In brief
Victoria Mboko retired from her round-of-16 singles match against Karolina Pliskova after slipping and injuring her left knee, saying there was "no stability" in the joint.
Mboko officially withdrew from the doubles draw on Thursday morning, ending her and Williams' run after a single match.
The 44-year-old's first professional appearance since the 2022 US Open ended with a first-round doubles win over Melichar-Martinez and Routliffe.
Williams is scheduled to play doubles in Berlin next week, with her partner yet to be announced. Karolina Muchova has been mentioned as a possibility.
The injury
Victoria Mboko, the 19-year-old Canadian and world number nine, was trailing Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 3-4 in her round-of-16 singles match on Wednesday when she slipped on the grass behind the baseline. The fall forced her into the splits, drawing a gasp from the crowd. Mboko immediately clutched her left knee and remained on the ground for several seconds. She was able to stand and walk to her bench, but was visibly upset and emotional. The official reason given for her retirement was a left knee injury, with Mboko heard on television cameras saying
“there is no stability right now.”
The doubles run
Williams, 44, and Mboko had won their opening doubles match on Tuesday, defeating third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2. It was Williams' first professional match since the 2022 US Open, where she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic. The pair were scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals on Thursday evening. Mboko officially withdrew from the doubles on Thursday morning, sending Fernandez and Siegemund into the semi-finals via walkover.
Williams' return
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and seven-time Wimbledon winner, had stepped away from the sport nearly four years ago, saying at the time she was "evolving" away from tennis rather than retiring. Her decision to compete at Queen's Club, announced a week before the tournament, stunned the sporting world. After Tuesday's victory, Williams said
“It was so fun. I had so much fun playing with Victoria.”
What comes next
Williams is scheduled to play doubles at the Berlin Open next week. Her partner for the German tournament has not yet been announced. According to a report in the Times prior to Mboko's injury, that partner could be the Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova. Williams has not ruled out appearing at Wimbledon, where she won seven singles and six doubles titles alongside her sister Venus.
“They have been great about giving me that space and time to decide.”
The wider tournament
Earlier on Wednesday, second seed Amanda Anisimova defeated Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-3 to set up a quarter-final against fellow American Iva Jovic, who beat Alexandra Eala 6-2, 6-2. The Queen's Club event serves as a grass-court warm-up for Wimbledon.