New Serena Williams documentary series coming to ESPN

Another documentary series surrounding the life and tennis career of Serena Williams is in the works: Five years after the success of HBO's 'Being Serena,' 'In the Arena: Serena Williams' will soon come to ESPN.

The series was announced Tuesday during Disney Upfront, the annual showcase for the media behemoth's upcoming programming for the next year for all of its companies. (ESPN is owned by Disney.) Williams was in New York on Tuesday to give the presentation that unveiled the series to Disney ad buyers and investors, per a report by Deadline Hollywood.

The documentary, she said, will offer “an unflinching account of my life and my 23 Grand Slam victories — not counting doubles.”

'Being Serena' was a raw and unfiltered five-episode miniseries that chronicled Williams' 2017 pregnancy with daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., now 5; the immediate aftermath of Olympia's birth by emergency C-section; Williams' wedding to tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian; and how she trained for her 2018 return to competition.

An ESPN press release provided further details on this new series, which comes after Williams ostensibly played her last professional tennis match at the 2022 US Open, saying that it will provide "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 release read further. "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.”

Williams announced her second pregnancy at the Met Gala earlier this month.

Williams is the second such legendary athlete to be profiled in ESPN's 'In the Arena' series. Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady was profiled in the 10-episode 'Man in the Arena: Tom Brady' between 2021 and 2022. The series won the Outstanding Documentary Series award at the 2022 Sports Emmy Awards.

The new series will be directed by Gotham Chopra and co-produced by ESPN, Religion of Sports, Brady’s 199 Productions, and Williams and Caroline Currier’s Nine Two Six Productions.