Serena Williams is back in competitive tennis at 44, wins her doubles game and may be playing at Wimbledon
Suspense Crime, Digital Desk : Serena Williams returned to competitive tennis on Tuesday at the Queen's Club at the age of 44, partnering Victoria Mboko in women's doubles. The former world number one is not sure of playing at Wimbledon, stating that she will "take it a day at a time", following her first competitive game since retiring in 2022.
Serena Williams made her winning return to competitive tennis on Tuesday at the Queen's Club Championships in London but is still uncertain of an appearance at Wimbledon.
The 44-year-old made her return to competitive tennis for the first time since retiring in 2022 alongside 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko at the women's doubles event and defeated third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6(4), 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.
Following the win, speculation turned to whether Williams, who has won seven singles titles at Wimbledon, will take her comeback further at SW19 but the American remained undecided.
"I still have a little bit of time to make a decision and they have been wonderful with the time and space to be able to do that," Williams stated. Despite the win, the American was openly critical of her performance.
"I believe it was a C-minus. I was nervous for maybe 30 minutes before, then just played. Taking everything into consideration that returning to grass wasn't easy for sure, but I think my play was decent," said Serena.
Williams praises partner Victoria Mboko
The pair of Williams and Mboko combined to hit two aces, win 69 percent of their service points, and break their opponents three out of five times. Nevertheless, Williams expressed disappointment with her display in certain areas.
"I think Vicky played well. My returns next match, which I promise I'll do; I didn't miss any during practice. So out there was quite embarrassing but in saying that it’s good to know that we can perform better, I know I can do better," Williams added.
Serena Williams made a special comeback to the sport which was cheered on by her daughters Olympia and Adira in London and the American explained what their reaction was.
"Adira wanted to go to the toy store, while Olympia just asked what's for dinner. She loves her food," she said.
Williams and Mboko will face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals on Thursday, with uncertainty over whether their return to professional tennis will continue on to Wimbledon.
