Almost four years after announcing her exit from tennis, 44 year old Serena Williams ended her retirement by competing in a doubles match at Queen’s and marked her return with a win.
Paired with her younger American partner Victoria Mboko, Serena Williams’ return to competitive tennis ended in a 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 win over third seeded pair of Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez at the pre-Wimbledon event.
Playing in front of a packed court including her husband and two daughters, Williams didn’t look too out of touch in her first outing after her lengthy retirement and spoke about the reason behind her decision to unretire after the win.
“It was so fun. I had so much fun playing with Victoria. She was really able to hold up the team and play big on the big points. I could rely on her. We have never played together but it felt so natural.”
“I had nothing better to do, I got tired of sitting at home. My kids are out of school for the summer, so why not? You can do anything at any age. It doesn’t matter as long as you’re healthy and you take care of yourself… it’s really all that matters she said to the BBC.
However, the 23 Grand Slam winner was undecided about playing at Wimbledon by stating,
“It’s just a day at a time. I still have a little time to decide, and they have been great about giving me that space and time to decide.”
