Serena Williams’ London comeback at the HSBC Championships has been prematurely curtailed after her doubles partner Victoria Mboko was forced to withdraw with a left knee injury.
It looked unlikely Williams, 44, and Mboko, 19, 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 have advanced to the semi-finals via walkover and Williams’ attention will turn to the Berlin Tennis Open, for which she has yet to announce a partner.
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According to a report in the Times prior to Mboko’s injury, that could be the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova.
Mboko was visibly upset following her injury – which effectively forced her into the splits – and could be overheard telling physios “there is no stability right now”.
Williams chose the HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club for her first tennis in nearly four years, a comeback that came as shock after the 23-time Grand Slam winner had previously seemed adamant a return to the sport she once dominated was not in her plans.
The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion and 2025 WTA Newcomer of the Year Mboko beat Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in their opening match on Tuesday.
Williams has not ruled out Wimbledon, where she won seven singles titles and six doubles titles alongside her sister, Venus, saying 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, 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.”
