Stephanie Livaudais: Knowing the player personalities that will be involved, I’m sure that the Netflix series will be embraced—but the more interesting question is, by whom? And is the sport ready to serve the new breed of tennis fan that it could create?
Netflix’s Formula 1 mega-hit Drive To Survive has served as the blueprint, having succeeded in bringing the sport a wave of new fans—ones who went from zero to following drivers and teams on social media, and occasionally tuning into or attending races.
Longtime F1 fans, however, have the most criticism for the series. The type of fan that would know that producers have (allegedly) used team radio audio from one race over footage from another in order to heighten drama, views DTS differently from the casual ‘Netflix fan’.
So while Netflix’s portrayal might not resonate with the most plugged-in tennis followers, the sport’s ability to connect with this newer, younger audience—ones that never have watched a match before—could be the barometer for the series’ success.