"I’m scared" - Taylor Fritz worried about being misrepresented on Netflix's Break Point
World No. 9 Taylor Fritz dreads about how the final cut of the tennis docuseries Break Point will turn out. The American tennis ace has admitted that the people working behind the show can "cut things however they want to."
The Netflix docuseries is expected to be raw and straightforward, divulging the inside stories of tennis players. While everything has been shot after receiving permission from players, it is to be seen how much backstage editing has been done to make things look more entertaining and appealing for the public.
In a conversation with The Sydney Morning Herald, Fritz expressed pessimism about the show as he fears about how things can be cut up and shown to the fans.
"I don’t know if I want to watch it. I’m scared. I’m scared of how things can be cut up. Especially because I haven’t tried to filter myself at all. Yeah, I’ve tried to just be very, very genuine. But they can cut things however they want to cut things," he said.
Citing the example of Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios, the 25-year-old emphasized that the show might try to depict certain players as the "villain" so that fans would find it more captivating.
"It's like with Nick [Kyrgios]. They could cut it up to make Nick look such an amazing guy. And then they could also cut it up to make him look like the villain, which I feel like they might do just because that’s how a lot of people in tennis see him - even though I think he’s great for the sport,” Taylor Fritz added.
“I’m excited for what this could potentially do for tennis, especially in the United States" - Taylor Fritz on the tennis docuseries
Although Taylor Fritz is skeptical about the negative impact 'Break Point' can have on his career, the American is excited about the aspect of potential fan growth for tennis in his country as a result of the show.
The 2022 Japan Open champion rued that people in the US barely recognize him in public, whereas when he takes trips to Europe, fans frequently come up to him, asking for pictures.
"I’m excited for what this could potentially do for tennis, especially in the United States. What a lot of people don’t understand is that, in the US, tennis is very unknown. We always have a joke when we come to Europe. We’re out doing stuff, and someone recognizes me and asks for a picture. I’ll say, ‘That would never happen in the US’," Fritz asserted.
Break Point will be released on January 13, 2023 and will feature five episodes in the first season. It will cover the first half of 2022 from the Australian Open to the French Open.