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NEW YORK \u2212 This is not \u201c.\u201d<\/p>\n
debuted two episodes of her at Tribeca Festival on Thursday, with many wondering how this differed from of her father .<\/p>\n
\u201cDidn\u2019t we already see a Serena Williams documentary?\u201d an overhead attendee asked as others shuffled into the theater.<\/p>\n
None of the skepticism seemed to hold weight: The crowd roared approvingly as the docuseries star made her entrance.<\/p>\n
The first episode begins with briefly recounting the childhood of tennis superstars Serena and before delving deeper into the question they faced throughout their careers: What\u2019s it like playing against your sister?<\/p>\n
Today, Serena is praised as the in tennis (and perhaps all sports). But to her, \u201cit was all about Venus.\u201d Contrary to her performance on the court, Serena, 42, seems insecure when it comes to her older sister and repeatedly discusses all the ways Venus was better, bigger and stronger than she was.<\/p>\n
Losing to Venus at the start of their professional careers didn\u2019t necessarily give Serena the drive to push further. It seems comical in the context of Serena\u2019s accomplishments, but a guy ghosting her at age 20 was the fuel for her to stop being the best and become the greatest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got ghosted and it wasn\u2019t even that serious,\u201d Serena says with a laugh in the docuseries, as she recalls leaving a boyfriend\u2019s house after her 2001 U.S. Open match against Venus and never hearing from him again. Although it wasn\u2019t a big moment, the champion said she used that experience and made it bigger than it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember thinking, \u2018He\u2019s going to regret this for the rest of his life\u2019 and that he\u2019d see me everywhere. I can be vengeful,\u201d she admits, before giving her then-partner (who she shadily refers to as \u201cso and so\u201d) a shout-out. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for it, so thank you!\u201d<\/p>\n
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion shares the emotional turmoil of what it was like starting her career under Venus and even worse, surpassing her as the younger sister.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually never thought I was good at tennis. You have to understand, I was growing up next to Venus Williams,\u201d Serena says in Episode 1. \u201cI could never beat Venus unless I cheated.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2002 French Open became the turning point for Serena. She stopped looking at her sister. \u201cIt was so simple but it was genius for me,\u201d she recalls in the docuseries. That year, she finally beat Venus.<\/p>\n
Venus, who also appears in the docuseries, still has regret over her performance that day. \u201cIt was a missed opportunity for me,\u201d she says. \u201cI never competed in another French Open final.\u201d<\/p>\n
The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion is seen as the more levelheaded sister, speaking matter-of-factly about her losses against Serena. \u201cWho wants to lose four (times) in a row? That\u2019s not what I trained for. \u2026 I doubt I would\u2019ve lost to anyone else,\u201d Venus says of her rivalry with her sister.<\/p>\n
Serena, on the other hand, says she would often cry after they faced off, because of the emotional tax of beating her best friend and her perceived pecking order of them as siblings. It seems Serena still feels guilt upstaging Venus: She shares anecdotes about how her sister made her the player she became, from telling her bedtime stories as a kid to being her practice partner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hated playing Venus. It was torture,\u201d Serena says.<\/p>\n
However, that year, the sisters had been separated more than ever before by their schedules, which Serena says allowed her to stop thinking about her sister\u2019s success. \u201cI finally gave myself permission to be great \u2026 to be Serena,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a seemingly full-circle moment: \u201cOnce you start winning, winning is like a drug,\u201d Serena says. \u201cEvery time I did it, I wanted to do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n
At a post-premiere panel at Tribeca, Serena hinted at more appearances in future episodes from family members, discussion around mental health and conversations about the impact of racism. (\u201cIt boils down to us being Black and from Compton, because if we had looked any other way, I don\u2019t think people would have talked about us like that.\u201d) She also discusses personal moments in her life leading up to her .<\/p>\n
The first episode of the eight-part docuseries premieres July 10 on ESPN, followed by all eight episodes on the streaming platform ESPN+.<\/p>\n