Serena Williams still mulling Wimbledon return after comeback win

LONDON – American great Serena Williams said that she was still to decide whether to play at Wimbledon after making a winning comeback on June 9, nearly four years after her last competitive match.

The 44-year-old stole the limelight at the Queen's Club WTA event, as she returned to the court alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko to beat Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in front of a packed stadium.

Her performance, packing plenty of her trademark firepower, was impressive and with Wimbledon just around the corner starting at the end of the month, the prospect of her returning to the site of seven of her Grand Slam singles titles is an enticing one.

While she has been coy on a possible singles return, a doubles appearance would be a huge boost to the tournament's TV ratings and she would almost certainly receive a wildcard.

"Like I said the other day, it's just a day at a time. I still have a little time to decide, and they have been great about giving me that space and time to decide," she said.

Williams was given a raucous reception as she walked on court and she treated the crowd to some crunching winners and some reminders of her awesome serving power.

Asked for her rating on her performance, she said: "My God. What do you think? A C-minus?

"I got nervous right before the match, like, maybe 30 minutes before, and then I just let it go. I didn’t really think about being nervous, I thought about having fun, which I did. I had so much fun playing with Victoria.

“With all the elements, coming back on grass is probably not the easiest surface. Overall, it was decent."

Playing in front of her daughters was one of the motivations for adding another chapter to her storied career and eight-year-old Olympia and Adira, two, are with her in London.

Asked how they reacted to their mum's win, she joked: "Adira wanted to go to the toy store, and Olympia wanted to know what was for dinner."

Her decision to pick up a racket in a competitive setting for the first time since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open had sparked questions about the wisdom of her move.

But it was like she had never been away as she produced her trademark thunderous serve and fearsome ground-strokes to the delight of a capacity crowd.

Next up for Williams and 19-year-old Mboko is a clash with Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals, scheduled for June 11.

Mboko has called Williams as her “idol” and she said it was a memorable experience.

“I’m so grateful, first of all,” she said. “I don’t play that much doubles, but I think sharing the court, I think I can learn a lot... I just had so much fun today.” REUTERS, AFP