Serena Williams’ return to grass-court doubles is hanging by a thread. The 23-time Grand Slam champion’s partnership with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko at the Queen’s Club Championships looks set to be scrapped after Mboko crumpled to the turf clutching her right knee during her second-round singles defeat to Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday afternoon.
Mboko, the 18-year-old world No. 24, was trailing 6-4, 3-2 when she planted awkwardly chasing a wide forehand down the deuce court. She required eight minutes of treatment from the tournament physiotherapist before attempting to continue, but retired three games later after losing serve to love. Pliskova, the 2017 Queen’s runner-up, advanced to the quarter-finals with a walkover written into the record as a 6-4, 5-2 retirement.
Williams, 44, who had not played a competitive doubles match on grass since the 2022 Wimbledon mixed event with Frances Tiafoe, was scheduled to partner Mboko in a first-round tie against the all-Czech pairing of Marie Bouzkova and Linda Noskova on Thursday at 1pm. Tournament organisers confirmed in a brief statement that Mboko’s status would be reviewed overnight, with a withdrawal “increasingly likely.”
A partnership built on a shared coach
The Williams-Mboko pairing was one of the most intriguing wildcard entries of the grass-court swing. The two players share a coach in Nathalie Tauziat, the former French No. 1 who reached the 1998 Wimbledon final, and had been training together at Williams’ Florida base for three weeks before flying to London.
Williams confirmed the partnership during a press conference at the WTA player party last Friday, calling Mboko “the future of this sport” and admitting she had agreed to the doubles entry partly to give the teenager experience on grass before her Wimbledon debut. Mboko, who reached the Australian Open quarter-finals in January, has never played a tour-level grass-court match in singles or doubles.
The early signs in west London had been promising. Mboko opened her Queen’s campaign on Monday with a 7-5, 6-3 win over American qualifier Caty McNally, with Williams watching from the player box alongside coach Patrick Mouratoglou. The Canadian’s movement on grass had drawn praise from broadcasters, with former British No. 1 Tim Henman describing her court coverage as “the best I’ve seen from a teenager since Belinda Bencic.”
What the injury means for Wimbledon
The bigger concern is not Queen’s but SW19. Wimbledon begins in 18 days, and a serious knee ligament injury would almost certainly end Mboko’s season at the All England Club. The Canadian arrived at Queen’s as the 22nd seed for Wimbledon and was considered a genuine dark-horse threat in a women’s draw missing both Iga Swiatek (recovering from a wrist procedure) and last year’s champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Tennis Canada said an MRI would be performed at the Princess Grace Hospital on Wednesday evening. Should the scan reveal damage to the medial collateral ligament or meniscus, recovery timelines for return-to-play typically range from four to twelve weeks, ruling out the entire grass swing.
For Williams, the implications are softer but still significant. Her appearance at Queen’s was part of a soft return to competition that has been carefully managed since she announced her unretirement in March. She has played only three singles matches in 2026 — losing in the first round at Indian Wells and Miami before winning a single match at the Charleston Open — and the doubles draw at Queen’s was viewed as a low-pressure environment to log court time.
Williams’ options narrow
WTA rules permit a replacement partner only if both players agree and the tournament referee approves the substitution before the order of play is released. With the women’s doubles draw already in progress and most leading names committed to singles second rounds, Williams’ practical options are limited.
Three scenarios are now in play:
- Mboko receives a positive scan, takes a painkilling injection and plays the doubles at reduced intensity — the most optimistic but least likely outcome.
- Williams pairs with a late replacement, most likely American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who arrived at Queen’s on Wednesday morning as an alternate.
- Williams withdraws entirely and shifts her grass preparation to an exhibition event at the Hurlingham Club next week.
Williams has not committed publicly to Wimbledon, though she accepted a main-draw wildcard from the All England Club on May 12. A withdrawal at Queen’s would mark the fourth consecutive event in which she has either pulled out or lost in the opening round of competitive play — a pattern her camp has framed as part of a gradual build, but which her critics are beginning to read as something more terminal.
The MRI result, expected by Thursday morning, will likely decide both careers’ immediate direction.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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