Why Serena Williams’ Queen’s return has been brought to a premature end
Victoria Mboko’s injury has forced Serena Williams’ doubles partner to withdraw from the HSBC Championhships doubles (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)
Serena Williams’ tennis comeback at Queen’s Club has been prematurely curtailed after her doubles partner, Victoria Mboko, was forced to withdraw due to a left knee injury.
Mboko sustained the injury during her singles match against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday, retiring after slipping in the second set and expressing concerns about her knee’s stability.
Following Mboko’s official withdrawal on Thursday morning, Williams and Mboko’s scheduled opponents, Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund, advanced to the semi-finals via a walkover.
This early exit from Queen’s means Williams will now turn her attention to the Berlin Tennis Open, for which she has yet to announce a new partner.
Williams, who had not played tennis in nearly four years, had previously seemed unlikely to return to the sport but has not ruled out participating in Wimbledon.
