Serena Williams begins Berlin training for doubles comeback as Eva Lys remains only German in main draw

Serena Williams' second event after comeback

Serena Williams is preparing for her appearance at the Berlin Tennis Open, posting photos and videos from a grass-court training session in the German capital. The 44-year-old American, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist, is competing in the doubles competition alongside Czech player Karolína Muchová. This is only her second tournament since her return to professional tennis.

The duo's first match is currently scheduled for Tuesday at 17:30, though unsteady weather in Berlin could push back both the start of play and a press conference originally planned for Monday. By Monday afternoon, the press conference still had no confirmed time slot.

German hopefuls in qualifying

While Williams waits for her first appearance, the tournament has already seen mixed results for local players. Hamburg's Ella Seidel was eliminated in the first round of qualifying, losing to French player Diane Parry in straight sets, 3:6, 4:6. In contrast, Tessa Johanna Brockmann from Itzehoe rallied to beat American Alycia Parks 4:6, 6:4, 6:2 in a match that had been suspended on Saturday. The 20-year-old now faces Dutch player Suzan Lamens in the second qualifying round.

Eva Lys, also from Hamburg, currently stands as the sole German competitor in the main draw. The wildcard recipient, who conducted the tournament draw on Saturday, will face a qualifier in her opening match.

Grass-court action and weather watch

The Berlin Tennis Open is a WTA grass-court tournament, and Williams' choice to post training clips underscores her focus on adapting to the surface for doubles play. Tournament organisers are monitoring weather forecasts closely, with further schedule adjustments possible depending on conditions in the capital.