Pregnant? Me? Clijsters' verbal volley at TV pundit's text

(EPA)

It is a lesson many of us learn sooner or later: don't write anything in a text message or an email that would be embarrassing if made public. For Todd Woodbridge, a former Wimbledon doubles champion turned tennis pundit, that lesson came yesterday in front of a packed stadium. And a worldwide TV audience.

Kim Clijsters, the favourite to win the women's singles at the Australian Open, told him she had seen a text message he had sent to Rennae Stubbs, his former mixed doubles partner, in which he had suggested she, Clijsters, was pregnant.

Woodbridge interviews players at the side of the court at the end of their matches. Clijsters, who came out of retirement two years ago having quit the game to start a family, had just won her second-round match against the Spaniard Carla Suarez-Navarro.

The 27-year-old Belgian, whose daughter Jada will be three next month, clearly relished the chance to raise a laugh at Woodbridge's expense. Having told him that she had seen the message, she playfully asked: "You thought I was pregnant?"

An embarrassed Woodbridge said: "Well, I guess we've got to ask: are you?" "No, I'm not," Clijsters said, before revealing more details from the text message. "It said, 'She looksreally grumpy and her boobs are bigger.'" "Oh my goodness," Woodbridge said. "Well, that's the end of my TV career. Thank you very much."

Clijsters revealed later that she had been shown the message the previous day. When she saw that Woodbridge was conducting the post-match interview with her she spotted her chance. "I saw him walk out there and thought, 'OK, I'm going to get him back now,'" she said with a smile.