The Practice of a Lifetime

Monmouth Director of Athletics Jeff Stapleton facilitated the experience through a personal connection to Clijsters. After some close matches and tough losses, Coach Murray was excited to hear Clijsters talk tennis with her team — especially regarding the mental side of the sport. Mental toughness is clearly a topic that the former world No. 1 knows a great deal about. 

Clijsters’ down-to-earth demeanor impressed junior Zoe Klapman.

“It was unexpected and made her advice all the more impactful,” Klapman said. “While I learned a lot from her that night, her tactics to optimize and conserve mental energy stood out to me.”

Spurka echoed Klapman’s sentiments.

“It was very valuable to be able to see that the challenges that I faced in junior tennis as well as college tennis are also challenges that professional tennis players face,” she said. “With tennis being such an individual sport, a sense of mental strength is needed, and Kim took the time to provide us with methods she uses to maintain her mental strength on court. Kim Clijsters offered not only great advice that is meaningful in the world of tennis but also advice that is beneficial to my everyday life.”

She frequently looks for ways to challenge her teams and herself. Whether that means adding tougher competition to the schedule or taking her players to historical sites while on the road (such as the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI where Clijsters was inducted in 2017), Murray prides herself on building up her players as individuals as well as athletes. 

Sydney DeNardo is in her fifth year at Monmouth which allows her the rare opportunity of playing for Murray for an extra year.

“Playing for Coach Murray the past five years has been an amazing experience,” DeNardo said. “She has given me so many opportunities inside and out of tennis, which is why my Monmouth experience has been so special. She is supportive and wants us to excel in all parts of our lives and has now given us another amazing opportunity by connecting us with Kim Clijsters. She is truly a Monmouth legend.”  

Murray’s desire to never stop learning and growing is one of the things that makes her so impressive. Throughout the visit, she just as enthusiastically embraced all Clijsters had to say. When Clijsters spoke about her experience playing Serena Williams in the 2009 US Open semifinal, something stood out for Murray. Clijsters explained how important it was for her in that moment, when the crowd was cheering for Serena, to keep her negative thoughts short.

This mindset helped her win the US Open final that year and make history, becoming the first unseeded player and wild card to win the Open. She also became the first mother to win a major since Evonne Goolagong at the 1980 Wimbledon Championship. 

Clijsters also encouraged the Monmouth players to talk positively to themselves, and start over after every point. Her advice is a great reminder for every player on every level.

“We all have negative thoughts,” Clijsters said. “It’s important to keep them short.”

Cruise Control Gear has joined USTA Middle States in sponsoring our Unstoppable Women in Tennis series, highlighting the incredibly strong women who are forces on and off the court in our Middle States community.