WTA Tour: Top star Serena Williams celebrates victory on tennis comeback

Tennis icon Serena Williams marked her much-anticipated return to the tour with a victory, partnering with young Canadian Victoria Mboko in a doubles match at the London Queen's Club. The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who had been retired for nearly four years, showed she had not lost her winning touch, as their pair defeated the third-seeded duo of Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) and Erin Routliffe (New Zealand) 7-6 (7-2), 6-2.

Williams, 44, joked about her return, saying, "I had nothing better to do. I was tired of sitting at home." She expressed enjoyment in playing with the 25-years-younger Mboko, noting, "It felt so natural playing with Vicky." Williams received a wildcard entry into the London tournament, describing the Queen's Club as the "perfect place to begin this next chapter." She highlighted her significant career moments on grass courts and her excitement to compete again on one of the sport's most iconic stages.

Both the Queen's Club tournament and an upcoming event in Berlin are serving as preparation for Wimbledon, the prestigious grass-court major that begins later in June. Williams, widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, has a strong history at Wimbledon, having won the singles title there seven times. She retired from the major tennis scene at the US Open in 2022, shortly before welcoming her second child.

During her illustrious career, Williams led the world rankings for 319 weeks and secured a total of 73 WTA Tour titles. Her sister, Venus Williams, remains sporadically active on the professional tennis circuit.