Since legend Serena Williams' return to court after retiring at the 2022 US Open, fans have been showing up at the HSBC Championship at Queen's Club. But a recent injury to her doubles partner, Victoria Mboko, has called for a new partner to accompany her at the Berlin Open.

Having announced earlier, Williams was set to play doubles at the Berlin Open with Mboko. But now, after her injury, she has selected Czech player Karolina Muchová as her partner for the Berlin Open, which is set to take place from June 13 to June 21.

"Exclusive: Serena Williams has selected Karolina Muchova as her doubles partner for Berlin next week," confirmed Tom Kershaw, Tennis Correspondent for The Times, on June 10.

Mboko suffered a left knee injury after slipping behind the baseline during her singles match against Karolina Pliskova and retired hurt from the match. Now the World No. 10, Muchová is set to join Williams in a new quest.

Muchová has been actively knocking on the door for her maiden Grand Slam title. She has reached the Australian Open semifinals once in 2021 and the Wimbledon quarterfinals twice in 2019 and 2021.

She also reached the semifinals of the US Open twice in 2023 and 2024. Williams' new partner made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament last year as well, before getting eliminated by World No. 15 Naomi Osaka 6-4, 7-6(3).

Her record also includes a run to the 2023 French Open final, where she fell to Iga Świątek in three sets, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

Muchová appears to be an ideal partner for Williams, but questions remain about whether Williams is expected to return to singles action in the near future.

Serena Williams On Her Future After Returning

Williams appears eager to compete at the Berlin Open. She has also expressed excitement about playing in front of the German crowd.

"Every tournament I add to my schedule right now feels special, and Berlin is no exception," she said. "I’m excited to compete in front of the German fans and continue building momentum throughout the grass-court season."

Upon asking if she will play a singles match, Williams was not very keen on playing it. She said that she may need to train more in order to play singles.

"An athlete is the best thing that you can be in the highest place, and having an opportunity to still be able to possibly do that one last time is kind of cool and exciting, so there’s a little bit of that too." She said. "I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles."

Williams also noted that she is unsure if she will reach that level again and, if not, it simply may not be part of her current path.

As for the doubles run at Queen’s Club that Williams and Mboko were set to play, Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals, it is now in jeopardy. Williams and Mboko might see the exit door if Mboko is not able to play the doubles match.

While speculations continue, what do you think about Williams' new Berlin Open partner? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar