Serena Williams’ Documentary Fails to Meet Expectations as Insider Exposes Vital Shortcomings
Serena Williams‘ documentary, ‘In the Arena: Serena Williams,‘ promised to reflect on her legendary career, sharing BTS insight into her most memorable moments. ESPN claimed it as “the most complete, intimate, and compelling account of her legendary career, featuring firsthand perspective from Serena and key figures throughout her life.” The 8-part documentary promises to be a perfect blend of emotions, glory, and challenges, but did it really fulfill its promises? Renowned sports journalist who closely follows the racquet sport, Ben Rothenberg, has a say on this!
Recently, the Washington-based journalist mocked ESPN for a bizarre call on Williams’ iconic documentary. Rothenberg tweeted, “Just watched Serena In The Arena Episode 4 of 8, covering March 2007 through the 2011 US Open. A lot of the most powerful material, on Serena’s pulmonary embolism and recovery, is similar to the 2013 documentary ‘Venus and Serena.’“ He then also put up a few question marks highlighting the key omissions from that documentary.
As we all know, this is not the first time that the Queen of the Court has been the subject of a documentary or a movie, so making a comparison with the previous release becomes a bit easier. Rothenberg further said the documentary has skipped her “hugely formative rivalry” with Belgian tennis legend Justine Henin. They have met each other 14 times in their career, and Williams lead the H2H 8-6. They have been part of some of the best and most controversial matches in the history of the sport.
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Just watched Serena In The Arena Episode 4 of 8, covering March 2007 through the 2011 US Open.
A lot of the most powerful material, on Serena’s pulmonary embolism and recovery, is similar to the 2013 documentary “Venus and Serena”
The questions I have, again, are on omissions:
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 1, 2024
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So, he feels that’s an “enormous miss” for a long-time series like this one. Now, Rothenberg hopes to explore more of her rivalry with Maria Sharapova in the rest of the episodes. Other than that, “Serena’s history of confrontations with officials at the US Open, which is too big a story to ignore,” added Rothenberg. He gave a few examples of some controversial moments involving the ‘Queen of the Court,‘ which he felt should’ve been included in this documentary. What does Serena Williams have to say about her documentary, ‘In the Arena: Serena Williams?”
“Super huge motivation” – Serena Williams reveals the big reason behind making this documentary
Who is Serena Williams? Well, she’s more than just a 23-time Grand Slam winner! She is an inspiration and a ‘know-how‘ to deal with personal challenges in life. Serena Williams is a perfect example of how to overcome all the adversities and become a true champion in every sense. This documentary, directed by Gotham Chopra, promises to walk us through the “never really went down memory lane” of Serena Williams.
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She said, “I always felt like I wanted to stay focused and continue to do the task at hand. So it was nice to take a deep breath and then tell a story that has never been told before.“ However, the main reason that pushed Williams more into this project was giving her daughters the chance to see this whole new side of their mother.
Something which could have been a bit difficult for her to explain through the stories. So, according to Serena Williams, “To put all of this story on camera was a super huge motivation for me.” This documentary is surely a must-watch for all Serena fans, but do you agree with what Ben Rothenberg has to say on this?
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