On a remarkable Tuesday at the start of the grass season, two of the sport’s most captivating personalities delivered comeback victories that reminded the world why they remain icons: Serena Williams at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club and Nick Kyrgios at the BOSS Open in Stuttgart.
For the first time in nearly four years, the 44-year-old Williams stepped onto a professional court. For Kyrgios, it was his first competitive match in 15 months and his first singles victory in over a year.
Serena Williams returns in Doubles
Williams made her comeback alongside 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko in women’s doubles, defeating Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6, 6-2 in front of a sellout crowd at Queen’s Club.
The moment she walked onto court in bright pink sneakers, the atmosphere shifted. A legend returning to the courts.
“I don’t know if I was nervous. I was definitely emotional,” Williams said after the match. “It was great to be back. We had a lot of fun. The crowd was amazing.”
The 23-time Grand Slam champion showed some uncharacteristic errors, moments where timing felt fractionally off. But more impressively, she showed flashes of the legendary competitor: net reactions that were remarkably sharp given the circumstances.
Her family was courtside: husband Alexis Ohanian and their two children, Olympia and Adira, watched the historic return.
Williams future remains undecided. She’s added Berlin to her comeback schedule and hasn’t ruled out Wimbledon next month, but emphasised that her immediate focus is “having fun and playing in front of her family.” No one expects her to be chasing Grand Slams at 44. The fact that she’s playing at all is really fun for all of us tennis fans!
A win after 1,375 days away from the sport ?
Serena Williams, together with doubles partner Victoria Mboko, won 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 to upset third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez at Queen’s. pic.twitter.com/AmGKN0UZ55
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 9, 2026
Kyrgios returns with urgency
At virtually the same moment Williams was winning in London, the controversial Nick Kyrgios was defeating world No. 36 Corentin Moutet on the grass courts of Stuttgart.
The Australian, competing on a wildcard and unranked after 15 months away from competitive singles, defeated Moutet 6-3, 6-4 in 69 minutes with the kind of dominant service game and net play that once made him a Wimbledon finalist. His game works well on the fast grass courts, with his strong serve and shorter rallies.
“I feel great and motivated. It’s quite an emotional moment. I had a lot of surgeries and I’m very thrilled to be back,” Kyrgios said after the victory – his first singles win since March 2025 and his first grass court victory since reaching the Wimbledon final in 2022.
At 29, returning from significant knee and wrist surgeries, every match potentially matters more. The Frenchman arrived having lost five consecutive clay court matches and appeared unprepared for Kyrgios combination of serving precision and net creativity.
Earning the Moutet applause ?@NickKyrgios with an outstanding volley ???@boss__open | #BOSSOpen pic.twitter.com/TT9bJmU6y3
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 9, 2026
The question now becomes whether his body can sustain this level, and whether he can build momentum toward Wimbledon.
He faces Japanese qualifier Sho Shimabukuro in the second round.
Let us know what you think about Kyrgios chances this season. And don’t miss our 2026 grass power rankings.