Maybe it was a little bit of both.

“Just the way [Jada] was looking at herself up on the screen,” Clijsters said after she defeated Caroline Wozniaski in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3 to win her second US Open title. “[Husband] Brian [Lynch] and I were just talking to her and like laughing, with, yeah, the way that she was handling it all.

“Brian and I were, you know, a lot more nervous than she was. She just thought it was the most normal thing, I guess. So, no, it was nice to share that with my family, that moment, yeah.”

With just two tournaments under her belt, Clijsters comeback is complete with the US Open championship. Even without that much practice, she mowed down her competition throughout the two weeks and came back to a sport she enjoyed.

And that’s the same sport she put behind herself two and a half years ago. In fact when Jada was born a year and a half ago, she would never of even thought of coming back to the courts and would have hung up on anyone who suggested it.

“I would have gone click,” she said simulating hanging up the phone. “Not until the start of this year, that’s when it came back. So 18 months ago or 18 and a half months ago, tennis wasn’t even on my mind at all, you know. I was just a new mom and just going through those experiences, as well, which is a lot of fun.

“But, you know, yeah, no, I would have definitely hung the phone on you. Sorry.”

Clijsters is trying to prove something to working mothers everywhere. You can have a career and at the same time enjoy your family. Although it would make sense for her to keep it going, the Open Champion is going to take it easy and pick and choose her tournament.

The next will be in Luxembourg in October and then she will think about when she will play next, although the Australian Open is on the calendar. By picking and choosing she will stay fresh and at the same time she will pretty much be the stealth contestant on each of these tournaments, because she won’t accumulate points to move up in the rankings.

But all of that doesn’t matter to Clijsters. She’s a mother now and for her family comes first.

“I don’t know how I’m going to top this, but it’s a challenge, you know,” she said. “It’s a challenge now at each tournament you play to try to show your best tennis and to stay in good shape, obviously. It’s something that I’m going to be, you know, really focusing on is to try to pick, you know, think wisely about my schedule and pick my tournaments and just try to really whatever I play and whenever I play, just really try to, you know, peak at certain situations.

“And, yeah, so I think it’s something that, you know, now with my coach, my physio and everybody, that’s something that we’re just going to keep focusing on, is making sure that, you know, I still work hard and everything.

“But also, they also know how important it is to have that family life at the same time. So I’m not, you know, playing next week or anything. I just want to go home and relax for a little bit.”
And she will enjoy herself. The beaming look on her face tells the whole story. Clijsters wasn’t just able to just win, but she also had Jada there to enjoy the moment.

His straight set defeat to Marin Cilic, 5-7, 2-6, 2-6 was such a dismantling, you have to wonder what was wrong.

Was it his wrist? Well no.

“I had a problem with it for a week or so,” he said. :But regardless, I mean, you know, I just struggled today. I played poorly. You know, I’m obviously very disappointed. I mean, after, you know, the way that the last three Slams went I felt like I had actually played well and lost.

“And today, you know, it didn’t feel like I played well. I had my chance in the first set, and then, you know, struggled after that. I guess the momentum went with him, and I didn’t manage to get it back. So, you know, I wasn’t able to return well.”

The first set where Murray lost, but competed with Croatian opponent was the beginning of the end. After that set, Cilic was able to make his shots and put the Scotsman on his heels. There was no turning back for the No. 2 seed as he went quietly into the New York night.

“I didn’t find a way to get myself into the match,” he said. “There was very few long rallies after the first set, and normally, you know, I’m able to get myself into rallies.

“But, you know, I guess on the return, you know, every time I had a chance, you know, he would hit a big serve or I would hit a poor return, especially on the second serve. You know, just a lot allowed him to dictate the play.

“Normally the return is the one part of my game where, you know, even if the rest of my game is struggling, I find ways to break serve and get into points, and I didn’t do that.”

This was supposed to be Murray’s year. After going to the Finals in 2008, he was supposed to take that next step and compete with Roger Federer in these Grand Slams.

But he found nothing but disappointment. He went out in the fourth round in Australia, then the Quarters at Roland Garros. Sure he made the semi’s in Wimbledon, but couldn’t get past Andy Roddick.

Then here in Flushing, another disappointment.

Yet, to be a champion, you need to learn from the bumps in the road. And Murray made a vow to make sure this embarrassment never happens again.

“It’s been a good season,” he said. Could have been better in the Slams, but the rest of the season has gone well. I have to make sure, you know, I work on my game a lot to make sure that when I go into the Slams next year and the beginning of the year I’m ready to win one.”

Australia though is four months away and there’s plenty of time to think. He will still compete in the other tournaments around the world, but until he wins a Slam, there will always be questions about this young player.

Yet, that may be a good thing. Murray is a very smart man and seems to learn fro his mistakes. If he does then 2010 will be a good year for the Scot. If not, then expect the same disappointment from this rising tennis star.