Serena Williams, 44, adds second doubles tournament to comeback plans after Queen's Club return

Just days after confirming that she will return to professional tennis for the first time since 2022 at the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club in London, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion has now added a second event to her schedule, with the Berlin Tennis Open announcing that Williams will also compete in doubles at the grass-court tournament beginning on June 15.The announcement means Williams' return will stretch beyond a single appearance, further fuelling excitement around one of the most significant comebacks in recent tennis history. The 44-year-old has not played a professional match since her emotional farewell at the 2022 US Open, when she famously said she was "evolving away" from tennis.With Queen's Club now followed by Berlin, Williams appears to be gradually building momentum during the grass-court season.Tournament organisers confirmed on Friday that Williams will compete in the doubles draw at the Berlin Tennis Open, although her partner has yet to be announced."Every tournament I add to my schedule right now feels special, and Berlin is no exception," Williams said in comments published on the tournament's official website."I'm excited to compete in front of the German fans and continue building momentum throughout the grass-court season."The Berlin appearance comes immediately after her return at Queen's Club, where she will partner Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in doubles.The move suggests Williams is taking a measured approach to her return by rebuilding match fitness through doubles competition before potentially expanding her schedule further.Williams was photographed practising on the grass courts at Queen's Club alongside 19-year-old Canadian sensation Victoria Mboko ahead of next week's tournament.Mboko later confirmed their partnership and described the opportunity as a dream scenario."The Queen is back. An honor to share the court with one of the greatest athletes of all time this week. Even more excited to play doubles together! Tennis is pretty special," Mboko wrote on Instagram.The partnership carries additional significance because Mboko has previously spoken about her relationship with Williams and the support she has received from one of the sport's greatest champions."Me and Serena have stayed in touch, which is really, really nice, because you know, I really look up to her. I mean, the fact that she even knows me is very, it's very exciting," Mboko said while speaking at the French Open, according to USA Today.While best known for her singles achievements, Williams also owns one of the greatest doubles records in tennis history. Alongside sister Venus Williams, she captured 14 Grand Slam doubles titles without ever losing a major doubles final. The sisters also won three Olympic gold medals together in doubles competition, adding to Serena's Olympic singles gold medal.Speculation surrounding Williams' return has been growing steadily since last year when she re-entered the anti-doping programme, a mandatory requirement for players wishing to compete on the WTA Tour.Although no official comeback announcement arrived at the time, her return to the testing pool immediately prompted discussion about a potential return to competition.Now those rumours have become reality. Williams has not played a competitive match since her farewell appearance at the US Open nearly four years ago. Her retirement left one of the sport's greatest careers seemingly complete, with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, four Olympic gold medals and 319 weeks spent as world No. 1.Yet one significant record remains just out of reach. Williams retired one Grand Slam singles title behind Margaret Court's record of 24 major singles championships and has not won a Slam since before the birth of her first daughter in 2017.The Berlin Tennis Open has made no secret of its excitement about Williams' participation.Tournament organisers described the American's return as one of the biggest stories in tennis and highlighted the calibre of players expected to compete at the event.Alongside Williams, nine of the world's current top 10 players have confirmed their participation, including world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, world No. 2 Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff.The tournament believes Williams' presence will help bring a Grand Slam atmosphere to the Steffi-Graf-Stadion.Tournament Director Markus Zoecke said: "It might be a unique opportunity to see Serena Williams on the court in Berlin again. We are immensely looking forward to her and her matches."Andrea Petkovic, Director of Excitement of the VANDA Pharmaceuticals BERLIN TENNIS OPEN, added: "I didn't think that our world-class field featuring nine Top 10 players could be topped. But welcoming Serena Williams to Berlin is pure excitement. It doesn't get any better than that!"Her history in Berlin stretches back nearly two decades. Williams last competed at the venue in 2008, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to Russia's Dinara Safina.Now she returns under very different circumstances after retirement and a second maternity leave, attempting one of the most remarkable comebacks the sport has seen.Few athletes return carrying a résumé as extensive as Williams', the American won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, including seven Wimbledon crowns, seven Australian Open titles, six US Open championships and three French Open trophies. She also amassed 367 Grand Slam singles match victories, the most by any woman in tennis history.Her 319 weeks atop the world rankings included 186 consecutive weeks as world No. 1, while her dominance in doubles alongside Venus helped define an era of women's tennis.Whether the comeback ultimately develops into a sustained return remains unclear.What is certain is that Williams' schedule is already growing. With Queen's Club and Berlin now confirmed, the grass-court season suddenly has one of its biggest attractions back on tour, and tennis fans will once again have the opportunity to watch one of the greatest players the sport has ever produced.