Break Point

If you're a tennis fan (or not) and looking for juiciness, this may just be the show for you.

A strong & personal look into the livelihoods of some of the best, male and female, tennis players in the world and the individual hardships & pressures they face.

Being a huge tennis fan, I was very hyped for this show, especially coming from the creator of Drive to Survive. Break Point certainly did not disappoint. It really depicts the underlying drama that players battle behind the scenes of every tournament and every match. The show is undoubtedly well edited and though slightly disappointed by certain stars like Carlos Alcaraz & Tsitsipas only in passing, I'm really looking forward to Part 2.

I enjoyed this show so soo sooo much! I stopped playing professional tennis two years ago. It was awful, cuz i have loved it. This series made me want to play again. Its unbelievable! Fascinating! And super-duper exciting! Like "your heart starts beating faster"... tho its good if u know the rules of a tennis match, in my opinion someone who never played tennis before can also enjoy it.

Plus i am crazy excited about the next season. It's gonna be even better!!

One thing i'd critisize as a federer and berettini fan is: the most finals and matches they show are against Rafael Nadal, and sadly no one could beat him in this series, in the clips they showed. I felt like it's really about nadal and not about the young players... but yes whatever i understand , this is how it happened. This is life.

Tennis is life.

You can know nothing about tennis and still enjoy this show. The rules are explained in a way everyone will understand. Simply watching highlights of a tennis match will not give you the same insight as this show does. Viewers will gain a new appreciation of the mental and physical tests tennis players go through.

Break Point is not so much about the game of tennis, it's about the people. Why are these people sacrificing their mental health for greatness? What motivates these players to take the extra step? Break Point is an intimate look into the life of an athlete of the highest caliber in one of the most mentally demanding sports in the world.

The absence of some of the greatest players is felt but does not change the fact that Break Point is a look at the behind-the-scenes of tennis, and it will undoubtedly bring more fans to the sport.

The jump cuts are annoying and the cheerleading sycophantic background commentary can be cringeworthy at times. The series needs a toned-down perspective rather than the fanfare it injects into every situation. Instead, we get contrived setups of personal moments (especially with ditzy girlfriends) and a whole episode on Nick Kyrgios throwing tantrums because he's a "misunderstood" and "troubled" boy...Oh boohoo! Give us a break!

A more subtle perspective with unguarded moments in training, traveling and the struggle to stay on form...more honest fly-on-the-wall stuff. What makes the great players great? And why are so many of the younger players not at the same level as Federer, Nadal and Serena were at their age? We need a more honest exposé on behind-the-scenes tennis rather than the over-dramatic off-the-shelf formula it presents.

As a tennis fan I think it's important to show the inside of the sport which I think lacks access to the fans at times. Sport of more than about hitting a ball, it's about the history, the drama, the psychology and getting to know the players. A few of the players gave good access, I wish more would have done.

I was disappointed that the Novak drama in Australia was almost completely glossed over as that was the biggest tennis story of the year. A lot of the focus is on some of the up and coming players trying to make their big breakthroughs and this series was lucky enough to have access to some players having some big moments. For example, Nick Kyrgios gave access in what turned out to be a big breakthrough year for him in both singles and doubles. The series is definitely richer for that story despite a couple of reviewers crying about it and giving the whole series a low rating because of it. I think sport is a lot more boring without its characters.

This documentary gives a good balance between the male and female side of tennis, I do wish some of the bigger names were involved with this though, such as Roger, Rafa and Novak, along with some more of the legends of the sport. The contrast between the established at the top of the sport with the up and coming players with more of the input of the legends could have made with more compelling. Still, I enjoyed this so far and am looking forward to the next instalment in the Summer.