Victoria Mboko has been ruled out of Wimbledon after her injury heartache at Queen’s scuppered her doubles venture with Serena Williams.
Mboko was unable to continue playing doubles with Williams on her tennis comeback at Queen’s Club after a left knee injury forced her to retire from her singles match against Karolina Pliskova.
A match with Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund failed to materialise after Mboko slipped in the second set against Pliskova, and now the entry list has been updated for SW19, with Mboko’s name removed.
The No 9 seed is dealing with “an ongoing left knee injury,” stated an official Wimbledon entry list update on Friday, with Darja Vidmanova substituted into the main draw as her replacement.
“You’re an incredible talent and you’ll be back out there in no time,” Williams on social media. “Wishing you a speedy recovery.”
Mboko was visibly upset following her injury – which effectively forced her into the splits – and could be overheard telling physios “there is no stability right now”.
Williams chose the HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club for her first tennis in nearly four years, a comeback that came as shock after the 23-time grand slam winner had previously seemed adamant a return to the sport she once dominated was not in her plans.
The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion and 2025 WTA Newcomer of the Year Mboko beat Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in their opening match on Tuesday.
Williams has not ruled out Wimbledon, where she won seven singles titles and six doubles titles alongside her sister, Venus, saying after Tuesday’s victory: “They have been great about giving me that space and time to decide.”
Wimbledon’s wildcard committee will formally make their decisions next week, but SW19 organisers are certainly aware of the buzz Williams’ return to tennis has already inspired.
Asked if Williams would get a wildcard spot if she wanted to, All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief Sally Bolton, speaking at a Wimbledon press conference on Thursday morning, said: “I can’t answer that question, but I guess what I can say is we can all see how much excitement Serena being back on a tennis court and particularly on a grass court has created and so one can only imagine what that would be like at the championships.
“The wildcard committee will formally make their decisions next week and we’ll be communicating those, but she has certainly created a fantastic buzz and that’s exciting for the sport.”
PA contributed to this report
