Along with sister Venus Williams, she revolutionised the game with her consistent aggression and power, and supreme mental toughness.

They left a lasting legacy on the game and Clijsters had her fair share of battles against Serena Williams throughout her illustrious career.

Kim Clijsters names her two toughest opponents which includes Serena Williams

Kim Clijsters experienced a fantastic tennis career in her own right, and won seven Grand Slam titles.

She faced the world’s best for a number of years on the way to lift some of the sport’s biggest trophies. Arguably the best opponent the Belgian faced was Williams, who Clijsters admitted she found her toughest to beat.

“There were two players that definitely [I found it hard against],” Clijsters said during an appearance on Andy Roddick’s ‘Served’ podcast.

“Early on in my career, Serena made me feel like okay, I need to become faster, stronger and make sure my serve is better – my consistency and percentage.

“They hold a mirror up in front of you. If I want to be able to win a set, in the beginning I couldn’t even do that off Serena, so once I got close, I got to a 7-5. It builds your confidence as you are getting closer.”

During the same interview, Clijsters also named compatriot Justine Henin as her other toughest opponent, a player she had a fabulous rivalry with.

“Then Justine [Henin]. The variety that she had in her game, especially I remember the chip slice off her return was something that was so hard for me after my serve to push back, move forward, step in,” Clijsters added.

“I didn’t have the touch she had. I had more of the power. I think those two definitely had the biggest impact on me and on how I had to adjust my game to try and be better.”

What is Kim Clijsters’ head-to-head record against Serena Williams and Justin Henin?

Clijsters played against Williams nine times between 1999 and 2009.

She managed just two wins against the American, the first of which came in the 2002 season-ending championships.

The second victory came in their last meeting at the 2009 US Open, which was a controversial affair.

Williams was given a point penalty after yelling at a lineswoman, and as it occurred while she was down match point, Clijsters won the match and went on to win the title.

Clijsters played Henin 25 times between 1998 to 2010, and they produced a rivalry for the ages. Belgian’s two greatest tennis players always brought out the best in one another and produced some exciting and memorable matches.

Clijsters won 13 of their encounters, including each of their last three meetings in 2010, all of which occurred in straight sets.

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