Kim Clijsters (right) and Justine Henin, after the former won the Diamond Games exhibition match, in Antwerp, on Thursday. (AP)

Antwerp: Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin are considering playing doubles together at the 2012 London Olympics.

The Belgian stars said at a joint press conference on Thursday they are open to the idea but need to overcome scheduling difficulties.

“Obviously for the Olympics, it would be beautiful,” US Open champion Clijsters said, adding 2012 could also be her last full competitive season. “It would be nice to go out in such a way.”

“But again, as Justine mentioned already, we have to get together to discuss this, see what the possibilities are and assess how far we want to go in this,” she added.

Clijsters has never competed at the Olympics while Henin won the 2004 Olympic singles gold in Athens.

The pair have admitted in the past they are not close friends, but before their exhibition match on Thursday, Henin said they were keen to compete as a pair in 2012.

“There is a real willingness to be in London. We can already think about it. Everything is open to consider this,” Henin said as she prepared to play a match for the first time since injuring her elbow at Wimbledon.

Clijsters won the exhibition match in a super tiebreak 10-5 after she won the first set 6-1 and Henin the second 6-3.

Henin and Clijsters have only once played doubles together at the highest level, when Belgium lost to Russia in the 2006 Fed Cup quarter finals.

In 1999, they paired up twice in minor tournaments just as their careers were taking off.

They could face tough competition in 2012 from the 2000 and 2008 gold medallists Venus and Serena Williams, who, if healthy, will be difficult to beat on the grass of Wimbledon.

Clijsters’ and Henin’s careers have followed similar paths. Both reached the No. 1 ranking before retiring suddenly and then making a comeback.

Clijsters, 27, was named the WTA player of the year in 2010 after winning the US Open for the second year in a row and four other titles.

Henin, 28, returned at the beginning of the season but had her encouraging comeback cut short at Wimbledon when she fell and tore a ligament in her elbow during a fourth-round match — against Clijsters.

“For sure, I’m still not 100 per cent,” Henin said of her fitness.

“I have stopped telling myself the last weeks that I am getting old, I prefer to think that I am getting more mature.

“I think that if on the health level everything goes as planned, there is still a lot of potential for me. I have regained some freshness in the last two weeks,” Henin added.

“But, if I realise where I came from, I am lucky and happy to be where I am now. I thought at some time, that I would never get back.”

She plans to begin her preparations for the Australian Open by playing at the Hopman Cup at the beginning of January.