"Takes skill to make golf more exciting than tennis": Fans 'not surprised' Netflix shelves 'Break Point' ft. Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, others
Netflix's decision to stop production of its tennis docuseries Break Point due to poor ratings hasn't left fans surprised.
The series was ideated in 2022 to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the world's biggest tennis tournaments. It intended to be similar to Formula 1's 'Drive to Survive', another one of their productions that saw rapturous success.
The first part of Break Point debuted in January 2023, while the second part came out in June 2023. Matteo Berrettini, Nick Kyrgios, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Paula Badosa, and Ons Jabeur amongst others starred in the first season.
The series renewed for a second season in March 2023, which was released in January earlier this year and it featured the likes of Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari, amongst others.
The show failed to capture the imagination of fans and was ultimately dumped by Netflix on Friday, March 8, due to concerns over access to the sport's leading players and poor ratings.
Fans echoed their disappointed sentiments about the show, with many conceding that the discontinuation hasn't come across as a surprise.
'The first season was okay-ish, but the second was terrible, so it doesn’t surprise me," wrote one fan on Reddit.
Another fan hailed it a "good decision," stating that it was painful to watch as an avid tennis fan.
"Good decision. Even as a huge fan of tennis the show was a hard watch for me, I can’t even imagine how it would be for those who have a casual interest in the sport," another fan exclaimed.
"Next time try to actually show some tennis," another fan remarked.
"Takes some skill to make golf more exciting to watch than tennis," another fan joked.
Here are a few more of reactions from fans online:
Alexander Zverev to face Tallon Griekspoor in R2 of Indian Wells
Sixth seed Alexander Zverev is slated to face off against 27th seed Tallon Griekspoor in the round of 32 at the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday, March 10.
Zverev sailed through his opener against Australian Christopher O’Connell, beating him 6-4, 6-4 in one hour, 56 minutes. Zverev hit 27 winners in total and won 76% of points behind his first serve.
“I’m extremely happy to be in winning ways again. Definitely happy to win in two sets,” Zverev was quoted as saying after the match.
Griekspoor, meanwhile, won his opening match against Yannick Hanfmann in the round of 64, beating him 6-3, 6-3.
Zverev and Griekspoor have met thrice on tour, with the German leading their head-to-head 2-1. He won their last encounter 6-4, 7-6 (3) in Montreal last year.
Currently ranked sixth in the men's ranking, a strong showing in Indian Wells could propel him to fifth in the ranking should he do better than the current holder Andrey Rublev. His best result at the event is a quarter-final appearance in 2021.