It’s a mistake to assume that sports or political documentaries don’t come with drama; and that only those that are scripted provide entertainment. Netflix’s documentary on tennis, Break Point, gets down to business in the first few minutes itself. Produced by Box to Box Films, this is a first-of-its-kind docuseries on tennis- mainly attempted to bring in newer fans- that attempts to go behind the sanitised press interviews that players give, at their post-match interviews where they’re mostly controlled and polite, just like on court during matches where they are mandated to behave.
That doesn’t mean they go off the rails here. Instead, the docuseries attempts to show you who they are really, off-court. Break Point tails a total of 15 players, who agreed to be part of this docuseries, with their cameras, wherever they go; locker rooms, hotel rooms, gyms, restaurants where they have meals with their families and friends, and how they are preparing to be the best in the world; a space that was largely dominated by the big four so far; Roger Federer, winner of 20 Major (grand slam championships) titles, former world no. 1 from Switzerland; Novak Djokovic, winner of 21 Major titles and world no. 5 from Serbia; Rafael Nadal, winner of 22 Major titles and world no. 2 from Spain and Serena Williams, also a former no. 1 women’s tennis player from the US.
Federer retired in 2022. Williams may have already played her last match in 2022. And though Nadal and Djokovic are still in the top 10 in men’s rankings and denied any plans to retire soon, competition is catching up. Break Point takes us through the journeys of these competitors; both on the men’s and women’s side and gets us up, close and personal with tennis’ future.
Also read | The real GOAT: Federer, Nadal or Djokovic?
Break Point starts off at the Australian Open, the year’s first Major tournament. Each episode is interspersed with players talking to the camera, analysing their emotions; desires, aspirations, what went right, what went wrong. Aside from being present at the four major tournaments; the Australian Open, French Open, All-England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon and the US Open, Break Point makes stops at some of the other crucial tennis tournaments on the tennis circuit, like the Indian Wells tournament held in California and the Madrid tournament in April.
In search for the next GOAT
All 15 players have a shot to rise to the pinnacle of tennis, but only a few would be able to make it. Matteo Berrettini, ranked 14 in the world from Italy is one of them. Finalist at Wimbledon in 2021, Berrettini started 2022 on a strong note by reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open, beating Carlos Alcaraz, who would finish the year at the top of the men’s ranking. Berrettini lost to Nadal in the semi-finals, the eventual Australian Open champion.
Also read | Why Carlos Alcaraz is the next big thing in tennis
Twenty-five-year-old Taylor Fritz, ranked no. 9 in the world from the US, had his breakout year in 2022 when the tour moves to deserts of America at Indian Wells, California in March. In front of the camera and nearly 16,100 fans who watched the match live, Fritz made short work of Nadal. But the docuseries takes us behind the scenes to show the drama that had ensued backstage when he had accidentally injured his foot that same morning and was nudged by his coach trainer to retire, risking being sidelined for months on end. Fritz stuck to his guns and won the finals beating Nadal, who was on a 21-match winning streak since the start of the year. He rose to a career-high ranking of 9 and won three titles in 2022. “Tennis is like a drug. It’s super addictive. The feeling you get after your wins, the adrenaline…,” says Paula Badosa, ranked number 11 in the world from Spain in Break Point.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, ranked 7 in the world in Canada, had his moment of glory at the French Open, the year’s second grand slam at Roland Garros, Paris. Coached by Nadal’s uncle and former coach, Toni, Auger-Aliassime ran into Nadal Jr. in the fourth round. Break Point gives us a peek at just how awkward things got, when Toni said in an interview that he wants his nephew (Rafael) to win and why he cannot really “teach” Auger-Aliassime how to beat Rafael. That didn’t stop him from taking Nadal to five sets, though, before losing; only the 3rd man in history to take Nadal to five sets at Roland Garros; an event that Nadal has won 14 times.
The dark side
For all its glamour, there’s enough pain and struggle on display. Maria Sakkari, ranked number 6 in the world, struggled with her demons, after having lost many close matches. In 2021, she lost to Barbora Krejcikova from the Czech Republic who was ranked 33 at the time, after squandering a match point. Sakkari decided to retire from tennis. “I was retired for a full four days…then I got up and asked ‘where should I practise?’”, she reveals. Fritz sums it up well: “It’s tough to be happy in tennis every single week. (By the end of a tournament,) everyone loses, except one player. You get used to losing.”
Badosa opens up about her struggles with mental health; how she grappled with the sudden fame that came after she won the French Open junior singles titles at age 17 and fame suddenly came about. Badosa says her sessions with mental health professionals as well as a supportive entourage helped.
Nick Kyrgios, the mercurial Australian ranked number 21 in the world, struggles too. He admits that, at age 19, after he beat Nadal in 2014 for the first time, expectations went up. Kyrgios had difficulty coping up, a worry shared by his mother when Break Point paid her a visit at their home in Canberra. Of the 11 times he’s played at the Australian Open, he hasn’t been past the fourth round. His friendship with fellow Australian tennis player and his childhood friend Thanasi Kokkinakis helps him calm down. Their camaraderie and maverick styles helped them demolish competition, to lift the men’s doubles title at the Australian Open. “Tennis is lonely. I struggled with that (aspect) the most. I need to have my family, close circle around me,” he says.
Ons Jabeur
The real story in the first season of Break Point is that of Ons Jabeur, ranked number 2 in women’s singles. Here’s where Break Point touches upon the gender pay gap issue, otherwise a much-discussed topic in the tennis world. That Jabeur comes from Tunisia, a small country on the northern tip of Africa, where tennis isn’t a popular sport, further nails the point. “People don’t realise how difficult it is financially for tennis players. When you come from rich counties, financial contracts are bigger, the market is bigger. When you come from a small country, it’s a disaster,” says Patrick Mouratoglou, a tennis coach, to Break Point.
Jabeur travels with a small entourage; her husband doubles up as her fitness trainer. But winning tournaments is not the only thing on her mind. Jabeur wants to have kids, someday. “Here, I wish I was a man. I could have had a baby and easily returned back on the court,” she says to Break Point. For women, though, it’s tougher, says Courtney Nguyen to Break Point, a freelance tennis writer. “Your body changes. Only three women have had children and then come back and won grand slam titles,” she says.
To the most avid tennis fan who keeps tabs on everything in tennis, Break Point doesn’t offer much new information. But there’s something in it for everyone else, especially to those who follow tennis on the fringes.
Break Point comes in two parts; each contains five episodes. The first part is released on January 13; the second part with five new episodes will be released in June, later this year.
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