Overview
- Serena Williams returned to the professional tour in a doubles match at Queen’s and, partnered with 19-year-old Victoria Mboko, beat Nicole Melichar‑Martinez and Erin Routliffe in straight sets.
- Mboko slipped during her subsequent singles match, grabbed her left kneecap and retired from the match after apparent damage to the knee.
- Tournament organizers confirmed Mboko’s withdrawal from the Queen’s doubles, which ends Williams’ run at the event after a single match.
- Williams remains entered for a WTA 500 doubles event in Berlin next week but has not named a partner and has said she remains undecided about playing singles.
- The episode underscores how fragile a veteran comeback can be after a long layoff and shifts attention to Williams’ plans for Berlin and the rest of the grass season given her long absence and doubles pedigree.