Almost four years after playing her last professional match, Serena Williams returned to the court with a victory in the grass-court tournament at the Queen's Club in London. The 44-year-old American partnered with Canadian Victoria Mboko and beat Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2) and 6-2 in the first round of the doubles draw.

The match marked Williams' first official appearance since the 2022 US Open. In her return, the winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles showed some of the power that made her one of the most dominant figures in women's tennis, with serves that reached 120 miles per hour and several winners that thrilled the audience in attendance.

The duo made up of Williams and Mboko advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face Leylah Fernández and Laura Siegemund.

A return celebrated by the public and her companions

Serena's presence generated one of the biggest ovations of the day at the Andy Murray Arena. The former world number one received a standing welcome when she entered the court, in a venue that had also witnessed the victories of the British Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter during the day.

Williams closed the game with authority. In the last game he hit two consecutive aces and then a service winner to seal the victory.

"It was a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun playing with Victoria," the American declared in an on-court interview. “We had never played together, but it felt very natural to do so.”

Later, during a press conference, he evaluated his performance with restraint. “A C minus,” he initially said. He later added: "All things considered, considering coming back on grass is probably not the easiest surface. ... Grass, four years. Overall, I think it was decent."

Mboko, 19 years old and one of the young promises of the women's circuit, also praised her partner. “I thought it moved really well,” he said. "There was one shot you made, remember, when you were running and you hit a backhand. I thought, 'Oh my God, he still has it.'"

Wimbledon remains a mystery

The Queen's Club tournament also represented Serena's debut in a venue historically linked to British tennis. The American highlighted the opportunity to compete on a stage where for decades only men's events were held.

“I was never able to play here, it was always only for men,” he commented. “It felt really special to play in such an iconic place.”

Among those in attendance were her daughters Olympia and Adira, as well as former skier Lindsey Vonn. According to Williams, the girls' reaction after the victory was quite simple. “Adira wanted to go to the toy store and Olympia wanted to know what was for dinner,” he said.

The American also plans to play in the Berlin tournament next week. However, he has not yet made a decision on a possible participation in Wimbledon, which will begin on June 29.

“It's just one day at a time,” Williams explained. “I still have some time to decide, and they have been very good at giving me that space and that time to decide.”

Before stepping away from competition in 2022, Williams won seven Wimbledon singles titles and 14 Grand Slam doubles crowns with her sister Venus. His winning return in London now opens a new stage whose continuity has yet to be defined.