Kim Clijsters, of Belgium, misses a shot against Su-Wei Hsieh, of Taiwan during her first round match in the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic tournament, Sept 27, 2021, in Chicago. (MATT MARTON / FILE / AP)

Former world No 1 Kim Clijsters has retired from professional tennis, the 38-year-old said on Tuesday, bringing the curtain down on her career for probably the last time.

Clijsters, a four-times Grand Slam winner who retired twice in her career in 2007 and 2012, returned to action in February 2020 but did not win a single match and also had to undergo knee surgery in October that year.

I want to share with you that I have decided to no longer play official tournaments. I can't wait to see what new adventures will cross my path.

Kim Clijsters, former tennis player

She last played at Indian Wells in October last year and was knocked out in the opening round. 

"I want to share with you that I have decided to no longer play official tournaments. I can't wait to see what new adventures will cross my path," the Belgian wrote on Instagram.

In an interview with the WTA website, Clijsters explained she had been busy settling down in New Jersey with her family.

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In this Feb 17, 2020 photo, Kim Clijsters of Belgium returns the ball to Garbine Muguruza of Spain during the WTA Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, at the Dubai Tennis Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. (KARIM SAHIB / AFP)

"I still love to hit the ball. With my schedule three, four days was enough to keep my rhythm under control but definitely not good enough if I decided to play another tournament," she said.

"Say, if I picked Australia, it's three-four weeks. That's just not possible at this stage in our family life. Life just sort of takes over, right?"

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Clijsters ends her career with 41 singles titles and over $24 million in prize money.