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The tennis season is filled with drama, both on and off the court. Players and their respective staffs travel to all kinds of places in a frenetic schedule with little to no breaks between tournaments. There is, however, one major problem: most of the off-court drama remains behind the scenes, away from the fans’ eyes. Enter the new Break Point documentary by Netflix.
Now if you are a sports fan, or if you have a Netflix account, odds are you’ve probably heard about the Formula One: Drive to Survive series at some point. The Emmy-winning documentary is credited with F1’s recent surge in popularity, particularly in the US. That’s what the tennis world expects to achieve with Break Point.
The comparison couldn’t be more obvious: Break Point is made by Box to Box Films, the studio behind Drive to Survive. Executive producers James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin are again leading the team.
Here is everything you want to know more about the Break Point series, including the release date, the number of episodes and which tennis personalities will be featured.
Break Point Release Date and Where to Watch
Contents
Since the first Break Point teaser dropped back in December 12, tennis fans have been eager with anticipation. Well, the wait is almost over: the Break Point release date is set for January 13, just a few days before the start of Australian Open 2023.
Break Point will be split in two cores, each with five episodes. The second core is scheduled for a June premiere. Now if you are wondering about where to watch Break Point, the answer is very simple. The tennis documentary series will be available on Netflix.
How to Sign Up to Netflix for New Customers
What if you don’t own a Netflix account? There is no other way around if you want to watch Break Point: you will need to sign up for one. But you don’t have to worry about it, as the process is extremely simple. We will give you a helping hand and provide an easy to follow step-by-step guide on how to do it.
After accessing the Netflix page, enter your email in the Email Address field (center of the page) and click on “Get Started”. Next, you will have to choose your plan. Netflix offers four different options:
- Basic with ads: limited number of movies and TV series available. Supports one device at a time. Includes ads, as the name suggests.
- Basic: unlimited number of movies and TV series available, ad-free. Available in HD, supports one device at a time.
- Standard: same benefits already offered by the Basic plan. Expands to two devices supported at a time. Movies and series available in Full HD.
- Premium: the top plan keeps the benefits offered by the Basic and Standard plans. It supports four devices at a time. All movies and series are available in Ultra HD.
After selecting your plan, simply click on “Continue”. You will then enter your email and password. Click on “Continue” again. For the third and final step, you will choose your preferred payment method. Click on “Start Membership” and you can move on to setting up your account – which includes selecting the devices you want to use Netflix on, choosing your username and your preferred series/movies.
There you go – you are all set up to enjoy Break Point.
What Did We Learn From the Break Point Trailer?
Break Point makes one thing clear: tennis is going through a significant transition. “We’ve been blasted with an era of greatness”. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams.
But that era is slowly coming to an end: Federer and Williams have already retired. Arguably the biggest names in tennis for the past two decades, the all-time greats have left a massive hole to be filled. While the ATP still has Nadal and Djokovic around chasing records, the WTA is still looking for its next big star.
And the ATP probably isn’t too far either: while both Rafa and Nole are still playing at an elite level, they are also near the end of their respective careers. The question is: who will take over for them as the new tennis superstars?
One thing we’ve learned from the trailer is that the Break Point documentary will shift its focus to the rising stars. The series is centered around the younger players, the ones set to carry on the mantle.
Another important clue from the Break Point trailer is that the series will be heavily focused on the personal drama each athlete faces while on tour. Tennis is usually a very solitary sport, as players spend most of the year moving from one hotel to the next.
Pressure, as is always the case in professional sports, is extremely high, and the stress often reaches a tipping point – or a breaking point, if you will. The series’ title is a simple, but well-thought out wordplay. Athletes aren’t superhumans, even though we often see them as such. We can expect plenty of drama, revealing the “human” side of the sport.
Players and Narratives Featured in Break Point
Break Point has some clear goals. One of them is building up a new fanbase for tennis, much like Drive to Survive did for F1. But how can you achieve that in such a key turning point? Again, the biggest names from the past 20 years have either retired or are a few years away from doing it.
Establishing new fan-favorites is one of the documentary series’ goals. Think of Gunther Steiner and Haas in Drive to Survive, as the perennial back runners were heavily featured in the F1 series and quickly became favorites among the fans. Which Break Point players can achieve something similar?
The Future Superstars?
There are some interesting candidates. The Break Point trailer and press releases have confirmed some names, including Paula Badosa, Matteo Berrettini, Taylor Fritz, Ons Jabeur, Aryna Sabalenka and Ajla Tomljanovic.
But we can’t deny that some Break Point players are more likely to draw attention than others. Take Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, for example. The Greek pairing has risen to the top in the ATP and WTA Tour as two of the most prominent names among the younger players. We will probably get some insight on their friendship off the court.
Then there is Casper Ruud, your classic overachiever who has often drawn comparisons to David Ferrer. We will get a chance to learn more about the rising Norwegian star.
Sloane Stephens has always drawn plenty of attention as one of the potential successors to Serena Williams. But Stephens herself has already stated multiple times that she does not enjoy a particularly good relationship with the American great.
Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, has taken on the mantle from fellow Polish star Agnieszka Radwanska, one of the most popular tennis players of the past decade. Will we get some Iga-Aga parallels and the pressure that comes with it?
Frances Tiafoe and Felix Auger-Aliassime are Tsitsipas’ contemporaries, having risen together up the rankings. The trio was part of ATP Next Gen’s class in 2018 and 2019. While Tsitsipas has been one of the biggest names in tennis since ‘19, both Tiafoe and Auger-Aliassime experienced breakout years in 2022. Can they make the jump to become superstars?
The Man You Love to Hate
But we’ve saved the best for last: Nick Kyrgios is, without a doubt, one of the central characters in the Break Point documentary. The controversial Australian has always been under the spotlight, for one reason or another.
Kyrgios is as well-known for his on-court antics, outbursts and off-court controversies as he is for the flashy playing style and his undeniable talent. Kyrgios has often been considered “the next big thing” in tennis, as the Aussie himself acknowledges in the trailer. How many sides of Kyrgios will we get to see in Break Point? His good friend Tanakis Kokkinakis is also one of the players featured in Break Point.
As you can see, there is plenty to look for in the new Netflix tennis documentary series. Mark January 13 on your calendars, as the journey into the fascinating pro tour world is just beginning.
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