Serena Williams to play Berlin doubles with Karolina Muchova

Tennis icon Serena Williams is set to make her return to the court for the doubles competition at the upcoming Berlin tournament, partnering with Czech player Karolina Muchova. This appearance marks Williams' second foray back into professional tennis since announcing her retirement, having been away from the sport for nearly four years.

The American legend, who recently returned to competition, played her first doubles match at the Queen's tournament in London alongside Canadian Victoria Mboko. Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, had not competed since September 2, 2022, when she lost in the third round of the US Open. Her planned doubles partnership with Mboko at Queen's was cut short due to Mboko's knee injury.

Muchova, currently ranked 10th in the world, expressed her enthusiasm for the partnership. "We are going to play doubles together. I'm very excited. It's not every day that an athlete of this importance, both on the court and in the sport in general, asks me to play doubles with her. I hope we have fun," Muchova stated at a press conference in Berlin.

The Berlin tournament, commencing Monday, serves as a key grass-court warm-up event for top players heading to Wimbledon. The draw for the doubles matches has yet to reveal who Williams and Muchova will face in their opening round.

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We are going to play doubles together. I'm very excited. It's not every day that an athlete of this importance, both on the court and in the sport in general, asks me to play doubles with her. I hope we have fun.