The GOAT has returned.
After retiring from the court in 2022, tennis legend Serena Williams made her highly anticipated return to the sport at the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club on Tuesday afternoon, where she played doubles with rising star Victoria Mboko.
Williams's comeback follows months of speculation on the matter, which was initially spurred by her decision to re-enter the ITIA's International Registered Testing Pool in December 2025. At the time, the 23-time Grand Slam champion quickly shut down the chatter in a post on X (formerly Twitter), but was then unable to answer definitively regarding a potential comeback during an appearance on TODAY roughly a month later.
Speaking before Queen's Club on Sunday, she opened up a bit more about the rationale behind her decision.
“It’s really about my kids getting to see me play,” she told reporters at the pre-tournament press conference. “Olympia is a little older, Adira is very young, but it’s also still moments like that. It’s also just [that] an athlete is the best thing that you can be and the highest place, and having an opportunity to still be able to possibly do that one last time is kind of cool and exciting, so there’s a little of that too.”
But what the comeback is not about—at least not right now—is adding more trophies to her case.
“I don’t need to win,” she went on. “I’ve won more than most people have in their whole lives, so, for me, that is not important to me. And it’s important that I keep reminding myself of that because I don’t have anything to prove, I don’t have anything to lose and everything here is just to gain.”
So how did Williams fare in her big return to competitive tennis on Monday? Let's take a look:
How did Serena Williams fare in return to tennis?
To put it simply: she did great. Williams and Mboko won Tuesday's match against No. 3 seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in straight sets, with a final score of 7-6(2), 6-2.
The first set was quite back and forth between the two sides. Williams and Mboko had a bit of a rocky start, but were able to get it together to win a tiebreak, 7-6(2).
SERENA WILLIAMS AND VICKY MBOKO WIN THE FIRST SET 🤯 #HSBCChampionships pic.twitter.com/7awiXSP486
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 9, 2026
The second set was much more lopsided. In the end, Williams hit an ace to set up match point, then served again for what was ultimately a failed return from Melichar-Martinez. Mboko and Williams won this set six games to two.
Absolutely timeless ✨ @serenawilliams and Victoria Mboko defeat No. 3 seeds Routliffe and Melichar-Martinez in Serena's first match since 2022.
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 9, 2026
What a moment for tennis 🥹 #HSBCChampionships pic.twitter.com/0YHG2V0Ro7
Now, this is not to say there weren't mistakes from the former world No. 1, because there certainly were. In fact, speaking after the match, the hyper-competitive Williams of course noted that there is "room for improvement" in her play, even though she and Mboko "had a lot of fun."
"There were so many times in the match where we were like, 'This could be so much better,'" Mboko then quipped. "We had a little bit of humor to it, and it kind of made me more relaxed."
All in all, it sounds like the pair really was keeping things lighthearted out there, which is what you'd want for a comeback as publicized as this one.
“We had a lot of fun” 🤗
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 9, 2026
Serena Williams and Victoria Mboko react after picking up the win in Serena’s return 👇 #HSBCChampionships pic.twitter.com/wXKdk3CPM6
Plus, the fact that Williams was victorious should be evidence enough of her continued dominance and skill. She and Mboko will return in the quarterfinals later this week.
“I think I was nervous, but I didn't really think about it. I didn't really think about being nervous. I just thought about having fun, which I did today. I got nervous right before the match, like, maybe 30 minutes before, and then I just let it go," she added. “I think I would give myself ... a C-minus?”
