Serena Williams rolled back the years at Queen’s with a winning performance on her comeback to tennis after 1,375 days away from the sport.
Fans with the hottest ticket in town packed out the Andy Murray Arena on Tuesday evening to watch one of the greatest players of all time return to action.
Playing doubles alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, the 44-year-old American didn’t look a touch out of place as the pair won 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 to upset third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.
“It was so fun,” Williams said in her post-match interview. “I had so much fun playing with Victoria. She was really able to hold up the team and play big on the big points. I could rely on her. We have never played together but it felt so natural.”
Asked why she came back, she added: “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?
“I never got to play here, it was always just the men. It feels really special to play somewhere so iconic.”
Williams said she was “evolving away” from tennis in 2022 after winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles in her 27-year career.
Excitement about a possible return grew last year when her name appeared on the list of players registered for the drug-testing pool, and again when it was put on the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) reinstatements list in February.
But her comeback was only confirmed last week when it was announced she would be joining 19-year-old Mboko for doubles at London’s Queen’s Club.
A whirlwind nine days followed, with Williams saying she “had nothing to prove” and that the main motivation was the prospect of her daughters seeing her play.
Eight-year-old Olympia and Adira, who was born in 2023, watched on from the stands with their father and cheered on as their mother rediscovered some of the shots that has made her a legend of the sport.
Williams’ first strike of the ball left fans wondering if the all-time great had lost her touch as she planted a volley from close range into the net.
But those doubts had been quashed 92 minutes later as her serve – once considered her greatest weapon – wrapped up her first match win since the 2022 US Open.
Her daughters might have been less impressed.
Asked what they thought of her performance, Williams joked: “Adira wanted to go to the toy store, and Olympia wanted to know what’s for dinner.”
‘Maybe a C-minus?’ – how good was Williams?
As the four players made their way down the steps at Queen’s Club, there was no doubt that the raucous roar from the 9,000-plus crowd was meant just for Williams.
But there was no big reaction from the former world number one, who gave a brief wave before starting her warm-up and locking in for the task ahead.
Williams said on Sunday that winning was “not important” on her return, but it was inevitable that the competitive spirit would kick in for the great champion.
With every point that the pair won, Williams raised a clenched fist before marching back to Mboko to talk tactics, while she let out a huge celebratory roar when the teenager reacted quickly to slam down a volley at the net.
The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion’s powerful groundstrokes looked as good as ever, while her serve still had the same sting, with one coming in at 120mph to cause a stir among the crowd.
Williams, however, was modest about her performance. When asked for a report card, she said, “What do you think? A C-minus?”
Her overhead shots looked a tad rusty, and she was slightly off the pace in her movement at times, while Mboko did a sublime job covering from the baseline.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Mboko said. “I thought she was moving great.”
What next for Williams?
With Venus still playing at 45, age is clearly just a number for the Williams sisters.
Speaking after her win at Queen’s, Williams said it was “about time” she returned, referencing the recent comebacks of her good friends Lindsey Vonn, the legendary skier who watched on in London, and track athlete Allyson Felix.
“You can do anything at any age,” she told BBC Sport.
“It doesn’t matter as long as you’re healthy and you take care of yourself, and you’re happy, and you’re doing your best – it’s really all that matters.”
After a trip to a toy store for daughter Adira, Williams – much to the delight of Queen’s organisers – will be back in action alongside Mboko later this week.
The North American duo will face Canada’s Leylah Fernandez and Germany’s Laura Siegemund in the second round.
Asked if she had any more thoughts about playing doubles at Wimbledon or returning to singles, Williams replied: “It’s just a day at a time.
“I still have a little time to decide, and they have been great about giving me that space and time to decide.”
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.