Having won 250 tournaments, including 83 without losing a single game, 3 Olympic medals, 6 Wimbledon titles and only suffered 7 defeats, Suzanne Lenglen (1899-1938) left an indelible mark on world tennis. Away from the court, the French tennis player was also a feminist icon and talented writer.
Novak Djokovic, one of the greatest tennis players of all time. With 86 ATP singles titles, 37 Masters events and 20 Grand Slam's, few tennis players have achieved what Djokovic has. Currently ranked world number one and a record total of 365 weeks on top, Djokovic has dominated the sport for the last 10 years. Things have not always been easy for the world number one. Born in war-torn Belgrade, Serbia, Djokovic developed his skills in some of the harshest conditions imaginable. Despite this he rose to the top of the professional tennis rankings, becoming a national icon and a symbol of unity for the Serbian people.
The Argentine Miracle of Tennis
Under pressure to continue a winning tradition in American tennis, Mardy Fish faced mental health challenges that changed his life on and off the court.
Wonderful glimpse of the Wimbledon tennis championship at its former home on Worple Road, including some of the era’s top male and female players.
A profile documentary about selfless Jacksonville public courts manager and tennis coach Harrell Thomas, who loves his job and works hard to make a difference in his community.
Del Potro, el último match point
A behind the scenes look with Anna Kournikova at her 2003 calendar photo shoot and trip to Mexico.
1972 was a turning point in Ilie Nastase's career: he won his first US Open, while also reaching both Wimbledon and Davis Cup finals. Moving back and forth in time and featuring amazing archive footage and exclusive interviews with top athletes, the documentary explores Nastase's highs and lows, the controversies that surrounded him and the enduring impact he has had on the world of tennis. Lovable, charming and generous, yet temperamental, arrogant and obscene, Mr. Nice'n'Nasty disrupted the old-fashioned etiquette of the sport in the 70s thus becoming its first rebel rock star.
A documentary film that tracks the tennis star’s devastating injury journey between 2017-2019. From the front lines of surgical theatres, to the intimate corners of his home, we live alongside and witness Andy at his most vulnerable. Considered Britain’s greatest sportsman ever, we see why Andy puts himself through the unimaginable to get back to the sport he loves.
We know about the swing. We know about the swagger. But what most Americans don't know about Venus Williams is how she changed the course of her sport. In a stunning case that captured the European public beginning in 2005, Williams challenged the long-held practice of paying women tennis players less than their male counterparts at Wimbledon. With a deep sense of obligation to the legacy of Billie Jean King, Williams lobbied British Parliament, UNESCO and Fleet Street for financial parity. And it was her poignant op-ed piece in The London Times that convinced many people that the Wimbledon tournament organizers were "on the wrong side of history." Roland Garros and Wimbledon finally relented in 2007. That year at Wimbledon, Venus became the first women's champion to earn as much as the men's singles winner (Roger Federer). VENUS VS. chronicles Williams' fight for pay equality.
Americans are preoccupied with the news, but need an escape from many of the events reported in the news. These escapes in the past have included dime store novels. The most accessible of these escapes is what are known as the funny papers, the set of serialized comic strips that are included within many newspapers. They appeal to all socio-economic classes, and all ages. Some of the earliest known from the late 19th century include the Yellow Kid, Little Nemo, Happy Hooligan, the Katzenjammer Kids, Mutt & Jeff, and Bringing Up Father. Many cartoonists are seen in action. Some originated their characters, while others have taken over following the passing of the originator. The joy of many comic strips are the absurd and the fantastical, which are limited only by the imagination of the cartoonist. Others are grounded in reality, which add to their poignancy within the public mindset.
This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short tells the story of Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite, and later established the Nobel Prize.
As the BBC celebrates 90 years of covering Wimbledon, Sue Barker travels the globe to meet some of the legends who have graced the famous grass courts. Tennis royalty including Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Rod Laver, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, Virginia Wade, Martina Navratilova, Boris Becker and John McEnroe share memories and reflect on their own experiences at the iconic tennis tournament. These are their stories as never told before, emotional and self-deprecating, revealing how their lives and careers were changed by the Championships. For Sue herself, Wimbledon has been a big part of her life for nearly 50 years as a fan, player and broadcaster. She also meets the Duke of Kent, who is president of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, and the Duchess of Cambridge, who this year takes on a new role as patron.
Shows how important luck can be in a person's life.
Zverev – Der Unvollendete
This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series short highlights the film preservation efforts of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Several scenes from early newsreels are shown.
An immersive film essay on tennis legend John McEnroe at the height of his career as the world champion, documenting his strive for perfection, frustrations, and the hardest loss of his career at the 1984 Roland-Garros French Open.
The film intertwines Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's lives with their famed 2008 Wimbledon championship - an epic match so close and so reflective of their competitive balance that, in the end, the true winner was the sport itself.
Author Jay Caspian Kang’s astute, incisive directorial debut tells the story of Asian American tennis prodigy Michael Chang, the youngest player to win a men’s Grand Slam tournament.