Serena Williams Returns to Competitive Tennis with Doubles Victory at Queen's Club
Serena Williams, 44, won her first professional tennis match in 1,375 days at the Queen's Club WTA event in London, partnering Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko to defeat third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 in doubles. Their run ended the following day when Mboko suffered a knee injury during her singles match against Karolina Pliskova and withdrew from the tournament. Williams is set to continue her comeback at the Berlin Open next week, with Wimbledon participation still undecided.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion who had been absent from professional tennis since the 2022 US Open, returned to a packed Andy Murray Arena at Queen's Club on Tuesday, June 10, 2026, drawing a standing ovation from more than 9,000 fans. Partnering world No. 9 Victoria Mboko, 19, Williams showed flashes of her trademark power — including serves clocked at up to 120 mph (193 km/h) — while acknowledging rustiness in her movement and return of serve, humorously grading her own performance a 'C-minus.' The pair's chemistry was evident as they upset the third-seeded team in straight sets, with Williams serving out the match with two aces and a service winner. Williams' daughters Olympia and Adira, along with husband Alexis Ohanian, watched from the stands, with Williams citing her children's summer break as a key motivation for the return. The comeback was cut short the next day when Mboko fell awkwardly on the slick grass during her singles last-16 match against Pliskova, injuring her left knee and retiring in tears; the injury also raises concerns about Mboko's availability for Wimbledon, which begins June 29. Williams responded graciously on social media, and her next scheduled appearance is the Berlin Open, where she is reportedly set to partner Karolina Muchova.
What's missing
The full extent and medical diagnosis of Mboko's knee injury has not been confirmed by any source, leaving her Wimbledon availability uncertain.
How coverage differed
The Guardian introduced notable skepticism absent from other outlets, raising Williams' commercial ties — specifically her role as face of the Ro GLP-1 drug brand, her husband's investment in the company, and the tournament broadcast being sponsored by Ro — as a possible commercial motivation for the comeback, a framing no other source adopted. Other outlets focused almost entirely on the sporting and sentimental dimensions of the return.
What different sources said
- NewsweekCenter
Serena Williams' HSBC Championships Run Ends on Sour, Unfortunate Note
- BBC Top StoriesCenter
Williams rolls back the years on return at Queen's
- The Guardian USLeft
Serena Williams makes winning return to tennis with victory in Queen’s doubles
- Sydney Morning HeraldCenter
Serena Williams hits hard in tennis comeback
- Times of IndiaCenter
Hitting 193 km/h at 44, Serena Williams' tennis return steals the show - Watch
- The Japan TimesCenter
Serena still mulling Wimbledon return after comeback win
- ABC AustraliaCenter
Serena Williams makes winning return to court at Queen's
- Sportsnet.caCenter
Serena Williams' comeback at Queen's Club ends due to Victoria Mboko injury
- Yahoo FinanceCenter
Serena Williams in 'absurd' scenes on return to tennis as Katie Boulter springs huge shock
- BBCCenter
Serena Williams' Queen's run over as injured Victoria Mboko withdraws
- Channel NewsAsiaCenter
Serena out of Queen's doubles after partner Mboko injured
- instyle.comCenter
Serena Williams, 44, Abruptly Exits Tennis Tournament After Epic Comeback for This Reason
- NBC NewsLeft
Serena Williams’ comeback at the Queen’s Club is over after injury to doubles partner
- AP NewsCenter
Serena Williams’ comeback at the Queen’s Club is over after injury to doubles partner
- ForbesCenter
Serena Williams Exits Queen’s Club After Doubles Partner Victoria Mboko Suffers Injury
- CBCLeft
Serena Williams' comeback at Queen's Club ends after injury to Canada's Mboko
- ESPNCenter
Serena Williams' return at Queen's Club ends with withdrawal
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