By Martyn Herman
LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - Serena Williams stole the show at Queen's Club on Tuesday as the American icon made her eagerly-awaited return to competitive action nearly four years after her last match.
The 44-year-old mother of two announced last week she had been handed a wildcard to partner Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in the grasscourt WTA event and her re-appearance on a London lawn has been the talk of sport ever since.
Widely-regarded as the greatest female player of all time
with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Williams never officially retired, instead saying that she was 'evolving' away from tennis.
But when she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the U.S. Open in September 2022 and bade an emotional farewell, few thought she would return to write another chapter into a sporting story that has inspired millions.
On Tuesday, a few miles down the road from Wimbledon where she won seven singles crowns, Williams stepped out in late afternoon sunshine in front of a packed stand to face Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe.
Kitted out in light pink, Williams looked business-like as she began her warm-up for the match, going through her routines as her incredible career record was read out.
During evening doubles matches at Queen's, ticket holders usually drift off to enjoy the hospitality at the elite club, but there was not a vacant seat as the American strolled out on the pristine grass of the Andy Murray Arena.
Even British number one Emma Raducanu's earlier opening singles was relegated very much to the under-card.
"Let's go Serena" rang out from the stands as she belted away a typically aggressive volley in the opening game and there was a clenched fist as she and Mboko took the first game.
One fan had made a special effort to witness the re-appearance of a trailblazer who once dominated women's tennis.
Mukami Wambora, from Nairobi in Kenya, had never seen her in action but when she heard she was returning in London she booked a flight and managed to buy a ticket.
"I missed out watching her play when she was in full swing. So it feels like a godsend that she's coming back because now and I can finally watch my favourite tennis player," she said as she walked in through the gates.
"Serena will always be Serena, even when she didn't have good matches she was still on another level, and we've seen through her sister Venus that it's not about age it's about skill. They say form is temporary; class is permanent."
Williams, who also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with her older sister Venus, will also play doubles in Berlin and is expected to be handed a wildcard for a remarkable Wimbledon return later this month.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
