And she eventually saw it first hand on Sunday night, as the 18 month-old daughter of Clijsters and husband Brian Lynch celebrated on the court in her mother's straight-set win in the Women's final, playing with the trophy, while looking up at herself on the big screen.
 
“That's why it's good all the photographers were there,” said Clijsters, who became the first unseeded  woman to win a championship at the Open and also the only wild card.  “Maybe I can get some pictures. She's too young [to know] I mean, just the way she was looking at herself up on the screen, Brian and I were just talking to her and like laughing, with, yeah, the way that she was handling it all.”
 
“Brian and I were a lot more nervous than she was. She just thought it was the most normal thing, I guess. So it was nice to share that with my family, that moment, yeah.”
 
It has been a quick road back for Clijsters, who entered the Open for the first time since winning her first title back in 2005. Injuries kept her out in 2006, which hastened her retirement to start a family in May 2007.
 
Yet, the burning desire to play came back earlier this year and she decided to come back to the tour that gave her so much fame earlier in the decade.
 
“It was literally only until the start of this year when I started thinking about it,” she said. “I just didn't look at it as an option for me.  I just, you know, yeah, because there were so many things going on with the wedding and I was pregnant and I was breastfeeding and everything. So you don't get into the whole training routine or anything until at the start of this year when I got that, yeah, the invitation to Wimbledon again.” 
 
“I think that's how, yeah, how it all started and how I got that competitiveness back, I think, to just not just want to go play exhibitions here and there and just to do this serious tournaments and just to see if I can, you know, just really challenge myself, I think, was the biggest thing.
 
So the Belgian trained and entered tournaments in Cincinnati – where she reached the Quarterfinals – and Toronto – making it to the third round – earning herself a wild card entry to the Open.
 
Clijsters didn't think much of her chances, let alone winning, and said she was going to use the Open as practice for next year, because the now two-time champion wanted to just get re-acclimated to the high level of the Grand Slams.
 
“It still seems so surreal that, yeah, in my third tournament back I won my second Grand Slam,” Clijsters said. “Because it wasn't in the plan, kind of. I just wanted to come here and get a feel for it all over again, play a Grand Slam so to start the next year I didn't have to go through all the new experiences over.”
 
But something happened at Flushing Meadows. Clijsters found her game. She cruised through the first few rounds, including beating No. 14 seed Marion Bartoli in the second round. When she played the No. 3 seed Venus Williams, it was thought Belgian Kim's run would be over.
 
Yet, she knocked Venus out in three sets, 6-0, 0-6, 6-4 and was well on her way. After taking out No 18 seed Na Li in straight sets, Clijsters had a date with Serena Williams - whom she only beat once in eight tries - in the Semifinals.
 
Ironically, the Finals were thought to be anti-climatic after the strange and bizarre events in the Semis. After rain washed Friday, the Arthur Ashe crowd was forced to wait over eight hours from the completion of the Rafael Nadal – Fernando Gonzalez Quarterfinal Saturday afternoon until the start of the women's matches which took place concurrently. 
 
So as about 400 people watched No. 9 seed Caroline Wozniacki beat Yanina Wickmayer, 6-3, 6-3, on Armstrong Stadium, the bulk of the crowd that stayed, saw one of more unforgettable meltdowns in US Open history.
 
With Clijsters ahead and just two points away from the title, Serena double faulted when a foot fault was called by the lineswoman on the second serve, making it match point. 
 
Serena, who was less than gracious when questioning the official, received her second conduct violation of the match, awarding a point to Clijsters and ultimately the match.
 
In the Finals against Wozniacki, Clijsters was able to break the 19 year-old early on, preying on the teenager's nerves, going up 2-0, but then the Dane rolled off four straight games to go up a break, 4-2.
 
The once and future champion was able to make adjustments to her game and volleying the ball more and moving up to the net. It allowed Clijsters to go 5-1 for the rest of the first, taking the first set.
 
“The first couple of games I wanted to get into the match,” Wozniacki said. “I wanted to just know what I'm up against, and I found out fast that I'm up against a really strong player that doesn't give away any free points.” She added, “I really had to fight for it. She played really well. She played aggressive. I mean, yeah, she's playing really well.”
 
Wozniacki never recovered, and Clijsters, who was then in control, was able to take the final set 6-3 to win a second U.S. Open title.
 
“It feels great, obviously,” Clijsters said. “It's a great feeling to have, but it's confusing in a lot of ways, as well.  It went so quickly, everything, especially after [the Semifinals].  And then with the rain delays and everything, it just felt like especially these last couple of days everything went so quickly.”
 
“But it means the world, and I'm just so glad that I am able to share it with my husband who is here who wasn't here a few years ago, and with my whole group who is here.  And with our daughter, of course, is the greatest thing ever.”