Serena Williams suffered a straight-sets defeat in the Berlin Open doubles on Tuesday, hours after confirmation of her return to Wimbledon, where she is set to reunite with her sister Venus.
Williams and Czech partner Karolína Muchová were beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe.
The pair fell behind after Williams was broken in her second service game of the opening set and struggled to recover momentum thereafter.
A crucial break midway through the second set, this time on Muchová’s serve, proved decisive as Olmos and Routliffe closed out a comfortable victory.
“I felt pretty good out there. I felt actually more nimble and more sturdy and quicker than the first match in Queens,” Williams said afterwards.
“Overall I felt pretty good physically and in terms of quickness. You need a lot of quickness on grass.”
The match marked the 44-year-old’s second outing since her surprise comeback announcement earlier in June.
She returned to competition at Queen’s Club last week, winning her opening match before her campaign ended following an injury to doubles partner Victoria Mboko.
On her partnership with Muchová, Williams joked: “Czech players have given me nothing but trouble throughout my whole career. So if you can’t beat them, join them.”
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion stepped away from tennis in 2022 but recently announced her return, saying her motivation was to compete again in front of her two young daughters.
While flashes of her trademark power were evident, Williams showed signs of rust after almost four years away from the tour, particularly in the early stages of the match.
Her rhythm improved as the contest progressed, with sharper movement, a stronger serve and glimpses of the forehand that defined her dominance for more than two decades.
Williams also dismissed suggestions of a potential singles comeback despite one Wimbledon wildcard spot remaining.
“You think I’m ready for singles?” she said. “I need to get to work.”
The American last won a Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open and lifted her last Wimbledon crown in 2016.
Alongside Venus Williams, she has won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, including six at Wimbledon.
AFP
