London (AFP) – Serena Williams started preparations for her sensational return from retirement as she took to the Queen’s Club practice courts with doubles partner Victoria Mboko on Thursday. Mboko posted a photo on Instagram standing next to Williams on one of Queen’s Club’s grass courts ahead of next week’s tournament.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, this week revealed she will make her unexpected comeback at the Wimbledon warm-up event in west London. Confirming she is Williams’ partner in the women’s doubles, Mboko wrote: “The Queen is back! An honour to share the court with one of the greatest athletes of all time this week. Even more excited to play doubles together! Tennis is pretty special.”
Related news
Williams, 44, is a quarter of a century older than 19-year-old Canadian Mboko, who was voted WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2025. The American legend has not played since appearing to end her remarkable career after the US Open in 2022. But she never used the word retirement, preferring to say she was “evolving away” from tennis.
And after months of speculation about a potential return, Williams, who has two young children with husband Alexis Ohanian, announced her return on Monday. “Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” she said. “Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”
Williams and Mboko have been awarded a wild card into the 16-team Queen’s Club doubles draw. In doubles competition, Williams amassed a superb 192-35 record and won 22 of her 23 career titles alongside sister Venus Williams. The pair triumphed in all 14 of their Grand Slam doubles finals together.
With Wimbledon due to start on June 29, Williams is yet to reveal if her return to action will include playing in singles tournaments. The American, who won Wimbledon seven times, has not clinched a Grand Slam title since the 2017 Australian Open.
© 2024 AFP
