Forty-four-year-old tennis icon Serena Williams officially expanded her return to professional competition on Friday. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion added the Berlin Tennis Open to her highly anticipated grass-court comeback schedule. Williams will compete in the women’s doubles draw at the German tournament starting June 15. The entry signals a serious escalation in her physical preparation for a potential return to Wimbledon later this month.
Williams has not played a competitive professional match since her third-round exit at the US Open in September 2022. She originally stepped away from the sport to focus on her family. Her exact return timeline was strictly dictated by the International Tennis Integrity Agency. Tour regulations required the former world number one to spend a mandatory six months back in the active anti-doping testing pool before she could legally register for a WTA event.
The Berlin announcement provides a clear look at her physical strategy. “Every tournament I add to my schedule right now is special, and Berlin is no exception,” Williams said, according to a report by Forbes detailing the Friday announcement. “I look forward to playing in front of the German crowd and continuing to build momentum for the grass-court season.” She has not yet named a doubles partner for the Berlin draw.
Fans will not have to wait until Germany to see her swing a racket. Her official return begins next week at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club in London, which runs from June 8 to June 14. Williams accepted a wildcard entry to play doubles alongside 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko. The rising teenager called the pairing a dream scenario. “An honor to share the court with one of the greatest athletes of all time this week,” Mboko posted online, as highlighted in coverage by Olympics.com tracking the Queen’s Club pairings.
The back-to-back doubles schedule points directly toward the All England Club. The Berlin Tennis Open operates as a traditional grass-court warm-up for Wimbledon, which begins on June 29. Williams holds seven singles titles and six doubles titles at Wimbledon, instantly making her physical condition the dominant storyline of the European summer swing.