Despite a four-year absence from playing tennis, Serena Williams got off to a winning start in the doubles event at Queen’s.
The 44-year-old tennis legend made her first appearance since the 2022 US Open, partnering Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko to a 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 victory.
Williams was given a standing ovation as she walked onto the grass court at the Andy Murray Arena, her debut at the Queen’s Club, with the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion putting in an impressive display. The unseeded pair will now face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund, who defeated Alexandra Panova and Demi Schuurs 6-2 2-6 11-9, in the quarter-finals.
“I had so much fun playing with Vicky [Mboko],” Williams said on court. “She really was able to hold up the team and play big on the big points—I could really rely on her.
“We’ve never played together, but it just felt so natural playing with her, so it was a lot of fun.”
On why she decided to make her comeback at Queen’s, Williams joked, “I had nothing better to do—I got tired of sitting at home! My kids are out of school for the summer, so why not?!
“I never got to play here; it was always just the men, but it feels so special to play at some place so iconic and where I saw so many of my friends win.”
Williams said ahead of featuring at Queen’s she had “nothing to prove” in her competitive comeback, having previously said she was “evolving” away from tennis rather than outright retiring in 2022.
The 14-time Grand Slam doubles champion will also compete in doubles at the Berlin Open in Germany next week, although she has yet to confirm whether she will feature at Wimbledon from June 29.