Grand Slams are fine for Clijsters, but ’small’ counts as much when it comes to daughter Jada

Kim Clijsters plans 2010 around her No. 1 _ Jada

TESSENDERLO, Belgium — Kim Clijsters will center her 2010 schedule as much around young daughter Jada as around the four Grand Slams, planning a limited program that will put family first.

The U.S. Open champion will limit the rest of her 2009 program to just one tournament in Luxembourg next month before heading into two months of intense training for the Australian Open in January.

Next year, Clijsters will not play many tournaments beyond the four majors, four more mandatory events like Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing, and a few tuneup tournaments.

“We have to see how it will work out as a family,” Clijsters said at a news conference Thursday.

Jada, her 1 1/2 year-old toddler, already stole hearts around the world when celebrating the U.S. open title with her mother. But Clijsters also intends to give her a normal life away from the courts as much as possible.

“Things have to remain fun for Jada,” Clijsters said.

A limited program will also be good to keep her injury-free, one of the major problems Clijsters struggled with before her first retirement in 2007. However, she is essentially forfeiting any chance of regaining the world No. 1 ranking as she will miss opportunities to rack up points throughout the season.

“A No. 1 ranking is not what I focus on,” she said. “It would be nice, but Grand Slams are the big thing.”

Winning the U.S. Open in only her third tournament since coming back also helped inspire her longtime Belgian rival Justine Henin to come out of retirement.

But with the focus so much on her family, Clijsters isn’t phased by Tuesday’s announcement that Henin will again be there competing against her.

“It doesn’t really matter all that much to me,” she said. “I’m sure she will produce great tennis.”

Having come back with such stunning success has already eased the pressure on Clijsters and she now exudes a carefree country girl demeanor again — an image which made her one of the most popular players on the circuit.

“I’m here to announce the end of my second career,” she told reporters at the opening of her press conference. “Just joking.”

However, she’s not ready to discuss her long-term future just yet. While Henin immediately announced she planned to continue playing until 2012, Clijsters is much more careful.

“I will take it season by season,” she said. “I’ll look at the family. I cannot say what I will be doing in 2012.”