Serena Williams Withdraws from Queen’s Doubles Following Injury to Victoria Mboko

Serena Williams’ return to doubles at Queen’s Club ends prematurely as Victoria Mboko suffers an injury setback before the second round.

Serena Williams’ return to competitive tennis at Queen’s Club has been halted following the withdrawal of her doubles partner, Victoria Mboko, due to a knee injury.

Tournament organizers confirmed on Thursday that Williams and Mboko had withdrawn from the doubles competition, concluding their campaign before the second round.

The Canadian teenager sustained the injury during her singles match against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday. Mboko exited the court in tears after retiring while behind 6-2, 3-4 in the second set, casting uncertainty on her participation at Wimbledon.

Williams and Mboko began their partnership with a remarkable performance, achieving a 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 win against the third seeds, Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe, in the first round. The match signified Williams’ initial competitive appearance following the 2022 US Open.

The pair was scheduled to compete against Canada’s Layla Fernandez and Germany’s Laura Siegemund in the second round on Friday; however, due to Mboko’s injury, the match will not occur.

Despite the setback, Williams is poised to continue her comeback at the Berlin Tennis Open, commencing on June 15. Her doubles partner for the tournament has not been announced yet.

Speaking prior to the event, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion remarked: “Every tournament I include in my schedule currently feels significant, and Berlin is no exception.”

“I’m looking forward to competing in front of the German fans and maintaining our momentum during the grass-court season.”