Victoria Mboko‘s grass-court season ended in tears at Queen’s Club, despite things going well just a few days earlier. She got the chance to form a doubles pair with her childhood idol Serena Williams, and they cruised to victory in the first round of the HSBC Championships. However, it all came crashing down for the Canadian after she suffered a nasty fall during her singles clash against Karolina Pliskova. As a result, she had to withdraw from her match and the event at Queen’s Club. The situation has only gotten worse for Mboko in the last few hours.

The 19-year-old’s grass-court season has come to a sudden end as she has now pulled out of Wimbledon. Having entered the Grand Slam as a qualifier last year, Mboko was set to make her debut in the main draw this season. But she will now be on the sidelines as the action unfolds at SW19.

In her place, World No. 119, Darja Vidmanova, has been added to the main draw. Not to mention that the youngster will lose a massive number of points on the rankings if she doesn’t participate in the Montreal Masters as the defending champion. The tournament will commence on August 2.

Notably, Mboko is dealing with an injury in her left knee. She had sustained it when she was trailing 2-6, 4-3 against Pliskova at the Queen’s Club. While attempting to return a forehand, she twisted her knee and appeared to be in a lot of pain. She looked to be devastated because of the injury and limped off the court in tears. According to the Associated Press, she told a physiotherapist that there was “no stability right now.”

This is Mboko’s first major knee injury, and it was also her first-ever retirement in the WTA tour. The World No. 9 has only had three retirements in her career so far, with the other two coming in ITF events in 2024: the semifinals at the ITF W75 Edmond tournament in October, and the ITF Biarritz event in July.

Mboko’s withdrawal from Wimbledon will likely see her move out of the top 10 in the coming weeks. Though the Canadian won’t be losing a lot of points as she had only reached the second round last year, she will drop if the players around her can earn points during the grass-court season.

Mboko’s singles retirement pretty much confirmed her withdrawal from the doubles draw as well. As a result, both she and Serena had to pull out from their quarterfinal-clash against the duo of Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund. This withdrawal can lead to a massive hit in ticket sales at the HSBC Championships.

Serena’s return sold out the Andy Murray arena for their first-round clash. No singles match has sold out the arena yet, and it is unlikely to happen until the tournament reaches its last stages.

Though Serena was only able to play one match with Mboko, she certainly enjoyed being the latter’s partner. The American even left a heartfelt message for the youngster after hearing about her injury.

Serena Williams shares special message for Victoria Mboko after Queen’s withdrawal

“Some moments mean more than trophies,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “What a fun and memorable week at @hsbcchampionships. Thank you to everyone who made it so special. Wishing you a speedy recovery, @vickymboko. Can’t wait to see you back on court.”

After the Queen’s Club, Serena is heading to Berlin on June 15. The 44-year-old has formed a pair alongside Karolina Muchova for the tournament, and the duo will be aiming for a strong run in the WTA 500 event.

Serena has also opened the doors for a return to Wimbledon. While she hasn’t confirmed her entry into the Grand Slam, Wimbledon’s recent comment on a post featuring her and Mboko has grabbed a lot of attention.

“Wishing @vickymboko a speedy recovery. See you at SW19 for The Championships, Serena,” the comment read.

Though the comment has since been deleted, Serena is now pretty much expected to participate at the SW19. If she does gain a wildcard for the Grand Slam, then this would be her first appearance in the tournament since 2022.