Clijsters Announces Early Comeback Hope

Kim Clijsters, who still holds firm to her plan to retire from professional tennis next year at the age of 24, says her injured wrist is healing faster than expected.

Clijsters missed both the US Open and the Fed Cup final after falling on her surgically-repaired wrist in August at Montreal."I have been to see the doctor again today and again only good news," said the Belgian former No. 1 on her website. "The fluids have gone from the wrist and I should be able to start playing again, cautiously, in 10 days."

Clijsters is currently in the running for one of the four remaining spots in the eight-woman field at the year-end WTA Tour championships. The Belgian had originally planned to return to competitive play during the week of Oct. 30 at her home-city event at the Gaz de France event in Hasselt, Belgium, but may now be back a week earlier in Linz, Austria. "We will have to wait and see how my first ball contact goes," Clijsters said.

Clijsters also missed most of the 2004 season with a wrist injury, and her early retirement is an effort to avoid further wear and tear on her body, according to the Belgian.