BRUSSELS (AP) - Kim Clijsters is recovering well from shoulder, wrist and ankle injuries and is on schedule to play in the French Open, which starts May 22.
“There are no signs anything is going bad,” her spokesman, Gert Van Goolen said Friday.
Clijsters is a two-time runner-up at the French Open and slow clay is generally considered her weakest surface. Up to last week, she had been considered doubtful to compete in Paris.
She had been sidelined since early last month and resumed on-court training only last week. The Belgian hopes to make a definitive decision early next week.
“After this weekend she has to be sure whether to focus all on Paris and leave (to go) there, or decide whether to stay home,” Van Goolen said by phone.
Clijsters, the reigning U.S. and Australian Open champion, is ranked No. 2 behind Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.
During a busy early spring schedule, she overexerted her right shoulder and wrist and withdrew from the tour last month. Then she compounded her problems when she also injured her right ankle while wearing high heels at her cousin’s wedding.
She pulled out of the ongoing Italian Open in Rome and has no plans for a warmup tournament before the French Open. However, after a tentative first training outing last week, she has felt stronger during subsequent sessions.
If she skips the French Open, Clijsters would immediately start preparing for grass courts and play at the Unicef Open in the Netherlands, which begins June 12.
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