Serena Williams rolled back the years in her triumphant return to tennis at the Queen’s Club doubles on Tuesday, partnering with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko to secure a 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 win over third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar Martinez in the first round of the grass court tournament.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion conquered a pre-match bout of nerves by focusing on having fun. She said she got nervous about 30 minutes before the match, but then just let it go, thinking about having fun rather than being nervous. The 44-year-old Williams produced her trademark thunderous serve and fearsome ground strokes to the delight of a capacity crowd, playing alongside Mboko, who was born in 2006 when Williams had already won seven Grand Slam singles titles.
Williams rated her performance a C minus, considering all the elements of coming back on grass after four years, but said overall it was decent. She revealed that her return was inspired by a desire to play in front of her children, with daughters Olympia and Adira and husband Alexis Ohanian all courtside in west London.
Also Read: Gunmen Attack Ogun Community, Kill Soldier, Abduct Residents
Williams and Mboko will face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarter finals. The American is also scheduled to play doubles at the Berlin Open next week. Williams played down the prospect of featuring in singles at Wimbledon on Sunday but said on Tuesday that she still has a little time to decide, and Wimbledon officials have been great about giving her space and time.
Leave feedback about this
You must be logged in to post a comment.