Kim Clijsters retires this summer and is certain she will thrive in life beyond tennis - but she fears many of her fellow players have lost touch with reality.
The 29-year-old Belgian mother-of-one has been a three-time US Open champion, won the Australian Open last year and twice reached French Open finals.
She makes her final appearance at Wimbledon in the fortnight ahead, taking on her fellow former world number one Jelena Jankovic in an appetising first-round match on Court One on Monday.
On Sunday, she brushed off any suggestion the left abdominal muscle strain she sustained earlier in the week at a tournament in 's-Hertogenbosch would prevent her attempting to reach her first Wimbledon singles final.
And as she considered what legacy she would be leaving behind when she quits competitive sport for good after the US Open, Clijsters suggested that while she has managed to balance a life away from tennis with a sporting career, others have become consumed by their careers.
"The most important thing is I've always followed my heart. I've always done what I felt was right. I've always stayed true to who I am," she said.
"Players change. I've always followed my roots.
"There's so many other things involved than just tennis and practising. I think you see players kind of losing the true sense of life, I think, and of the sport.
"I have no regrets. I know I always gave myself 100%. So I don't have any regrets in that way either."
Clijsters came out of retirement in 2009 after two years away during which she gave birth to a daughter, Jada, but she is adamant there will be no second comeback.
Interrupting a questioner, who began by saying "You once left the game and have come back...", Clijsters said: "This is it. If that's where you're going, this is it."
Asked if there was any doubt, she added: "No, no, no."
By withdrawing from her semi-final in 's-Hertogenbosch, Clijsters avoided sustaining any further damage to the injury she first suffered in Toronto last August, a season-ending problem.
It would be cruel if the injury proved bothersome at Wimbledon, the tournament she would dearly love to win.
She said: "Nobody knows if they're going to be fit enough for the two weeks. I've been resting. I've had treatment. I feel like every day it's been getting better.
"I have to be in good shape to win my first round, and that's what I'm focusing on."
She has looked untroubled on the practice courts, and is itching to play at a tournament which holds many special memories.
She was a girls' singles finalist in 1998, lost in the last 16 to Steffi Graf a year later on her senior debut, and teamed up in 2003 with Ai Sugiyama to win the women's doubles title.
Sometimes it is not just the great moments in front of large crowds which can raise a smile though, and she recalled one particular occasion which involved her late father, the former Belgium footballer Leo Clijsters.
"The place has a big history for me personally," she said.
"I remember there were situations when I was playing juniors where we were waiting for a rain delay for about three days. My dad was sitting on a bench, one of the little courts on the side, in the rain for three days just waiting in case I would go on, that we had a spot.
"Tennis-wise, I love the atmosphere that hangs around the courts here, the history, the tradition. You don't feel that vibe in any other grand slam. I think that's what makes this so unique."
Clijsters accepts her body is telling her that her time is up in tennis, but she is relishing Wimbledon, the Olympics at the All England Club and her final US Open before she and husband Brian look to grow their family.
"It's been an incredible adventure these last three, four years," she said.
"I feel like I've been able to finish that chapter of my tennis career on a good note. I'm going to give 200% in these last few tournaments that I have left."
Emotions will be running high too for Petra Kvitova, the defending Wimbledon champion who will tackle Uzbekistan player Akgul Amanmuradova in her opening match on Tuesday.
Kvitova beat Maria Sharapova in last year's final for her first grand slam success.
"I'm trying to not think about defending the title here, but I'm sure it'll come into my mind when I step on the court," Kvitova said.
The 22-year-old recognised winning Wimbledon had been a life-changing experience.
And Clijsters would no doubt be impressed by Kvitova's attitude to her developing fame.
Kvitova said: "I think that inside I'm still the same person as before the Wimbledon win and I'm trying to be still the same.
"I'm more celebrated in the Czech Republic and in the world. People recognise me everywhere.
"In the beginning it was very strange for me. Now it's much better and I know that it's part of our life."
