Serena Williams rolled back the years at Queen’s Club with a victorious return to professional tennis after 1,375 days away from the sport.
Fans packed out the Andy Murray Arena on Tuesday evening to watch the 44-year-old American legend make her highly anticipated comeback.
Playing doubles alongside 19-year-old Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion showed glimpses of her legendary form. The duo secured a 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 upset victory over third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.
“It was so fun,” Williams said after the match. “I had so much fun playing with Victoria. We have never played together, but it felt so natural.”
When asked what motivated her return to the court, Williams joked, “I had nothing better to do; I got tired of sitting at home! My kids are out of school for the summer, so why not?”
She added, “I never got to play here; it was always just the men. It feels really special to play somewhere so iconic.”
Williams had previously announced she was “evolving away” from tennis after the 2022 US Open. Speculation of a return mounted earlier this year when her name reappeared on the international drug-testing and reinstatement lists, culminating in last week’s surprise announcement that she would play in London.
Watching from the stands were her husband and her two daughters, eight-year-old Olympia and two-year-old Adira—whom Williams cited as her main inspiration for returning to competition.
Despite an uncharacteristic unforced volley into the net on her very first point, Williams quickly found her rhythm. Ninety-two minutes later, her trademark powerful serve sealed her first competitive match win since 2022.
Her daughters, however, remained hilariously unfazed by the historic moment.
Asked what they thought of her winning performance, Williams smiled: “Adira wanted to go to the toy store and Olympia wanted to know what’s for dinner.”
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