Serena Williams creates buzz when she gets to tournaments - Kim Clijsters
The former world no. 1 Kim Clijsters knows how it feels to compete again after maternity, as she won two US Open titles after becoming a mother. Speaking to SB Nation about players given seeding after returning to the Tour after giving birth, Clijsters said, "I never thought about it until the Serena situation came up. I never thought about it! I was very grateful that I was already given a wild card to enter the US Open. Because, to me, I didn’t feel like I deserved that because I didn’t want to take that away from other players who earned that spot. I’ve heard different situations. I know the WTA and the tournaments — the Grand Slams — are trying. To me, the most important thing is that they’re all on the same page. Serena didn’t know if she was going to be seeded at the French Open. Is she going to be seeded at Wimbledon? Wimbledon said yes, the US Open has said yes she’s going to, the French Open didn’t. Just be all on the same page so it’s clear. So that there’s one rule.
There’s already a lot of benefits as a past number one player, as a past Slam champion. Obviously, Serena is a different story, I’m not comparing myself to Serena at all results-wise. But when you look at the rules there are already rules that say when you’re a past Grand Slam champion, when you’re a past number one player, you can request as many Wild Cards as you want. There’s already a lot of advantages that other players don’t have. But in this situation Serena is Serena, and I also understand that Serena creates a buzz when she gets to the tournament and tournaments, tournament directors, and especially sponsors love to have her there. So I get that to have her in the tournament longer is an option if she’s seeded."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2S9hOYB
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