Serena Williams put the years behind her at Queens with a winning performance in her return to tennis after 1,375 days away from the game.
The city’s hottest ticketed fans packed Andy Murray Arena on Tuesday evening to see one of the greatest players of all time return to action.
Playing doubles with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, the 44-year-old American faced no problems as the pair won 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 over third seeds Erin Routliff and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.
“It was a lot of fun,” he said in his post-match interview. “I really enjoyed playing with Victoria. She was really able to take over the team and make big plays at big points. I could count on her. We’ve never played together but it felt very natural.”
Asked why she came back, she said: “I had nothing better to do, I was tired of sitting at home. My kids are out of school for the summer, so why not?”
“I never got a chance to play here, it was always only men who played. It feels really special to play at such a prestigious venue.”
Williams “retires” from tennis in 2022 after winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles in her 27-year career.
Excitement about a possible comeback grew last year when her name appeared on the list of players registered for the drug-testing pool, and again when it was placed on the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) reinstatement list in February.
But her return was only confirmed last week when it was announced she would be joining 19-year-old Mboko for the doubles at London’s prestigious Queens Club.
After a whirlwind nine days, Williams said he had “nothing to prove” and the main motivation was the prospect of his daughters watching him play.
Eight-year-old Olympia and Adira, born in 2023, watched from the stands with their father and cheered as their mother rediscovered some of the shots that have made her a legend of the game.
Williams’ first strike of the ball left fans wondering whether the all-time great had lost his touch as he volleyed into the net from close range.
But those doubts were dismissed after 92 minutes as her serve – once considered her biggest weapon – secured her first match win since the 2022 US Open.
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