After four years away from tennis, Serena Williams returned with a win at Queen’s.

Serena Williams has reversed her winning streak as she returns to tennis after 1,375 days away from the sport.

Fans with the hottest tickets in town packed the Andy Murray Arena on Tuesday night to see one of the greatest players ever return to action.

The 44-year-old American, who doubles with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, did not look out of place as the pair upset third seeds Erin Rutliff and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 7-6 (7-2) 6-2.

In 2022, Williams retired from tennis.

Excitement about a possible comeback grew last year when her name appeared on the list of players who signed up for a drug testing pool and again in February on the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) reinstatement list.

But her return was confirmed last week when it was announced that she will join 19-year-old Mboko for the doubles at London’s prestigious Queen’s Club.

Nine days later, a storm followed, Williams said, “nothing to prove” and the main motivation was the hope of her daughters to see the game.

In the year Eight-year-old Olympia and Adira, born in 2023, watched from the stands with their father, and I cheered as they recaptured some of the shots that made their mother a legend in the sport.

More to follow.