Kim Clijsters bid a tearful farewell to her local fans in Antwerp last Sunday as she competed for the last time on Belgian soil, sticking to her word that she will hang up her racquets at the end of this season.
She lost in the final to Amelie Mauresmo, who went home with a diamond-studded racquet trophy worth about € 1 million. But Clijsters had a sparkler of her own, an engagement ring given to her by her fiancé, American basketball player Brian Lynch.
In keeping with her plans to marry this summer and remain healthy for the remainder of the season, the fourth-ranked Belgian has already trimmed down her schedule, opting out of the Pacific Life Open next month in order to play the Tour’s title sponsor event in Miami the following week. She has already announced that she will also skip the grueling clay court season, including the year’s second Slam, Roland Garros, to prepare for Wimbledon – and apparently her wedding.
Today the 23-year-old revealed the wedding date.
"We'll marry just after Wimbledon on July 14. I'll also be focusing my attention on this in the coming weeks," said the former World No. 1.
Clijsters became engaged last April while sitting out with an injury – one of many in her career, and one of the reasons why the Belgian is calling it quits. The other is to experience the domestic life and have a family with Lynch, whom she met in her hometown of Bree, where he plays for the local club.
It is the second engagement for Clijsters, who was previously set to marry Lleyton Hewitt in February of 2005 but broke off the relationship just months earlier.
“I am yearning for my wedding day,” Clijsters told the crowd in Antwerp last week. Now we know which day that'll be.