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Tennis legend Serena Williams made a high-profile return to competitive action at Queen's Club on Tuesday, marking her comeback nearly four years after her last professional appearance.
The 44-year-old American, who recently accepted a wildcard entry to partner Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in the grasscourt WTA event, drew significant attention with her return to a London court. Williams showed little sign of rust as she combined power and experience with Mboko to defeat the third-seeded pair of Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6(2), 6-2. The former world number one impressed with her trademark aggression and competitive intensity, delivering a strong performance that highlighted her enduring presence in the sport despite the long break. "It was so much fun, it felt so natural playing with Vicky," Williams said on court, as quoted by Reuters. "I guess I've got nothing better to do, I'm tired of sitting at home, my kids are out of school this summer so why not?" The 23-time Grand Slam women's champion has been handed a wild-card entry in the women's doubles draw at Queen's and is expected to team up with Canadian rising star Victoria Mboko. Williams last won a Grand Slam singles title at the 2017 Australian Open while she was in the early stages of pregnancy. Since then, she reached four more Grand Slam finals but fell short of equalling Margaret Court's record of 24 major singles titles. She reached four more finals on her return from maternity leave, two at Wimbledon and two at the US Open, but was beaten in straight sets on each occasion. (ANI)
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