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Canadian tennis player Victoria Mboko confirmed she will team up with Serena Williams as the American legend returns to professional tennis at age 44. Mboko, from Burlington, Ontario, shared a photo of the duo on social media Thursday morning, writing, “The queen is back. 👑 An honor to share the court with one of the greatest athletes of all time this week. Even more excited to play doubles together! Tennis is pretty special 🩷 🐐.”
The WTA Tour announced Monday that Williams accepted a wild card to compete in doubles at the upcoming Queen’s Club grass-court tournament, which starts June 8. Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, has not played since the 2022 U.S. Open, where she said she was “evolving” away from tennis rather than retiring.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said. “Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”
Mboko, who spoke at the French Open last week, expressed admiration for Williams, saying, “I really look up to her. I mean, the fact that she even knows me is very exciting.”