Serena Williams’ long-awaited return to competitive tennis was left in the balance on Wednesday after doubles partner Victoria Mboko retired through injury in her opening singles match at the WTA Tour event at Queen’s Club in London.
Tennis great Williams, 44, made her eagerly-anticipated comeback on Tuesday, securing a win alongside Canadian teenager Mboko in their first doubles match.
The duo defeated third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (7/2), 6-2.
Photo: Reuters
They were next scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the grass-court event, a warm-up for Wimbledon.
Mboko, who received a bye into the round-of-16 of the Queen’s Club Championships singles, was down a set, but leading Karolina Pliskova 4-3 in the second she slipped behind the baseline trying to return a shot.
The stumble effectively forced her into doing the splits, drawing a gasp from the crowd.
Mboko was visibly upset as she spoke to the attending medical staff.
She got to her feet, but the official reason subsequently given for her retirement was a knee injury, with Mboko heard saying on television cameras “there is no stability right now.”
Mboko buried her face behind a towel as she continued to consult her team, before the umpire eventually announced her retirement, with the crowd giving the 19-year-old a sympathetic reception.
“It’s such a shame,” Pliskova said. “Of course, this is not the way we want to win. Hopefully, she is going to be fine for Wimbledon.”
If Mboko, ninth in the women’s singles rankings, withdraws from the doubles, that would be the end of Williams’ tournament as well.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, stunned the sporting world a week ago with her shock announcement that she would compete at Queen’s, where she is only playing in the doubles.
“It was so fun. I had so much fun playing with Victoria,” she said after Tuesday’s win.
Williams said her decision to return to competitive tennis for the first time since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open was inspired by a desire to play in front of her children.
Her two young daughters, Olympia and Adira, as well as husband Alexis Ohanian, were all courtside at Queen’s on Tuesday.
Williams is also scheduled to play doubles at the Berlin Open next week, but has yet to decide if she wants to feature in the Wimbledon doubles.
She played down the prospect of featuring in the singles at Wimbledon — where she has won the title seven times — when she faced the media on Sunday.
“Right now, no, I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles and we’ll see if I get there, and if not, that’s not my journey right now,” Williams said.
Iva Jovic, speaking after defeating Alexandra Eala 6-2, 6-2 to book her place in the Queen’s women’s singles quarter-finals, believes it won’t be long before Williams returns to singles action.
“I think she will be back on the singles court very soon, as well. It’s exciting. She’s looking really good,” the 18-year-old American said.
Mboko has called Williams her “idol,” and she said it was a memorable experience to play alongside her.
“Of course, even knowing I could play with Serena I’m so grateful, first of all,” she said on Tuesday. “I don’t play that much doubles, but I think sharing the court, I think I can learn a lot, even though we’re still competing. I just had so much fun today.”