KIM CLIJSTERS dropped to the court in disbelief, then looked to the stands to find her daughter, Jada, up way past her bedtime so she could watch her mother spin a fairytale.
Clijsters, the 26-year-old, unseeded wild-card entry from Belgium, left the game two years ago to start a family. She announced her return to the court earlier this year and played her first tournament just four weeks ago. Suddenly, she had captured the 2009 US Open title, dispatching 19-year-old Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, 7-5, 6-3, in one hour, 33 minutes before an adoring crowd of 23,351 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Clijsters became the first mother to win a grand slam title since Evonne Goolagong Cawley won Wimbledon in 1980.
This was the celebration she was denied on Saturday, when her semi-final opponent, Serena Williams, became so unhinged on match point that she was assessed a penalty – giving Clijsters victory in the most unsatisfying of circumstances. This was different, as she punctuated match point with a joyful overhead slam.
Clijsters reached No.1 in the world in 2003, but it took her two more years to win the first – and hitherto only – grand slam title of her career, at the 2005 US Open. It took Clijsters two years away from the game to win her second title.
She scrambled with the agility of a gymnast to her players' box to find her husband, Brian Lynch, a former professional basketball player out of Villanova. And the two embraced in improbable joy.
Just one hour before the match, Clijsters warmed up with the future of women's tennis; Her 18-month-old daughter was gleefully swinging a racket that was bigger than her body in the players' lounge.
Jada hit a clean forehand, scampered after her ball with unwavering focus and said "thank you" when handed a ball back that had gotten away from her. Stacey Allaster, the chief executive of the WTA Tour took pictures to record the heartwarming moment, one much more preferable than the ugly one of Saturday night when Williams had exploded at a line judge in response to a foot fault, spewing profanities and threatening to shove a tennis ball down her throat.
"We're all disappointed how the match ended, but that does not take anything away from Kim and how great she's been playing," Allaster said. "She's happy with her life and we're happy to see her here."
Happy wasn't quite the right word to describe how Clijsters felt after her landmark victory. "I don't have words for this," she said. "I'm just glad I got to come back to defend my title from 2005. This has been so exciting for me and not really our plan, I guess. I just wanted to start these three tournaments and just to get back into the rhythm of playing tennis and just to get used to the surroundings again.
"I have to thank the USTA for giving me the wildcard to come back here."
Clijsters, who married former Lynch in 2007, said having her 18-month-old daughter in the crowd made her spectacular triumph more special. "We tried to plan her nap time a little bit later today so she could be here," she said.
"It's the greatest feeling in the world being a mother and I just can't wait to spend the next few weeks with her and just to have her routine ... at home with her."
New York Times
MOTHERING HEIGHTS: GRAND SLAM-WINNING MUMS
¦ KIM CLIJSTERS (Bel) 2009 US Open
Exploded on to the scene at the start of the millennium. Her athletic style of play won her the 2005 US Open and near-universal popularity. But she walked away from the sport in May, 2007. Clijsters married, gave birth to a baby daughter and, shortly after, began planning her comeback. Her US Open win came in just her third tournament back.
¦ EVONNE GOOLAGONG CAWLEY (Aus)
1980 Wimbledon
The Australian skipped the 1977 season to have first child Kelly before returning to the tour and going on to defeat Chris Evert in the 1980 Wimbledon final – her second All England and seventh grand slam singles crown – aged 29. Goolagong Cawley was the first mother in 66 years to win the Wimbledon title.
¦ MARGARET COURT (Aus)
1973 Australian, French and US Opens
In 1970, the Australian became the first woman during the open era and the second woman in history to win all four grand slam singles titles in the same year. The next year, Court lost the Wimbledon singles final to Goolagong while pregnant with her first child, Daniel. The following year, she went on to win a hat-trick of slams.