LONDON — Serena Williams’ doubles journey at Queen’s Club might be cut short after just one encounter.
Her partner in doubles, Victoria Mboko, had to withdraw from her singles match against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday due to a knee injury sustained in the second set.
Williams and Mboko triumphed in their opening doubles match on Tuesday, marking a significant return for the 44-year-old tennis icon after nearly a four-year hiatus from the sport. They are set to compete again on Thursday.
The 19-year-old Canadian stumbled behind the baseline and immediately clutched her left knee while battling Pliskova. She lost the first set 6-2 and was leading 4-3 in the second when disaster struck while attempting to break Pliskova’s serve at deuce.
Though Mboko managed to rise on her own, she informed a physiotherapist that she felt a lack of “stability right now.”
Struggling to walk, she made her way back to the bench, covering her face with a towel before ultimately deciding to retire from the match.
Williams had previously revealed her plans to participate in doubles at the Berlin Open the following week.
In their earlier match on Tuesday, Williams and Mboko defeated the third-seeded duo of Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe with a score of 7-6 (2), 6-2, marking Williams’ first professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open. They are now gearing up to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals.
Notably, Mboko holds the No. 9 ranking in singles.
