Kim Clijsters to make tour comeback?

Speculations are getting stronger and stronger on Kim Clijsters’ major comeback in women’s professional tennis later this year.

According to media reports, the former world number one Belgian will be conducting a news conference on Thursday to announce her official plans for this year.

Sources have been quoted that Clijsters’ representatives and officials from the U.S. Open are in talks of possibly granting a wildcard entry for the 2005 champion this year. There are also talks that wildcard entry requests for Toronto and Cincinnati (which will take place before the U.S. Open) are being made.

As of now, the only confirmed appearances by the Belgian will be at the sold-out pre-Wimbledon exhibition event in May and at the World Team Tennis competitions in the U.S. in July.

One of WTA tour’s most admired tennis player, Clijsters announced her retirement at that age of 24, stating that constant injuries made her decide that it is just not worth it to continue competing. She got married to basketball player Brian Lynch in 2007 and gave birth to their first child last year.

Winner of 34 singles titles, Clijsters had one of the best comeback stories in the women’s tour. In 2005, after a long inactivity due to a wrist injury, Clijsters, then ranked 133, won 14 consecutive matches to win both the Indian Wells and Key Biscayne hardcourt titles to make a grand return in the top 20. She then went on to clinch the number one ranking less than a year later.