Victoria Mboko has withdrawn from the 2026 Wimbledon Championships after sustaining an injury at Queen’s.
During her opening singles match at Queen’s, Mboko fell awkwardly, forcing her to retire against Karolina Pliskova.
Unfortunately, Mboko then had to withdraw from the doubles event, which she was playing with a returning Serena Williams.
How impressed were you with Serena Williams’ level?
A legendary return!
Having now been confirmed to miss Wimbledon as well, Mboko has released an official statement.
Victoria Mboko confirms she has injured her MCL as she thanks Serena Williams
Mboko posted the following message on Instagram.
“Hi everyone – I wanted to provide a quick update given everything that has happened in the past 36 hours,” she said.
“Unfortunately, my fall on Wednesday caused an injury to the MCL [medial collateral ligament] on my left knee, which sadly means I will miss the remainder of the grass season.
“This unfortunately means Wimbledon too, a tournament I had been so looking forward to playing this year.
“I am receiving the best medical care and my team and I are focused on a return to court as soon as possible.
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out and sent messages of support. I am so grateful to you all!”
Mboko was looking forward to making her second career appearance at the All England Club, having made her debut in 2025.
Who is currently the best grass-court player on the WTA Tour?
12 months ago, Mboko advanced to the main draw as a lucky loser, where she beat Poland’s Magdalena Frech in straight sets.
Then, she lost to Hailey Baptiste in the second round.
Missing the 2026 Championships due to injury, Mboko will undoubtedly return more determined than ever in 2027.
She will hope to have another chance to play alongside the 23-time Grand Slam champion, Williams, before then.
“Lastly, thank you to Serena Williams for giving me this incredible opportunity to play alongside you,” she said.
“I learnt so much from you and am so sorry our tournament came to an end prematurely, but I hope we can play together soon and finish what we started.”
Williams and Mboko’s partnership was successful, albeit short-lived.
They are 1-0 together, and the Canadian is certainly keen to extend their winning record when she returns from injury.
Before Mboko suffered the injury, Williams had already been announced to play alongside Karolina Muchova at next week’s Berlin Open.
That’s the next step for Williams, but what is the plan for Mboko going forward?
Victoria Mboko faces race against time to be fit for the Canadian Open
Skipping the grass-court season, Mboko will now have one thing on her mind: Toronto.
Mboko won her home Canadian Open a year ago in Montreal, and will be keen to defend her title in front of a packed Toronto crowd later this year.
With 1,000 points on the line, Mboko will know what a Canadian Open withdrawal could do to her ranking.
Live WTA Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | Belarus | 9,090 |
| 2 | Elena Rybakina | Kazakhstan | 8,143 |
| 3 | Iga Swiatek | Poland | 6,733 |
| 4 | Jessica Pegula | USA | 6,056 |
| 5 | Mirra Andreeva | Russia | 5,751 |
| 6 | Amanda Anisimova | USA | 5,631 |
| 7 | Coco Gauff | USA | 4,879 |
| 8 | Elina Svitolina | Ukraine | 4,315 |
| 9 | Victoria Mboko | Canada | 3,670 |
| 10 | Karolina Muchova | Czechia | 3,388 |
Mboko will likely drop out of the world’s top 10 if she fails to defend her title.
Whether she will be fit enough to compete remains to be seen.
The 2026 Canadian Open begins on Sunday, August 2.
