Tuesday marked an unforgettable day for tennis lovers around the planet, who witnessed the return of one of the sport’s greatest legends. After almost four years away from competition, Serena Williams accepted an invitation to the doubles bracket of the WTA 500 at Queen’s, held on grass courts in the British capital, and debuted with victory alongside Canadian Victoria Mboko. The pair defeated North American Nicole Melichar-Martinez and New Zealander Erin Routliffe 7/6 (7-2) and 6/2, in 1h30 of play.
Serena had played her last official match at the 2022 US Open, when she lost to Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. Former leader of the world rankings and owner of 23 Grand Slam titles in the singles category, the North American also has 14 Slam trophies in doubles, always alongside her sister Venus, in addition to two in the mixed category. Today she is 44 years old.
Mother of two girls, Serena explains that the great impetus for this return comes from the desire for her daughters to see her in action and guarantees that she does not feel pressure for results. Asked on Sunday about the chance of also returning to the singles, she did not completely rule out the idea, but assessed that the possibility is still distant and would require more preparation time.
The next opponents could be German Laura Siegemund and Canadian Leylah Fernandez or Russian Alexandra Panova and Dutch Demi Schuurs. There is a chance of crossing paths with the Brazilian duo Luísa Stefani and Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski, seeded 2 in the competition, in the semifinals. Serena’s partner on this return to the circuit, Mboko is just 19 years old and occupies ninth place in the WTA rankings.
As soon as she stepped onto the court for the duel that closed the day’s schedule, Serena was applauded by the spectators at the Andy Murray Arena. The fans’ enthusiastic support continued throughout the match. In the interview given on court, the former world number 1 did not hide her happiness at being back in competition.
On the court, Serena showed striking features of her style, such as her powerful serve and strength in her blows, characteristics that combine perfectly with her speed on the court. She excited the crowd in the eighth game of the first set by responding to Routliffe’s smash with an impressive backhand reflex.
The opening set was balanced, with a break from side to side, but Serena and Mboko dominated the tiebreak and built an advantage. In the second set, the partnership did not concede break-points and scored two more breaks, highlighting the Canadian’s solid performance in responses.
“It was a lot of fun playing with Vicky. She played very well in the important points and was very natural,” said Serena. “I had never played a tournament here, in such an iconic place, where some of my friends have already won.” In turn, Mboko, who started playing tennis inspired by the Williams sisters, celebrated the moment: “I feel honored to play with Serena, it’s a privilege. I’m very happy and we’re going for more.”
