Streaming giant Netflix has partnered with tennis’ ATP and WTA tours, the top men’s and women’s competitions, to create a documentary series following the stories of the sport’s top players as they travel the world over the course of a season.
Netflix says the series will provide an “unfiltered look at life inside the competitive sport of professional tennis through the perspective of the players and their teams”.
The series is being produced by Box To Box Films, which has been behind a number of other major Netflix sporting documentaries including Formula 1: Drive to Survive (about the prestigious motor racing series), which has been renewed for a fourth season, and the recently announced PGA Tour docuseries that is also in the pipeline.
ATP Media, that body's media rights arm, was also involved in discussions around the opportunity.
The docuseries will feature action from four tennis grand slams – Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open – and, it is claimed, will also be the first sports series of its kind “to provide an equal platform to the men’s and women’s competitors of the sport”.
Filming for the new series is underway at the Australian Open, which began earlier today (January 17) and runs through until January 30.
Brandon Riegg, vice-president of unscripted and documentary series' at Netflix, said: “We are excited to continue bolstering our lineup of sports programming with this behind-the-scenes documentary series. 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.”
