Documentary Review
'Being Serena': an intimate portrait of the tennis legend's many identities
In this documentary series, Serena Williams attempts to offer an insight into how she performs her life in the glare of the constant spotlight
A disappointing real-life ending capped the five-part HBO documentary series Being Serena this week when tennis star Serena Williams had to withdraw in the fourth round of the French Open due to injury.
The series, which does not credit a director, focuses on Williams's journey over the past year and a half, from her 23rd Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open just after she and her partner, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, discovered that she was eight weeks' pregnant, through to the birth of their daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian jnr, their wedding, and Williams's return to tennis, ending with her appearance at Roland Garros for this year's French Open.
Anchored by Williams's voice-over, the series gives an often intimate insight into the life of tennis's GOAT (Greatest of All Time), behind the headlines she makes. We see her life of assistants and helpers in her California and Florida mansions, and the celebrity guest list at her wedding that included Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rowland and Anna Wintour.
However, this is not a reality show flashing of bling life in the vein of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. Rather, it's an attempt by Williams to offer an insight into how she performs her life in the glare of the constant spotlight - in which she is often faced with racism and sexism.
WATCH | A clip from Being Serena..
There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.
From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.
For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.
Already subscribed? Sign in below.
Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.