Serena Williams’ doubles partner, Victoria Mboko, picked up an injury during her opening singles match at Queen’s.
After Williams and Mboko won their doubles opener, the Canadian took on Karolina Pliskova in singles.
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Slipping on the grass, Mboko injured her knee and subsequently retired from the match.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, she has now withdrawn from the doubles event as well.
Serena Williams is out of Queen’s as her partner Victoria Mboko withdraws due to injury
Williams is out of Queen’s as Mboko isn’t fit to play their quarter-final match.
Their opponents, Laura Siegemund and Leylah Fernandez will receive a walkover into the last four.
Williams will be disappointed, but her thoughts will, of course, be with Mboko, who was in real pain on Wednesday afternoon.
During BBC’s coverage of Queen’s, Anne Keothavong shared how she expected Williams to react to her partner’s injury.
“I was just in the player lounge when it happened. Serena was there; we were chatting about this match with Rennae Stubbs, who is here as part of the coaching team,” said Keothavong.
“Everyone back there in the lounge was just really shocked. We don’t know how serious it is yet; we hope it’s not too bad and that she will be fit for Wimbledon.
“The health of her partner is most important. It’s already been announced that Serena is playing in Berlin, playing with a different partner, Karolina Muchova, so she’s going to have another opportunity if not here tomorrow.
“So Serena will carry on and just check in on her partner, I’m sure.”
Williams will indeed carry on, as she now sets her sights on the Berlin Open.
Serena Williams heads to the Berlin Open with Karolina Muchova
Earlier this week, Jon Wertheim claimed Williams was lobbying to play with Coco Gauff in Germany.
For whatever reason, that hasn’t happened, and Williams will team up with Muchova at the Berlin Open.
Muchova isn’t nearly as accomplished a doubles player as Gauff or Williams, but has enjoyed a strong 2026 campaign.
The Czech sits eighth in the ‘Live WTA Race’ and won the Qatar Open WTA 1000 event earlier this year.
Williams will want to extend her winning run when she teams up with Muchova, but it won’t be easy!
They will discover their first-round opponents when the draw is released over the coming days.
What’s next for Victoria Mboko after knee injury?
Mboko couldn’t have asked for a better start to her grass-court campaign, helping the legend herself, Williams, to a win in her first match back.
She had high hopes for grass as well, with Wim Fissette, the coach who led Iga Swiatek to last year’s Wimbledon title, in her corner.
Unfortunately, there is now a real chance she doesn’t play another match on the surface this year.
The injury looked serious, and Mboko could be overheard saying she felt no stability in her knee immediately after the fall.
As the grass-court season is so short, any injury will likely force you out of Wimbledon.
At 19, Mboko will have to hope her youth aids her recovery, allowing her to make her second career appearance at the All England Club.
The 2026 Wimbledon Championships begin on Monday, June 29.
