Former world tennis number one Kim Clijsters has withdrawn from the Pan Pacific Open to be held in Tokyo in September over the ongoing nuclear emergency at an atomic plant north-east of Japan's capital. Clijsters said she hoped to play in Japan "when it's possible", after earlier tweeting her concerns over radiation from the Fukushima plant which was damaged in the massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
"I always have felt that I have a close connection to Japan. I have really good memories of playing doubles with Ai Sugiyama in Japan," the 27-year-old world number two said in a message to organisers. "I wish everybody a lot of courage, a lot of strength and I look forward to coming back to Tokyo when it's possible."
Three days after the disaster that struck north-east Japan, the Belgian expressed some of her concerns on popular micro-blogging service Twitter. "So sad to see all the suffering that Japanese are going through. First earthquake, tsunami now the radiation problems!" Clijsters wrote on March 14. "Winds from Japan hitting US West coast containing radioactive material...?? On the news this morning! I don't think I want to be here," she wrote later that day.
After her withdrawal the WTA Tour issued a statement through tournament organisers saying the health and safety of the players was its "number one priority", but that it believed competitors in Tokyo would not be at risk. "At this time we do not have reason to believe that there is or will be a health or safety risk to our players or others participating in or attending the WTA's events this autumn in Tokyo and Beijing," the statement said.
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