Serena Williams’ 19-Year-Old Doubles Partner Victoria Mboko Says ‘the Fact She Even Knows Me Is Very Exciting’

Sean NeumannTue, June 2, 2026 at 3:34 PM UTC

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Victoria Mboko and Serena Williams
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty; Amanda Stronza/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty -

Victoria Mboko, 19, will team up with Serena Williams at the Queen's Club tournament

Mboko is the World's No. 9-ranked player in women's tennis

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, officially announced her return to professional tennis on Monday after months of speculation

Perhaps no one is more excited about Serena Williams’ professional tennis comeback than Victoria Mboko.

Williams' return to pro tennis was officially confirmed on Monday, June 1, after months of speculation since the tennis legend, 44, re-entered the sport’s drug testing pool late last year.

The 23-time grand champion confirmed the announcement with a social media video that read, “Guess everybody heard the news.” She will play doubles at the Queen’s Club tournament next week, PEOPLE reported Monday.

Although Williams has not personally confirmed her partner, The Athletic reported Monday that Queen’s Club tournament director Laura Robson said the tennis legend will team up with Mboko, the 19-year-old Canadian tennis star named in a report last week as Williams’ potential doubles partner.

The prodigious No. 9-ranked player in the world beamed at the possibility of playing alongside Williams last week when asked about the report during a press conference at the French Open.

“I really look up to her,” Mboko told reporters. “The fact she even knows me is very exciting.”

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mboko now lives in Burlington, Ontario, and plays under Canadian citizenship.

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The right hander is 151-60 in her singles career and has won two singles tournaments, advancing all the way to the championship of this year’s Australian Open in January.

Victoria Mboko holds up the trophy following her victory against Naomi Osaka of Japan during the Women's Singles Final match on day twelve of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open at IGA Stadium on Aug. 7, 2025
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty

Mboko, who is less experienced in doubles with a 22-23 career record, told reporters last week she and Williams “have stayed in touch” recently while discussing the five-time WTA Tour Championship winner’s potential return to the sport.

Serena, who has been long called back to the sport even by her closest confidants, including her sister Venus Williams, additionally released a statement Monday saying “Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter.”

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“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,” Serena added.

Notably, the Queen’s Club tournament comes just ahead of Wimbledon — the famed grass tournament in London where Serena has won seven times — on the WTA schedule. The first round of the Queen’s Club doubles tournament is scheduled to take place from June 8-10.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”