Serena Williams' triumphant return to tennis, four years after her retirement, has been cut short. The 44-year-old player won alongside her partner Victoria Mboko, a 19-year-old Canadian player, their first women's doubles match at Queen's Championship, against Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe, with Williams joking her performance "was a C-minus".
But her journey is over, as Mboko suffered a fall during her singles' match on Wednesday, which forced her to retire when she was trailing 6-2, 3-4 against Karolina Pliskova. She left the court limping, in tears, and naturally has also withdrawn from the women's doubles, although the extent of her injury is still not known.
"Vicky Mboko, you're an incredible talent and you'll be back out there in no time. Wishing you a speedy recovery", said Williams on Instagram. Serena Williams will now look ahead at Wimbledon, where she could receive a wildcard, but before that she will team up with Czech Karolina Muchova, world no. 10, for a doubles match in Berlin.