Victoria Mboko offers brilliant response to Serena Williams doubles rumours
Serena Williams looks set to make her return to tennis in just over a fortnight and her rumoured doubles partner Victoria Mboko insisted it’s up to the tennis great to make the big announcement.
Nearly four years after she played her last match at the US Open, Williams is in line to make a comeback with reports claiming she has a wildcard entry for the women’s doubles at the Queen’s Club Championship.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s Registered Testing Pool in 2025, leading to speculation she is planning a return.
The 44-year-old, though, kept mum about playing professional tennis again, but she completed the mandatory six-month period in the ITIA programme in February, which paved the way for her to compete in top-level tennis again.
And news emerged this week that she had asked for a doubles wildcard for the WTA 500 Queen’s event – which gets underway on 8 June in London – with Mboko set to be her partner.
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The 19-year-old Mboko, who will be one of the seeded players in the singles as she is currently at No 9 in the WTA Rankings, was asked about the speculation following her second-round win at the French Open.
“Yeah, you know… I’m very happy. Me and Serena have stayed in touch, which is really, really nice because I really look up to her. The fact that she even knows me is very exciting,” the Canadian said.
“I think for me I wanna kinda leave the moment for her. I feel like if she’s ready to come back on her own terms, then I feel like it’s up to her to announce that. Other than that, I don’t have much to say.
“The moment is all up to her and when she’s ready to come back. It’s up to her.”
It has also been reported that Williams will play in the doubles at Eastbourne with Wimbledon also in the cards with Andy Roddick suggesting she will also feature in the singles.
“I don’t think she plays only doubles at Wimbledon. I think she’s going to play singles. But I think there’s a half a chance she plays singles before that,” said on the Served With Andy Roddick podcast.
“I just don’t see at this point in her life where she’s in her forties coming back. How many shots in the basket are you going to have on your best surface in singles again, if that’s your intent?
“I don’t think she can skip Wimbledon this year in singles. I think if you’re going to come back, I think you got to go.”
