17 February 2020

Garbine Muguruza replaces Kiki Bertens as Kim Clijsters comeback opponent at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

Kim Clijsters' comeback match after more than seven years will be against two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza after Kiki Bertens withdrew from the Dubai Duty Free Championships.

The 36-year-old, who has not played since the 2012 US Open, delayed her return to the sport at the end of 2019 due to a knee injury.

Clijsters is set to be thrown in at the deep end in her opening match against the 2020 Australian Open runner-up Muguruza, but the Belgian does not feel the level of her opponent is something she should consider.

She said: "I don’t think it really matters. I still feel like I have a lot of things that I want to focus on myself, want to learn, start to get a feel for things again mentally, physically, emotionally, how I’m going to feel.

"I’ve been practicing well. It’s important to now try to put [this] into a match and see how I will deal with being under pressure, nerves, those kind of things. That’s something that I haven’t done yet.

"I’ve enjoyed it since the day I’ve decided to go for it. It’s been with ups and downs. Being 36 years-old, you know that’s how it’s been for your whole career. It is with ups and downs. It’s all easy when it goes well, when you don’t have to worry about too many things. When things don’t go well, that’s obviously when you have to be committed and focused. I’ve been doing that. I’ve enjoyed it."

The first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships kicks off today, with Clijsters and Muguruza due on court around 3pm GMT.

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