Victoria Mboko Suffers MCL Injury at Queen's Club, Forcing Wimbledon Withdrawal and Halting Serena Williams Doubles Run

Canadian tennis phenom Victoria Mboko has officially withdrawn from the remainder of the 2026 grass-court season, including Wimbledon, following a severe knee injury sustained at the Queen's Club HSBC Championships in London.[3][4]

The 19-year-old World No. 9 suffered the injury during her second-round singles match against former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday.[7][8]

Trailing 2-6, 3-4 in the second set, Mboko was attempting to change direction to return a drive behind the baseline when she lost her footing. The sudden slip on the slick grass forced her into an awkward split, causing immediate and visible distress.[2][8]

Clutching her left knee, a tearful Mboko was attended to by medical staff on the court. She was heard telling cameras that she felt no stability right now before officially retiring from the match and apologizing to Pliskova.[2][8]

On Friday, Mboko provided a medical update via Instagram, confirming damage to her medial collateral ligament (MCL). Unfortunately, my fall on Wednesday caused an injury to the MCL on my left knee, which sadly means I will miss the remainder of the grass season, she wrote to her supporters.[3][4]

The Canadian star emphasized her commitment to rehabilitation, noting that she is receiving top-tier medical care and is focused on returning to the WTA Tour as soon as safely possible.[3][4]

Beyond the setback to Mboko's singles campaign, the injury abruptly halted one of the most celebrated storylines of the summer: her doubles partnership with 44-year-old tennis icon Serena Williams.[6][7]

Williams had stunned the sporting world by choosing the Queen's Club event for her highly anticipated return to competitive tennis, marking her first official match since the 2022 US Open.[2][8]

The cross-generational duo had already delivered a thrilling performance on Tuesday, defeating the third-seeded team of Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2, in front of a packed London crowd.[2][6]

Following the withdrawal, Williams offered public encouragement to her young partner. You are an incredible talent, and I am convinced that you will be back soon, Williams shared on social media, wishing Mboko a speedy recovery.[10]

Mboko reciprocated the respect, publicly thanking the 23-time Grand Slam champion. I learnt so much from you and am so sorry our tournament came to an end prematurely, but I hope we can play together again soon and finish what we started, she stated.[3]

Missing Wimbledon is a significant blow for Mboko, who broke into the global top 10 earlier this year and was coming off a strong third-round appearance at Roland-Garros.[3][7]

Meanwhile, Williams's comeback tour will not be derailed by the walkover. The American legend is scheduled to head to Germany next week to compete in the doubles draw at the Berlin Open alongside Karolina Muchova.[6][8]