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Serena Williams' return to women's doubles at the Queen's Club grass-court tournament has come to an early end. Williams' Canadian doubles partner, Victoria Mboko, was forced to withdraw due to injury. As entries are made with a fixed partner, and having already played and won one match, Williams is not permitted to substitute another partner, thus prematurely ending her tournament run as well.
Williams and Mboko had won their opening match on the London grass. It marked Williams' first competitive appearance since the 2022 US Open. They were scheduled to face Canadian Leylah Fernandez and Germany's Laura Siegemund in the second round, who had defeated Demi Schuurs and Russia's Aleksandra Panova.
Serena Williams' Next Tournament
Mboko sustained a knee injury during her singles match on Wednesday against Czech player Karolina Pliskova. Williams had previously announced her participation in next week's Berlin grass-court tournament. It remains uncertain whether that will proceed given Mboko's injury.
Serena's older sister, Venus Williams, also made her return to the tennis court last year, though her results have been largely disappointing so far. With 73 WTA titles, Serena is considered one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. She has won every Grand Slam at least three times and achieved significant success in doubles alongside her sister.
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