LONDON — On Tuesday, Serena Williams returned to action for the first time since the 2022 U.S. Open, winning in straight sets with partner Victoria Mboko in doubles.
Williams, who re-entered the drug testing pool late last year and whose return seemed all but inevitable, has remained mum about what he envisions the next chapter of his career to be. But she insisted ahead of this week’s tournament that she had no expectations and had “nothing to lose”.
It’s still too early, but if Tuesday’s performance is good, we’ll likely see more from the 44-year-old in the coming months.
Here are four things I learned from the comeback.
After four years, Williams took no time at all to get back up to speed.
It is almost impossible to predict how an athlete will perform when they return after a long break. Even if it’s good at the beginning, will it start to decline in the second half? Or maybe that spark no longer exists? Williams had a lot of questions to answer, as it had been well over 1,000 days since his last professional fight. But there were moments Tuesday when it looked like Williams was barely out.
It would be wrong to say she is back to her best. There were some nondescript errors and line fuzz, but they were just the rust spots you’d expect after four years. Considering the situation, her reaction was remarkable, especially when approached by the internet.
Iconic 👑
Queen of Tennis wins at Queen’s Club #HSBCChampipnships pic.twitter.com/VL9c2cy6QH
— HSBC Championship (@QueensTennis) June 9, 2026
It’s not all that surprising that Williams came to win and play hard, considering she is a competitor and a perennial winner. She wasn’t going to go back unprepared. And after the game, she mentioned the training it took to get to this point.
“(My) trainer Derek is very intense and is a former athlete himself,” Williams said. “We work out together all the time. We got back together again. Yeah, I think we just had fun, fought, fought, had fun, fought. So we just… you know, speed comes with practice.”
Perhaps it’s best to judge Williams by how he finished with two aces. The second and eventual match winner finished at 116 mph. My previous serve hit 190 mph.
The next challenge is to recover and restart on Thursday, but her success in blowing away the cobwebs only increases hopes that Serena will persist.
Fans loved every second
“Sold out” signs were firmly posted at the Queen’s Club ticket office on Tuesday morning, even though London’s weather is always unstable and it is difficult to predict whether tennis will take place, given the downpour that dominated Monday’s play.
Although a staple on the British tennis calendar, tournaments at Queen’s are by no means automatically sold out.
British players including Emma Laducanu and Katie Boulter also won their singles matches. But there’s no doubt that Williams’ return has slowed the fight for the remaining tickets.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion was greeted with loud cheers as she took to Center Court, and every point was celebrated with an equally enthusiastic response from the public.
“I’ve never seen it so full,” said one onlooker. The moment of silence was broken by a cry of “Come on, Serena!”
No one creates more buzz than Williams, and she proved that once again on Tuesday.
She may have ‘nothing to prove’ — but the competitive fire still burns
The message from the press conference the night before the tournament was that there was no pressure to win or perform. Williams insisted he had “nothing to lose.”
Of course, this is completely accurate, considering Williams’ inspiring legacy and incredible achievements remain unchanged. But that doesn’t mean winning isn’t important to her.
Williams slapped every point, remained fully focused throughout the match, and worked hard for his teammates. As the contest progressed, her desire to win seemed to grow.
Visible frustration crept in when a shot didn’t go the way I wanted it to, or when I couldn’t quite get something done.
On the contrary, almost every score scored by her or Mboko was rewarded with a fist pump. The victory after a fierce battle was greeted with a heartfelt “Go for it!”. or “Yes!” toward the end. The first smile was born after those two aces.
What Williams’ end goal is, perhaps even she doesn’t know yet, but there’s no doubt that winning as much as possible is still very important.
First point of the statement 👊 pic.twitter.com/lJHiY3NVev
— HSBC Championship (@QueensTennis) June 9, 2026
Mboko is an ideal doubles partner
Williams had already won seven singles titles by the time playing partner Victoria Mboko was born in 2006. Considering the hype and the size of the tournament, teaming up with Williams will not be an easy task. But Mboko, who is just 19 years old, has had everything going smoothly. The energy she brings to the scene is palpable and must have rubbed off on Williams as well.
She was the perfect foil on the court, sharing the burden and getting her partner out of trouble when needed. Away from the arena, Mboko looks at ease and, like Williams, is keen to have fun.
“It’s a great honor to play with Serena,” the Canadian said after the match. “It was a lot of fun. We really worked there. We’re very happy to play with you and we aim for more.”
“First of all, I really appreciate it. I don’t play doubles much, but I think I can learn a lot by sharing the court.”
