Tennis version of F1's Drive to Survive covering Novak Djokovic's vaccine saga to be launched on Netflix
Novak Djokovic's controversial visa saga in Melbourne ahead of the 2022 Australian Open is set to be captured in a Netflix docuseries, according to the Daily Mail. The docuseries will be created by London-based Box To Box Films, with James Gay Rees, the mastermind behind Formula 1's Drive to Survive, serving as the executive producer.
Box To Box Films is renowned for creating sports-themed content, having already made films on Steven Gerrard, Cristiano Ronaldo, and the World Surfing Tour among others. This will be the first time they venture into tennis.
As Novak Djokovic's visa to attend the Australian Open continues to garner international attention, Netflix is reportedly already preparing a documentary to cover the situation.
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According to Sportsmail, the crew will follow all events from locker rooms to player lounges wherever consent for shooting is granted to them by the Australian Open authorities.
In an interview in late December, Djokovic's long-time rival Andy Murray said a tennis docuseries similar to F1's Drive to Survive would be a "huge benefit to the sport." Murray pointed out that the series would be "difficult" to make since tennis is not "open enough to allow access" to crew members, but believes it will be a "brilliant" idea if it does come to fruition.
Andy Murray believes tennis can hugely benefit from a docu-series like F1’s Drive to Survive & says he’d be willing to take part & grant the necessary access.
“I think it can be unbelievably positive.”
We also discussed Davis Cup + why he loves Mo Salah.
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“I would [be open to a similar docuseries in tennis] because I think that there is huge benefit to the sport. Both sides - the athletes and the media need to – I'm not saying that not everyone understands it but we need to understand that it's beneficial to everyone for there to be that level of respect and that level of access. It's great for the sport as a whole," said Murray.
“I don't think tennis is open enough to allow access like that. It's a difficult one because, yeah, it's brilliant. A lot of people have spoken about Drive to Survive. I've watched a few episodes myself. I haven't watched the whole thing but I enjoyed it and, yeah, something like that would be really good for tennis," added the three-time Grand Slam winner.
Novak Djokovic's visa fiasco threatens to derail bid for 21st Grand Slam title
Novak Djokovic's time in Melbourne has involved many twists and turns. The Serb landed in Melbourne with a medical exemption but was detained at the airport by Border Force officials. They deemed that he did not meet the requirements for unvaccinated entry and subsequently revoked his visa.
However, Judge Anthony Kelly quashed the visa cancelation order after Djokovic took the matter to court, freeing the Serb from detention and permitting him to feature at the Australian Open.
It is important to note that Australia's immigration authorities are still investigating the matter and could choose to deport Djokovic in the coming days.
If the Serb does compete at the Australian Open, he will eye a men's record 21st Grand Slam title and record-extending 10th crown in Melbourne.