Born Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters on the 8th June 1983, in Bilzen, Belgium, Kim is a former professional tennis player, who was the No. 1 on both WTA singles and doubles tours. Kim won the US Open on three occasions (2005, 2009, and 2010) and the Australian Open (2011) in singles, while in 2003, she also won the French Open and Wimbledon in doubles. Her career started in 1999 and ended in 2012.
Have you ever wondered how rich Kim Clijsters is as of mid- 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Clijsters’ net worth is as high as $20 million, an amount earned through her successful career as a professional tennis player. Clijsters won over $24 million in prize money alone, while she also had numerous endorsement deals, which improved her wealth too.
Kim Clijsters Net Worth $20 Million
Kim Clijsters is a daughter of Els Vandecaetsbeek, a former national gymnastics champion, and Lei Clijsters, a former international footballer. Clijsters was destined to play sport, and at the age of 11 she became the Belgian junior tennis champion. In the junior contention, Kim and Jelena Dokic won the French Open title after defeating Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova in 1998.
She turned professional in 1999 and in September that year, Clijsters won her first WTA title at the Fortis Championships Luxembourg, against compatriot Dominique Monamiin straight sets. In 2000, Kim was victorious at Moorilla Hobart International, Hobart, Australia and Sparkassen Cup, Leipzig, Germany, while the following year, she lost in the French open final to Jennifer Capriati, 6-1 4-6 10-12. However, that loss didn’t waver Clijsters, and she won three tournaments by the end of 2001, including her second in both Luxembourg and Leipzig.
The next season was very successful for Kim, as she defeated Venus Williams in three sets at the WTA Hamburg, Germany, and then beat the other sister, Serena, in straight sets at the WTA Tour Championships, Los Angeles, US. Although she failed to win a Grand Slam title in 2003, Clijsters reached 14 finals, winning nine of them. Kim was better than Lindsay Davenport at the Pacific Life Open, Indian Wells, US, and beat Amelie Mauresmo in maximum sets at Telecom Italia Masters, Rome, Italy. Her compatriot Justine Henin stopped her in the Rolland Garros and Flashing Meadows finals, but Kim managed to defend the WTA Tour Championship title with a big 6-2 6-0 victory over Mauresmo. In August 2003, Clijsters became the world’s No.1 for the first time in her career and the next two seasons were even better.
After adding two more titles in 2004, Clijsters won in each of nine finals she played in 2005, including the US Open against Mary Pierce, her first Grand Slam title in singles. Before her retirement in 2007, Kim played in seven WTA finals, winning her third trophy in Stanford, and second in Sydney. Clijsters decided to retire after the 2007 season, but returned at the US Open in 2009 and miraculously won the title, defeating Caroline Wozniacki in two sets, 7-5 6-3. Kim continued to play, but carefully chose the tournaments she participated in, so in 2010 she had five victories in five finals, winning in Brisbane, Miami and Cincinnati, and then at the US Open for the third time in her career, and also at the WTA Tour Championships.
These victories helped Clijsters to increase her net worth significantly, and once again, she considered retirement. However, the Belgian player made it to three WTA finals in 2011, winning the Australian Open for the first time, thanks to a 3-6 6-3 6-3 win over Li Na. Kim’s last single match of her career was in the second round of the US Open in 2012 when she suffered a defeat to Laura Robson.
Overall, Kim Clijsters has 41 WTA titles in singles and 11 in doubles. Most recently, she worked as a Tournament Director for the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp in 2014.
Regarding her personal life, Kim Clijsters dated fellow tennis player Lleyton Hewitt from 2003 to 2004, while in October 2006, she announced her engagement to basketball player Bryan Lynch. They married in July 2007 and have three children together.
