Women’s tennis legend Serena Williams returned to compete professionally and did so with a victory at the Queen’s Club tournament in London, ending an absence of almost four years from the courts.
At 44 years old, Williams showed that she retains much of the power that made her one of the best players of all time. The American recorded serves of up to 120 miles per hour and, together with Canadian Victoria Mboko, defeated the third seeds, Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe, 7-6 (2) and 6-2.
The match marked Williams’ first professional match since the 2022 US Open. The former world number one closed out the victory in convincing fashion, with two consecutive aces and a winning serve in the last game of the match.
“It was a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun playing with Victoria. She supported the team and responded in the important points. I was able to trust her a lot. We had never played together, but everything felt very natural,” Williams said after the match.
For her part, Mboko, one of the young emerging figures on the women’s circuit and current number nine in the world ranking, expressed her admiration for sharing the court with the American.
“I feel very honored to play with Serena. I had a lot of fun. I am very happy to be by your side and we are going for more,” said the Canadian.
Williams announced last week its return to doubles competition, although it has not yet defined whether it will also try to return to the individual circuit.
