HSBC Championships 2026: Victoria Mboko on starting her grass court season alongside ‘idol’ Serena Williams

The dream team of Williams and current world No.9 Mboko as wild card entries into the doubles draw at Queen’s has been one of the biggest stories of the summer so far.

It marks the comeback of one of the sport’s greatest stars after almost four years, linking up with one of the brightest young talents on the WTA Tour.

While the news of Williams’ return may have been kept under wraps until a week ago, Mboko said the former world No.1 got in touch at the start of May with the invitation to play together in West London.

“Serena messaged me when I was playing in Strasbourg asking if I wanted to play doubles here,” she said in her pre-tournament press conference.

“I wasn’t partnered up with anyone at the time so I was like ‘sure why not, that’s pretty cool’. I’d heard rumours of her coming back but I never really knew the details of what she wanted to do.

“It’s really exciting to play with her and I’m really looking forward to it.”

For any player growing up through Williams’ two decades of dominance on the WTA Tour, the opportunity to play alongside the seven-time Wimbledon champion is one you can’t pass up.

It’s given Mboko a chance to play and train alongside Williams at The Queen’s Club over the last few days, and the 2025 National Bank Open champion has been enjoying every moment of the experience.

“Spending time with her on court so far has been a pleasure,” Mboko added. “I feel like I can learn a lot from her but at the same time I think we can have a lot of fun playing doubles. I admire her a lot and I’m excited to step out with her.

“Growing up Serena has always been my idol, watching live and on TV. Learning from her is really great for me. We’ll be sharing a court in a competitive environment so I can see how she thinks on the court, so there’s a lot I can learn.

“She’s hitting great. She has such great ball striking. It’s a God-given gift she has. I personally think she’s ready to go. I’m hitting with her and she’s hitting big and she’s really fit.”

While all eyes will be on their progress in the doubles draw this year, Mboko comes in with ambitions of taking home silverware in the singles event as well.

Coming in as the third seed, she will be one of the favourites to challenge the likes of former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and last year’s runner-up Amanda Anisimova for this year’s title.

Last year she caught fans attention with a run through qualifying into the second round of Wimbledon in her debut tournament on grass.

A lot has changed for Mboko in that time. She won her first WTA 1000 in her home country, added a second title in Hong Kong, and has reached three further finals in Adelaide, Qatar and Strasbourg.

Despite her lack of match time on the grass, Mboko is confident in the progress she’s made in her game and is excited to get back on the surface this week.

“I’m really excited to be here, it’s my first time playing this tournament,” she said.

“I don’t mind the grass. Sometimes it can be a little bit tough, changing surfaces, on the body but I like new challenges. Training has been really fun and it’s a fun surface so I’m really excited.

“Last year was a very new experience for me, playing Wimbledon for the first time in qualies. I don’t look back on the previous year when it comes to playing a tournament or going into the grass swing.

“I’ve learnt a lot in the last year and I’m always trying to improve my game. Coming into here I just feel confident with myself and trust in my game.”

Mboko and Williams will play third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in the opening round of the women’s doubles, while the teenage star has a bye in the singles.

The HSBC Championships starts on Monday 8 June with live coverage available across the BBC and its digital services.