16 août - August 16, 2006  21h45                   

  S. Dubois  / K. Clijsters

  1‑6, 3‑2 Ret.

KIM CLIJSTERS: I started, like halfway through the first set I just started feeling like my backhand, I couldn't get down with my racquet, you know, I couldn't produce the spin that I normally do.  And, you know, it was fine because she's not a hard hitter, it didn't have that big of an impact.  But then I started slicing and just trying to protect, I kind of go worse and worse and just stiffened up and then I called the trainer out.  And, you know, obviously with the history that I have with my wrist, you know, it's something that really worries me.  And you know, these next few weeks are really important for me, so, you know ‑‑ and then falling on it definitely didn't help either. You know, we'll see.  I mean, there's no conclusions yet, but we'll see.  I'm going to have some more tests done tomorrow too and I'll get to know more.

Q. Have you felt the pain before this evening?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I had some pain last week, but not, you know, not at the degree where I said I'm not going to Montreal.
 
Q. Is it the same pain that you had before?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I don't know.  I'm scared.  It feels very similar,  but I'm kind of hoping, you know, in my mind I hope it's not, obviously, but we'll see.  I try to hope for just some inflamation or something.  You know, that doesn't take too long to heal, so if it's just that, then I'll be fine to go to New York.  But, yes, I mean, I don't even want to think about something else.  So let's just hope it's that.

Q. What happened when you fell and how much worse did that make it?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Well, I was wearing a tape, so that was, you know, thank God.  Because, I mean, if I wouldn't have worn a tape, I don't know what would have happened.  But that definitely helped me.  I don't know what ‑‑ it definitely scared me a lot.  And again, you know, I can't see on the inside right now, but it hurts, it's very stiff at the moment.  So I don't know.  I mean, I hope, you know, I hope there's no tare or anything again because that's probably the worst scenario.

Q. Will the MRI be here in Montreal or will you take off for somewhere else?

KIM CLIJSTERS: No, as soon as possible here, yes.

Q. You know, in the last year we've talked about the hip and the ankle and hoping everything was okay.  Do you feel like it's kind of one thing after another for you?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yes.  For the last few weeks I was kind of, for a long time feeling fine and then something happens again.  Sot it's very hard to deal with it, but again I don't have any other choice.  You know, I'm just going to try.  I'm not going to sit here and just say, you know, this is the end. I'm going to hopefully think positive and hopefully it's the least, you know, not the worst scenario.  Hopefully, it's ‑‑ you know, I definitely have something wrong with it, but hopefully it's not going to be to a degree where, you know, it's going to restrict me from playing for the next few weeks.  You know, I mean, hopefully if I can take the next, I don't know how long is the US Open, it's like 10, 12 days still, 13 days or so.  So I don't have the information.  It takes about two weeks, like 10 days to two weeks, so it's hard but, you know, it's ‑‑ I don't know.
 
Q. How disappointed would you be if you could not go?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I don't even want to think about it.  I mean that would ...  Yes.  I don't even want to think about that at the moment.

Q. And you don't want to think about too if you don't feel a 100 percent how you are going to try to defend ...

KIM CLIJSTERS: No, that's the thing.  I mean, you ‑‑ I don't know, if I start doing my rehab and if things turn out to be okay, then I start doing rehab, you know, as much as possible you try to get everything ready to hopefully play on that Monday or Tuesday.  But that's what you aim for then, so, you know, that's what you're going to have to set your mind to.  I mean, you don't have to set it. That's what you automatically hope for.  So that's not going to be hard.  It'll be a lot harder if they tell me to go home or something, yes.
 
Q. What was the specific nature of the injury in 2004?  Was it a torn ligament?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Tendon.

Q. Tendon?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yes.

Q. You've worked so hard since 2004 to come back and get back on top.  Now this.  It's got to be ... 

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yes.  It's hard, it's hard.  But again, you know, there's not much I can do about this.  You know, I'm not a quitter.  I felt terrible calling the trainer out on court.  I'd never do that.  So like I'm sorry, you know, but I had no other choice.  So again, you know, that's something that, you know, I don't know what they'll...  You know, it's very hard for me to say what I'm going to do if or if.  You know, there's so many things that could be wrong or that could be fine still too.  So it's very hard for me to say or answer to a lot of those questions right now.  I mean, I have a million questions going through my head at the moment, you know, just for myself.  I want to know as soon as possible what's wrong so I can start.  You know, I don't want to lose a day.  You know, if they say, you know, it's not too bad, it's not the worst scenario, then I'll say let's go, let's start and then let's start my rehab.  But, you know, that's what I, again, that's what I hope for.
 
Q. Are you going tonight for x‑rays?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow I have some more tests to do later.
 
Q. When you hit the court, is that the first thing that popped into your head, "oh my God, not again"?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yes.  I mean, that wrist, I mean it's always been, you know, after the surgery, you know, because I hurt it again after I had my first surgery, then I hurt it three or four months afterwards, you know, I hurt it again.  That's something where you feel, you know, that's a part where you always feel a little bit protective of this, because, you know, there's been a little bit of work done to it and, yes, you always try to, in a way, try to protect it.  But now, I mean it took me a long time before I was able to play without worrying about it, without thinking about it or without afterwards, you know.  Like I still ice my wrist because it's something I want to protect.  But again I don't know why things, why it happens.  I don't know.  I have no idea.

Q. Is it the first time that you feel the pain since your injuries?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I mean, no, I have days.  You know, It's funny because I always used to hear my grandma say, you know, how when it's cold outside, you know, she feels pain in her knee, in her bad knees.  And I'm, yes, that's how I feel now in my wrist.  And so, no, I definitely have days where it feels a lot stiffer, but not in a way where it restricts me.  You know I warm it up and then that's fine when I get out there so ‑‑  but not like this.  I don't know.