Kim Clijsters is putting down the racket for good -- again -- the tennis superstar just announced she's retiring from the sport for the third time to focus on her family.
The 38-year-old former #1 overall player in the world broke the news via Instagram on Tuesday ... saying, "I want to share with you that I have decided to no longer play official tournaments."
This will be the third time the Belgian player has retired -- in 2007, she left to marry former basketball player Brian Lynch. She later gave birth to their first child, Jada, in 2008.
Clijsters returned to the court in 2009, before retiring again in 2012. She gave birth to two boys, Jake and Blake, during her time away ... before making another comeback in February 2020.
Unfortunately, Clijsters' second return came right when the COVID-19 pandemic started ... putting a halt to all sporting events. She tested positive for the virus in January 2021.
Clijsters was also plagued with injuries recently ... and her last official match was Oct. 7, 2021.
"I can’t wait to see what new adventures will cross my path," Clijsters said.
"Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past two years!"
During her career, Clijsters won 6 Grand Slams titles -- four singles, two doubles -- and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017.