Serena Williams will partner with rising tennis star Victoria Mboko in doubles during her comeback debut this month.
Mboko, the 19-year-old Canadian ranked No. 9 in the world’s women’s singles, said Thursday that she would be honored to play alongside Williams, 44, as a wild-card entry in the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club in London next week, according to The Associated Press.
After practicing in West London on Thursday, Mboko shared a photo of the pair on Instagram and praised Williams ahead of her highly anticipated return to the sport.
“The Queen is back,” Mboko said in the post’s caption. “An honor to share the court with one of the greatest athletes of all time this week. Even more excited to play doubles together! Tennis is pretty special.”
In 2022, Williams made the difficult decision to step away from tennis to focus on her husband Alex, daughter, Olympia and expanding their family.
“I’ve been reluctant to admit that I have to move on from playing tennis. It’s like a taboo topic. It comes up, and I start to cry. I think the only person I’ve really gone there with is my therapist,” Williams wrote in a personal essay for Vogue.
Williams never officially retired, however, leaving open the possibility of a comeback. During her nearly 30-year career, she has won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister, Venus, and achieved a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles, according to ESPN.
Speaking at the French Open last week, Mboko praised Williams and reflected on her influence on the sport: “I really look up to her. I mean, the fact that she even knows me is very exciting.”
Queen’s Club organizers confirmed Williams’ return to tennis in a post on the tournament’s official Instagram account, according to TheGrio.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in an announcement on Monday. “Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”
