Debate starts amid Clijsters comeback about special dispensation for returning players

Tuesday, 17 September 2019 at 13:19

Clijsters raises his arms after winning the Australian Open 2011 title

The debate has began in terms of new WTA guidelines released and the comeback of Kim Clijsters which could hinder the former US Open and Australian Open winner.

According to the new WTA rules, a player who is out of the Tour on account of pregnancy must make a comeback within three years after her child’s birth at most; of course this is not the case for Clijsters.

This whilst players such as Serena Williams have benefited from a protected ranking and due to the amount of time, Clijsters has been off the tour; this will not apply; she will have to start from scratch as such.

Calls for special dispensation for returning players

As a result, many have called for Clijsters to gain similar when she returns to the tour as despite the amount of Wildcards; she is bound to receive due to her past accomplishments; she will likely have to face some tough tests before she reaches the top again.

This is compared to names such as Serena who have gotten round this despite time away from the tour.

It could be said that due to her time away, she has to go through this but the fanfare around her coming back could be all but diminished quite early on despite her saying herself the challenge is the main reason why she returned.

“I don’t really feel like I want to prove something, I think for me it’s the challenge.

“I have friends who would say, I want to run the New York Marathon before I turn 50. For me, I still love to play tennis. Whenever I’m at a Grand Slam playing the Legends, if somebody asked me hey, do you want to hit some balls; I’m the first one to be like I’ll hit. I’ll be the hitting partner for your practice today. I still love playing tennis.

“The love for the sport is obviously still there. But the question still is, am I capable of bringing it to a level where I would like it to be at; where I want it to be at before I want to play at a high level of one of the best women’s sports in the world.

“I don’t feel like I need to prove anything; but I want to challenge myself and I want to be strong again. This is my marathon. This is where I’m saying OK, let’s try this.”

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Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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