Serena Williams and Karolina Muchova lost in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to Giuliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe at the Berlin Open doubles on June 16. Williams was broken in her second service game in the first set, while Muchova’s serve was broken midway through the second set [1, 2].
The match marked Williams' second since announcing her comeback earlier this month, following a break from professional tennis since 2022. At 44 years old, she is making a steady return to competitive play after stepping away four years earlier [1, 2].
Williams won her first comeback match at Queen’s Club on June 8 but had to withdraw due to an injury to her doubles partner Victoria Mboko [1, 2]. Reflecting on the Berlin performance, Williams said, "I felt pretty good out there. I felt actually more nimble and more sturdy and quicker than the first match in Queens." She added, "I felt overall pretty good, just physically and quickness. I think you need a lot of quickness on grass" [1].
Williams joked about partnering with Muchova, saying, "Czech players have given me nothing but trouble throughout my whole career. So if you can’t beat them, join them." The pairing was a strategic choice ahead of Wimbledon, where Williams confirmed she will team up with her older sister, Venus Williams, in the doubles draw [1, 2].
The Williams sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, including six at Wimbledon. Serena holds 23 Grand Slam singles titles, last winning the Australian Open in 2017 and Wimbledon in 2016 [1, 2]. She dismissed speculation about returning to singles at Wimbledon despite one remaining wildcard spot, telling reporters, "You think I’m ready for singles? I need to get to work." [1]
Wimbledon is scheduled to begin on June 29, with Serena set to make her return in the doubles alongside Venus [1, 2].