What John McEnroe said to Kim Clijsters after she fell to 0-4 in Grand Slam finals

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Kim Clijsters struggled in Grand Slam finals early on in her career…

The Belgian reached her first major final at the 2001 French Open, coming up short against Jennifer Capriati 12-10 in the deciding set.

She lost two more Grand Slam finals in 2003, both to her countrywoman Justine Henin (2003 French Open final, 0-6, 4-6, and 2003 US Open final, 5-7, 1-6).

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Playing her fourth major final, she took on Henin once more, this time in Melbourne.

Finishing as the runner-up once again, Clijsters lost to Henin, 3-6, 6-4, 3-6.

During the latest episode of ‘Love All‘, Clijsters recalled what tennis legend John McEnroe told her after the match.

John McEnroe told Kim Clijsters the chair umpire made a mistake that cost her in the final

“One of the things I remember in that match was that we didn’t have electronic line calling,” said Clijsters.

“I remember there was a call where I could have broken her back in the third set, and the chair umpire overruled.

“It was a huge deal.

“I think John McEnroe came up to me afterwards, and told me that the ball was in, or Justine’s shot was out, so I do remember that.

“Feeling like, Oh man, I could have broken back.”

Clijsters didn’t want to use the official’s error as an excuse, though.

“But that doesn’t mean I would have won the match or anything like that,” she said.

“I think I was very aware of not using anything as an excuse.

“But it was another loss against Justine [Henin], frustrating.”

The defeat saw Clijsters fall to 0-4 in major finals.

She wasn’t prepared to give up, however, and won her first Grand Slam a year later at the US Open.

Kim Clijsters at the 2005 US Open

• 2005 US Open 1R [WIN] vs Martina Muller, 6-1, 6-2
• 2005 US Open 2R [WIN] vs Fabiola Zuluaga, 7-5, 6-0
• 2005 US Open 3R [WIN] vs Ai Sugiyama, 6-1, 6-4
• 2005 US Open 4R [WIN] vs Maria Vento-Kabchi, 6-1, 6-0
• 2005 US Open QF [WIN] vs Venus Williams, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
• 2005 US Open SF [WIN] vs Maria Sharapova, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3
• 2005 US Open F [WIN] vs Mary Pierce, 6-3, 6-1

Clijsters retired from tennis two years later to start a family, but she hadn’t finished writing her story yet…

Coming out of retirement, Clijsters won the 2009 US Open, 2010 US Open, and 2011 Australian Open.

Kim Clijsters’ record in Grand Slam finals

After losing her first four Grand Slam finals, Clijsters won four in a row, retiring for a second time in 2012 as one of the greatest players of her generation.

How many weeks did Kim Clijsters spend as the world number one?

Not only did Clijsters win four Grand Slams, but she also enjoyed four stints as the world number one.

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But how many weeks was she at number one for? And where does she stack up against other WTA legends?

Weeks spent at number one since 1975

Clijsters’ 20 weeks at number one sees her slot into 21st in the all-time list.

Belarusian star Aryna Sabalenka is the current world number one and has held the top spot for over a year.