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Clijsters welcomes Henin to top flight tennis

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-23 21:23

BRUSSELS - U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters hailed the return of compatriot Justine Henin to professional tennis as "brilliant".

Belgium's tennis champion Justine Henin addresses a news conference in Limelette September 23, 2009. Seven-times grand slam winner Henin announced on Tuesday that she was coming out of retirement to compete again in professional tennis. [Agencies]

"I think that Justine's comeback is good news for women's tennis but even better news for Belgium in general," Clijsters said on her website (www.kimclijsters.be) on Wednesday.

"Justine worked really hard in the past to achieve great results that she recorded in her first career. For tennis it is brilliant that she's back."

Clijsters and Henin were both ranked world number ones before they shocked the tennis world and Belgium when they quit the sport within a year of each other.

Henin, who announced her retirement 16 months ago, is expected to make her comeback at the start of the 2010 season in Australia.

The former world number one said she was full of admiration for Clijsters, who came out of a two-year break last month and won the U.S. Open 10 days ago.

Henin added that completing her grand slam collection by winning an elusive Wimbledon title was one of the reasons behind her comeback.

"It (Wimbledon) is a dream of mine. I want to work to get it. I make it a priority," the seven-times grand slam champion was quoted as saying by the Belgian media.