ESPN is giving tennis great Serena Williams the episodic documentary treatment with In the Arena, a series co-produced with Religion of Sports, 199 Productions and Williams and Caroline Currier’s Nine Two Six Productions.
The project led off Disney’s upfront presentation to ad buyers in New York. Williams herself took the stage to unveil the series. She said he wanted to appear at the event because “you’re talking about building connections with fans and our family is super-obsessed with Disney.”
Gesturing toward her stomach, she added, “My big plan was to break my baby news at the Disney upfront, but the Met Gala got in the way of those plans.”
In the Arena: Serena Williams, she added, will be “an unflinching account of my life and my 23 Grand Slam victories — not counting doubles.”
The project follows the top-rated Man in the Arena: Tom Brady, which profiled the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback in 2022.
In a career spanning more than two decades, Williams has revolutionized the sport of tennis and also served as an inspiration for up-and-coming athletes and a wide array of others.
According to the official announcement, the series “provides the most complete, intimate, and compelling account of her legendary career, featuring firsthand perspective from Serena and key figures throughout her life. Several of Serena’s most significant Grand Slam tournaments and defining personal milestones are examined and decoded in detail. The series juxtaposes Serena’s spectacular on-court achievements and cultural impact with dramatic personal challenges. Through it all, Serena fights to maintain her place atop the tennis world while juggling the transformational experience of starting a family.”
