Golovin in tennis comeback after 11-year absence

French player Tatiana Golovin said on Friday she will return to competitive tennis despite having retired 11 years ago, a day after Kim Clijsters announced her shock comeback.

The 31-year-old Golovin, a former world number 12 and a US Open quarter-finalist in 2006, was forced to retire aged 20 due to lower back inflammation.

“The idea has been taking shape for a year and since this summer I’ve been really serious about it,” she told French television channel BeIN Sports, where she works as a pundit.

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“The goal was to be ready early next year, but things are going fast and now I plan to resume perhaps by mid-October.”

Golovin, who was born in Russia and spent years training in Florida, won both of her two WTA titles in 2007.

Former world number one and four-time Grand Slam champion Clijsters, 36, will return to the WTA Tour next season seven years after retiring for a second time.