After her successful comeback in London, Williams was initially unable to follow it up with another victory.
Serena Williams didn’t let the straight-set loss stop her from taking a brief dip into the crowd: In front of her two children, the tennis legend suffered her first loss since her comeback—and still bid a fitting farewell to the Berlin fans.
Before her Wimbledon return alongside her sister Venus Williams, she lost at the Berlin Tennis Open alongside her doubles partner Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic) to the duo of Giuliana Olmos (Mexico) and Erin Routliffe (New Zealand) by a score of 4-6, 4-6.
At Steffi Graf Stadium, Williams displayed powerful and effective groundstrokes but also showed weaknesses time and again. In particular, her first serve often failed to land, and her legs seemed a bit sluggish at the start.
It was also evident that Williams and Muchova—especially when compared to the well-coordinated doubles specialists Olmos and Routliffe—were not yet perfectly in sync. Consequently, they lost the first set.
Wimbledon: Williams Sisters Team Up in Doubles
However, the 43-year-old’s fighting spirit was as strong as it had been in recent days. After a missed shot, the American bounced up and down on the spot in frustration, repeatedly urging herself and her partner on with an energetic “Let’s go.” Her eight-year-old daughter Olympia and two-year-old Adira River provided additional support, cheering on their mother time and again.
But even that didn’t help. Williams and Muchova conceded an early break in the second set as well and were unable to close the gap. Williams will not be competing in singles in Berlin and can therefore now focus entirely on her return to the “hallowed grass” of Wimbledon.
Just a few hours before the match in Berlin, the Wimbledon organizers announced that Serena and Venus Williams had received wild cards for the Grand Slam’s doubles competition (starting June 29). Serena Williams last competed at Church Road in 2022. A few months later, the 23-time Grand Slam champion ended her career after the U.S. Open.
