Serena Williams made a successful return to tennis at Queen’s, and is now looking to do the same in Berlin.
After an absence of almost four years, Williams played doubles with Victoria Mboko at Queen’s, and the pair won their opening match.
They beat Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez, but that was as far as they got after Mboko withdrew from Queen’s due to an injury.
Williams is now playing with Karolina Muchova at the Berlin Open, with WTA player Danielle Collins sharing her thoughts on that pairing before their opener.
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Danielle Collins already confused by Serena Williams since her return
Ahead of the match against Routliffe and Giuliana Olmos, Collins was asked on Tennis Channel how well she thinks Williams’ game can match Muchova’s.
“Well, these are really kind of interesting pairings I have to say,” she said. “I would say with Muchova, she’s an incredible doubles player.
“She definitely has the ability to take pace off the ball and kind of throw in some lobs, hit some unpredictable slices and doubles, which I find is almost like a bit of a lost art.
“It’s going to be a really interesting matchup, and I was really kind of confused by this pairing, but excited to see them take the court together.”
Adding his take, former ATP player Sam Querrey said: “And if you’re Muchova, I wonder if you’re a little nervous? I would be. Serena calls me to play mixed? I’m shaking in my boots out there.
“There’s a lot of pressure playing with her, especially early on. She’s 1-0, she hasn’t lost on the comeback yet. But I think it’s a good partnership, right?
“Muchova is playing well, she’s crafty, she’s got good volleys, she can put a bunch of returns in. Look, who knows how Serena is feeling, but I hope they make a run.”
Serena Williams’ comeback really impresses Danielle Collins
It’s clearly not reasonable to judge Williams after just one match, but she certainly had her moments at Queen’s.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion reminded fans of her ability, particularly with her serve and forehand, although there were understandably a few slip-ups, especially at the net.
Assessing Williams’ efforts in that match, Collins said: “I thought she played pretty well. I mean, her reflexes up at the net.
“I thought her timing was really good. I thought the footing also, her footwork was looking good covering the court.
“She was doing everything really well, and it was a bummer that Mboko had the injury that she had and they had to pull out.
“But I think Serena is going to be excited to get back out there after how she played last week.”
Querrey added: “She missed that first volley last week, I got nervous, like oh no.
“But then she picked it up and looked like she belonged last week.”
That’s definitely a fair assessment of the 44-year-old, who is likely to improve with more match time on the grass.
But she can certainly be proud of her efforts so far, which comprise a 7-6(7-2), 6-2 victory while playing alongside Mboko.
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