Name: Break Point
Director: Martin Webb
Released: 2023-01-13T13:30:00

Netflix’s Tennis docuseries, ‘Break Point’ follows the underdogs and the rising new stars of the sport as they try their best to excel over those they’ve considered their idols all their lives while setting their sights on some of the biggest, most prestigious titles.

Story

‘Break Point’ kicks off with the first episode, titled ‘The Maverick’, as the camera crew follows the “bad boy” of Tennis, Nick Kyrgios.

As the player defies expectations and takes the competition by storm, the hot-tempered but incredibly talented Kyrgios fails in Singles but finds joy and victory in the 2022 Australian Open doubles.

Episode 2, titled ‘Take the Crown’, follows Italy’s Matteo Berrettini and Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović, as the couple goes against formidable opponents at the Australian Open, just after Novac Djokovic’s ban has left a big hole and a bigger opportunity.

While Ajla loses to Paula Badosa, Berrettini ends up losing to the Tennis legend Rafael Nadal.

Titled ‘California Dreaming’, episode 3 follows Maria Sakkari going up against Badosa while Taylor Fritz faces off against Rafael Nadal in a career-defining match at Indian Wells.

In a nail-biting finale, Fritz secures the momentous win against Nadal, breaking his 2022 streak. Meanwhile, Sakkari wins against Badosa but later on loses the 2022 Paribas Open Women’s Singles to Iga Swiatek.

Episode 4, ‘Great Expectations’ sees Paula Badosa prioritize her mental health over the game while Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur makes history by winning the Madrid Open title, becoming the first woman from Africa, the Arab world, and Tunisia to do so.

The last episode, titled ‘King of Clay’, sees the titular legend Rafael Nadal score the victory and retain the kingship while two young players — Félix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud try their best to take the crown from him.

Positives

The various peeks at the young blood of Tennis certainly make for an intriguing watch at times, especially when the players are seen contending with the thrills and excitement of going up against their idols — the seemingly untouchable titans of the sport.

Rafael Nadal is like the Boogeyman of ‘Break Point’, frequently dropping in to provide the stars of the docuseries their respective ‘final boss’ battles.

Negatives

For a sport this enthralling, the docuseries can come off as rather boring and stale at times. This is weird since the way most of the docuseries are shot feels like one long motivational advertisement montage.

More original footage and less reliance on archival footage would have allowed for a better gauge of the stars and their palpable struggles outside the arena.

The background music is so lousy the subconscious almost edits it out of the rest.

Verdict

‘Break Point’ soars and plummets in its impact as moments of victory and defeat are delivered rather shabbily. Suffice it to say, the attempt at recreating the ‘Drive to Survive’ success for Tennis doesn’t quite work with the first half of this docuseries.