Serena Williams’ comeback ran into a setback Tuesday as she fell in the opening round of doubles at the Berlin Open.
Giuliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe beat Williams and partner Karolina Muchova 6-4, 6-4, ending her run at the WTA 500 grass-court event.
The result did little to dampen the reception Williams received from an appreciative crowd in just her second appearance back after her win at Queen’s Club last week in London.
That match marked her first professional outing since the 2022 U.S. Open, though her run there was cut short when partner Victoria Mboko sustained a knee injury during singles play.
The 44-year-old drew a loud ovation onto center court at Steffi Graf Stadion, with fans quickly filling the stands after word spread that she was on court.
Earlier Tuesday, Wimbledon organizers confirmed that Williams and her sister Venus, who turns 46 on Wednesday, had received a doubles wild card for the tournament beginning in less than two weeks.
“Welcome back, Serena!” one fan in Berlin shouted as Williams showed flashes of her tenacity with ferocious returns.
“Serena, we love you in Berlin!” another fan shouted, drawing cheers in the second set.
But Olmos and Routliffe broke Muchova’s serve for a 3-2 lead in the second set, and Routliffe set up match point with an ace.
“Honestly, I felt pretty good out there,” Williams said in her post-match news conference. “I felt actually more nimble and more sturdy and quicker than the first match in Queen’s. Overall, I feel pretty good physically and quickness-wise, which I think you need a lot of on grass.”
Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, including seven at Wimbledon, before stepping away from the sport, saying at the time she was “evolving” away from tennis rather than “retiring.”
She also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, including six at Wimbledon, all with her sister Venus.
Williams still has not decided whether she will play singles again at the tournament.
“Oh my gosh, there are some left?” she said when told there was still a singles wild card spot for Wimbledon. She then mused about her readiness for it.
“Do you think I’m ready for singles?” she asked a reporter, then turned to Muchova to ask what she thought.
“I think I would be interested in it,” the Czech player said.
“That’s the question of the hour, right?” Williams said. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I wonder why there’s, I don’t know.”
