{"id":261450,"date":"2026-06-10T03:03:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T03:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/261450\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T03:03:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T03:03:44","slug":"lindsey-vonn-makes-surprise-queens-appearance-to-welcome-serena-williams-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/261450\/","title":{"rendered":"Lindsey Vonn makes surprise Queen’s appearance to welcome Serena Williams back"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lindsey Vonn congratulated Serena Williams on her tennis comeback (Image: WTA)<\/p>\n

Lindsey Vonn declared that the “GOAT is back” after cheering on Serena Williams during her highly-anticipated return to professional competition.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Williams<\/a> kicked off her comeback with a bang in the first round of the HSBC Championships women’s doubles at Queen’s Club in London. The 44-year-old – who hilariously forgot where she’d decided to serve<\/a> during an earlier practice – and partner Victoria Mboko defeated Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2.<\/p>\n

With the dominant victory, Williams and Mboko punched their ticket to the tournament’s quarterfinals, where they will face Canada’s<\/a> Leylah Fernandez and Germany’s Laura Siegemund on June 11.<\/p>\n

Among those who stopped by Andy Murray Arena to watch Williams’ return to the court was Vonn. In a heartwarming clip posted to social media, the alpine ski racer star congratulated the tennis icon for competing again at the highest level.<\/p>\n

“Hey, Serena. Congratulations,” Vonn said. “So proud of you. The GOAT is back.”<\/p>\n

Much like Williams, Vonn tried to return to action earlier this year at the Winter Olympics despite retiring from competitive skiing in 2019. Five years later, the 41-year-old underwent a partial knee replacement to address the persistent pain that had plagued her since her initial ACL injury in February 2013.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 8, Vonn’s time at the Winter Olympics in Milan came to an abrupt and disappointing end when her right arm struck a gate just 13 seconds into her run during the women’s downhill final. The Team USA star tumbled down the mountain and was subsequently airlifted to safety from the Olympia delle Tofane slope in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.<\/p>\n

Medical evaluations confirmed that Vonn had sustained a complex tibia fracture, fibular head fracture, tibial plateau fracture and compartment syndrome in her leg. Fewer than 10 days before her fall, she had also torn her ACL in Crans-Montana during the World Cup downhill event – the last major race before the Olympics.<\/p>\n

\"Serena<\/p>\n

Serena Williams and Victoria Mboko advanced to the quarterfinals of the HSBC Championships (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n

Williams’ comeback fortunately occurred without a hitch, even if the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner wasn’t entirely pleased with her performance. “It was so fun. I had so much fun playing with Victoria,” she told Tennis Channel’s Chris Eubanks during an on-court interview. “We’ve never played together but it just felt so natural playing with her.<\/p>\n

“I think Vicky’s doing great. I need to make some returns next match, which I will. I didn’t miss one in practice. That was a little embarrassing out there.”<\/p>\n

Though Williams looked out of practice at times while shaking off the rust, she wasted no time displaying her signature power, recording a max serve speed of 120 mph.<\/p>\n

Regardless, Williams still acknowledged that she has much to improve on ahead of the quarterfinals. When asked to assess her performance during a post-match press conference, she said: “A C-minus. With all the elements, considering coming back on grass is probably not the easiest surface. … Grass, four years. Overall, I think it was decent.”<\/p>\n

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