Serena Williams’ Tennis Comeback Comes to Screeching Halt After Doubles Partner’s Crushing Knee Injury

NEED TO KNOW

• Serena Williams’ comeback at the Queen’s Club in London ended early after her doubles partner, Victoria Mboko, withdrew due to a knee injury
• Mboko injured her right knee after slipping on the grass during the second set of her singles match against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday
• The tennis legend is next set to compete at the Berlin Tennis Open in June

Serena Williams‘ tennis comeback just came to a screeching halt.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion’s first tennis tournament in four years ended prematurely after her doubles partner, Victoria Mboko, 19, was forced to withdraw from playing at Queen’s Club in London after suffering a right knee injury.

Mboko retired from her singles match against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday, June 10 after slipping on the grass during the second set. She was photographed holding her right knee as she lay on the grass after her fall.

She officially withdrew from her double match on Thursday morning. She and Williams, 44, were set to play Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund, who will now advance to the semifinals. 

Williams and Mboko initially opened the Queen’s Club tournament strongly, beating Erin Routliffe of New Zealand and American Nicole Melichar-Martinez in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2, during their first match.

The longtime athlete wore a light-pink Nike warm-up jacket and tennis dress during the match and received a loud ovation from the crowd at the prestigious London tournament.

Husband, Alexis Ohanian, and daughters, Olympia, 8, and Adira, 2, were in the crowd to cheer her on, while her friend Lindsey Vonn was also in attendance, The Athletic reported.

Williams is next scheduled to play at the Berlin Tennis Open beginning on June 15, according to the tournament’s website. Although she hasn’t officially announced her new doubles partner, The Sunday Times reported that she is eying the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova.

“Every tournament I add to my schedule right now feels special, and Berlin is no exception,” Williams previously told The Sunday Times, adding, “I’m excited to compete in front of the German fans and continue building momentum throughout the grass-court season.”

Williams last played in the 2022 US Open after sharing that she was “evolving away” from tennis to pursue entrepreneurial projects. Nearly a year later in August 2023, she gave birth to her second daughter with Ohanian.

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She quietly re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) registered drug testing pool last year, a procedural move necessary for her comeback. It was then announced earlier this month that she would return to competition at Queen’s Club.

During a press conference on Sunday, June 7, the mother of two, who embarked on a weight-loss journey and even picked up new sports during her time off, shed some light on her return to the sport.

“I don’t need to win,” Williams said. “I’ve won more than most people have in their whole lives, so it’s not that important to me, and it’s important that I keep reminding myself of that, because I don’t have anything to prove.”

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