Clijsters withdraws from U.S. Open

2010 champion Kim Clijsters has withdrawn from the U.S. Open. Clijsters, in her official withdrawal statement, said that her stomach muscle injury has not healed. "I trained very hard this summer," Clijsters said, "and felt in a good shape to play the U.S. Open."

Clijsters has won the U.S. Open three times--in 2005, 2009 and 2010. The 2009 victory was significant because the Belgian player had just returned after being away from the court (she had intended to retire from tennis) for more than two years, and she had also given birth to a daughter. Clijsters' 2009 victory was a fitting climax to an especially dramatic U.S. Open. She defended her title last year when she defeated Vera Zvonareva in the final, and that, too, was seen as a significant victory.

In 2005, Clijsters easily defeated Mary Pierce in the U.S. Open final. Prior to winning that championship, the Belgian star had appeared in four major finals, and had lost all of them; three of them, she lost to countrywoman Justine Henin. This season, Clijsters won the Australian Open title after defeating Li Na in the final.

Both of Clijsters' tennis careers have been filled with injuries. Just this season, she injured her wrist and her shoulder, then injured her ankle while she danced at her cousin's wedding.