Skip to main content

Netflix Documentary Break Point Useful Tool in Promoting Tennis, Say the Featured Players

World number four Casper Ruud would like to see the Netflix tennis docu-series Break Point look more at on-court competition, but Maria Sakkari was glad she opened up on the show.

"I hope that next season we will get a little bit more actinon court and not maybe as much other things," said Ruud, whose run to the 2022 French Open final was featured in one episode.

Ruud said he made a conscious decision not to reveal too much of his personal life before the cameras.

But he said the show (Break Point) did capture the ups and downs players face -- including a provoking moment at the French Open when grounds crew, fearing rain, would not let him warm up before his semi-final.

"I was quite angry," he said. "They said that it was supposed to rain, it wasn't raining when we arrived on court. That was the sort of hiccup and the argument that was ongoing.

"I don't know if it was good or not but Netflix was there catching it all. I was getting more and more frustrated because they just refused us to play even though it wasn't raining.

"I'd almost forgot that happened because it was a big week for me, a big tournament. I reached my first final at a Grand Slam, and that little hiccup was not what I was thinking about, you know, when the show was going to come out.

"But it was a little bit funny also seeing back on what can happen sometimes for us. It's not always a smooth ride."

He would have liked to see more of the tension he felt facing two Scandinavian opponents, including his comeback from two sets to one down in the third round to a Finnish foe.

Greece's Sakkari, whose run to the 2022 Indian Wells WTA final was covered in one episode, was forthcoming about the difficulties of the mental side of the game and said she thought it was right to open up.

"I just felt like that if I do it, I want to do it the right way," Sakkari said. "I don't want to hide anything. I don't want to fake."

She did say the producers "have some kind of charisma or a way to just make you feel, in a good way, like we are friends so you're having a friendly chat.

"Then once you get to know them a little bit more, then you open up and you feel comfortable just talking about your emotions and how you feel on the tour.

"I just didn't feel like there was any reason for me to hide and not be transparent and honest on how I felt last year because it was very challenging.

"I'm very glad that a lot of people liked it actually, and I've been getting very good feedback."

Higher profiles

Sakkari and Ruud both said being on the show, which has been confirmed for another season, had raised their profiles.

Ruud recalled a woman at a grocery story in Florida, where he was training last month, telling him she and her husband had watched him the night before in the show.

"I haven't been, like, an overnight worldwide superstar or anything, but I guess some more people in the world have seen the show.

"It's positive for us if more people know and are interested in tennis."

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime said he thought the impact was more noticeable in the United States.

"Going to dinner or a grocery store, a lot more people are recognizing me and other players," he said. "They say, 'I just watched your episode and I loved it.'


From smartphones with rollable displays or liquid cooling, to compact AR glasses and handsets that can be repaired easily by their owners, we discuss the best devices we've seen at MWC 2023 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.


from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/gXndztq

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Xiaomi Offers Free Xiaomi 12 Pro Upgrade to Mi 11 Ultra Users Facing Wi-Fi Issues

Xiaomi is offering a free upgrade to a Xiaomi 12 Pro for Mi 11 Ultra users who are facing Wi-Fi issues. These users also have the option to further upgrade to the company's latest Xiaomi 13 Pro by paying an extra fee of Rs. 30,000. Just recently, the company extended the warranty of the Mi 11 Ultra alongside other smartphones by two years, after users complained of camera and motherboard issues. The current offer — including the free upgrade and the paid one, is extended to the Mi 11 Ultra users who are having trouble with Wi-Fi on their handsets. The Xiaomi India President Muralikrishnan B announced the offers in a video message via Twitter. He added that the  Mi 11 Ultra users who had previously paid and upgraded their handsets to the Xiaomi 12 Pro will be offered a full refund. They will need to contact the company online or through the nearest Xiaomi service centre. Notably, this refund is only applicable to users who upgraded their handsets due to Wi-Fi issues....

Softbank CEO Says He is Heavy User of ChatGPT Speaks to OpenAIs Sam Altman Often

SoftBank Group 's Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said on Tuesday he is a "heavy user" of ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot from Microsoft -backed startup OpenAI. Son said he is speaking "almost everyday" to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman , who has made high-profile visits to Tokyo this year as he looks to capitalise on interest in generative AI and exert influence on the regulation of the burgeoning technology around the world. "I am chatting with ChatGPT everyday - I am a heavy user," Son told shareholders of the group's telecoms subsidiary. Son has stepped back from public pronouncements in recent months to focus on the planned listing of chip designer Arm as his technology investment conglomerate books heavy loss due to the sliding value of its portfolio. The group holds its annual general meeting on Wednesday with the market looking for details of Son's investment outlook at a time when excitement over AI is driving capital...