General / Editor / 06 May 2007 /

Former world number one Kim Clijsters has brought forward her retirement from tennis with immediate effect due to injury problems.

The 23-year-old Belgian had always planned to wind down her career ahead of her July wedding to American basketball player Brian Lynch, before then calling it a day at the end of the season. However she decided that, with ongoing injuries, it is better to stop now.

Clijsters, who won the US Open in 2005, was runner-up twice at the French Open and once at the Australian Open and also reached two Wimbledon semi-finals, said on her web diary: "It has been more than beautiful but now the rackets will be hung up.

"After the fantastic and moving farewell in Antwerp all good things must come to an end.

"The constantly returning injuries, the laborious crawling out of bed in the morning and the time it takes to warm up tired muscles make it all the more difficult to continue."

She added: "I still like to play tennis but my injuries the last few years have made me not enjoy it as much as before.

"Last year I was working with trainers but would still get injury problems."

It means Clijsters', whose last WTA victory came in Sydney in January, final appearance was her second round defeat at the hands of Ukrainian qualifier Julia Vakulenko in the J&S Cup in Warsaw earlier this week.

Clijsters' Belgian rival Justine Henin remains at the head of the market for the French Open (Women's Open Winner) at 2.64 with Australian Open champion Serena Williams next in line at 5.7, according to Betfair customers.

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