"Steffi Graf was my childhood hero" - Kim Clijsters fondly recalls fangirling over German legend in 1st meeting with her at Wimbledon

Kim Clijsters recently recalled how seeing Steffi Graf in person for the first time overwhelmed her. The recollection was from Clijsters' debut Grand Slam at the 1999 Wimbledon Championships. Graf ultimately went on to oust the Belgian from the tournament.

Former WTA No. 1 Clijsters was recently featured as a guest on an episode of the Served With Andy Roddick podcast. During her discussion with former ATP No. 1 Andy Roddick, she thought back to the 1999 Wimbledon Championships, her Major debut.

Clijsters revealed she couldn't gather the courage to interact with her "childhood hero" Steffi Graf.

"She (Steffi Graf) was my childhood hero. I saw her at Wimbledon village and I turned around, I couldn't even like... I saw her walking towards me and I was like, "Oh my God! There's Steffi," but I turned and I was looking at the store," Clijsters said. (at 55:53)

Kim Clijsters revisited her fourth-round loss to Steffi Graf at the tournament. At the time, the main courts at Wimbledon didn't have retractable roofs, and due to incessant rainfall, the match between Clijsters and Graf encountered several delays spanning multiple days. The four-time singles Major winner said she couldn't get much sleep during this period due to her excitement at facing her idol.

"But yeah, that was it, and I kind of like walked with her from Center Court to Court 1 three times for three days. That match took a long time. Didn't sleep at all. I was so excited. Didn't know what to do with my excitement," Clijsters added.

After ruthlessly dispatching Clijsters 6-2, 6-2, Graf went on to reach the final, in a bid to win a new record 23rd singles Major title in the Open Era. However, Lindsay Davenport came out on top against the German in the final in straight sets. It marked Graf's last appearance in Major finals. Serena Williams eventually overtook her record of 22 women's singles Grand Slam titles.

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"Always wanted to move like Steffi Graf" - Kim Clijsters in 2017

Kim Clijsters attending the 2022 US Open (Source: Getty)

Kim Clijsters wrote a feature for the official website of the US Open in 2017, in which she elaborated on her childhood desire to move the way Steffi Graf did on the tennis court. The Belgian also recalled her eager anticipation for Graf vs Monica Seles matches.

"Steffi was my idol when I was younger and I always wanted to move like her. I remember coming home from kindergarten and grammar school and I couldn’t wait to turn the TV on and watch the French Open, Wimbledon or the US Open and wait for Steffi to play or Monica Seles to play. Monica was another one of my all-time favorites," Clijsters wrote.

Clijsters herself would go on to retire twice before making two separate comebacks, the first one being more notable. She returned to the tour after giving birth to Jada Lynch, her daughter with former basketball player and current coach Brian Lynch, and remarkably won the 2009 US Open as an unranked wildcard. Next year, she defended her US Open title and won the 2011 Australian Open.

These feats saw Clijsters become World No. 1 again, and the first mother to reach the pinnacle of women's singles tennis. She had previously reached the top WTA Tour ranking in 2003 and tasted Major success at the 2005 US Open. She retired again in 2012 but returned briefly to feature across the 2020, 2021, and 2022 seasons before finally bidding farewell to her tennis playing career.