It appears Serena Williams’s initial offer for her return to doubles on the WTA Tour wasn’t accepted, though she’s still set for an exciting comeback.
She announced the Queen’s Club Championships, marking nearly four years since her last professional match at the US Open.
This time, she’ll be teaming up with Victoria Mboko. The Canadian teenager was just 16 when Williams played what many thought would be her final match.
There’s already plenty of anticipation around their partnership. Still, it turns out that Williams may not have been Mboko’s first option for a doubles partner.
Katerina Siniakova passed on the chance to play doubles with Serena Williams
This was revealed by Katerina Siniakova, an 11-time Grand Slam doubles champion and the current world number one, during Roland Garros this year.
Siniakova, who is partnered with Taylor Townsend, may be on the verge of winning a 12th major title at Roland Garros. She was asked about Williams’ comeback after reaching the semifinals in Paris.
The Czech confirmed that she had been approached by Williams to play doubles together at Queen’s but explained that she had to decline due to needing rest after Roland Garros. However, she didn’t rule out playing together in the future.
“I’m proud that I had the honour of receiving a message from her,” said Siniakova, as reported by Tenisovysvet.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be playing the week she returns. I had a really hard time deciding whether to play with such a legend or rest a bit. I think it’s great for tennis that she’s back. We’ll see what form she’s in, but seeing her back is wow.
“It was a bit of a funny story. For me, it’s great just to have the message and her number. If it works out another time, I’ll be very happy. It would be an honour to play with her. I was terribly sorry that it turned out like this, but it couldn’t be combined. Then I’m in the qualifiers in Berlin.”
Recapping Serena Williams’ last doubles match
It’s been almost four years since Williams last played a professional match, with her final appearance coming in a third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanovic at the US Open.
That same tournament was also where she played her final doubles match, teaming up once again with her sister Venus.
The duo had won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, but at the 2022 US Open, they were defeated in the first round for the first time since 1997. They lost in straight sets to Czech pair Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka.
Looking ahead to Queen’s, Serena will be partnering Mboko as she returns to the WTA Tour. The event gets underway on Monday, June 8.
There is no word yet on whether the sisters will reunite soon. Venus is currently set to play alongside Alexandra Eala at the Bad Homburg Open ahead of Wimbledon.
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