Serena Williams made a triumphant return on Tuesday. The 23-time Grand Slam champion returned to competitive tennis after nearly four years away, teaming up with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko for doubles at the Queen’s Club tournament in London—and winning her first match since the 2022 US Open. The 44-year-old looked comfortable on court as the unseeded pair knocked out third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 in front of a packed Andy Murray Arena, the BBC reports. They will face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals.
“I had so much fun playing with Victoria,” Williams said afterward, adding with a shrug that she’d “got tired of sitting at home” and decided to play while her kids were on summer break. Her daughters, 8-year-old Olympia and toddler Adira, watched from the stands; Williams joked afterward that they were more interested in toys and dinner than the result. On court, though, her trademark power was back—her serve hit 120mph—and the crowd made clear who they had come to see. Winning, she had said, wasn’t the priority; once play started, her fist pumps suggested otherwise.
Williams, who said in 2022 that she was “evolving away” from tennis, confirmed her surprise comeback only last week. In the post-match interview, she didn’t give herself top marks, the AP reports. “A C-minus,” she said, adding, “With all the elements, considering coming back on grass is probably not the easiest surface … Grass, four years. Overall, I think it was decent.” She will play at the Berlin Open next week but she hasn’t made up her mind about Wimbledon, which starts June 29. “It’s just a day at a time,” she said. “I still have a little time to decide, and they have been great about giving me that space and time to decide.”
