Serena Williams is back on a tennis court, having recently accepted a wildcard to play doubles at Queen’s.
World number nine Victoria Mboko and Williams partnered at the WTA 500 tournament, marking the latter’s return to tennis since her last match in 2022.
While injury to the Canadian ended their partnership early, the American didn’t take long to find her feet in the format, with her previous exploits having undoubtedly played a key role.
Along with winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, Williams claimed two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
The legendary figure also lost two finals in the format, the first of which was alongside Argentine Luis Lobo.
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Serena Williams lost the 1998 French Open mixed doubles final with Luis Lobo
Williams and Lobo partnered for the 1998 French Open, with the duo making it all the way to the final of the clay-court event.
But there they met an inspired pairing in Justin Gimelstob and none other than Venus Williams, who won their match 6-4, 6-4.
Serena Williams was able to immediately bounce back on the biggest stage in mixed doubles, but this time with Max Mirnyi.
The American and the Belarusian teamed up to secure both the 1998 Wimbledon and US Open titles, before losing the 1999 Australian Open final.
| Result | Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 1998 | French Open | Luis Lobo | Justin Gimelstob, Venus Williams | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1998 | Wimbledon | Max Mirnyi | Mahesh Bhupathi, Mirjana Lucic | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 1998 | US Open | Max Mirnyi | Patrick Galbraith, Lisa Raymond | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1999 | Australian Open | Max Mirnyi | David Adams, Mariaan de Swardt | 4–6, 6–4, 6–7(5–7) |
What was Luis Lobo’s ATP record?
While Williams enjoyed all of her greatest mixed doubles success with Mirnyi, she will still be very grateful for her experiences with Lobo.
He has since retired from tennis, having finished his career with 12 ATP doubles titles and a career-high rank of 12.
The Argentine won 192 matches and lost 130, while his singles career comprised just five matches and a 2-3 record, with a career-high rank of 167.
All of the focus is, of course, now on his former mixed doubles partner Williams, and indeed what format she will focus on as her extraordinary comeback progresses.
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