In a development that will surprise no one and please many, the uber outgoing Kim Clijsters is returning to tennis after a two-year layoff. Clijsters, 25, who retired in 2007 to wed and start a family (which she did – to American basketball player Brian Lynch; daughter Jada was born last year).

Kimmie must be looking at the star-starved WTA Tour and be licking her chops: No Justine Henin, no Maria Sharapova, and only the Williams sisters and a bunch of pretenders waiting in the wings. While it may take Clijsters some time to play herself into competitive form, don’t forget that she has been here before. In February of 2005, the then 133^rd-ranked Belgian came back from almost a year of inactivity and won Indian Wells and Key Biscayne back-to-back, beating numerous top-10 players along the way. She can find the groove quickly.

Clijsters will likely play a limited schedule and has asked for wild cards into Cincinnati and Toronto, as well as the U.S. Open, site of her sole Grand Slam victory in 2005. With chronic hip and back injuries, Clijsters said in today’s press conference that she knows her body better now and that her competitive fire is back. I certainly will be happy to see her cheery demeanor and athletic daring-do on court (she practically invented the sneaker-screeching leg split to chase down wide balls). The women’s tour needs any star they can grab at the moment, and from a media perspective, Kimmie always shined.

Here's a story on some of the WTA Tour's young guns that could make noise in Miami.