Almost four years after playing his last professional game, Serena Williams returned to the courts with a victory in the grass-court tournament of the Queen’s Membership of London. The American, 44, formed a couple with the Canadian Victoria Mboko and beat in the first round of the doubles draw Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2) and 6-2.
The meeting marked the Williams’ first official appearance since the 2022 US Open. In her return, the winner of 23 Mammoth Slam singles titles showed some of the power that made her one of the most dominant figures in women’s tennis, with serves that reached 120 miles per hour and several winners that excited the audience present.
The duo made up of Williams and Mboko advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face Leylah Fernández and Laura Siegemund.
A return celebrated by the public and her companions
Serena’s presence generated one of the biggest ovations of the day at the Andy Murray Enviornment. The former world number one received a standing welcome when she entered the court, in a venue that had also witnessed the victories of the British Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter during the day.
Williams closed the game with authority. In the last game he hit two consecutive aces and then a service winner to seal the victory.
“It was very fun. I had a lot of fun playing with Victoria“, declared the American in an interview on the court. “We had never played together, but it felt very natural to do so.”
Later, during a press conference, he evaluated his performance with restraint. “A C minus,” he initially said. Then he added: “All things considered, considering that coming back on grass is probably not the easiest surface. … Grass, four years. All in all, I think it was decent.”
Mboko, 19 years old and one of the young promises of the women’s circuit, also praised her partner. “I thought it moved very well,” he said. “There was one hit you made, remember, when you were running and you hit a backhand. I thought, ‘Oh my God, he still has it.'”
Wimbledon remains a mystery
The Queen’s Membership tournament also represented Serena’s debut in a venue historically linked to British tennis. The American highlighted the opportunity to compete on a stage where for decades only men’s events were held.
“I was never able to play here, it was always only for men,” he commented. “It felt really special to play in such an iconic place.”
Among those in attendance were her daughters Olympia and Adira, as well as former skier Lindsey Vonn. According to Williams, the girls’ reaction after the victory was quite simple. “Adira wanted to go to the toy store and Olympia wanted to know what was for dinner,” he said.
The American also plans to play in the Berlin tournament next week. However, he has not yet made a decision on possible participation in Wimbledonwhich will begin on June 29.
“It’s just one day at a time,” Williams explained. “I still have some time to decide, and they have been very good at giving me that space and that time to decide.”
Before stepping away from competition in 2022, Williams won seven Wimbledon singles titles and 14 Mammoth Slam doubles crowns with her sister Venus. His winning return in London now opens a new stage whose continuity has yet to be defined.
Keep reading:
· Roland Garros sanctions Paraguayan tennis player for sexist statements
· Zverev achieves his first Mammoth Slam after beating Cobolli at Roland Garros
· Russian Mirra Andreeva wins Roland Garros: her first Mammoth Slam at just 19 years old
