LONDON — Serena Williams’ much-hyped comeback to professional tennis at the Queen’s Club lasted just one match.
The 44-year-old Williams’ doubles partner, 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, was forced to withdraw from the draw Thursday because of a knee injury she sustained in a singles match against Karolína Plíšková in the last 16 on Wednesday.
In her first professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open, Williams teamed up with Mboko to beat the third-seeded duo Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2 at the grass-court event on Tuesday. They were scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals.
Williams is set to play doubles at the Berlin Open in Germany next week. Her partner has yet to be announced, though British newspaper The Times of London reported it was Karolína Muchová.
Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles — including seven at Wimbledon — before stepping away from the game, saying at the time she was “evolving” away from tennis rather than “retiring.”
