Victoria Mboko will not play doubles with Serena Williams this week.
Following a knee injury, Mboko has officially withdrawn from a planned second-round matchup Thursday, June 11 with Williams at the HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club in London.
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On Wednesday, Mboko was forced to retire early from her match against Karolina Pliskova. The 19-year-old star was moving across the court to get to a forehand when she slipped and fell to the grass, immediately clutching her left knee. Mboko did not play another point. The match ended with Pliskova taking the first set 6-2, and Mboko up 4-3 in the second set.
“(Mboko) was improving as the match was going, so it would have been a nice match, but I wish her only the best. Of course, this is not the way we want to win, so hopefully she’s going to be fine for Wimbledon,” Pliskova said post-match.
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
Serena Williams ended her retirement with a doubles win alongside Victoria Mboko at London’s Queen’s Club HSBC Championships.
(Luke Walker, Getty Images for LTA)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
Serena Williams ended her retirement with a doubles win alongside Victoria Mboko at London’s Queen’s Club HSBC Championships.
(Luke Walker, Getty Images for LTA)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
Serena Williams of the United States warms up with Victoria Mboko of Canada (out of frame) ahead of the Women’s Doubles first round match against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand on Day Two of the HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club on June 9, 2026 in London, England.
(Luke Walker, Getty Images for LTA)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
US player Serena Williams returns while playing with Canada’s Victoria Mboko against US player Nicole Melichar-Martinez and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe during their round of 16, doubles match at the HSBC WTA tennis Championships at Queen’s Club in west London on June 9, 2026.
(ADRIAN DENNIS, AFP via Getty Images)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
Serena Williams of the United States and Victoria Mboko of Canada warm up ahead of the Women’s Doubles first round match against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand on Day Two of the HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club on June 9, 2026 in London, England.
(Paul Harding, Getty Images)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
Serena Williams of the United States serves with Victoria Mboko of Canada against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand during the Women’s Doubles first round match on Day Two of the HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club on June 9, 2026 in London, England.
(Paul Harding, Getty Images)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
Serena Williams of the United States serves with Victoria Mboko of Canada (out of frame) against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand during the Women’s Doubles first round match on Day Two of the HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club on June 9, 2026 in London, England.
(Luke Walker, Getty Images for LTA)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
Serena Williams of the United States looks on with Victoria Mboko of Canada against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand during the Women’s Doubles first round match on Day Two of the HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club on June 9, 2026 in London, England.
(Paul Harding, Getty Images)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
Serena Williams of the United States plays a smash with Victoria Mboko of Canada (out of frame) against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand during the Women’s Doubles first round match on Day Two of the HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club on June 9, 2026 in London, England.
(Luke Walker, Getty Images for LTA)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
Serena Williams of the United States celebrates a point with Victoria Mboko of Canada (out of frame) against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand during the Women’s Doubles first round match on Day Two of the HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club on June 9, 2026 in London, England.
(Paul Harding, Getty Images)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
US player Serena Williams (R) and Canada’s Victoria Mboko (L) celebrate while playing US player Nicole Melichar-Martinez and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe during their round of 16, doubles match at the HSBC WTA tennis Championships at Queen’s Club in west London on June 9, 2026.
(ADRIAN DENNIS, AFP via Getty Images)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
US player Serena Williams returns while playing with Canada’s Victoria Mboko against US player Nicole Melichar-Martinez and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe during their round of 16, doubles match at the HSBC WTA tennis Championships at Queen’s Club in west London on June 9, 2026.
(ADRIAN DENNIS, AFP via Getty Images)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
Serena Williams of the United States plays a forehand with Victoria Mboko of Canada (out of frame) against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand during the Women’s Doubles first round match on Day Two of the HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club on June 9, 2026 in London, England.
(Paul Harding, Getty Images)
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Serena Williams ends retirement with doubles win in London with Mboko
US player Serena Williams serves while playing with Canada’s Victoria Mboko against US player Nicole Melichar-Martinez and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe during their round of 16, doubles match at the HSBC WTA tennis Championships at Queen’s Club in west London on June 9, 2026.
(ADRIAN DENNIS, AFP via Getty Images)
Mboko’s early exit ended what looked to be a promising partnership with Williams.
On June 9, the pair defeated Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2, during the first round of the HSBC Championships women’s doubles.
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“What I liked most about her was that the next time she played, she still kept winning. So, it’s like, OK, I love that. You know, it reminded me a lot of myself,” Williams said of Mboko ahead of their June 9 match.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Victoria Mboko injury forces Queen’s Club withdrawal with Serena Williams