Episode 2 of HBO’s ‘Being Serena’ delves into Williams’ difficult childbirth

Serena Williams won the Australian Open in January of 2017 while two months’ pregnant, gave birth in September, and is scheduled to return to tennis’ Grand Slam circuit at the French Open later this month.

It was a can’t-miss pitch for a documentary. IMG, the international talent agency that has long represented Williams, took it to HBO. HBO, which had worked with IMG on previous documentary series involving Gonzaga men’s basketball and Connecticut women’s basketball, eagerly agreed to do it.

“Have a healthy baby and then come back and be as good at my job as I can be,” Williams said during the first episode of “Being Serena” last Wednesday night.

Cut. Print it.

Each episode in the five-part series, which airs on Wednesday nights through May 30, three days after the French Open begins, were supposed to be that uncomplicated.

In Episode 1, Williams said that she didn’t care that much about winning the Australian Open after learning she was pregnant the night before the tournament began. She said she just wanted to get off the court as quickly as possible, perhaps explaining her straight-set victories in all seven matches.

She won the title match against sister Venus, who said, “I think it was unfair because it was two against one. So I want a rematch.”

Viewers also got a glimpse into her life with the baby’s father — fiance (now husband) Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of the website Reddit. They appear extraordinarily compatible, despite their differences.

As she said, “I’m an athlete. He’s a business guy. I’m black. He’s white. We’re total opposites. I don’t know why we’re such a good fit.”

But life has seldom been simple for Williams, 36, starting with her early years with her family in Compton.

“Gangs, robbers, murder, gunshots right outside our door,” she said. “There was a lot to run away from.” Half-sister Yetunde, a personal assistant to Serena and Venus, was fatally shot in Compton when she was 31.

Williams, then 21, had already won six of her 23 Grand Slam titles, the most of any player in the modern era. However, even in tennis she has had struggles. She was out for eight months in 2003 after knee surgery and 11 months in 2010-11 after suffering from a hematoma and pulmonary embolism.

So, while all seemed to be going well during her pregnancy for most of Episode 1, she foreshadowed what was to come when she recounted her health issues, including blood clots, in acknowledging her vulnerability.

The hook came when she said she almost died.

Reviewers, who were provided with screenings of the first two episodes before the series began, have been mixed in their appraisals. One called the shows “intimate and raw.” Another said Williams provided “powerful narrative” but added that the episodes were “not quite documentary film making at its finest” because HBO was “too rapt with its subject.”

Perhaps that’s the price HBO had to pay for intimate access to one of the greatest athletes ever, particularly one who has been known for vigorously protecting her private life.

The series, she told the New York Times, was her idea.

“I like to believe, and I would like all people to understand, that I’m not different from anyone else,” she explained to the newspaper. “I have the same struggles a lot of women have had … there’s literally no difference between me and them with the exception of the side of me that just so happens to play professional tennis.”

Her playing career is on hold. She returned to singles competition at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells during the first week of March, won her first two matches, then lost to Venus in the third round. She lost in the first round later in the month at the Miami Open.

She has not played since, recently announcing her withdrawal from the May 4-13 Madrid Open. If she doesn’t play in the May 14-22 Italian Open in Rome, she will have had no clay-court preparation going into the French Open, should she decide to play at Roland Garros.

But her comeback is not likely to be one of the major themes of the next couple of episodes. It’s certainly not of Wednesday night’s Episode 2. If you’ve read the numerous articles about her difficult childbirth, including the decision to deliver by a Caesarean section and the ensuing complications, you should still watch because of the intensity of the experience for her and husband Alexis. You will also meet the baby girl, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.

Alexis Sr. told Serena that Alexis Jr. looks like a future Wimbledon champion in 15 to 20 years.

“Not if I’m still on tour,” Williams told him.

“You’re ridiculous,” he said.

You also will learn in tonight’s episode whether Williams has a good singing voice.

Spoiler alert: During the lullaby, she imagined her daughter was thinking, “Shut up, momma!”

sports@latimes.com