Serena Williams paid tribute to her doubles partner Victoria Mboko after the 19-year-old Canadian was forced to withdraw from the Queen’s Club doubles event because of an injury.
Mboko retired from her singles match against Karolina Pliskova after slipping in the second set on Wednesday, and officially pulled out of the doubles on Thursday morning. Her withdrawal handed Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund a place in the semi-finals via walkover. Williams, 44, now has her sights on the Berlin Tennis Open, where she has yet to confirm a partner.
Following the announcement, Williams posted a photo on Instagram of herself training at the west London venue with her daughter, Olympia, watching and smiling. Addressing her 17.8 million followers, Williams wrote: “Some moments mean more than trophies. Olympia. What a fun and memorable week at HSBC Championships. Thank you to everyone who made it so special. Wishing you a speedy recovery, Victoria Mboko. Can’t wait to see you back on court.”
Williams returned to the tour at Queen’s after nearly four years away from professional tennis and picked up a win earlier in the week. She has not ruled out playing at Wimbledon, where she is a six-time singles champion and has also won six doubles titles alongside her sister Venus.
Wimbledon’s wild-card committee is due to meet next week. All England Lawn Tennis Club chief Sally Bolton declined to say whether Williams would receive a wild card, but noted the obvious lift her return has given the sport: “We can all see how much excitement Serena being back on a tennis court and particularly on a grass court has created and so one can only imagine what that would be like at the Championships.” AELTC chair Debbie Jevans added that the committee will consider all factors when making its decisions.
For now, Williams expressed disappointment at the premature end of a partnership she described as “special,” and sent her best wishes to Mboko as she recovers.