Ahead of Wimbledon return, Serena Williams loses doubles match with Muchova at Berlin Open

BERLIN (AP) — Serena Williams’ comeback hit a bump Tuesday with a loss in her opening-round doubles match at the Berlin Open.

Giuliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe defeated Williams and her partner Karolina Muchova 6-4, 6-4 to end Williams’ involvement in the WTA 500 grass-court tournament at the first stage.

It didn’t dim the love Williams was shown from the appreciative fans on what was her second appearance after a win at Queen’s Club last week in London. That had been Williams’ first professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open. But her participation at Queen's Club was cut short when partner Victoria Mboko injured her knee in a singles match.

The 44-year-old Williams was welcomed by a huge roar and applause to center court at the Steffi Graf Stadion, which quickly filled up as fans snacking and drinking outside realized the main attraction was about to start.

Earlier Tuesday, Wimbledon organizers announced that Williams and her older sider Venus, who turns 46 on Wednesday, were being given a doubles wild card invitation for the tournament that starts in less than two weeks.

“Welcome back Serena!” one fan in Berlin shouted as Williams showed flashes of her tenacity with some ferocious returns.

“Serena, we love you in Berlin!” another fan shouted to cheers in the second set.

But Olmos and Routliffe broke Muchova’s serve for 3-2 in the second set, and Routliffe set up the match point with an ace.

“Honestly, I felt pretty good out there,” Williams said in her post-match news conference. “I felt actually more nimble and more sturdy and quicker than the first match in Queens'. Yeah, overall, I feel pretty good. Just physically and quickness, which I think you need a lot of quickness on grass.”

Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles — including seven at Wimbledon — before stepping away from the game, saying at the time she was “evolving” away from tennis rather than “retiring.”

She has also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, including six at Wimbledon — all with her sister Venus.

Williams still hasn't decided if she'll play singles again at the tournament.

“Oh my gosh, there are some left?” she replied when she was told there was still a singles wild card spot for Wimbledon. But then she mused about her readiness for it.

“Do you think I’m ready for singles?” she asked a reporter and then turned to Muchova to ask what she thought.

“I think I would be interested in it," the Czech player responded.

“That’s the question of the hour, right?” Williams said of playing singles at Wimbledon. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I wonder why there’s – I don’t know.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Serena Williams of the U.S. returns the ball as she and Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova play during their round of 16 doubles match against New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and Mexico's Giuliana Olmo during the WTA 500 Berlin Open tennis tournament at Steffi Graf Stadium, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Serena Williams of the U.S., right, reacts as she and Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova play during their round of 16 doubles match against New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and Mexico's Giuliana Olmo during the WTA 500 Berlin Open tennis tournament at Steffi Graf Stadium, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts as she and Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova play during their round of 16 doubles match against New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and Mexico's Giuliana Olmo during the WTA 500 Berlin Open tennis tournament at Steffi Graf Stadium, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Serena Williams of the U.S. returns the ball as she and Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova play during their round of 16 doubles match against New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and Mexico's Giuliana Olmo during the WTA 500 Berlin Open tennis tournament at Steffi Graf Stadium, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Serena Williams of the U.S. tosses the ball in the air to serve as she and Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova play during their round of 16 doubles match against New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and Mexico's Giuliana Olmo during the WTA 500 Berlin Open tennis tournament at Steffi Graf Stadium, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Serena Williams, left, and Karolina Muchova sit on the bench during their first round women doubles tennis match against Routliffe and Olmos, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday June 16, 2026. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)

Serena Williams, left, and Karolina Muchova speak during their first round women doubles tennis match against Routliffe and Olmos, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday June 16, 2026. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)

Serena Williams plays a backhand next to Karolina Muchova, not pictured, during first round women doubles tennis match against Routliffe and Olmos, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday June 16, 2026. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)

Serena Williams plays a forehand next to Karolina Muchova, not pictured, during first round women doubles tennis match against Routliffe and Olmos, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday June 16, 2026. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)

LONDON (AP) — A Russian warship fired warning shots near a U.K.-registered pleasure yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday, authorities said, an incident that caused no damage but illustrated heightened tensions between the two countries.

Britain's Defense Ministry launched an investigation after the yacht reported being fired on by a Russian navy vessel about 20 nautical miles (23 miles, 37 kilometers) south of the Isle of Wight, outside U.K. territorial waters.

There were no reports of injuries or damage to the sailing yacht, which continued its journey from the U.K. toward France.

The BBC reported that the yacht, which has no motor, had drifted toward the Russian vessel in foggy conditions.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the crew of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich tried to contact the yacht when it was seen sailing on a “dangerous course in close proximity with the warship.” It said the ship's crew launched flares and issued sound signals when the yacht did not respond.

“After the distance had closed to 150 meters (500 feet), the frigate’s commander decided to fire warning shots across the vessel’s bow using small arms,” the ministry said. It said the yacht then changed course and sailed away.

The ministry said the ship's crew “acted in strict accordance” with international navigation rules to avoid a collision.

Britain's account of the incident was similar.

“Following attempts to contact a British vessel in the channel, the Grigorovich fired warning shots. These were not aimed at the vessel and were an attempt to prevent a possible collision," Britain's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Russian warships passing through the English Channel are routinely shadowed by the Royal Navy, and patrol vessel HMS Mersey was monitoring the Russian ship at the time of the reported incident and provided support to the yacht's crew.

The British military said last month that it had monitored the Admiral Grigorovich throughout April as the Russian ship escorted six Russia-linked civilian vessels near the U.K.

The altercation occurred two days after British commandos boarded and detained a sanctioned tanker in the Channel that is suspected of being part of the Russian “shadow fleet.” British defense officials said they don't believe the two events are linked.

The tanker's captain, an Indian national charged with shipping Russian oil in violation of international sanctions over Moscow’s war on Ukraine, was ordered held in jail after appearing Tuesday in court.

The British military has had several close encounters with Russian vessels in the region and warned Moscow in November that it was ready to deal with any incursion into its territory after the spy ship Yantar was detected on the edge of U.K. waters north of Scotland.

In April, Britain and Norway said they had tracked a Russian attack sub and two spy submarines operating north of the U.K. for several weeks.

A Royal Navy frigate, aircraft and hundreds of personnel spent weeks following the Russian vessels and prevented them from carrying out “nefarious” activities against underwater infrastructure, then-Defense Secretary John Healey said.

He accused Moscow of using the distraction of the Iran war to ramp up malign activity against Europe.

Five years ago, Russia said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the Black Sea to force the British destroyer HMS Defender out of an area near Crimea that Moscow claimed as its territorial waters.

The U.K. denied that account and insisted its ship wasn’t fired upon. It was the first time since the Cold War that Moscow acknowledged using live ammunition to deter a NATO warship, reflecting the growing risk of military incidents amid soaring tensions between Russia and the West. The incident occurred about six months before Russia invaded Ukraine.

An earlier version of this story said the incident occurred about 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight. It is 20 nautical miles, or 23 miles.

FILE - A Russian warship is docked in Port Sudan, Sudan, on Feb. 28, 2021. (AP Photo, File)