Serena Williams’ heroic return to tennis at the Queen’s Club may be brought to a halt after her doubles partner Victoria Mboko retired from the singles tournament after suffering a knee injury.
The 19-year-old Canadian limped off the court in tears, conceding her match against Karolina Pliskova with the scores 6-2 3-4 to the Czech in the second set, leaving Williams without a doubles partner and Mboko’s Wimbledon campaign in doubt.
The 44-year-old Williams and her partner had breezed to a 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 victory over third-seeded duo Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in the former’s first appearance since the 2022 US Open.
Serena Williams and Victoria Mboko of Canada warmed up at Queen’s Club on Sunday
Serena Williams will compete at the Berlin Open
The pair were scheduled to face Canadian Layla Fernandez and German Laura Siegemund in the second round of the doubles tournament tomorrow, but the apparent severity of Mboko’s injury means that the match now looks unlikely to take place.
The former world No 1, though, has added the Berlin Tennis Open to her comeback schedule, which begins on June 15, with her doubles partner yet to be confirmed.
“Every tournament I add to my schedule right now feels special, and Berlin is no exception,” said the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion on the official Berlin Open website.
“I’m excited to compete in front of the German fans and continue building momentum throughout the grass-court season.”
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