Serena Williams has sent a classy message to the injured Victoria Mboko after her doubles partner pulled out of Queen’s.
The 44-year-old made her return to tennis on Tuesday after nearly four years away, as she and Mboko beat Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in straight sets in their doubles opener.
However, Mboko suffered a nasty-looking fall in her singles match against Karolina Pliskova a day later, with the 19-year-old eventually retiring with a knee issue.
That forced the teenager to withdraw from the tournament entirely on Thursday, sparking fears she may miss this summer’s Wimbledon.
While that is still up in the air, 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena has sent her best regards to the young Canadian.
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In an Instagram story, Serena wrote, “@vickymboko, you’re an incredible talent, and you’ll be back out there in no time. Wishing you a speedy recovery.”
The world No 9 responded with a mending heart emoji and a hug emoji in an Instagram story of her own.
Serena also did an Instagram post that read, “What a fun and memorable week at Queen’s. Thank you to everyone who made it so special.
“Wishing you a speedy recovery, @vickymboko. Can’t wait to see you back on court.”
While Mboko will hope she will be fit in time for Wimbledon, Serena will continue her comeback next week in Berlin, where she will reportedly partner world No 10 Karolina Muchova.
Serena did not look out of place at Queen’s, despite her last competitive match coming more than 1,300 days ago.
Wimbledon’s wildcard committee are set to meet next Tuesday to decide which players they would like to invite to the main tournament draw.
Serena is yet to publicly state if she wants to play at SW19, but the chair of the All England Club (AELTC), Deborah Evans, would welcome her presence.
She told BBC Sport, “Of course, I would be delighted and excited if that were to happen. It was fantastic seeing her hit balls over the net at Queen’s.
“We have our wildcard committee coming up, but I am sure it will take into account her success in the championships when making that decision.”
For Mboko, she will hope this knee injury doesn’t derail her season. She is at a career-high ranking and will be itching to play at Wimbledon and defend her title at the Canadian Masters in August.
READ MORE: Wimbledon: Kim Clijsters raises key question over Serena Williams’ potential singles comeback at 44
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