“I don’t think I could have played”: Kim Clijsters recalls car crash before WTA Finals semifinal

Monday, 28 September 2026 at 00:30

Kim Clijsters remains one of the most successful players in WTA Finals history, winning the prestigious season-ending tournament three times during her career. The Belgian lifted the trophy in Los Angeles in 2002 and 2003 before adding a third title in Doha in 2010, finishing with a 19-7 record across seven appearances at the event.

Those tournaments came during one of the strongest eras of women's tennis, with Clijsters regularly facing Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Justine Henin and Jennifer Capriati.

But looking back at the WTA Finals, the Belgian remembers more than the titles and major victories, with some of her most memorable stories involving circumstances that had little to do with what happened on court.

Speaking on the Love All Podcast, Clijsters recalled one particularly bizarre episode from Doha, where she was involved in a serious car accident on the way to a semifinal against Samantha Stosur. Her agent was injured by broken glass, but Clijsters still made it to the tournament, warmed up and eventually played the match.

“I don’t think I could have played if I sat there”

Clijsters was following her usual routine before the semifinal, sitting behind the driver whenever she travelled. Her agent tried to convince her to move to another seat where there was more room, but the Belgian refused. Then, on the way to face Stosur, the car was involved in a serious crash that changed the mood completely.

“By the way, Doha, before my semifinal, I took a car from the hotel to play Sam Stosur. It was a night match and got in a car accident. The guy was driving like crazy,” Clijsters recalled on her podcast Love All. “This guy rams us into the side of the car, windows broke. My agent Bob was sitting in the front row on the passenger side.”

Clijsters continued by describing the immediate aftermath, which left her agent injured while she still had a semifinal waiting. “His arm had glass in it. It was like bad,” she said. The tournament then sent another car, leaving Clijsters with almost no time to process the accident before she had to switch her attention back to tennis.

“So I'm getting ready to play Stosur in the semifinal. They send a new car. I'm on my way back, like to warm up, do a quick warm-up. And yeah, that was it,” Clijsters said. “Afterwards, we were like, ‘What just happened? We had a pretty serious car accident here.’”

With the match approaching, Clijsters knew there was little point in allowing the incident to consume her attention. “There was just no time to let that sink in or give energy or waste time on it. It was just like, ‘I got to stay locked in,’” she explained. “Everybody's okay. He was picking up the pieces of glass out of his arm.”

The strangest part of the story came when Clijsters explained why she had refused to change seats. Her agent had repeatedly suggested that she move because she would have more room, but her superstition took priority. “I was like, ‘No, no, no. Let me sit here. I'm superstitious. I've been sitting behind the driver all week,’” she recalled.

“He kept arguing. ‘Come on, just sit here. You'll have more room. I'll feel more comfortable if I'm in the back and you can be in the front.’ And I was stubborn. I was like, ‘Sit down. I don't want to sit there. I want to sit here,’” Clijsters continued, before explaining how significant that decision became.

“I don't think I could have played if I sat there,” Clijsters said. When the host pointed out that she would have been sitting on the side where the glass ended up, the Belgian immediately agreed with the assessment. “I would have had glass in my arm,” she replied, leaving the story with an even more remarkable twist.

Clijsters still went on to beat Stosur and reach the final, adding another chapter to a WTA Finals career that produced three titles. She also remembered other bizarre moments from the event, including chaos in Los Angeles after organizers discovered that a baseline had been painted incorrectly. “I feel like a lot of stuff happens there,” Clijsters concluded.

The race to the 2026 WTA Finals

More than two decades after Clijsters first won the WTA Finals, the current generation is preparing for its own battle to reach the season-ending event. The 2026 tournament will be held at Indian Wells, with eight singles places available. Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka have already secured their qualification spots.

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Jessica Pegula, Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff are now closing in on joining them, while Karolina Muchova, Elina Svitolina and Linda Noskova would currently complete the projected eight-player lineup. That leaves the final weeks of the season increasingly important for those trying to protect their positions inside the qualification places.

Marta Kostyuk and Iga Swiatek are the first players outside the current eight with a realistic path into the tournament. However, the gap separating them from the qualification positions means both would need an almost perfect finish to the season to force their way into the field and change the current picture at the top of the race.

Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist

Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.

His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.

In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.

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