It's not every day that a 19-year-old Canadian finds a text from Serena Williams on her phone at Starbucks. Victoria Mboko's reaction said it all.

In an exclusive interview with CBC Sports, Mboko described how Williams contacted her before their doubles match at Queen's Club for the HSBC Championships.

"Serena, she messaged me. I was in the Starbucks when she texted me, and I kind of just looked at my phone for a little longer. Yeah, she just messaged me if I had a partner for Queens, and I was like no hi, I don't have anyone and she asked me if I wanted to play so it was a pretty hard offer to not accept," Mboko said.

When you think about the people Mboko grew up watching, that response makes perfect sense. The 44-year-old Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, is making her first comeback to competitive tennis after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the 2022 U.S. Open almost four years ago.

Mboko did not hold back when discussing what the pairing meant to her personally in an interview with CBC Sports.

"It's really hard to decline an offer like that. It was quite surprising to me. Someone like Serena, and her legacy in the sport, it's just incredible and so special to me," Mboko added.

The significance of those remarks extends beyond admiration. Mboko herself has risen quickly, going from No. 333 in the world at the beginning of 2025 to No. 9 right now, making history as the fourth Canadian woman to place in the top 10 of the WTA.

And the reason Williams is back at all? It starts with her daughters.

Serena Williams Opens Up on What Brought Her Back to Tennis

In an interview with BBC reporters on Sunday at Queen's Club, Williams stated that her return is motivated by personal reasons.

"For me right now, there are so many elements, you know. It's really about the kids seeing me play," she said. "Olympia is a little bit older, and Adira is very young. Its components are like that."

This comeback is somewhat of a full-circle moment because both of her daughters, Olympia, who is now eight years old, and Adira, who is two years old, were born after the height of her championship run. But there isn't an easy way back.

No. 3 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe, a strong doubles duo with Grand Slam victories and top-15 rankings between them, will face Williams and Mboko in the opening match.

What do you make of this pairing? Comment down.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta