Serena Williams offered condolences to her doubles partner Victoria Mboko after an injury forced the 19-year-old to withdraw from the Queen’s Club doubles tournament.
It looked unlikely Williams, 44, and Canadian Mboko would play Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund on Thursday evening as scheduled when Mboko retired from her singles match against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday after slipping in the second set.
Mboko officially withdrew from the doubles on Thursday morning, meaning Fernandez and Siegemund advanced to the semi-finals via walkover and Williams’ attention will now turn to the Berlin Tennis Open, for which she has yet to announce a partner.
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Judy Murray discusses Serena Williams’ comeback to tennis
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Serena Williams speaks about her shock return to tennis and confirms that she is not focusing on singles at this moment in time
Following the announcement of their withdrawal, Williams – who had left tennis for nearly four years before returning at Queen’s – posted a picture of herself training at the west London venue on Instagram, with daughter Olympia watching on and smiling.
Writing to her 17.8 million followers and tagging in her daughter, Williams said: “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 has not ruled out Wimbledon, where she was crowned women’s singles champion six times and won and six doubles titles alongside her sister Venus.
She said after Tuesday’s victory: “They have been great about giving me that space and time to decide.”
Wimbledon’s wild card committee will formally make their decisions next week, but SW19 organisers are certainly aware of the buzz Williams’ return to tennis has already inspired.
Asked if Williams would get a wild card spot if she wanted to, All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief Sally Bolton, speaking at a Wimbledon press conference on Thursday morning, said: “I can’t answer that question.
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Shots of Serena Williams’ first practice session at Queens Club ahead of her return to the WTA Tour
“But I guess what I can say is, 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.
“The wild card committee will formally make their decisions next week and we’ll be communicating those, but she has certainly created a fantastic buzz and that’s exciting for the sport.”
AELTC chair Debbie Jevans added: “As Sally says, there is a meeting next week and I am sure it won’t ignore her success at Wimbledon when making that decision.”
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