What part of "definitely" don't they understand?

For some time now, Belgian's tennis great, Kim Clijsters--who is famous for the Clijsters splits--has made it very clear that she will retire at the end of 2007. But every time there is a tournament, the commentators talk about how Clijsters is "considering" retirement, "talking about" retirement, or "giving some thought" to retirement. That is simply untrue. Clijsters has made it clear from the get-go that this was a firm decision and she would not change her mind.

Now she has received an invititation to be on the next Belgian Olympic team, and this time, she has stepped outside her mellow and cordial persona to discuss it. She actually sounded a bit irritated when she said, for the hundredth time, that she is retiring at the end of next season.

It is wishful thinking. None of us wants Kim to retire. She is a great athlete, an exceptional tennis player, and we just plain like her.

If Clijsters doesn't win a Grand Slam next year, she will retire as a one-Slam winner, a distinction which does not in any way reflect how great a player she is. Just as Gabriela Sabatini ran into the wall known as Steffi Graf over and over, and wound up a one-Slam winner, Clijsters has run into the wall of her countrywoman, Justine Henin-Hardenne, over and over. In 2001, Jennifer Capriati defeated her in the finals of the French Open, but in the 2003 French Open, the 2003 U.S. Open and the 2004 Australian Open, she lost the finals to Henin-Hardenne. Finally, in 2005, she defeated Mary Pierce to win the U.S. Open. Clijsters has also won the WTA Tour Year-End Championships twice, in 2002 and 2003, and won doubles in both the 2003 French Open and Wimbledon (Sabatini, for the record, also has one Grand Slam women's doubles trophy--Wimbledon, 1988--and she won the Olympic silver medal in 1988).

Clijsters, who has sustained very serious injuries in her tennis career, says she does not wish to have a permanently disabled body, so she is getting out while the damage is mild to moderate. "I hurt all the time," she said recently, of her struggle on the tour. She will be remembered, I think, for her stunning athleticism. I wish she would play for several more years, but I understand. Her performance at the recent Year-End Championships was thrilling and top-form, and here's hoping she wins another Slam before she leaves the tour.