Serena Williams to partner world No. 10 Karolina Muchova at Berlin Open as comeback trail gathers pace after Queen's Club return

Williams, 44, had been absent from tour-level action for almost four years before reappearing alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko at the HSBC Championships last week in London.

The pair made an immediate impact, defeating third seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in straight sets before their run was cut short when Mboko suffered a knee injury during singles play.

The setback, later confirmed as medial collateral ligament damage, ruled Mboko out of the grass-court season, including Wimbledon. Despite the abrupt ending, Williams' return offered clear positives.

The American had not played since the 2022 US Open but showed flashes of her trademark power and timing, while appearing physically strong and increasingly sharp.

The next step comes in Berlin, where Williams and Muchova open against Giuliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe. The draw also leaves the possibility of a high-profile semi-final against the American duo of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, should both pairs progress.

Muchova, a two-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist, said she was excited by the unexpected chance to team up with one of tennis’ most decorated champions. The 29-year-old said: "I'm pretty excited about it. It doesn't happen every day that such an amazing athlete, not only in tennis but overall in sport, asks you to play tennis with her. I hope it's going to be fun."

Williams, however, has remained guarded about how long her comeback might last beyond Berlin, including any possible return to Wimbledon.

"I don’t know, I’m taking a day at a time. I had nothing better to do. I got tired of sitting at home. My kids are out of school for the summer, so why not?” she said after her match last Tuesday.

Reflecting on her appearance at Queen's, she added: "I never got to play here; it was always just the men. It feels really special to play somewhere so iconic."

Back in September 2022, Williams announced her retirement from professional tennis, one short of Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 major titles.

But the Michigan native, who gave birth to her second child in 2023, has rebounded to the sport and left the door open for a potential return to the singles court.

”For singles, I can’t say yes, I can’t say no. Right now it’s a no - I feel like I probably need to train a bit more if I want to play singles, and we'll see if I get there. If not, that’s not my journey right now," she said.

"Everyone is so supportive. Everyone was like, what are you thinking? And I’m like 'it’s summer, the kids are out of school', so it’s the perfect time to get out there, have fun and see what happens.

"This whole journey, I’m not putting pressure on myself. I’ve had enough pressure. It’s about my kids getting to see me play. Olympia is a little bit older, Adira is very young, and it's moments like that.

”I don’t need to win, I’ve won more than most people have in their whole lives and that’s not important to me. I keep reminding myself of that, I have nothing to prove, I don’t have anything to lose, I only have things to gain.

"An athlete is like the best thing you can be, in the highest place, and having the opportunity to still be able to do that one last time was cool and exciting."

Meanwhile, Mboko confirmed the extent of her injury after being assessed by doctors.

"Unfortunately, my fall on Wednesday caused an injury to the MCL in my left knee," she said. "I had been so looking forward to playing [Wimbledon] this year."

On partnering Williams, Mboko added: "I learned so much from you and I'm sorry our tournament came to an end prematurely, but I hope we can play together again soon and finish what we started."

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