She, too, believed that the time was right to make a legacy film while they were still playing." "We convinced her that this was a good idea. "Their story is a dream for a documentary filmmaker and we wanted to make it before their careers were over," said Beard. The film had its roots in the tenacity of the directors, Maiken Beard and Michelle Major, two US filmmakers who pursued the sisters and their representatives for three years. The sisters missed the world premiere at the Toronto film festival, but are now back behind the project. Venus, who pulled out of Wimbledon because of a back injury, was apparently upset at the portrayal of her father Richard that dwelt on his various children by different women. "Part of their attraction is that they were these incredible, magnetic, athletic goddesses," enthuses Wintour.įor such guarded and protected individuals, the first viewing of the film evidently proved too raw. In the film, Bill Clinton, John McEnroe and US Vogue editor Anna Wintour share their thoughts on the sisters. The sisters have 53 grand slams between them, including 10 Wimbledon singles victories - five each. Serena is the reigning Wimbledon singles champion and comes into this year's competition as the oldest top-ranked woman in history. Their public persona is one of indomitable and relentless focus and ambition, but this film also reveals their vulnerability and self-doubt. The cameras follow them throughout 2011, as they battled illnesses and injuries that threatened their careers. Now aged 32 and 31, they have lived together their whole lives and the filmmakers are granted unprecedented access to the home they share with their dogs in Florida. Now a glimpse of new fly-on-the-wall documentary on the eve of Wimbledon, before its release in British cinemas, lifts the veil on their tight-knit and complex family.ĭrawing on candid interviews with the sisters and their parents, as well as archival footage, Venus and Serena chronicles the story of two women who are each other's greatest rivals, but also fiercely loyal friends when the racquets are down. Their supremacy on the court has long been matched by their privacy off it. IT reads like a plot line outlandish enough for Hollywood: Two black girls from the Los Angeles ghetto power their way to the top of the most lily-white of sports, driven by pushy parents who plot their trajectory before they are even born.īut the true-life journey of Venus and Serena Williams, the sisters who have dominated, captivated and polarised the world of women's tennis for more than a decade, is as real as it is remarkable. Soul SistersOn the eve of Wimbledon, which starts tomorrow, a new documentary lifts the lid on the explosive rise to power of the Williams sisters and provides insight into their tight-knit and complex family
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