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The ‘crazy’ superstitions Kim Clijsters followed every time she played at Wimbledon

Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
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Kim Clijsters enjoyed a fantastic tennis career, which included a huge 41 WTA titles and a world number one ranking.

Clijsters won four Grand Slam singles titles during her time on the court, as well as two Grand Slam doubles titles.

The Belgian icon also lost four Grand Slam singles finals and one doubles final, falling just short of more stunning success on the WTA Tour.

All four of her singles wins arrived on hard courts, with Clijsters boasting three US Open titles and one Australian Open title.

Tennis - US Open - Women's Final
Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

Kim Clijsters’ ‘crazy’ superstitions when playing at Wimbledon

Intriguingly, despite never triumphing at Wimbledon, the former world number one had a strict set of rules she would follow every time she went there.

“I had different superstitions in the different places that I would go,” Clijsters told the official Wimbledon website in 2015.

“At Wimbledon it would be the same shower, the same locker room. I’d always eat the same type of food, at the same restaurant, just to stick into a routine.

“On court you’d have the little things, for example for my rackets the grips had to be put on in a certain way, they’d be in my bag in a certain order, I tried not to step on the lines, I’d fold my towel in a certain way. Actually that’s a lot! Players get crazy sometimes – we go into our own world.”

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Victoria Mboko waves to the crowd at the Hong Kong Open.
Photo by Marcio Machado/Getty Images

What Kim Clijsters said was her proudest tennis memory

Clijsters only ever made it to the semifinals of Wimbledon, but admittedly she was competing against some of the best players the game has ever seen.

The Belgian was constantly coming up against the likes of her counterpart Justine Henin and legendary sisters Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

ResultYearTournamentSurfaceOpponent
Loss2001French OpenClayJennifer Capriati6–1, 4–6, 10–12
Loss2003French OpenClayJustine Henin0–6, 4–6
Loss2003US OpenHardJustine Henin5–7, 1–6
Loss2004Australian OpenHardJustine Henin3–6, 6–4, 3–6
Win2005US OpenHardMary Pierce6–3, 6–1
Win2009US OpenHardCaroline Wozniacki7–5, 6–3
Win2010US OpenHardVera Zvonareva6–2, 6–1
Win2011Australian OpenHardLi Na3–6, 6–3, 6–3
Kim Clijsters’ Grand Slam singles finals

Still, she enjoyed superb success, and said of her proudest tennis memory: “My first Grand Slam was special but I also have the memory of winning my first-ever tournament, where I beat a few top-10 players.

“To me that was inspiring. To me that had a bigger impact. Winning the US Open after a tough year, with my dad passing away and having my first child, that was the biggest impact emotionally.”

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She claimed over 500 wins on the WTA Tour, with her prize money of $24,545,194 placing her 19th in the all-time list.

While there was no singles triumph at Wimbledon, she did manage to lift the doubles trophy alongside Ai Sugiyama in 2003.