Kim Clijsters To Resume Her Hall of Fame Career

Scoop,

What a scoop! That’s amazing and a big boon for pro women’s tennis. Clijsters is one of my favorite players of all time and her personality and athletic style of play will be interesting to see how it’s evolved now that she’s 36. I wonder with two children under the age of 7, how much playing and traveling she’ll actually do. I don’t know if her husband does anything but coach hoops locally so maybe he’ll be the stay at home dad. Very interesting. Obviously, she’s been inspired by her heir on the court, Bianca Andreescu.

Shoot, Halep is with Nike! Maybe Nike pays Cahill. It all works out if money comes from a big company vs player pockets.

Clijsters, maybe she wants her kids to see her play pro tennis. I read the piece, and obviously her trainer is like fantastic, employment!

As for the competition, players should be able to beat Clijsters handily. But we’ve talked a lot about what’s between the ears and in the heart, and Clijsters is a perfect example – her groundstrokes are impeccable, good overhead, and a more than decent strategist (not the greatest, but not mindless – she has the kinstinct).

Will it be enough? Does anyone care?

It’s news but… Sharapova’s comeback hasn’t been successful. Sharpie is #135 today. That’s #135 with a huge serve and a big game and a ruthless mentality.

There have been players whose comebacks have never flown forward. So the Clijsters comeback to me is at best a chance to show her kids that she was a great pro player and reconjure a little of the magic of years past while probably suffering some injuries given her game relied a lot on her mobility.

Simona has won over $33 million so far. The woman likes to shop but somehow I think she can afford to pay Cahill without any problem.

Coach player is all about comfort level. I guess with Bajiin it was as Scoop said, Bajiin dating an opponent. And with Jermaine Jenkins, can’t imagine it’s not the results side.

Wertheim suggested after the Bajiin firing that Osaka is likely more business like than anyone knew. With the Scoop Scoop it sounded like Osaka wasn’t going to stand for Bajiin personal issues such as dating an opponent (fine, reasonable enough, and a little troubling for sure).

I listened to a few podcasts now with Bajiin and yeah, I get that his Twitter profile featured a dude showing off the torso. Not a real good idea if you’re coaching the world’s best player. So the guy has blind spots and forgot who he was working for (alone from that – you rep the player not yourself and even in repping the player you can’t speak for them unless you are Uncle Toni and you have massive leverage!).

But Jermaine Jenkins didn’t strike me as a publicity guy at all, just a guy trying to do right by the player. But if a player looks at results and it’s obvious they aren’t winning then that player will drop the axe swiftly.

It will be interesting to see where this goes. At this point is it the player and their happiness that is the issue or is Osaka ruthless? If it’s the latter we can expect Osaka will go at Andreescu and Barty hard in the next few months and claim the throne again.

But if she goes coach less or tries out a new coach and it doesn’t work again, I think then you got to say Osaka has lost the edge and that it’s on the player.

Andrew, other players probably did approach Cahill, but he wasn’t available. My understanding is that he was helping his teenage son who hoped to get a tennis scholarship. Presumably the son is now in college, so Darren is free to coach a pro player again.

I want to see a Henin comeback, I think if Clijsters plays Australia she can give Andrescue a better match than Serena, just what I am seeing in her training. As an aside I would have liked to see Spadea make a comeback, even at challenger level, I just had one of my colleagues watch the Spadea forehand video as she is just getting back to playing, and is having trouble with the forehand. She said what Spadea said is opposite what her pro told her, told her this is the real deal get a new pro. My pro actually says the same thing as Spadea and has impeccable strokes ( had a atp ranking) Dan you should get Cal 1 week with Spadea. ( not all is lost hanging out in SoCal for a week in winter) did you see Noah Rubin is pushing his father as a coach?

Scoop, can’t speak for Jenkins the elder. His brother Jarmere was very solid and I hope Serena keeps him on staff. But of course you are right: going from hitting partner of the greats to coaching the greats is a leap – Osaka took a chance on him after firing Bajiin, and hopefully he gets a chance to work with more players and build his coaching skills.

As for Osaka she did what is recommended all struggling players do – change what’s not working. I still wonder if the issue with Osaka goes beyond her tennis to the player. It was suggested she was a different player – same raw talent but no strategy pre Bajiin (and probably resents having read that in the press). Bajiin would never say that but I think it was accepted that Osaka didn’t mature into being a champion – she became a champ through the work on the court.

She had more than enough reason to fire Bajiin if like Scoop said Bajiin courted some personal problems in dating Osaka opponents. It’s bad form, even if Bajiin believes he’s given enough of his time and everything to Osaka. It’s a hard job and when a player doesn’t have Gilbert stature e.g. he doesn’t need the player, the coach is pretty dependent on the player.

I think someone said this about Murray. Murray heard much of what Lendl had said before from other coaches but he didn’t admire them. So when Lendl said it Murray did it.

I would think, and this is speculating, that Osaka may have been similar. She sees Jenkins and says like Scoop said: he’s good but he’s my hitting partner, even if he’s my coach he’s my hitting partner. She was going to fire anyone that didn’t work out, and this one was easy.

Given the Osaka game still looks very good, I’d guess the issue isn’t her game at all. Maybe the kinstinct isn’t there or the thirst for the competition. The Sharapova book stuff as Hartt said!

Clijsters has been practicing. Her old trainer practices with her and she’s well into her routine. I think she’s far from ready, but they have a plan and she has a routine already. My guess would be that they announced because they had to announce or because she wants some support from sponsors or something. Those babolats she used are now old hat.

Osaka is right to reclaim the podium when it comes to her game and her play. She’ll need a good coach that doesn’t talk to the media. Bajiin as Scoop said – even if he says he becomes the poodle of his player, he is always talking about his players. Honestly if I were Mladenovic I’d be like Sasha listen man, stop doing all these interviews!

What can I say. This guy is a good coach AND he’s a self promoter. I have no doubt he loves coaching but the guy talks a lot.

JG how are you watching the match? Tennis Channel?

Ossaka has someone lined up. She doesn’t want to face Andreescu without a big name in her box. So I imagine the ink is already drying on the contract.

How long will Fissette stay with Vika ? Her day is done in singles. Wim won’t be content with also-ran status.

Sorry Kim – it’s Clijsters.

Andrew – ball machine’s a bit awkward to have travelling with you 🙂

Emotional basketcases ? Too true, too true. You should have seen the transcript of Angie’s pc at the USO – it was almost incoherent. Better in China. Dirk Dier’s like home. And Sabalenka ? Don’t go there. She just beat Ostapenko though. And great doubles.

Can’t recall so much instability in WTA coaching for a long while.

Simona’s behaviour is a farce. She never wanted or needed another coach this year. Just had Cahill on an ear bud.

Tennis channel was carrying it, also you can get on live stream on the ATP website, go to the challenger section, they steam all the challenger matches

No reason to fire a coach when you win a slam. Why Osaka is confusing. The Gilbert firing with Murray was also embarrassing and Gilbert hasn’t had the same steady coaching opportunity since, but he probably doesn’t want it and he’s got the job he wants. Murray didn’t like being treated like a kid. It was the Gilbert press thing, which was going to happen because that’s BG.

Bajin reminds me of this a little, that he promotes and talks and talks. But from what he says he’s honest about the job and that he says he’s about the player development. But the evidence is clear

No Bajin, Osaka top 70.
Bajin, Osaka #1 two slams or one depending on how you count or how Osaka counts.
No Bajin, Osaka gets lots of press while mailing in results.