At one of the most pivotal moments of Serena Williams’s return to professional tennis, with the match hanging delicately in the balance at 5-5, 30-30, a supporter in the crowd could no longer stay silent. Her voice echoed around Andy Murray Arena as she yelled: “Come on Serena, come on Victoria. You got it!” A nearby spectator responded sarcastically, claiming he could not make out a single word of the encouragement.

Williams, though, had no trouble understanding. She acknowledged the fan with a warm nod before stepping to the line and unleashing a 120mph service winner that helped secure a crucial hold.

That moment was just one of many familiar Serena highlights scattered throughout an entertaining, intense, and ultimately rewarding afternoon at Queen’s Club. Making a surprising comeback to competitive tennis at 44 years old, Williams teamed up with Victoria Mboko to defeat third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2.

Returning to the professional circuit after years away, Williams received a thunderous reception from the packed stands as she emerged from the clubhouse and walked onto the court. Alongside the highly talented young Mboko, she appeared relaxed and cheerful during the pre-match warm-up on the grass.

The contest began memorably. After missing a reflex volley into the net during the opening game, Williams quickly made her presence felt. Her next volley was driven directly at Melichar-Martinez, and only two points later she repeated the tactic successfully. The statement was unmistakable: despite the passage of time, her competitive instincts remain as sharp as ever.

Williams excelled at the net throughout the match, but perhaps the most impressive aspect of her performance was the return of one of the greatest serves in women’s tennis history. The delivery remains a devastating weapon, and as the match progressed, its accuracy became increasingly impressive.

Naturally, there were also signs of both her age and lengthy absence from competition. Her return game lacked consistency, her court coverage was not at its peak, and she required time to settle into a rhythm from the baseline. Meanwhile, Mboko, just 19 years old and ranked No 9 in the world, delivered an outstanding display.

To Williams’s credit, she allowed her younger partner to take the lead when appropriate. The Canadian opened service in both sets and was chosen to receive during deciding deuce points.

When asked to evaluate her own performance afterward, Williams responded with a laugh.

“My God,” she said. “I think I would give myself — what do you think? A C-minus?”

The remark drew a knowing reaction from Mboko.

“It’s funny because there were points in the match when we felt like, ‘This isn’t going very well,’ and we were being pretty hard on ourselves,” she said. “But I understand where that comes from.

“It feels like we’re still quite a long way from where we want to be, but that’s also exciting because it means there’s so much room to improve. And we’re motivated to keep getting better.”

The biggest question surrounding Williams’s comeback remains a simple one: why return now?

Leave a comment

Those inclined toward sentimentality might point to the scenes that unfolded on the practice courts before the match. Williams prepared for her first professional appearance in nearly four years on the modest Court Seven, accompanied by her eldest daughter, Olympia, who wore a bright fuchsia shirt that matched her mother’s outfit perfectly.

Although Olympia was old enough to witness her mother’s retirement five years ago, she is now approaching her ninth birthday and can participate more actively in these moments. Before the match, she ran around the court playing alongside Williams while her mother completed her warm-up routine.

As Williams began hitting groundstrokes, Olympia repeatedly stepped onto the court to collect loose balls and toss them back toward the team.

There is something touching about seeing Williams, whose younger daughter Adira is two years old, able to share such an important part of her life and career with her children.

Viewers watching from the United States, however, may have viewed the situation differently. Williams serves as the public face of Ro, the GLP-1 weight-loss company whose products she has used and in which her husband has invested. After accumulating extraordinary wealth throughout her playing career, Williams spent much of her retirement pursuing further business opportunities, particularly in venture capital.

During Tennis Channel’s coverage of her return, viewers were shown numerous Ro advertisements, while the broadcast itself featured sponsorship branding connected to the company.

Yet even the most skeptical observer may have found it difficult not to appreciate the conclusion after a lively 90-minute contest on Andy Murray Arena.

When the time came to close out the match, Williams was entrusted with serving for victory in the latest chapter of her comeback story. She finished the job in vintage fashion, exactly as she had done countless times throughout her legendary career: ace, ace, unreturned serve. Match over.

Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, battled past Naomi Osaka 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-2 in a tense and high-quality encounter on Monday to book her place in the Madrid Open quarter-finals. The Belarusian, who has already secured ti…

Read more

Coco Gauff produced a gritty and resilient performance at the Madrid Open, overcoming both Sorana Cirstea and a sudden illness that left her vomiting on court, to secure her place in the fourth round with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory.

The Ameri…

Read more