Serena Williams confirms Berlin Tennis Open stop on comeback trail

"Jedes Turnier, das ich derzeit in meinen Kalender aufnehme, ist etwas Besonderes, und Berlin bildet da keine Ausnahme. Ich freue mich darauf, vor den deutschen Fans anzutreten und meinen Schwung während der Rasensaison weiter auszubauen.", Williams said in a statement released by the tournament.

Tournament director Markus Zoecke described the booking as a rare opportunity for German fans. "Es ist die vielleicht einmalige Chance, Serena Williams noch einmal in Berlin auf dem Platz zu sehen. Wir freuen uns riesig auf sie und ihre Spiele.", he said. Berlin's "Director of Excitement," former professional Andrea Petkovic, was equally effusive, drawing on her official title to underline her enthusiasm. "Als Director of Excitement dachte ich nicht, dass meine Excitement-Levels noch höher sein könnten, aber die Nachricht, dass Serena in ihrem Comeback Berlin als Station gewählt hat, macht mich extrem glücklich.", Petkovic said.

Tournament reacts to Williams booking

The Berlin Tennis Open has long been a stop with personal significance for Williams. In 1999, as a 17-year-old, she reached the quarterfinals in Berlin but had to retire injured against Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. She returned to the final in 2002, losing to Justine Henin of Belgium in a third-set tiebreak, and her most recent appearance came in 2008 on the tournament's old clay surface, when she fell in the quarterfinals to Dinara Safina of Russia, who went on to lift the title. Williams has never won a title in Berlin. Since then the tournament has moved to grass and is now played at the Steffi-Graf-Stadion.

The booking gives the Berlin event one of the strongest fields in its history. Nine of the current top-10 women's singles players are expected to compete, including world number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Organizers have not yet confirmed whether Williams will play singles in Berlin; her doubles partner and the date of her first match will be announced at a later time, the tournament said.

Williams's career resume underscores why her return is drawing global attention. She has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, split across seven Wimbledon crowns, seven Australian Opens, six US Opens and three French Opens, and holds the record for most Grand Slam singles match wins with 367. She spent 319 weeks at the top of the WTA rankings, including a 186-week unbroken stretch, and has won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, all of them alongside her sister Venus. She has also won four Olympic gold medals, including singles gold in 2012 and three in doubles.

A long history with Berlin

The Berlin Tennis Open runs from June 13 to 21 at the LTTC Rot-Weiß facility in the Grunewald district. Tickets and the full schedule are to be released in the coming weeks, with organizers promising further announcements about Williams's program in due course.