Netflix serves up tennis docuseries looking at year in the life of top players

Novak Djokovic is the current men’s tennis world number one (photo: Carine06 via CC)

Netflix has ordered a documentary series following male and female pro tennis players during four Grand Slam tournaments.

The streamer said the series will offer an unfiltered look at life inside the competitive sport of professional tennis through the perspective of the players and their teams.

Netflix has teamed up with the ATP Tour, WTA Tour and ATP Media for the show, which will begin by following players during the 2022 season at the Australian Open, where filming is currently underway. Coverage of the Australian tournament is being dominated by the absence of world men’s number one Novak Djokovic, who has been deported from the country under its Covid-19 rules.

The series will also take cameras behind the scenes of Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

It follows fellow Netflix sports docuseries Formula 1: Drive to Survive and the recently announced project featuring golf’s PGA Tour, with all three produced with Box to Box Films. James Gay Rees and Paul Martin serve as executive producers on the series.

Netflix claims the Tennis series will be the first sports programme of its kind to provide an equal platform to the men’s and women’s competitors of the sport, in keeping with the equal stage they share throughout the year.

Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s VP of unscripted and documentary series, said: “Tennis is beloved all over the world, with high-stakes tournaments hopping across continents and athletes hailing from countless countries.

“Through this historic partnership with the four Grand Slam tournaments, the ATP Tour, WTA Tour and ATP Media, the series will be packed with rare access and rich personal stories that are sure to draw in longtime fans and new audiences alike.”