played well - not as well as I did yesterday, but this was a completely different match. The rallies were much shorter, and I really had to just raise my level on the important points. I'm feeling pretty good physically, too - my wrist is fine, and everything else feels good. It was a great week, just to be back and to play well in front of my family and friends, who all came to watch me. It's something I enjoy, looking around and seeing everyone in my box. Also sleeping at home all week was nice. Having time at home to relax during a tournament was great.
No time to celebrate though, because I'm off to Madrid! It's like this sometimes. You just have to pack your bags before, and have it all ready to go for when you finish the tournament, to go straight to the next one. I'll definitely have time to celebrate this title during the off-season, which is only a week away.
I'm really looking forward to Madrid. My season has been fairly up and down with the injuries, and I'm still surprised I even made it into Madrid. But, I'm happy to play what, to me, is the best tournament of the year. It's something I take very seriously. It's a great event, always organized really well, and very prestigious. From the first match on, you have a Top 8 player in front of you, so it's like starting in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam.
I haven't really spent too much time in Madrid. A few years ago we played Fed Cup there, but I don't know too much about the city; maybe we'll meet people who can help us get around there a bit!
I really enjoyed doing the blog this week. It was really fun. I've received a lot of positive comments about it. As I've said, it's a great initiative. I've always thought it is important for players to give back to the fans. They're the ones buying the tickets! With the blog, fans can see what life looks like behind the scenes a little bit and get to know you. That's fun. That's what brings the fans closer to women's tennis, and I'm definitely interested in doing this again sometime.
I'll talk to you all again soon!
Kim
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Saturday, November 4, 2006
I'm very excited about today's match. I played Vera Zvonareva and won in three sets, 64 36 64. It was very close. It was the type of match where every single point was important. But it was fun. This is what you work for, what you train for. Even if I lost, I would have had a good feeling about it; of course, when you come out of it a winner it's much better. I'm excited not just for me, but also for the fans - after my 36-minute match yesterday, hopefully this one was a better one to watch!
I've been getting ready to leave for the Sony Ericsson Championships. I fly to Madrid Sunday, after the final. Earlier today, I did some cleaning and changed the bedsheets, so that everything will be clean for Brian when I'm gone. I did some laundry too, and got all my clothes ready. So now I just have to put them all in the suitcase. I've got a lot of packing to do tonight; it's been a long time since I've travelled so I don't know if I remember how to pack!
It's going to be a little different tomorrow, as I'm playing in the afternoon. Every match I've had so far has been at night; hopefully, I won't be too tired when I wake up and my legs won't be sore after today's match! I haven't really seen much of Kaia Kanepi. I saw her play a bit today, and I've seen her practicing once or twice. She's going to be tough - she hits the ball hard, is very tall, and likes to take risks. We'll see what happens. It'll be important for me to play my own game, be aggressive and keep moving well.
I've been asked about what it would mean to win the tournament, but I'm not at the point where I want to think about that yet; it would be great but I'm just focusing on tomorrow's match first. We can talk about that after the match!
Like I mentioned, I have quite a bit of packing to do tonight, and it's pretty late because the match went so long, so I'll keep today's blog short. But I'll definitely be back for one more tomorrow - talk to you all then!
Kim
