Clijsters to marry Hewitt in February
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-09-17 09:35

Belgium's Kim Clijsters and Australian Lleyton Hewitt, the golden couple of tennis, will marry next February in Australia.

Clijsters, 21, said on her website on Thursday that a party for their close friends would be held in a Belgian chateau after the wedding.

"In December 2003 Kim and Lleyton Hewitt got engaged," a statement on the website said.

"A year later the beautiful love story will have its logical extension with a marriage in February in Australia."

Both players are former world number ones. Hewitt, 23, lost the U.S. Open final to Roger Federer last weekend while Clijsters has not played since May because of a wrist injury.

Hewitt, whose birthday is in February, first invited Clijsters out in late 2000 to a party for fellow Australian Pat Rafter and they got engaged after a romantic boat trip around Sydney Harbour.

"He invited me out for dinner on a boat and suddenly unveiled a ring and earrings," she said shortly before Christmas.

Hewitt won the U.S. Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002. Clijsters reached number one in August 2003 without winning a major title -- she has lost three times in a Grand Slam final to fellow Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne.

The pair follow in the footsteps of Steffi Graf, now retired, and Andre Agassi, also both former world number ones. They married in October 2001 and have a son and a daughter.

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