Serena Williams’ return to professional tennis at the Queen’s Club is over after just one match, with her 19-year-old doubles partner Victoria Mboko forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a knee injury.
The comeback had electrified the tennis world on Tuesday when she and Mboko, playing together as a wild-card entry, knocked off third-seeded Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2 in her first professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open. TheGrio covered the pairing ahead of the debut, with Mboko saying she would be honored to play alongside Williams. TheGrio also reported on the announcement of Williams’ return to competition more than three years after her last professional match. According to the Associated Press, Mboko sustained the injury during her singles match against Karolina Pliskova in the last 16 on Wednesday.
Williams, 44, and Mboko had been scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals of the grass-court event in London before the withdrawal ended their run.
Serena’s return continues next week regardless. She is set to play doubles at the Berlin Open in Germany, though her partner has not been officially announced. The Times of London reported it will be Karolina Muchova.
Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, including seven at Wimbledon, before stepping away from the game after the 2022 U.S. Open. At the time, she famously described the move as “evolving” away from tennis rather than retiring, language that left the door open for the return now underway. She also holds 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, all won alongside her sister Venus, and four Olympic gold medals.
For Mboko, the injury is a frustrating setback in a breakout season. The Canadian teenager is ranked in the top 10 in women’s singles and reached the third round of the French Open last month before earning the chance to partner with the player she grew up idolizing.
