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Serena Williams Wins First Tennis Match in 4 Years as Family Supports Her Return in Stands

NEED TO KNOW

Serena Williams has won her first professional match since leaving tennis nearly four years ago
The 44-year-old mother of two played in a doubles match on June 9 with partner Victoria Mboko at Queen's Club Championship
Williams and Mboko beat Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2

Game, set, match: Serena Williams is back.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion returned to the sport for the first time in nearly four years on Tuesday, June 9, in a doubles match at Queen’s Club Championship in London.

Williams, 44, and her partner, Canadian Victoria Mboko, 19, beat Erin Routliffe of New Zealand and American Nicole Melichar-Martinez in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2.

Dressed in a light-pink Nike warm-up jacket and tennis dress, Williams received a loud ovation from the crowd at the London tournament. The tennis legend's husband, Alexis Ohanian, and their daughters, Olympia, 8, and Adira, 2, were also on hand to watch her triumphant return.

Olympian Lindsey Vonn, a friend of Williams' who also un-retired in her 40s, was in attendance, The Athletic reported.

Williams, who at one point served a 113 mph ace, was fierce on the court, attacking Routliffe and Melichar-Martinez with strong volleys — and looking to be enjoying every single minute of the hour-plus long match.

The event, which often serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon, marks the first of at least two matches on Williams’ schedule.

Last week, Williams announced she'll also play doubles at the Berlin Tennis Open beginning on June 15, according to the tournament's website. Her partner has not yet been publicly announced.

For the 39-time major champion, getting back onto the grass may not be limited to just doubles play.

In a press conference on Sunday, June 7, the mother of two said that she has not ruled out playing singles matches.

“I can’t say no right now,” Williams told reporters in a press conference on Sunday, June 7. “I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles, and we will see if I get there, and if not… that’s not my journey right now.”

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For Williams — who has been on a weight-loss journey, picked up new sports and had a baby since she “evolved away” from tennis after the U.S. Open in September 2022 — it’s not about winning or losing.

“I don’t need to win,” Williams said on Sunday. “I’ve won more than most people have in their whole lives, so it’s not that important to me, and it’s important that I keep reminding myself of that, because I don’t have anything to prove.”

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