Kim Clijsters won't quit tennis for a third time despite knee surgery and contracting COVID-19 in space of four months

Kim Clijsters says she is not ready to quit the game for the third time in her career despite undergoing knee surgery and contracting COVID-19 all in the space of four months.

The former world No 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion retired for a second time in 2012 before making a third career comeback in 2020.

Clijsters played in Dubai and Monterrey before the coronavirus pandemic brought tennis to a halt.

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The Belgian, a mother of three, suffered a first-round exit at the US Open before being forced to put her comeback on hold due to a knee injury which required surgery.

She then contracted COVID-19 in January, further delaying her return to the WTA tour. The 37-year-old has now turned down wild cards into the Miami Open and Charleston in order to undergo pain management treatment.

"In October, I had surgery on my right knee to repair damage sustained over my career and to reduce pain. Results following surgery were good - rehab and recovery went well and I was feeling really positive," she wrote on social media.

"As you've heard, I had COVID in January and while the symptoms were mild, it did disrupt my training schedule.

"I've had an intense few weeks of training with my team. Unfortunately I am not where I need to be especially if I want to compete with the best.

"It's disappointing and frustrating. I knew this was going to be hard when I started this journey - and there have been challenges that have been out of my control. I'm not ready to quit..... I'm going to keep pushing and see what's possible."

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Clijsters, who also suffered a medial ligament tear of her right knee during a game of padel in 2019, added: "I want to thanks Miami and Charleston teams for the wild card opportunity and wish them all the best with their events.

"I am going to undergo some pain management treatment for the next 3-6 weeks and then regroup with my team and see what's next."

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