By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Friday, June 23, 2023
If there's one thing that the latest season of the Netflix Break Point reality tennis series proves is that a "Hollywood Ending" in the sport is very hard to produce.
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The series' second installment follows its selected cast of players through last year's Wimbledon, US Open, and the season-ending ATP and WTA Finals.
The series kicks off with Nick Kyrgios providing some rather astonishing confessionals about his former private life while he was on his way to reaching the 2022 Wimbledon final.
Kyrgios, in the first episode admits that 2019 was a low point in his life both professionally and personally as he admitted to suffering from depression, alcoholism and engaged in cutting himself.
So much so that he had to wear a sleeve on his arm during matches to hide his self-abuse. At one point, Kyrgios admitted himself to a London psychiatric hospital after having suicidal thoughts.
Kyrgios, after turning things around his life, recommitted to tennis and fueled himself to reaching the 2022 Wimbledon final, eventually losing to Novak Djokovic after winning the opening set.
While Kyrgios, due to his controversial personality, is presented in some ways as the "main star" of the series, ironically it's Ajla Tomljanovic, who once dated Kyrgios, who becomes the breakout star in this season.
That's due to her unexpected yet satisfying run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals that perhaps later foretold her even more significant and historical victory over Serena Williams in the US Open third round, marking the end of Williams's legendary career.
One thing the series does very well is give the viewer rare behind-the-scenes access to the players off the court, just after a win, or a loss, and how they manage everything with their respective teams.
Tomljanovic, just after her win over Williams, is shown in the player's area, expressing conflicted emotions about having enjoyed her career-best win at the expense of Williams' last match, all the while her team, especially her father is truly ecstatic at the result.
While everyone watching the US Open was undoubtedly hoping for a "Hollywood Ending" to Williams' career by seeing her win one more Grand Slam, the series proves that no matter how hard the tour tries to create new stars, especially with the likes of legends Serena Williams and Roger Federer retiring last year, it's often the case that unexpected stars emerge when least expected.
That may be most evident in the episode focusing on fan-favorite Ons Jabeur and her popular run to the Wimbledon final last year. The series focuses on how Jabeur, as a trailblazing athlete for Tunisia, has become a global favorite in the sport.
With the show following Jabeur's run to the final, it's not hard to think that the producers were ready to celebrate Jabeur raising the coveted Wimbledon title as a clinching exclamation point for the season.
Yet, as tennis fans, know, Elena Rybakina had other ideas that year.
Rybakina, who unfairly, is not given much screen time in the episode, literally shows up as the plot twist no one expected.
First, she defeats Tomljanovic in the quarters, and then a few rounds later goes on to surprise Jabeur, and the Wimbledon crowd, by taking the title in three sets.
It's to Jabeur's credit that she reveals in the episode that she knew in the final set, that despite trying her best, she knew that day she did not have the game to defeat Rybakina.
Despite her heartbreak, Jabeur is shown later receiving a heroine's welcome in her home country.
The rest of the episodes focus on the US Open, including Iga Swiatek's satisfying run to the title and the feel-good story of Frances Tiafoe reaching the semifinals in New York.
The final episode that focuses on the ATP and WTA Finals almost feels like an afterthought after all of the drama of the previous majors.
One huge issue in the sport that gets buried in the season is the impact of the Ukraine/Russia conflict on both events and players.
While Aryna Sablakenka of Belarus is featured in the last episode, and the ban by Wimbledon of Russian and Belarusian players is mentioned, the producers could have done a better job exploring the issue throughout the season, especially since it continues to have an impact on the tour this year.
These issues aside, it's the behind-the-scenes access to the player's lives off the court that makes the series worthwhile watching, even if tennis fans already know the results of the matches that happened a year ago.
Perhaps instead of hoping for the "Hollywood Ending" at the end of a major final, the producers may discover even more satisfying conclusions off-court in the next season.
Photo Credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty