Why Kim Clijsters Won The US Open 2009
Kim Clijsters won her second US Open Grand Slam beating Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3. Kim kept her level of play extremely high and was playing without fear, doubt and hesitation.
Kim Clijsters at the US Open 2009 / Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
But so unbelievable about Kim’s win is that she already retired from tennis couple of years ago.
Kim started playing just for fun 5 months ago when she was invited to play an exhibition match at Wimbledon with Tim Henman, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graff.
It was then that Kim felt her passion for tennis and competing again. She started training again this is what’s the result of that – a US Open 2009 champion.
Here’s why I think Kim was able to come back:
1. She already played a modern aggressive style of tennis and nothing has changed since her retirement. Conchita Martinez for example could have never played on the WTA if she attempted a come back now because her game was much slower.
2. Kim was a champion before, winning the US Open in 2005 and having won lots of tournaments. That gave her a lot of confidence and no one can take these results away. So Kim knows how to play top level women’s tennis and it shows.
3. Kim’s body has recovered completely from years of hard training and the technique and movement are all stored in the subconscious brain forever. You never forget how to hit the ball. The only problem when not playing for a while is losing the perfect timing. But after a few weeks of training even that comes back.
4. The most important reason why Kim Clijsters is playing so well now is because she doesn’t feel pressure.
For 99% of other tennis players, tennis is everything and the only thing. Their life is dedicated to tennis and when they don’t succeed, when all the effort was in vain (at least when it comes to winning or losing), then the losses hurt.
But when you have something else, something much much more important than winning or losing a tennis match – this being Kim’s daughter and her family – then losing doesn’t hurt much. Kim may lose a tennis match, feel slightly disappointed but after she sees her daughter and her husband at home, she will have a great time.
Therefore, Kim doesn’t feel the fear of losing and is only focused on the joy of winning. She doesn’t have to battle the fear all the time and this enables her to really let go of her shots.
We could see so many times in this US Open against Serena and especially Wozniacki how Kim just hit a winner from baseline when she saw a little opening here or there. There was no fear of going for it and there was acceptance of an error if it happened.
This is the same reason why Federer is now even more dangerous then he was before; he feels almost no pressure, having won the French Open, 15th Grand Slam at Wimbledon and having a family which gives him the joy which has nothing to do with tennis.
Caroline Wozniacki played well and did her best but I am sure she’ll see the tape of today’s match many times and realize that in order to win a Grand Slam you must go for it instead of just rally consistently from the baseline.
Caroline in fact played more aggressively in the second set but since this is her plan B, she made a few more unforced errors than usual and she paid the price.
Caroline needs to practice aggressive baseline game and try to move her opponent at EVERY possible opportunity and not just wait for the perfect situation to emerge here and there.
Do you see other reasons why Kim Clijsters was able to win the US Open 2009?
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September 15th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Nice analysis. In fact, even in her match with Serena she was very composed and much more in control. She just kept her cool and played with very good balance in her game. It’s funny but it seems like the composed types such as Clijsters make better models as tennis champions. But there is still this underlying question of how someone like Serena with a very different mental makeup has managed to win so many championships. Maybe in Serena’s case she never loses. Even when the score says so.
September 21st, 2009 at 1:22 am
Your analysis is very good, as usual, and I would like to congratulate you on the great articles you write. They go beyond tennis and apply to life in general, and I learn a lot from them.
I agree that the main advantage Kim has over the rest of the players is that tennis is not her only passion anymore, and as a consequence, she has less pressure to deal with on court. It is very important, in life as well, I think, not to be an uni-dimensional person…
Before Kim retired, I didn’t watch too much tennis, so I didn’t know how she played. But two things impressed me at this US Open: her amazing shot-making abilities and her tennis mind. She is simply one class above most female players out there. The speed of her shots, the angles she can find in a split second, the way she can find creative ways to finish the point and the ability to execute pretty much any shot from the baseline, this is a joy to watch.
Even if she is a base-liner, Kim’s game is sooo much more exciting to watch than other baseline girls. I, for one, am so happy she is back! And the fact that she is such a nice human being makes me be an even bigger fan!
September 21st, 2009 at 5:41 am
Another great article. It`s impossible to analyse this case in a simplier way. The more you enjoy on the court, the better you play. There is no doubt of it. Clijsters’ case is an exception, because only a few professional players will have the ‘priviledge’ of being able to play without the pressure of the competition. But I think there are different ways to feel good as playing tennis. It depends on your game, your style. As a good Spaniard, I admire Rafa Nadal. Does he actually enjoy on the court? Yes, of course, although sometimes it seems the opposite. He enjoys suffering, defending, fighting, rallying, planning every single point, attacking the weakest point of his rivals, surviving in the mental battle. This is his method and it works. Definitively, you must squeeze your abilities. No matter how talented you are. The key is to know what kind of tennis you can put into practice and to do it.
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:28 am
Dear Tomas, very good analysis! My two cents worth of analysis is – the rest that she enjoyed away from tennis…I play a lot of tennis too and i have noticed that if I take a week off, my game improves a lot the follwing day. I believe, what made her relax was she was “fully recharged” after that furlough…
by the way, thanks for inviting me to see you..I wont be traveling at the moment…but next year I would be in UK for the Wimbledon.
More power
September 23rd, 2009 at 6:27 am
When Kim was retiring, she made some comments about facing life in a more exciting way. Looking forward to family life with husband and kids! It is absolutely impossible not to have fear when playing a highly competitve sport. Even Nadal said if he does no feel any fear when entering a competition, he hardly performs well. Kim felts some fear during shot making, he faces them from the power point not from the painful point. Although, she misses some shots occasionally which is as a result of the difficulty of the game. I never saw a moment of depression even when she was down. Lovely family thoughts was the secret. Good thoughts attracts good shots. Like things attracts one another!
January 26th, 2010 at 9:48 pm
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