Serena Williams is considering a return to Wimbledon after her triumphant return to tennis
Serena Williams said she has yet to decide whether to play at Wimbledon after making a triumphant 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 to reach the quarter-finals.
Williams received a rousing reception from a packed crowd at Queen’s and showed flashes of the game that has helped her win 23 Grand Slam singles titles. The American hit several winners and served at speeds of up to 120mph as she and Mboko recovered from a tight opening set to seal a straight sets victory.
With Wimbledon just around the corner, attention quickly turned to whether Williams could return to the grass-court major, where she won seven singles titles. While she stopped short of confirming her plans, she said she is still considering her options.
“Like I said before, it’s just one day. I still have a little bit of time to make a decision, and they’ve been great about giving me that space and time to make a decision,” Williams said.
Despite the win, Williams was far from fully satisfied with her performance and joked when asked to rate her display.
“My God. What do you mean? C-minus?”
“I was nervous right before the game, maybe 30 minutes before, and then I let it go.
“With all the elements, probably not the easiest surface to consider going back to grass. Overall it was decent.”
Williams and Mboko finished with two aces each, won 69 percent of their service points and converted three of their five break points. Still, the American believed there was considerable room for improvement.
“I think Vicky is doing great. I need to bounce back in the next game, which I will,” Williams said with a laugh.
“I didn’t miss a single one in practice. That was kind of embarrassing.”
“But you know, the good news is we can be 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 right path,” she said.
“I have singles tomorrow so I really like how I was able to use it as a little rep and I know it will be a little bit better tomorrow.
Playing in front of her daughters was one of Williams’ motivations for returning to competition. Eight-year-old Olympia and two-year-old Adira 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 number one continues to consider adding another Wimbledon appearance to her storied career.
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
10 Jun 2026 07:30 IST