Serena Williams dumped out of Berlin doubles ahead of Wimbledon return with Venus

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/williams-serena/ttsu68nH/"]Williams[/a] and Czech doubles partner [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/muchova-karolina/Or4Qa1ye/"]Karolina Muchova[/a] fell to Mexico's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/olmos-giuliana/Ay72HALi/"]Giuliana Olmos[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/routliffe-erin/CvDr9J3L/"]Erin Routliffe[/a], of New Zealand, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/muchova-k-Or4Qa1ye/williams-s-ttsu68nH/?mid=KEe0osWP"]6-4, 6-4[/a].[/p][p]The duo lost the opening set after Williams was broken in her second service game.[/p][p]They were broken on Muchova's serve midway through the second set and failed to find a way back into the contest.[/p][p][b]The match was the 44-year-old Williams' second after her shock comeback announcement earlier in June.[/b][/p][p]She won her first match back at Queen's Club last Monday, but her tournament ended due to an injury to her doubles partner, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mboko-victoria/AqVez8TJ/"]Victoria Mboko[/a].[/p][embed guid="abaeeb5d-48a5-459e-abea-86364b53bc82" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihuAs-HncJE" social-type="youtube" /][p]The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion stepped away from tennis in 2022 but announced a comeback earlier in June, saying her decision came from a desire to play in front of her two young daughters.[/p][p]Showing glimpses of the powerful game that allowed her to dominate women's tennis for two decades, Williams understandably lacked rhythm, particularly early, after a near four-year absence.[/p][p]She got better as the match went on, improving her footwork and showing the powerful serve and trademark forehand, which were cornerstones of her game.[/p][p][b]With one final singles wildcard slot remaining for Wimbledon, which starts on June 29th, speculation has grown that Williams could also make an individual return.[/b][/p][embed guid="18364fc8-0265-425f-9292-e81e1bc39607" url="https://x.com/Wimbledon/status/2066827500135551093" social-type="twitter" /][p]The last of her 23 Grand Slam victories came in the 2017 Australian Open. She last won Wimbledon in 2016.[/p][p]The Williams sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, including six at Wimbledon.[/p]