33. BREAK(ING) POINT

The new Netflix programme ‘Break Point’ is all well and good and gives an insight into life on the pro tennis tour but does it really? Sure, it gives an insight into the lives of the top players, who have a jet set lifestyle with first class travel, nice hotels, and amazing prize money, but they are small in numbers and what would be far more interesting would be a fly on the wall into what life on the tour is like for the 1000’s of players who are grinding it out day in day out at the lower levels trying to reach the top 100 where they can actually make a living. The life for them is not so glamorous and I speak from experience, having travelled with one such player for the past 10 years.

What they fail to show is the long haul flights in economy seats (reality check – no private jets); the budget hotels with two or three players sharing a room (reality check – no 5 star suites); dinners in fast food outlets in shopping malls (reality check – no fine dining); the back street tennis clubs with cracked tennis courts (reality check – no quality courts and no stadia); self scored matches (reality check – no umpires or lines judges); matches played to zero audience (reality check – no spectators or supporters); DIY injury treatment (reality check – no physios, massage therapists etc); players travelling alone and teaching themselves via YouTube videos (reality check – no coaches court side); – and so the list goes on.

For sure, the top level players have earned their place and they deserve all the rewards they get but please don’t be fooled by the images portrayed in this high budget production. It’s fabulous to see how good it can be if you can make it to the top in this brutal sport but please don’t make out that all tennis players live like those in the series – because they certainly don’t – just read some of my earlier blogs and you will see what the reality is really like.

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