Alexandra Eala, pushed by her flag-waving Filipino supporters, caught Clara Tauson at the finish line

Clijsters won two of her three US Open titles after becoming a mom while Osaka appears to finally be back in form after returning from her own maternity leave in 2024. Osaka twice lifted the US Open trophy (2018, 2020) and is set to play her first tournament since the Omnium Banque Nationale, where she finished runner-up to surprise champion Victoria Mboko.

“I think I’m ready for another mom to win. I believe she’s playing so much better. She’s doing well, so I think on the women’s side, Naomi is going to win.”

A former world No. 1, Clijsters, who picked Jannik Sinner to defend his title in the men’s event, is coming off a whirlwind Induction weekend at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where she has served as Honorary President since 2022.

Clijsters is the last mom to lift the US Open women's trophy, winning back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

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“There were a lot of surprises,” she said of the Induction Ceremony, where Maria Sharapova and Bob and Mike Bryan were formally enshrined in the Hall of Fame. “It’s an emotional weekend from start to finish, and I love being a part of it because I love seeing people get celebrated.”

The buzziest moment of the night came when Serena Williams surprised everyone—including Clijsters herself—with her speech introducing Sharapova.

“I didn’t know!” Clisjters said with a laugh. “It had to be top secret

“That was a huge moment seeing Serena walk out and surprise everybody there. The whole thing was just very, very special. Bob and Mike [Bryan] had their family there. But obviously this was a huge moment in tennis history.”

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Clijsters has stayed close to the tennis world since retiring from the sport for the final time in 2022, not only through her work at the Hall of Fame but also with a bourgeoning media career, launching her own interview podcast, Love All.

“The Tennis Channel is on all the time in my house, whether I’m cooking or doing homework with the kids. It’s always on in the background.”

Clijsters’ predictions will face their first tests on Tuesday with Osaka and Sinner both scheduled to play their first rounds against Greet Minnen and Vit Kopriva, respectively.

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