Clijsters out for four weeks

Brussels - Kim Clijsters has a torn hip muscle and will have to recover for four weeks before making a return in Madrid in May.

A statement from her management company on Wednesday said that she had been troubled with hip pains during the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, over the weekend, where she lost to Belgian compatriot Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets.

Tests "have shown the presence of a small torn muscle" in her right hip, the statement said. She hopes to be back for the Madrid Open, which starts on May 5.

Clijsters has said she plans to retire after the summer, hoping to highlight her year with a good showing at the London Olympics.