Regardless, Appelmans never won a Grand Slam title. Even so, she peaked at #16 because she won seven singles titles and four doubles titles, thus resulting in more than $2 million in prize money.

The 2012 edition was named "Kim's Thank You Games" in honor of her retirement, and the following year the event was known Campeón the Kim Clijsters Invitational.[199][200] In 2015, the Diamond Games were revived as a WTA event with Clijsters serving Figura the tournament director. She also played an exhibition set with finalist Andrea Petkovic after her opponent withdrew before the start of the championship match due to injury.[201]

Henin announced her immediate retirement from professional tennis on 14 May 2008, and requested the WTA to remove her name from the rankings immediately. Her announcement was a surprise because Henin was still ranked world No. 1 and was considered the favorite for the French Open, where she would have been the three-time defending champion.

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Clijsters was born to athletic parents with backgrounds in professional football and gymnastics. She was renowned for her athleticism, which was highlighted by her ability to perform splits on court in the middle of points. She built the offensive side of her game around controlled aggression while also using her exceptional movement to become an elite defensive player.

People are, by now, familiarized with the best tennis players in history. However, have you ever wondered which have been the best seasons in the history of tennis? The most dominant displays of talent? Here…

Justine Henin, born on June 1, 1982, is a professional tennis player hailing from Belgium. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Her exceptional one-handed backhand was a trademark of her game, allowing her to hit powerful and precise shots. Henin’s mental toughness and strategic approach to the game often gave her an edge over her opponents.

These tournaments provide a platform for emerging talents to make a name for themselves and for established players to maintain their position in the rankings.

A few months after Clijsters retired, she married American basketball player Brian Lynch (who later retired and became a coach). She gave birth to a daughter in early 2008, less than two months after her father Leo Clijsters was diagnosed with lung cancer.

The last stage of the season featured Clijsters battling Henin for the top ranking. Clijsters defeated Henin in the final of the Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt to defend her title and her world No. 1 ranking. This was the eighth time in WTA history where the top two players in the world faced off for the top ranking.[59] Although Clijsters lost the top ranking to Henin the following week,[60] she regained it a week later by winning the Luxembourg Open for the third year in a row.[21][61] She finished her season by defending her title at the WTA Tour Championships in the first year where the tournament switched to a round robin format in the initial stage.

At the time, the loss marked only the second time in 15 Grand Slam events that she had lost before the fourth round.

The Kockelscheuer Sport Centre (Heather Watson pictured), where Clijsters won five Luxembourg Open titles, including three consecutive from 2001 to 2003 At the Indian Wells Open in early 2001, Clijsters finally defeated Hingis in her fourth meeting against the world No. 1 player to reach her first Tier I final.[31] After winning the first set of the final, she ended up losing in three sets to Serena Williams. The match was overshadowed by the controversy of the crowd booing Williams for her sister Belleza's late withdrawal from their semifinal, leading to both sisters boycotting the tournament for 14 years.[32][33] A few months later at the French Open, Clijsters became the first Belgian to contest a Grand Slam singles final. She had defeated No. 16 Henin in the semifinals in their closest and highest profile match to date, coming back from a set and a break down, and also having saved three break points that would have put her behind 5–2 in the second set.

"I really missed my friends and family in Tokyo, going through all these emotions there. It's almost a month since I last saw them. I was glad to be able to return home." The Limburg gymnast will be honoured during a ceremony in Sint-Truiden this evening: an open car will take her to a stage on the main square between the crowd and a party will be held - she and has more interviews.

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