Kim Clijsters to return to tennis in Belgium

Kim Clijsters, Belgium's former top-ranked player, is expected to announce her return to professional tennis at a news conference Thursday in Bree, Belgium, her hometown. Her plans will probably include requesting a wild card to the United States Open.
Clijsters, 25, stirred talk of a comeback by agreeing to play in a World Team Tennis event this summer and in an exhibition with Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi and Tim Henman at Wimbledon in May.

United States Tennis Association officials said that they had not received a formal request for a wild card into the Open from Clijsters, but that she would probably be granted one.
Clijsters, who reached No. 1 in 2003, won the Open in 2005, her only Grand Slam title. Twenty-three of her 34 pro singles titles have come on hardcourts.
Clijsters retired in May 2007, citing injuries and the desire to start a family. She married the American basketball player Brian Lynch that July; their daughter, Jada Ellie, was born in February 2008.

Why you watch Womens tennis!

Thankfully, the LONDON DAILY MAIL is keeping me abreast of the Australian Open and I'm happy to report that there is definitely something to report from Melbourne.
Austrian Tamira Paszek is the talk of the tournament so far, thanks to her near opening-round upset of 3rd Seed Jelena Jankovic, and “lunging around in a flimsy dress and straining sports bra that would have left many venerable members of the All-England Club choking on their strawberries.” I hadn’t noticed Paszek until the Brits brought it up. So I endeavored to find a few more photos of her - for confirmation’s sake only.

PHOTO GALLERY

Belgian Tennis Players Bribed?

BELGIAN TENNIS PLAYERS WAFFLE ON BRIBERY RACKET: Two Belgian tennis players said they were offered bribes to lose their matches:
MSNBC reports that Flemish faulter Gilles Elseneer was offered over $140,000 to lose his first round match at Wimbledon in 2005. Fellow Belgian David Norman came forward and admitted he was promised a substantial sum if he threw a game when he was in an Italian tournament about six or seven years ago. Neither netter took the money. Norman also added that he was asked about the conditions of other players, if any were suffering injuries or personal problems. Such info could help sports bettors increase their chances of striking rich on the red clay.