Victoria Mboko’s Return and Serena Williams’ Injury Comebacks
Victoria Mboko is preparing to resume her tennis career next month.
The Canadian player has been absent from the WTA circuit since sustaining a severe knee injury at the Queen’s Club Championships.
Mboko is scheduled to resume play at the 2026 World Team Tennis exhibition event, scheduled for December.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
Her comeback to competitive action is now confirmed: Mboko will represent Canada at the 2027 United Cup, competing alongside Kayla Cross, Gabriela Dabrowski, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alexis Galarneau, and Cleeve Harper.
Mboko will undoubtedly aim to make a strong impression upon her return, mirroring the approach Serena Williams has maintained throughout her career.
Serena Williams demonstrated the qualities of a champion following numerous physical setbacks during her career.
Serena Williams, who serves as an idol to Mboko, stands as one of the most resilient figures in the history of the WTA Tour.
Examining Serena’s performance upon returning from physical setbacks illustrates the basis for such a bold assertion.
Serena encountered her first major physical hurdle in 2003, when she suffered a partial tear of the quadriceps tendon in her left knee.
This injury compelled Serena to relinquish her number one ranking and withdraw from the 2003 US Open.
Serena resumed competitive play in April 2004, exiting in the quarter-finals of the Bausch and Lomb Championships.
She subsequently advanced to the Wimbledon final, where she was defeated by Maria Sharapova, and claimed victory at the China Open.
The most compelling demonstrations of Serena’s resilience and determination unfolded during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. In July 2010, shortly after winning Wimbledon, Serena sustained a significant foot injury that required 12 stitches.
In March 2011, the American player experienced a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.
She returned in June of that year, progressing to the Wimbledon fourth round, winning the Bank of the West Classic and the Canadian Open, and reaching the US Open final.
Six years later, Serena faced serious complications while delivering her daughter.
“First my C-section wound popped open due to the intense coughing I endured as a result of the embolism,” Serena told CNN in 2018. “I returned to surgery, where the doctors found a large hematoma, a swelling of clotted blood, in my abdomen. And then I returned to the operating room for a procedure that prevents clots from traveling to my lungs.”
Serena, who welcomed her first daughter in September 2017, rejoined the Tour in March 2018.
During that year, Serena reached both the Wimbledon final and the US Open final, losing to Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka, respectively.
Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images
Serena also endured significant injuries at the 2020 French Open and the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.
After injuring her Achilles in 2020, Serena did not return to competition until the 2021 Yarra Valley Classic, held in January.
Serena maintained a high level of play throughout the year, reaching the Australian Open final, before suffering a hamstring injury at Wimbledon.
The American legend returned exactly one year later at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, where she was defeated in the first round by Harmony Tan.
Serena concluded her playing career in August 2022 following a third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanovic at the US Open.
