Clijsters on Course for Wimbledon

Kim Clijsters showed she is back to full fitness, after returning to competitive action with a victory in the Unicef Open.
The Belgian star had not played in a WTA Tour event since March, when Yanina Wickmayer beat her in the round of 32 in Miami.

A hip problem had forced Clijsters into a lengthy injury break, but the former world number one looks to be on course for Wimbledon. Having skipped the clay-court season to get back to full fitness, she now has her sights set on two appearances at SW19, with the Olympics also taking place at the All England Club, later this summer.

Clijsters received a bye through to the second round of the Unicef Open in ‘S-Hertogenbosch, where she came up against Romina Oprandi. Although the world number 53 lost the first set to her Swiss opponent, the three-time US Open champion eventually came through 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-3.

The 29-year-old has already stated that 2012 will be her last year on tour, and she will be keen to secure a fifth Grand Slam title. She will enter the tournament as an outside favourite, at 20/1 in the tennis betting offers.

Surprisingly, Clijsters has never reached the final at SW19; she has two unsuccessful semi-final appearances under her belt, in 2003 and 2006, losing to Venus Williams and Justine Henin respectively. After sliding down the rankings, Clijsters will be a dangerous opponent for a number of the seeded players, when Wimbledon begins on June 25.

Her last appearance at Wimbledon was in 2010, when she reached the quarterfinals, before eventually being beaten by Vera Zvonareva, despite winning the first set. Visit the Bet365 tennis website for more information on the Wimbledon entrants, as well as the best live in-play betting picks.