Serena Williams Docuseries Coming From HBO

Serena Williams gets personal in “Being Serena,” a new five-part documentary series set to premiere exclusively on HBO. From HBO Sports and IMG’s Original Content Group, “Being Serena” chronicles the tennis icon at a pivotal moment in her personal and professional life. It debuts Wednesday, May 2, at 10 p.m. exclusively on HBO, with new episodes airing on subsequent Wednesdays at the same time. The series will also be available on HBO Now, HBO Go, HBO On Demand and partners’ streaming services.

According to HBO & IMG, “Being Serena” will provide viewers unprecedented access to Williams during her pregnancy, new motherhood and marriage, while documenting her journey back to supremacy on the court. Viewers will experience her life from every angle as the intimate first-person show delves into her landmark career, family life and expanding role as a businesswoman and investor in the worlds of tech, fashion, fitness and philanthropy.

“HBO is honored to work with Serena Williams on such a personal project,” says Peter Nelson, executive vice president of HBO Sports. “Even though she has been in the spotlight since her teenage years, Serena continues to capture the imagination. With our partners at IMG, we look forward to giving viewers a revealing, behind-the-scenes portrait of her life on and off the court.”

“Serena Williams is a force unlike any other,” said Mark Shapiro, co-president of WME and IMG. “Her entire life is one of the hero’s journey, and it has been a privilege to work with her as she enters this next phase. HBO was an incredible partner in developing a unique look into Serena’s world, and we look forward to sharing this all-access story with the world in May.”

Williams, 36, has won 39 Grand Slam titles, four Olympic Gold Medals and the most women’s singles match victories in Grand Slam history. Her supremacy on the court earned her Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year honors in 2015 and made her a four-time winner of the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, first in 2002 and most recently in 2015.

In January 2017, Williams bested her sister, Venus, in the final match of the Australian Open, marking her seventh time winning that singles event. Four months after her historic victory, Williams revealed that she and her fiancé, Alexis Ohanian, were expecting their first child, confirming she was eight weeks pregnant when she won her 23rd Grand Slam singles title. On Sept. 1, Williams gave birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. Williams and Ohanian wed soon after. Williams will return to the tennis circuit this spring to compete in her first Grand Slam event of the year at the French Open in late May.

“Being Serena” marks the third collaboration between HBO and IMG following 2016’s “Gonzaga: The March to Madness,” followed by 2017’s Emmy-nominated “UConn: The March to Madness.”

“Being Serena” is executive produced by Mark Shapiro, Will Staeger and Michael Antinoro. For HBO, executive producers are Peter Nelson and Rick Bernstein, supervising producer Bentley Weiner.

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