Venus and Serena
If you’re looking to learn more about Venus and Serena Williams, you might want to save time and check out their Wikipedia pages.

It’s the typical great American story, tough background – check; personal struggles – check; racial undertones – check; gladiatorial fight and determination to succeed- check. Venus Ebony Star Williams and Serena Jameka Williams transcend tennis. They’re arguably the greatest sporting sisters ever. And even though their story is familiar, the trajectory less so, upbringing unorthodox and their almost enigmatic tendencies around the tennis courts of the world have made them even more intriguing.

So both as a tennis fan and a fan of both the Williams sisters, I was rather excited to watchVenus and Serena – a documentary that had promised candid and honest interviews and an insight into their childhoods.

Sadly, the result was far from the gritty and tough biopic I’d expected to see. Co-Director Maiken Baird said “It’s not just about sports, I think of it as the great American story. It’s rich with family, sisterhood, race, hard work and tenaciousness.” True, it was. But we already knew that about the Williams sisters.

There’s been a huge amount written about Venus and Serena Williams over the years – the family, the matches, the winning. But they were still somewhat of an enigma.  Both Venus and Serena are notoriously aloof on the tennis circuit – they smile, they pose and they happily talk to journalists but they rarely socialise or converse with other players. So beyond the growing pains this was an opportunity for the average sports fan to learn more about their personalities off court and to see how they have overcome those well reported difficult challenges. But sadly the film lacked any in-depth probing.

To say it avoided the huge personal struggles they faced both as tennis players and sisters would be untrue, but to say it addressed them in any detail whatsoever would be similarly dishonest. We learnt nothing about childhood beyond what we already knew and what we did learn wasn’t very interesting. Of their relationship with their father, Serena would say “He’s quite annoying at times” and we’d move on, of the divorce of their parents Venus would say “I think it was the best thing for my mum” and we’d move on, and on the personal strain of their fathers numerous infidelities, Serena laughed and we moved on.

Even on the most obvious subject matter – sibling rivalry – the film missed an easy forehand into an open court (sorry). Once again brushing over the subject and portraying the sisters as fiercely close. I’ve no doubt that’s true but I’m also not convinced that when Serena, the younger sister, won her first major before Venus, the original protégé of their father, their wasn’t more pain, determination and yes, fraction.

The film chooses to focus much of its attention following the sisters through the 2011 season – a season both were injured and both played very little. This in fact was rather fortunate for the film as it presented us with the opportunity to dispel some of those rumours about the reality of Serena’s injury that year (some questioned whether she was injured at all) and most effectively, gave the viewer a chance to see the mental anguish of both women being out of competition.

“I hate losing more than I like winning” hardened Serena, and that pretty much summed the whole thing up. This was the Serena show. Often it felt as if the scenes with Venus were just to make her feel included – and the real life symmetry of that is not lost of the viewer. Venus, a extremely beautiful, funny and let’s remember – a woman who has been number 1 three times; holds the record for the most consecutive matches won in a row and has 7 Grand Slam titles to her name – barely got a look in. Which says a lot more about Serena than it does Venus.  There are rumours abound that Venus was a lot less open to the film than Serena and perhaps that’s partly to blame but it’s hard not to see the forehand of Serena throughout the film.

Serena Williams is arguably the grittiest, more tenacious female sportswomen, perhaps ever. Her domination of the women’s tennis game (setting aside her sister who she lost to a number of occasions) is unrivalled in the open era. Unquestionably the women’s game struggles without her. Her power, strength and determination make her extremely watchable. Many have argued that Venus and Serena and particularly Serena, have propped up the Women’s Tennis Association for the past 15 years. As a tennis nut I wanted to know how that happened and what it took to get there. I wanted to know more details about the relationship with their father, particularly his methods (beyond simply being unorthodox). I wanted to learn more about how their parent’s breakup affected their lives and careers and about why they seemingly refuse to socialise with other players.

The exception to this was the portrayal of their mother, Oracine who was shown to be as influential on their careers as their father. In fact, the film went some way to suggesting more so. This was a rare moment of learning, and joy. Oracine was candid, funny and clearly an excellent role model for both women. But I wanted to delve deeper, to know more, to see and learn about their family dynamics.

Despite all of this, you should still see it. It’s not the gritty biopic I was hoping for (and promised) but it is enjoyable in parts and a rare opportunity to spend 90mins watching a documentary about tennis. But if you’re looking to learn more about Venus and Serena Williams, you might want to save time and check out their Wikipedia pages.