London (AFP) – Serena Williams said she had “so much fun” as the American legend rolled back the years in her triumphant return to tennis in the Queen’s Club doubles on Tuesday. Four years after appearing to end her glittering career, Williams and Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko powered to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 win over third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in the first round of the grass-court tournament.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, stunned the sporting world a week ago with her shock announcement that she would compete in the Queen’s Club doubles. The 44-year-old relished every minute of her remarkable return — after conquering a pre-match bout of nerves. “I got nervous like, maybe 30 minutes before, and then I just just let it go,” she said. “I didn’t really think about being nervous, I thought about having fun, which I did. It was so fun. I had so much fun playing with Victoria.”
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“I never got to play here before, it was always just the men. It feels really special to play somewhere so iconic.” Williams’ decision to pick up a racquet in a competitive setting for the first time since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open had sparked questions about the wisdom of her move. It was like she had never been away as Williams produced her trademark thunderous serve and fearsome ground-strokes to the delight of a capacity crowd.
But Williams wasn’t completely satisfied with her first victory since beating then world number two Anett Kontaveit in the 2022 US Open second round. “Oh my god! What do you think? A C minus?,” she said when asked to rate her performance. “All the elements, considering coming back on grass is probably not the easiest surface. On the grass, four years… Overall I think it was decent.”
– ‘She’s got it’ –
Williams has said her return was inspired by a desire to play in front of her children. Her two young daughters Olympia and Adira and husband Alexis Ohanian were all courtside in west London to witness a typically combative display from one of the sport’s all-time greats. But Williams revealed the victory couldn’t distract her children from more pressing matters. “Adira wanted to go to the toy store, and Olympia wanted to know what was for dinner,” she said.
Williams and Mboko will play Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals. The American is also scheduled to play doubles at the Berlin Open next week. But it is the possibility of taking her unexpected comeback to Wimbledon that has her fans eagerly awaiting an update. Williams played down the prospect of featuring in the singles at Wimbledon — where she had won the title seven times — when she faced the media on Sunday.
Pressed on Tuesday about featuring in the Wimbledon doubles, she said: “Yeah, like I said the other day, it’s just a day at a time. I still have a little time to decide, and they (Wimbledon officials) have been great about giving me that space and time to decide.”
When Mboko was born in 2006, Williams had already won seven Grand Slam singles titles. The 19-year-old 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 with me, I’m so grateful, first of all,” she said. “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.”
And Mboko, ninth in the singles rankings, has no doubts Williams will quickly get back to her best. “I thought she was doing great. I understand it felt far from her level, but it’s great to have that much room for improvement and have the motivation to get better,” she said. “Overall I thought it was pretty good. There was one shot where I thought ‘oh my gosh she’s got it’.”
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