Serena Williams is officially returning to tennis, and she’s doing it alongside an up-and-coming Canadian star.
The 44-year-old will partner with Burlington, Ont.’s Vicky Mboko, who announced on Instagram Thursday that she is honoured to share the court with Williams in doubles.
“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,” Mboko wrote on Instagram with a picture of the two together on court.
On Monday, the WTA announced Williams accepted a wild-card invitation to participate in the doubles portion of the Queen’s Club tournament next week in London, England.
“Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,” Williams said in a statement.
“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.”
The 23-time singles Grand Slam winner has not played professionally since the 2022 US Open, saying at the time she was “evolving” away from competing full-time.
Mboko is coming off a run to the third round at Roland-Garros and has three appearances in tournament finals so far in 2026.
