Canada’s Mboko shares story of Serena Williams asking to be her doubles partner

Canadian tennis player Victoria Mboko says she’s ‘always admired’ Serena Williams on the court, noting her excitement to play with Williams in the match.

The big news out of the tennis world that Serena Williams is returning to the court holds extra weight for Canadians.

That’s because Williams has chosen Canadian up-and-coming tennis star Victoria Mboko to be her doubles partner.

The Toronto-native told CTV News Channel on Friday that she’s felt thrilled ever since the 44-year-old Williams, who last played professionally at the 2022 U.S. Open, reached out to her about the opportunity.

“I was even excited that she’d consider me at all,” she said. “I’m really excited to play with her and think I’ll learn a lot from her.”

The 19-year-old Mboko said both her and Williams have one thing in common – they like to win.

Williams has 23 Gran Slam titles for singles, 14 for women’s doubles, two for mixed doubles and four Olympic gold metals. As for Mboko, she won the Canadian Open this year.

“I’m sure we’re going to have one objective at least when we’re playing on the court,” she said. “When I was younger, I was always looking up to her and trying to base my game off of her.”

Representing Canada when she’s playing on the world stage is something Mboko takes seriously.

“Carrying the flag has always meant a lot to me,” she said. “I always feel super proud to see the flag beside my name and doing it not only for myself, but for Canada.”

Mboko listed Williams’ mentality, presence and dominance on the court as a few of the qualities she admires about her soon-to-be doubles partner.

“I never thought she’d come and didn’t want to believe anything until it was confirmed by her,” she said. “I hope she can play more singles (matches) too. It’s a really exciting thing.”