One thing Break Point makes clear from the start is that there is often very little glory to be found in tennis. “You get used to losing,” says Taylor Fritz, who is one of the 10 players featured in the first five episodes of the new Netflix documentary, produced by the team behind its wildly successful F1 predecessorDrive to Survive. “Only one player can win every week,” he adds, and while Break Point is there to capture those moments, it is in the examination of tennis as a brutal and at times lonely world that makes the first half of its debut season a compelling watch.
These are still early days for the show, but its tentative first steps are engaging enough and in moments break out into the stride that Drive to Survive captured quite masterfully in recent years. Despite some initial criticism, there is enough here for ardent tennis followers, as well as the prospective new audience Break Point is eager to hit. The nature of tennis and its intense physical and mental demands serves as the frame for much of the drama, which is designed to be brought to life by its characters – many of whom may be unfamiliar if you only watch a few days of Wimbledon per year.
