Serena Williams is attempting a stunning comeback to tennis, competing in doubles during the grass-court swing. She is also scheduled to team up with her sister Venus at the Wimbledon Championships.
The 44-year-old has now reached Wimbledon grounds after a brief run at the Berlin Tennis Open. She and her partner Karolína Muchová suffered a first-round loss at the event. Her stay in the German capital was also blighted by a fire alarm in the middle of the night, sparking chaos and forcing all guests, including Coco Gauff and Alexandra Eala, to evacuate their rooms.
Serena Williams’ Coach Reveals Fire Alarm Chaos at Berlin Tennis Open
Rennae Stubbs, who is serving as Williams’ assistant coach during her comeback, revealed that it was the second week in a row that they were disrupted by a fire alarm at their hotel. She opened up about how an alarm also went off in London, where Williams teamed up with Victoria Mboko to compete at Queen’s Club.
“This is two weeks in a row this has happened to me. It happened in London. On this occasion, I decided not to go downstairs… After 10 minutes of it going off, I texted some of the team and asked, ‘Is the hotel on fire?’ Because I don’t think I’m going to come down,” Stubbs said.
Stubbs further detailed that Williams, who was with her daughters, Olympia and Adira, in Berlin, had to wake them both at 3 a.m. and bring them downstairs while the fire alarm was going off.
“I get up and put on my robe and slippers. I walk down the eight floors to the outside of the hotel. Everyone was standing out there. Not only were Serena and her two kids… Can you imagine waking up your two-year-old in the middle of the night at 3-4 in the morning? Good for Adira. She was like, ‘What’s going on?’ The entire tournament was outside,” Stubbs explained on “The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.”
The chaos not only affected the tennis players competing at the Berlin Tennis Open but also singer Doja Cat, who was staying at the hotel as part of her worldwide tour.
“You’ve got Serena Williams on one side, Doja Cat on the other. You’ve got all of us standing around. We were out there for a good 20-25 minutes,” Stubbs added.
MORE: Coco Gauff, Alexandra Eala, and Eva Lys Forced Outside Berlin Hotel As 3 AM Fire Alarm Sparks Chaos
Williams and Muchová’s doubles run in Berlin came to an end in the first round against Erin Routliffe and Giuliana Olmos.
A 14-time Grand Slam champion in women’s doubles, Williams has received a wildcard to compete alongside her sister Venus at the Wimbledon Championships. It will be fascinating to see how the Williams sisters fare as they return to the stage of some of their biggest triumphs in the sport.
