The Williams sisters have not previously played together there, as women’s doubles only returned to Queen’s for the first time in over half a century last year. Their last match as a pair was at the 2022 US Open, when they lost in the first round to the Czech duo of Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka.
Venus spoke about her sisters comeback during an appearance on the TNT Sports panel at Roland Garros. Asked if there was a specific moment months ago when Serena told her about the plans for a comeback, she said: “No, it didn’t happen like that. I think it was more me bullying her to come [back]… no (laughs) not at all!
“I think she hits every now and then. I never see her on court that often (laughs), so I don’t know when she’s been practising, honestly!
“I don’t know how her form is, but what I will tell you is that she could not hit for four months, and I’ll be hitting, she’ll come out, grab a racket and running shoes, and just hit the tonne out of the ball, without ever hitting.
“It’s incredible, so the quality of her stroke is obviously there. I think she’s a little bit of a natural; she has a pretty good record, she knows what she’s doing, she’s very tenacious, so I’m not worried about how she’s going to play (laughs) even though I really haven’t seen her play, it’s so crazy!”
Serena and Mboko have a wildcard to play doubles at Queen’s. The latter has acknowledged that Williams is her “idol” before they play together.
The returning tennis legend said: “Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter. Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”
John McEnroe, meanwhile, believes this is just the start. Speaking about whether Williams is coming back with a view to playing at Wimbledon, her fellow American said: “That would seem to be the logical next step.
“If Serena Williams is the greatest of all time and is coming back, she’s not coming back as she’s happy to play – she wants to win another major – that’s the only reason I can think that she would want to play tennis again.”