Venus and Serena Williams are unarguably two of the greatest women tennis players of all time. If only one of them made it to the top, it would have been amazing. The fact that two of them rose all the way, is nothing short of astounding. The Venus & Serena documentary opens in theaters next week and is now available for download on iTunes.
The documentary focuses on 2011, a year that wasn’t so great for the talented Williams sisters. Serena suffered from blood clots and hematoma surgery and Venus was diagnosed and struggling with the autoimmune disease Sjogren's syndrome.
While 2011 may have been hard, the Williams sisters have bounced back. Serena is now ranked #1 in women's tennis and last summer Venus won her third Olympic gold medal. Combined they have won 22 major singles titles, are the first sisters to hold places #1 and #2 in the rankings, and have dominated tennis for over a decade. They were two African-American sisters from the ghetto and they took over what was a "lily white" sport. In short, Venus and Serena changed tennis.
The film shows how their father mapped out their rise and constantly told them they would be number one. As Venus says, "I was brainwashed." The documentary also focuses on their close and loving relationship as sisters and complex family relationships.
Included in the film are interviews with John McEnroe, Bill Clinton, Chris Rock, Anna Wintour and more.
Venus & Serena was directed and produced by Michelle Major and Maiken Baird.
Watch a three minute clip from Venus & Serena:
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