ATP Chairman Uses Michael Jordan’s ‘The Last Dance’ Example to Argue About Tennis’ Declining Popularity

Tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world today. The governing bodies ATP, WTA, and ITF work along with the organizing bodies of different tournaments to take care of every aspect of the game.

While sports viewership has improved over the years, the competition has increased too. With the rise of digital media and OTT platforms, a viewer has varied entertainment options. Thinking about the future, ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi has come up with an interesting plan. 

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi was impressed with ‘The Last Dance,’ by Michael Jordan 

Gaudenzi recalled the time he watched The Last Dance, a documentary focused on NBA star Michael Jordan. He revealed that the documentary was the reason he started following the sport more.

“The Last Dance, by Michael Jordan? That made me want to watch the NBA more,” he said.

Further, he revealed the plans for a similar concept in tennis.

“We want more people to be excited about tennis, so we want to show what’s behind every scene on the tour, a different side of the players, who they are and what they do, what it means to be a professional. We are in the entertainment business, we want to tell stories, live matches cannot be the only product we offer. Currently, 50% of media consumption is not live events,” he added.

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It will be exciting to see a documentary being made on legends like Roger Federer and Serena Williams. After all, they are the motivation for future generations and this will be a great way to show their behind-the-match efforts.

Tennis star Naomi Osaka’s documentary on Netflix

Netflix made a documentary on the Japanese tennis star, Naomi Osaka last year. The documentary followed the life of Osaka over the course of two years. The series had three episodes and covered the period of 2019-2021.

Naomi Osaka is a promising young tennis star and has achieved a lot at a very young age. She has already won four major titles and has defeated legends of the sport like Serena Williams.

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However, the Japanese star has endured a tough time both on and off the court recently. Making her comeback to the tour after a long hiatus due to mental health issues, she hasn’t looked at her best. Her fans will certainly hope to see Osaka regain the form that took her to the summit of the WTA rankings before her battle with mental health.