Freshly-retired pro tennis star Rafael Nadal is getting Netflix’s documentary treatment.
The streamer and Skydance Sports unveiled plans to develop the docuseries that follow Nadal’s career, which includes 22-time Grand Slam champion trophies and his dramatic final season in 2024. Nadal retired last month at the Davis Cup after 23 years in competitive pro tennis.
Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning director Zach Heinzerling will direct the Nadal docuseries, with David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jason Reed, and Jon Weinbach producing.
“Rafael Nadal stands as one of the most influential and greatest figures in the history of sports. We are excited to present his remarkable story to our members, offering an intimate glimpse into his journey to cement his legacy to become the legend he is today,” Diego Ávalos, Netflix’s vp of content for Spain, Portugal, and the Nordics, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Rival Amazon Prime Video earlier launched a documentary on Roger Federer’s tennis career and final 12 days of competition that was directed by Asif Kapadia and Joe Sabia. And Netflix plans another docuseries on 20-year-old tennis superstar Carlos Alcaraz, with Alcaraz to focus on the Spanish tennis player who became the youngest No. 1 in the history of the sport.
As Netflix leans into sports-themed programming, the streamer on Wednesday also announced production had started on a 2024 season-long series to follow college football’s most dominant conference, the Southeastern Conference.
“This series places viewers inside some of college football’s most storied programs in the SEC through unfiltered access to their coaches and players on and off the field: on the buses, in the locker rooms, at the barbershops, around the fire pits, running out of the tunnels, and more. We take an exclusive look at key matchups throughout the SEC season to show the passion and drama of college football’s leading conference,” Netflix said in a synopsis.
Box To Box Films, the production banner behind earlier Netflix docuseries Full Swing, Formula 1: Drive to Survive and Break Point, will produce the SEC conference series. James Gay-Rees, Paul Martin, Hillary Olsen and showrunner Collin Orcutt will share executive producer credits.
Netflix sports programming includes recent releases like Quarterback, Receiver, Starting 5, Simone Biles Rising and Sprint, as well as live programming including Paul vs. Tyson and the NFL Christmas Gameday.
Netflix has partnered with sports leagues including Formula 1, National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the PGA TOUR, Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA), World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and more.
Source: Hollywoodreporter
