I finally completed my initial screening of the first five episodes of the much-anticipated Netflix show “Break Point.” It is hard for me to imagine that any regular reader of this blog is unfamiliar with this series. However, just in case, “Break Point” is a documentary produced in collaboration between Netflix, the ATP, and the WTA. It gives a behind-the-scenes look at the players and tournaments on the professional tours.
Many reviews of this series that I have run across are dutifully marked with tags to indicate whether they contain spoilers or not. Here is a spoiler alert of my own: The tennis matches featured in this series all occurred almost a year ago. If you don’t know that Taylor Fritz won Indian Wells last year, you are probably not much of a tennis fan.
I suppose the hope is that “Break Point” will attract new fans to tennis. The docuseries was created by the same producers as “F1: Drive to Survive” which has generated significant buzz and viewership. Still, the idea that knowing the results of a match that occurred last season is a spoiler is laughable to me, even for people who were not following tennis in 2022.
One challenge that I encountered while screening these initial episodes is that I kept falling asleep. I don’t think that is as much of a commentary on the show as it is on my current busy season of life. Frequent rewinding occurred, most of which was not associated with rolling back to the point where I nodded off.
One of the current hot storylines in tennis is whether the “Break Point” curse is real. Every single player who was featured in the first five episodes was out of the Australian Open before the first week ended. I regard this as a testament to how difficult it is to stay on top of the game in the sport. Even though the curse may not be real, superstition in tennis will always be a factor.
One thing I loved about the series was the use of Courtney Nguyễn as one of the narrators. She is a tennis blogger and podcaster who parlayed that into a full-time writing position with the WTA. Her ability to recognize and articulate the storylines of professional tennis is phenomenal, yet she toils in relative obscurity. I was surprised and thrilled that the producers of “Break Point” chose to use her voice.
The “Break Point” production value is extraordinarily high which distinguishes it from the Tennis Channel’s series “My Tennis Life.” That offering focuses on one male and one female player for an entire year. However, the storylines are largely player directed. That series is basically an extended selfie. The producers of “Break Point” are able to push the narrative in their own direction.
One frequent criticism I have come across from staunch tennis fans is the players and storylines that the series chose to pursue and feature. It is important to remember that the producers of “Break Point” are trying to attract viewership to their own product rather than promoting the long-term prospects of tennis. However, I see their choices as a bellwether for potential future marketing of the sport.
Even though I enjoyed the series, it would be inaccurate to say that I am eagerly awaiting the next drop of episodes in June. I will eventually watch them, but it is unlikely to be a higher priority than watching the live tennis matches on the grass court tournaments leading up to Wimbledon.
“Break Point” chronicles the constant grind of the professional tennis tour. Watching it reveals that tennis fans have their own couch potato version of the same thing. We should all view the series, but doing so requires commitment and dedication.
That is the fundamental challenge with promoting tennis.
