Kim Clijsters is Seeing Stars

When she was 15 years old starting her professional tennis career, she never dreamed she’d one day be in Newport accepting her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. But that’s exactly what former World No. 1 Kim Clijsters is doing tomorrow. On the eve of her crowning achievement, the Belgian was soaking up the excitement at the historic Horseshoe Piazza, hitting a few friendly lobs with Hall of Fame Executive Director and former pro Todd Martin, before the day’s tennis week competition began. “I’m really excited about it,” she says of her induction with a sweet smile and twinge of Belgian accent. “And I’m excited to be sharing it with (fellow inductee) Andy Roddick since we played juniors together. To be part of this group is very humbling.”

Clijsters was sporting her custom Fila outfit that she wore on her last professional tennis match at the 2012 U.S. Open. Her longtime sponsor Fila recreated the outfit this year, dedicating all proceeds from the sale to the Hall of Fame Museum. “There are 41 stars here, representing 41 career titles I’ve won,” she says humbly pointing to the navy blue and red shirt. She walked the grasscourt runway during the Alex and Ani Ladies Day Brunch and Runway Show with her son Jack, 3. “I want to get to know the town. We took a walk the other day, and saw how beautiful it is,” she says of her time in Newport with the rest of her family, including basketball coach and former pro husband Brian Lynch, and other two children Jada, 9, and Blake, 8 months. The family lives in New Jersey, where Clijsters says she “is happy to be a mom.” They travel frequently to Belgium, where she established a junior tennis program, and where her kids spend lots of time.

Clijsters’s induction ceremony into the International Tennis Hall of Fame is scheduled for Saturday, July 22, 12pm.