After nearly four years away from pro tennis, Serena Williams won her comeback doubles match at Queen’s Club, pairing with 19-year-old Victoria Mboko to beat Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2.
LONDON — Serena Williams walked on at Queen’s Club on Tuesday with a kind of quiet confidence that tennis fans recognize instantly: the awareness that the clock has moved, but the power is still there.
Nearly four years after stepping away from professional tennis. the 44-year-old Williams made a winning return in doubles. teaming with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko. Williams. playing in a grass-court setting where speed matters most. struck service winners measured at up to 120 mph as the pair won their opening match at the tournament.
They overcame the third-seeded team of Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe, winning 7-6 (2), 6-2. In the final moments of the match, Williams served out the victory with two aces followed by a service winner.
“It was so fun. I had so much fun playing with Victoria,” Williams said in an on-court interview. “She really was able to hold up the team and really 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.”
Mboko, one of the sport’s rising names, has already climbed to No. 9 in the WTA rankings and earned her place among the tour’s most talked-about players. Standing beside Williams, the Canadian described the moment in personal terms, as something she didn’t take lightly.
“I feel very honored to play with Serena,” Mboko said. “I had a lot of fun, if anything. We really did that out there. I’m so happy to be playing beside you. And we’re going for more.”
Williams’ comeback in doubles follows an announcement she made last week about returning to the sport in that format. Whether she will extend the plan to singles is still an open question, with Williams yet to decide whether to target a comeback in singles as well.
The result at Queen’s Club was more than a first-match win; it was a statement delivered in serves, timing, and finishing touches—one that immediately set the tone for what comes next.
Serena Williams Victoria Mboko Queen's Club doubles grass court tennis comeback WTA