Clijsters' father dies

Published on Sunday 4 January 2009 20:34

THE former Belgium international footballer Leo Clijsters, father of former tennis world No 1 Kim, has died aged 52 after a long battle with lung cancer.

Clijsters – capped 40 times and a member of the great Belgium team that reached the 1986 World Cup semi-finals in Mexico – was surrounded by his family when he died.

Clijsters, who was named Belgian player of the year in 1988 and won the European Cup-Winners' Cup and European Super Cup in 1988 with Mechelen, had announced he was seriously ill early last year shortly after Kim had retired from the WTA tennis circuit.

Former French and Australian Open winner Kim wanted to give him a grandchild before he died and her wish came true when she and husband Brian Lynch had a baby daughter Jada in February.

Clijsters also played at Euro 94 and the World Cup in 1990, and his other clubs included Club Brugge, Patro Eisden, Tongeren, Waterschei and RFC Liege. He was in charge of KAA Gent, before concentrating on managing his daughter's tennis career.