Kim Clijsters' injury problems took a new twist when she was forced to retire because of a knee which she damaged performing her trademark splits at the German Open on Thursday. After battling bravely for more than 12-months against a career-threatening wrist injury the former world number one from Belgium has been afflicted by a different setback just after she had seemed certain to reach the quarter-finals of the 1.3 million dollar event.
Clijsters had been a set and 5-1 up against Patty Schnyder, the seventh seeded Swiss player and had four match points while serving for it at 5-3.
That may have created a mood of frustration, because in the following game, when Schnyder was serving to level the second set at 5-5, Clijsters began chasing lost causes behind the baseline.
Twice she ran the width of the court trying to make improbable retrieves and on one of them appeared to stretch the ligaments of her right knee as she performed the splits.
She immediately called the trainer, and during a ten-minute injury time out had bandages applied above and below the knee.
This supported Clijsters enough to play one more game, but after dropping her service, she decided to retire, giving Schnyder victory by 5-7, 6-5.
This was a particularly aggravating defeat for Clijsters because she had earlier overcome a bout of frustration in which she had been uncharacteristically throwing her racket about after failing to serve out for the first set at 5-3.
She then went three set points down at love-40, 5-6, but responded with her most enterprising tennis, saving one set point with a net attack and another with an audacious drop shot which set up a comfortable pass.
But her failure to close out the second set cost her dear, and may even have placed at risk her chances of challenging in two and a half weeks time for the title at the French Open, where she has twice reached the final.
Perversely it may also have offered her a degree of relief. After making a startling comeback from almost 12 months on the sidelines by becoming the first unseeded player ever to win back-to-back tier one titles, Clijsters announced last month that she would be "relieved" when the clay court season was over.
That, she later explained, was because the style of play necessary to do well on this slow surface would place a greater strain on her troublesome wrist.
She clearly feared that injury would threaten her again. That has now proved prophetic, but not in the way she expected.
RESULTS (x denotes seed):
(3rd round): Patty Schnyder (SUI x7) bt Kim Clijsters (BEL x11) 6-7 (4/7) 6-5 retired; Nadia Petrova (RUS x6) bt Mary Pierce (FRA) 6-2, 7-5.
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