Four years away from professional tennis at 44 is not a comeback story anyone writes in advance. Serena Williams wrote it anyway in her opening round doubles match at Queen’s Club this week with a 7-6, 6-2 straight-sets win. Immediately after the match, her explanation behind the timing of the return had nothing to do with the sport she returned to.

“I had nothing better to do,” she said during her post-match interview. “I got tired of sitting at home. My kids are out of school for the summer, so why not?”

Williams and Victoria Mboko beat the duo of Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez. While it was an evenly-matched contest during the first set, Serena and Mboko made light work of their opponents in the second. This is exactly what Williams would have had in mind for her comeback, as when asked the same question earlier, she had said:

“It’s really about my kids getting to see me play.”

An elite athlete like Serena would want her kids to see her play at her best rather than just playing for the sake of it. She would have been expecting them to watch her play and see her thrive at the very place where she made a name for herself. However, as it was summer vacation and they were off from school, Olympia (eight) and Adira (two) had other things on their minds.

According to Serena, “Adira wanted to go to the toy store, and Olympia wanted to know what was for dinner…”

Perhaps more matches may help Olympia and Adira pick up more of an interest in watching their mother on the court. This is something interviewers, both on and off the court, would definitely ask Serena as a follow-up.

Given Serena’s comments on her partner, it is clear that she is enjoying herself and is eyeing a deep run at Queen’s. The 44-year-old credited her partner for playing brilliantly on important points, which helped them steer the match away from their opponents.

Serena Williams says it felt natural to team with Victoria Mboko

“It was so fun. I had so much fun playing with Vicky. She really was able to hold up the team and play big on the big points, and I could really rely on her. We’ve never played together, but it just felt so natural playing with her, so it was actually really fun.”

In just 108 minutes, Williams and Mboko dismantled their opponents. The duo was strong from the get-go, as it didn’t even feel like they were playing their first-ever match as a doubles pair. Serena clocked speeds of over 100 mph on her serve and held it rather easily.

Williams and Mboko raced to 3-0, then held serve despite a costly double-fault that let opponents back to 4-3. The set would eventually go down to a tiebreaker, where Serena and Mboko clearly were the better team. They clinched the breaker 7-2 to take the lead in the match.

The second set was one-sided, with Williams and Mboko securing a break in the third game. They improved their serves and ensured Routliffe & Melichar-Martinez could not break back as they did in the opening set. The duo soon gained their second break of the set to take a commanding 5-2 lead. Serena then closed the match on serve to claim a remarkable victory for her team.

Mboko also had a few words to say about her partner after the match and highlighted how honored she is to team up with one of the biggest icons of women’s tennis.

Victoria Mboko is privileged to team up alongside Serena Williams

“First of all, I feel very honored to play with you, Serena,” she said during the post-match interview. “It’s such a privilege, and I had a lot of fun if anything. We really did that out there. I’m so happy to be playing beside you, and we’re going for more.”

Forming a doubles pair with Serena was memorable for Mboko, who has idolized the American since childhood. She is likely to continue as the 44-year-old’s partner at the Berlin Open next week.

After comfortably moving past the first round, Serena and Mboko are set to take on the pair of Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals of the single-elimination tournament. The latter have reached the stage after their hard-fought 6-2, 2-6, 11-9 victory over Alexandra Panova and Demi Schuurs.

Fernandez and Siegemund will test whether Serena Williams’ rust has truly vanished.