World number three Casper Ruud would like to see the Netflix tennis documentary series “Break Point” focus more on court competition, but Maria Sakkari was happy to open the show.
“I hope we get a little more action on the court next season and maybe not so many other things,” said Ruud, who was in the running for the 2022 French Open final in one event.
The Norwegian said he made a conscious decision not to reveal too much of his personal life in front of the cameras.
But he said the show captured the ups and downs faced by players – including an exciting moment at the French Open when the grounds crew, fearing rain, wouldn’t let him warm up before sunset – his final round.
“I was very angry,” he said. “They said it was supposed to rain, it wasn’t raining when we got to court. That was the type of thing and the argument that was going on.
“I don’t know if it was good or not, but Netflix was there to catch everything. I was getting more and more frustrated because they refused us to play even though it wasn’t raining.
“I almost forgot that happened because it was a big week for me, a big tournament. I reached my first Grand Slam final, and it wasn’t that little bump that I thought, you know, when the show was on. going to come out.
“But it was also a bit funny looking back at what can happen to us sometimes. It’s not always a smooth ride.”
He would like to see more of the tension he felt against two Scandinavian opponents, including his comeback from two sets to one down in the third round against his Finnish foe.
Greece’s Sakkari, whose run to the WTA Indian Wells 2022 final was covered in a single program, was forthcoming about the challenges of the mental side of the game and said she believed that it’s right to open.
“I just felt like if I’m going to do it, I want to do it the right way,” Sakkari said. “I don’t want to hide anything. I don’t want to be fake.”
She said the agents have some kind of charisma or a way of making you feel, in a good way, like we’re friends so you have a friendly conversation.
“Then when you get to know them a little more, you open up and you feel comfortable just talking about your feelings and how you feel on the tour.
“I just didn’t feel there was any reason to hide and not be transparent and honest about how I felt last year because it was very challenging.
“I’m very happy that a lot of people liked it, and I’ve been getting really good feedback. “
– Higher profiles –
Sakkari and Ruud both said being on the show, which has been confirmed for another season, has boosted their accounts.
Ruud remembered a woman at a grocery story in Florida, where he was training last month, telling him that she and her husband had seen him the night before in the show.
“I haven’t been, like, a worldwide superstar or anything, but I guess more people in the world have seen the show.
“It’s good for us if more people know and are interested in tennis.”
Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime said he thought the effect was more pronounced in the United States.
“Going to dinner or the grocery store, a lot more people recognize me and other players,” he said. “They say, ‘I just watched your program and I liked it.’
bb/rcw/gj
