"It doesn’t happen overnight": Clijsters sends message amid fight for equality in tennis

Although Kim Clijsters has retired from tennis, the Belgian continues to be an advocate for equality in the sport.

In an interview on the International Tennis Hall of Fame Youtube channel, Clijsters spoke about the state of tennis today, highlighting various notable moments that have occurred in the sport over the years.

"Our sport is such a well-known sport around the world," said the former World No.1. "We play in Australia, Paris, Asia, South America, Europe, the States, everywhere. It’s a sport that is very well-known around the world, and we’ve had some great leaders on our side that have been able to step up and show the world that women’s tennis is as fun to watch as men’s tennis.

"And over the 50 years, we’ve seen Billie Jean King and the whole group of women that stepped up when men’s tennis was growing and women’s tennis was kind of left aside. They stepped up and they offered their careers and their tournaments to stand up for themselves and the future of our sport.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion believes the gradual increase in prize money for women was facilitated by the brave acts of her predecessors, and hopes the next generation appreciates this fact.

"And everything that’s happening now, the increase in prize money and the bigger stadiums and the interest all around the world, is because of what happened back then," she added. "And I think that is really important for our younger generation to realize: it doesn’t happen overnight, it doesn’t just happen because of a few volunteers or some big sponsors. It’s because of the passion that a lot of people in our sport have for that goal, to grow.”