Serena Williams mulls Wimbledon comeback after winning return to tennis
Serena Williams has not ruled out a return to Wimbledon after making a winning comeback to professional tennis nearly four years after her last competitive match.
Serena Williams said she was yet to decide whether she will play at Wimbledon after making a winning return to competitive tennis at the Queen's Club Championships in London on Tuesday.
The 44-year-old, playing her first professional match since retiring in 2022, teamed up with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko to beat third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6(4), 6-2 in the women's doubles event and advance to the quarter-finals.
Williams received a rousing reception from the packed crowd at Queen's and showed glimpses of the game that helped her win 23 Grand Slam singles titles. The American struck several trademark winners and served at speeds of up to 120 mph as she and Mboko recovered from a tight opening set to seal victory in straight sets.
With Wimbledon just around the corner, attention has quickly turned to whether Williams could make a return to the grass-court major where she won seven singles titles. While she stopped short of confirming her plans, she said she was still considering her options.
"Like I said the other day, 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," Williams said.
Despite the victory, Williams was far from fully satisfied with her performance and joked when asked to rate her display.
"My God. What do you think? A C-minus?
"I got nervous right before the match, like, maybe 30 minutes before, and then I just let it go.
"With all the elements, considering coming back on grass is probably not the easiest surface. Overall, it was decent."
Williams and Mboko finished with two aces, won 69 percent of their service points and converted three of their five break-point opportunities. Yet the American believed there was considerable room for improvement.
"I think Vicky's doing great. I need to make some returns next match, which I will," Williams said with a laugh.
"I didn't miss one in practice. That was a little embarrassing out there.
"But you know, the good news is we can do better. I can do better."
Mboko shared a similar assessment after the match.
"There's always room for improvement. I think never being satisfied with yourself is always the way to go," she said.
"I have singles tomorrow so I really like how I got to use this as a little bit of repetition, and I know going into tomorrow it's going to be a bit better."
Playing in front of her daughters has been one of the motivations behind Williams' return to competition. Both Olympia, eight, and Adira, two, were in London to watch her comeback.
Asked how they reacted to the win, Williams smiled.
"Adira wanted to go to the toy store, and Olympia wanted to know what was for dinner."
Williams and Mboko will face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals on Thursday as the former world No. 1 continues to weigh up the possibility of adding another Wimbledon appearance to her storied career.
Serena Williams said she was yet to decide whether she will play at Wimbledon after making a winning return to competitive tennis at the Queen's Club Championships in London on Tuesday.
The 44-year-old, playing her first professional match since retiring in 2022, teamed up with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko to beat third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6(4), 6-2 in the women's doubles event and advance to the quarter-finals.
Williams received a rousing reception from the packed crowd at Queen's and showed glimpses of the game that helped her win 23 Grand Slam singles titles. The American struck several trademark winners and served at speeds of up to 120 mph as she and Mboko recovered from a tight opening set to seal victory in straight sets.
With Wimbledon just around the corner, attention has quickly turned to whether Williams could make a return to the grass-court major where she won seven singles titles. While she stopped short of confirming her plans, she said she was still considering her options.
"Like I said the other day, 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," Williams said.
Despite the victory, Williams was far from fully satisfied with her performance and joked when asked to rate her display.
"My God. What do you think? A C-minus?
"I got nervous right before the match, like, maybe 30 minutes before, and then I just let it go.
"With all the elements, considering coming back on grass is probably not the easiest surface. Overall, it was decent."
Williams and Mboko finished with two aces, won 69 percent of their service points and converted three of their five break-point opportunities. Yet the American believed there was considerable room for improvement.
"I think Vicky's doing great. I need to make some returns next match, which I will," Williams said with a laugh.
"I didn't miss one in practice. That was a little embarrassing out there.
"But you know, the good news is we can do better. I can do better."
Mboko shared a similar assessment after the match.
"There's always room for improvement. I think never being satisfied with yourself is always the way to go," she said.
"I have singles tomorrow so I really like how I got to use this as a little bit of repetition, and I know going into tomorrow it's going to be a bit better."
Playing in front of her daughters has been one of the motivations behind Williams' return to competition. Both Olympia, eight, and Adira, two, were in London to watch her comeback.
Asked how they reacted to the win, Williams smiled.
"Adira wanted to go to the toy store, and Olympia wanted to know what was for dinner."
Williams and Mboko will face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals on Thursday as the former world No. 1 continues to weigh up the possibility of adding another Wimbledon appearance to her storied career.
