Victoria Mboko‘s fall in the second set against Pliskova ended Serena Williams‘ London comeback. Withdrawal rumors intensified when Mboko was injured on Wednesday. All rumors, however, came to an end when a tennis journalist made an official announcement on social media, and Williams now faces a critical decision about Berlin.

This marks Mboko’s first major knee injury of her professional career, and this is the first retirement of Mboko’s career at the WTA Tour level. It is the third of her professional career, with the other two coming in ITF events in 2024.

Mboko’s singles retirement confirmed the doubles withdrawal was inevitable, as singles players usually do not risk their bodies over doubles following a singles retirement. This abruptly ended Serena’s comeback, as there is no provision for a doubles partner replacement after the main draw has commenced. Only 16 pairs were drawn at Queens, and Williams was unable to get a replacement partner on short notice.

Queen’s lost its marquee draw; ticket sales for the remaining rounds are now uncertain. As an exception, the tournament saw the main show court sold out for an opening-round doubles match rather than a singles contest, all thanks to Williams’s aura.

Williams must now decide whether Berlin offers enough time to prepare before Wimbledon. On the other hand, it remains to be seen if Mboko can make a quick recovery in time for Wimbledon.

Williams and Mboko Had Made a Winning Start to Their Campaign in Queens

What the players and the audiences will rue most is that the Williams-Mboko duo started their doubles campaign with a resounding win over the third seeds, Nicole Melichar Martinez and Erin Routliffe. Williams had shown glimpses of her vintage form, serving at 120mph, and her movement looked good for someone making a comeback after four years.

Tournament organizers will regret the missed opportunity, as Williams and Mboko had advanced further in the tournament; the financial profits and the tournament’s exposure would have increased multiple times. As it stands, the eyes of the whole tennis world were on Queens because of Serena. Now, the tournament hopes that their home players, like Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter, have decent runs in singles so that they can attract fans to the stadium. Earlier, fans expressed frustration, criticizing the tournament and the broadcaster for prioritizing Serena Williams over local favorites.

Williams is now all set to partner Karolina Muchova in Berlin, and the American hopes to have a deep run so she feels ready for a bigger challenge at Wimbledon. On the other hand, Mboko is in a race against time to recover so she can be part of Wimbledon. This would be the Canadian’s second appearance at the All England Lawn Tennis Club should she make it. On her debut last year, she won against 25th-seeded Magdalena Frech in the first round, after which she lost to Hailey Baptiste. This year, the stakes would have been higher for Mboko, as she is currently in the Top 10 on the WTA Rankings and will be a higher seed at Wimbledon, which means she will get a favorable draw if she can recover in time.