First Kim Clijsters of Belgium turned pro in 1997, climbed to world No. 1 in both singles and doubles as a 20 year-old in August of 2003, and won her first Grand Slam at the U.S. Open in 2005. Following a series of ankle injuries and hip strains in 2006, she retired after the Australian Open in 2007 while ranked No. 4.
Her life then took a more domesticated turn as she got married July 13, 2007 to American pro basketball player, Brian Lynch, and gave birth to her first child, Jada Ellis Lynch on Feb. 27, 2008. She then came out of retirement in late 2009 and won the first Grand Slam event she entered, her 2nd U.S. Open championship.
What more could be left to accomplish with such a fulfilling life and career? Why, be turned into a Barbie doll, of course. Barbie Clijsters was unveiled at the world’s largest toy fair in the German city of Nuremberg on Wednesday, the first Barbie to commemorate a female athlete. Yes, Kim Clijsters has a Barbie lookalike, sporting the same tennis outfit, golden hair and blue racquet as the US Open champion.
Clijsters, 26, was hailed as the poster girl for working moms around the world last year when she became the first mother to win a grand slam singles title since Evonne Goolagong triumphed at Wimbledon in 1980.
Mattel, the world’s number one toymaker, said it also unveiled a doll of Clijsters’ daughter Jada, sporting the same outfit she wore for the US Open finals.
“I am…deeply honoured and humbled as I today join the ranks of iconic women who represent Barbie’s aspirational value,” Clijsters said. “My family means everything to me, so I was really excited when I found out that Jada would also receive her very own Jada Barbie doll.”
