Kim Clijsters, 42, the former World No. 1 and six-time Grand Slam champion (four singles and two doubles), made an unexpected and early exit from the 2025 Luxembourg Ladies Tennis Masters Legends Exhibition.
We can’t wait 🙌
The Luxembourg Ladies Tennis Masters lineup has been revealed, with @AngeliqueKerber making her debut 🍿 pic.twitter.com/oonPAFItXB
— wta (@WTA) September 17, 2025
Clijsters has been a fixture at the exhibition that is part fun and part serious tennis which also had recently retired Angie Kerber and Eugenie Bouchard among its players this year. In addition to the tennis, participants also are involved in off-court activities that benefit the WTA Foundation.
Play continued as Clijsters was forced to leave and seek medical attention. Clijsters later took to social media from a hospital bed and explained what happened.
What Kim Clijsters Said
Clijsters shared that she had undergone surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon. She admitted that she never expected to have such a catastrophic injury as a retired player.
She looked forward to going home to her family to begin her recovery and rehabilitation.
@kim_clijsters Not an update I was hoping to share ❤️🩹 #Tennis #Injury #Recovery #Achilles
This news came on the same day as Roger Federer appeared at the Rolex Shanghai Masters exhibition.
Roger always brings the good vibes 🤩
Relive @rogerfederer‘s return to court in a special exhibition match from Shanghai!
Catch it on our App ➡️ https://t.co/pCjdhG8JRb #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/7Y2TBqOn59
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 10, 2025
Exhibitions are becoming more popular in professional tennis with both former and current players.
Clijsters is known to play exhibitions at the Grand Slams but will be out of commission in that capacity for a while.
She continues to stay close to tennis in various ways.
Kim Clijsters is serving as the Honorary President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and she hosts the Love All Podcast produced by Andy Roddick’s media company.
