Break Point (2023) s01e03 Episode Script
California Dreaming
1
[pensive music playing]
It's tough to be happy in tennis
because every single week everyone loses.
But one person.
[Taylor] You get used to losing.
It's pretty non-stop.
Minimum 30-something weeks
of the year traveling.
It kills you.
You just want to keep working,
keep improving.
And since all I'm thinking about
is just like
doing absolutely everything
I possibly can do
to like deserve to belong
with these guys in the top ten.
I'm very excited for the next tournaments
because Indian Wells is going to be hot.
[upbeat music playing]
This is not working. Whoo!
[upbeat music playing]
Bye.
[upbeat music playing]
That winning feeling
is just the best feeling.
And the bigger the match
and the bigger the tournament,
the better that winning feeling is,
you know?
[upbeat music playing]
[music stops]
[soul music playing]
[TV announcer]
Let's settle into tennis Paradise.
It's Indian Wells.
[soul music playing]
Indian Wells is an iconic tournament.
[Felix]
Huge site in the middle of the desert.
It's a lot of wealth from the west coast
and celebrities and all that.
[man] I'm gonna standardize the look.
[laughter]
There's much more money involved,
prestige and thrill.
[TV announcer] The winner will net
over 1.2 million dollars.
It's a great tournament.
I just love to be there.
Excuse me. Can you?
Who is this cat?
[laughter]
It's a pretty good litmus test
for the way the year might go.
It's probably the best tournament on tour.
One of the best moments of my career,
and it always will be like that.
[Courtney Nguyen] Winning Indian Wells
can change entire careers.
It's a tournament that has always
been dominated by Grand Slam champions
[Paul Annocone] The stars of the tour
are ready to battle it out
at a tournament known as the 5th Slam.
[TV female announcer]
In the men's competition,
it's been 21 long years
since an American lifted the trophy.
[TV male announcer] Nadal!
[TV female announcer]
And with Rafael Nadal
steaming through his most successful start
to the season ever,
2022 looks set to make it
another tough year
for homegrown talent.
[birds cawing]
- How you doing, Taylor?
- Good, how you doing?
I'm Taylor Fritz. I'm 24 years old.
I'm originally
from Rancho Santa Fe, California.
It's your home state tournament.
How special of a feeling is that?
It's so cool.
This is the one tournament
that choose to have big results at, so
Um, it's just It's so good.
Indian Wells is one of the most
important tournaments for me.
I came here as a kid.
[slow music playing]
My dad would take me.
[slow music playing]
[woman] Good shot.
Taylor, eighteen and a half months old.
[Taylor] My dad coached me pretty much
my whole life up until when I turned pro.
He worked me hard, and maybe at the time
I wasn't happy about it
and it caused, you know, friction with us.
But I know, in the end, he knew that
I'd be thankful for it all. And I am.
[slow music playing]
I remember one time we were
on center court and he said,
"You're going to win
this tournament one day."
[slow music playing]
You know, I want
to make my dad proud of me.
[slow music playing]
And also, I think in the US
we're used to always having someone
who's the best at everything.
Taylor, do you feel you can help get
tennis back to the level
when Agassi and Sampras
and everyone were playing?
I don't know
if I can get it back to that level.
But I can definitely, uh, just help.
[interviewer]
Who is the best American male right now?
I mean, on paper, on ranking,
that would be me.
You're going to make me look
like a cocky asshole.
[upbeat music playing]
[Taylor] I've been moving up consistently
for the last couple years.
[upbeat music playing]
If you take Roger
and Rafa and Novak out of it,
I've beaten every other player.
[upbeat music playing]
But I've never won a major tournament.
This could be the year.
This is the year that I feel up for it.
[Taylor]
When we started dating, I was ranked 24.
- Yeah.
- And then what was my low point?
- Forty one? Forty three, yeah.
- Forty two, forty three? Maybe.
It was hard to watch you
so stressed about your ranking,
but you also had a hard time
and would never talk to me about it.
But I knew how hard on yourself you were.
It's a process of top ten and top eight
and top five and top three and then, one.
You're on your way.
Taylor's really hard on himself sometimes,
but it's not
a super rewarding sport for most.
[Taylor] Who knows where I'd be right now
if we weren't together.
She's been with me
for the last two and a half years,
and they've been the best of my career.
[slow music playing]
[Morgan] We met on a dating app.
That's how everyone our age meets,
so I don't feel weird saying that anymore.
[TV announcer]
American Taylor Fritz at Indian Wells.
[Taylor] When we're at a tournament now,
she is trying to do whatever she can
to help me.
You know, I feel like, um,
what we've built is more like, uh,
almost like a team.
[upbeat music playing]
[TV announcer] On the men's side,
Rafa might be the player to be,
but for the women
there's no clear favorite.
As world number one, Ash Barty,
stays away amid rumors of retirement.
Just who could take her place?
With Ash Barty's possible retirement,
it's a massive opportunity
for all the players here in Indian Wells.
[cheering]
[upbeat music playing]
[music stops]
I'm Maria Sakkari.
I'm from Greece.
And I want to, um,
I want to be number one in the world.
[interviewer] What's your worst fear?
Failure.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Courtney] She's built like a Greek god.
[music continues]
She can run for days.
She can be more physical
than most players on tour.
She's one of the best players
in the world.
[challenge music playing]
Maria On the course she's so intense.
And then off the course
she's like the biggest teddy bear.
[suspenseful music playing]
She's a true friend.
[soft music playing]
[Ajla] Maria hasn't won a big title.
And that has been the knock
on her career so far.
[speaking Greek] Hi, Mom.
- Would you like a coffee?
- Yes.
[speaking Greek] I'm excited to go.
It's just that I'm feeling a bit anxious.
I want to reach the finals.
You know that, Maria?
The most important thing
is to enjoy what you're doing.
Because if you're happy on court,
you'll perform better.
[Maria]
My mom was a professional tennis player.
She was the one who made tennis
in Greece an actual sport.
[challenge music playing]
[Maria's mother] Maria has sacrificed
a lot from a young age.
Only her own demons or an injury
can keep her out from the tennis court.
Because tennis players
don't just lose to their opponents,
they lose to themselves.
[grunting]
[bird cawing]
[TV announcer] This is big time.
This is Indian Wells.
Let's go. Let's fucking go.
[people cheering]
[stadium announcer] Maria Sakkari!
[TV female announcer]
Of course only half of these players
will move on after the first round.
[TV announcer] Let's get into it.
[suspenseful music playing]
[referee] Game. Frances Tiafoe.
[TV announcer] Another straight set win.
[TV female announcer] Both men and women
are playing the best
of three sets to win the match.
It is stressful for all the seeds,
the opening round, just trying to get by.
Definitely nervous.
[TV announcer] Incredible stuff.
Fritz moves on in the desert.
[challenge music playing]
[TV announcer] Her fans are happy.
Maria Sakkari is happy. She gets it done.
[stadium announcer] Come one, make
some noise everyone for Maria Sakkari.
[cheering]
[Maria]
It's hard for me even to put into words
how it feels when you hear
that game set match.
It's an addiction.
I'm sweating.
Gosh, I feel so good right now.
- I feel so good.
- Me, too.
[Maria] Tom is probably
the youngest coach on the WTA Tour.
He's more than a coach to me.
He's my best friend.
[speaking Greek]
[Maria grunting]
There's a lot more to my job
than just time on the court.
I'm also talking to Maria
about her emotions, her psychology.
But at the end of the day,
the player is the one
that has to go out there and do it.
She has to believe in herself.
- [man] Coffee time?
- [Maria] Yes.
It's my sixth espresso today.
Do you think I'm the player
that drinks the most coffees on the tour?
- By far.
- I think it's a lot.
Okay, do you want to talk about the match?
Because it was quite good.
- Was it?
- I think so.
What do you think, honestly?
Even though
my tennis was not ten out of ten,
mentally,
I was eleven out of ten.
Mentally, you were fantastic.
I'm not trying to put you
into pressure to be perfect,
but you know, as the rounds go on,
you're playing really good players.
The margins are like that.
I want you to be disciplined.
In big moments, be disciplined.
I don't know. I feel like
I can trust myself and I do trust myself.
- Which is, I think, very good.
- That's good. You should trust yourself.
[Tom] Maria's had a tough time.
She lost a few semis in a row.
In tennis, these things
weigh on your head.
And sometimes,
the closer you get to winning,
and then losing, it almost hurts more.
[Tom] Here in Indian Wells,
the goal is to win the tournament.
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer] Maria Sakkari.
That is outstanding.
[Maria] I can be myself.
I can be Maria Sakkari.
Just doing what I love.
[grunting]
[TV announcer] That ball goes long
and Maria Sakkari
is into the fourth round at Indian Wells.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[TV announcer] Taylor Fritz is into
the Indian Wells quarterfinals.
He has had to work mighty hard.
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer] And Maria Sakkari is
semifinal bound at Indian Wells.
When you're happy, you're enjoying
yourself and everything goes your way.
[cheering]
[TV announcer] The American Taylor Fritz
moves himself a spot
in the semifinals at Indian Wells.
Can I get an omelet with bacon, ham,
and a little bit of cheese?
Yeah. Thank you.
[Paul] No matter what your level is,
you're only as good as your mind lets you.
Your mind is what's going to drive
your ability to achieve
what you want to achieve on the court.
- What's up, Hollywood?
- What's up?
My name is Paul Annocone.
I've been fortunate enough
to coach a few of the all-time greats.
Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.
Now I've got the good fortune
of working with Taylor Fritz.
Good luck, Taylor.
[Paul] Taylor Fritz
is one of the toughest,
most strong-willed players
I've ever been around.
That's probably his biggest asset.
It's also probably his biggest liability.
[TV announcer] Semifinals Saturday
in Tennis Paradise. It's Indian Wells.
Taylor Fritz,
the last American in the draw.
The California boy.
He takes on Andrey Rublev.
To play even Nadal or Alcaraz.
[Taylor] Rublev.
He's on a 13-match win steak.
Maybe on paper I'm not the favorite.
But in my mind, I am.
[suspenseful music playing]
[stadium announcer] He's from just
a couple of freeways away.
It's Taylor Fritz.
[cheering]
[Paul] When I'm coaching Taylor Fritz,
I look at three categories.
[referee] Taylor Fritz to serve.
[Paul] Physical talents is what you have.
The skill set.
The strength, the conditioning,
the mobility, the jumping.
A lot of that's God given.
And it is what it is.
[cheering]
[referee] Taylor Fritz.
Fritz. He's three games. Two down.
[man] Good start. Good start.
[Paul] The second category is the heart.
And that's the unconditional competing.
Can you play every point
like your life depends on it?
[suspenseful music playing]
[audience gasping]
[cheering]
[cheering]
[announcer] The first set
goes the way of the Californian.
[TV announcer] He's hardly put
a foot wrong so far.
[cheering]
[Paul] And then is the head.
The head is your ability to process
without letting the emotion overwhelm you.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[referee] Fritz.
[TV announcer] Be careful there, Rublev.
Goodness me, my leg was hurting
just watching that.
Rublev. He just wants it so badly.
It's a passion.
Spills over into anger and rage.
[suspenseful music playing]
Evidence of the frustration
[music stops]
Fritz is still relaxed and he's only
a few points away from the final.
[Paul] At the biggest moment
in your life
[soft music playing]
[cheering]
[Paul] It's only you.
It's dead silent.
Those three categories better be in line,
or else you're going to fail miserably.
[TV announcer] Match point.
[suspenseful music playing]
[loud cheering]
[TV announcer]
It is victory for Taylor Fritz.
He's done it in California.
What a special moment for the 24 year old.
He can hardly believe it.
It's the biggest final of his career.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Paul]
I think Taylor was starting to believe,
"I can do this."
And he was starting to believe
that key component.
[suspenseful music playing]
But still there are those times
when you have to grab him
when he comes off the match.
"That was terrible."
"I can't do this, I can't do that."
[Paul] Good job, bro.
- Don't let him get
- Proud of you. Good job.
- 2:30.
- Get on the bike.
I'll tell you
2:30.
playing someone who sat on the fence
and spun the shit out of the ball
for three hours,
made it impossible to hit a ball
for a set and a half.
Cool. Skip, jump on the bike.
[Taylor]
All the decisions I made in the game
were actually the right decisions,
just bad execution.
[Paul] We're not talking
about the result of the game,
we're just talking about the mindset.
And I'm saying, my mindset was good and
Remember how you told me to tell you
when things aren't in a top-ten mentality?
- That isn't. I can promise you that.
- Okay.
[Paul] We'll have to grab him
and say, "Taylor,
everybody comes up with great shots.
Everybody comes up
with head-scratchers that are bad."
That's life. That's tennis.
[Paul] When you berate yourself
and don't stop and you get so uptight
and you beat the shit out of yourself,
it is really hard to the just focus
on the next point
and be clear, committed and confident.
You did a much better job
once you got composed.
You didn't play great today,
but you figured it out.
That's a sign of someone
who's going to win.
[racket hitting ball]
[Paul] The methodology has to be
"Don't want it too bad."
Because self-imposed pressure is, to me,
the biggest catalyst to paralyze
your ability to maximize your talent.
[soft music playing]
[Maria] I played, I think,
seven or eight semifinals last year.
And I was just struggling
because I could see the finish line
and then I wouldn't win the match.
My mind would go so far in a match
that I just couldn't close it out.
[soft music playing]
I was too excited.
I was nearly there.
But not there at the same time.
And there are a lot of losses
that hurt, even today,
like the one last year in Paris.
[TV female announcer]
The chances of Maria Sakkari
have just ebbed away here.
[cheering]
[referee]
Game, set, and match: Krejčíková.
[TV female announcer] Nothing
that Maria Sakkari could do today.
[Maria] I lost that match
from being match point up.
I didn't know
how to handle that situation.
I couldn't sleep for three days.
I was just lying in bed
and trying to sleep,
but I was so nervous and so sad.
It was tough for me to handle.
And I told my coaches
that I want to retire from tennis.
And I retired for four days.
And then I was on a Greek island.
And I just called Tom and I said, "Okay,
when can we start practicing again?"
"Coming back from retirement."
That's how we've been calling it.
[upbeat music playing]
[Courtney] Paula versus Maria.
It's an incredibly
highly anticipated match.
Because these are two players
who have put themselves in the top ten,
had great starts to the season,
Paula's defending the title here.
I'm in a very good position.
I won the tournament last year.
I want to live that emotion again.
But when you play as a favorite,
it's tricky
because you're opening a place
with nothing to lose.
[audience applauding]
[referee] Ready. Play.
[suspenseful music playing]
Bravo! Let's go!
[cheering]
[TV announcer] Massive start here
from the Greek. Setting the tone.
[Tom] She's playing brave,
but she's going after the ball.
Good play. It's a good play.
[Maria] I'm in the zone.
Great job, Maria. Great job.
[TV female announcer] I've never seen her
hit the forehand that well.
[Tom] Maria is playing lights-out tennis.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[cheering]
[Tom] I just want Maria
to keep this mentality.
[TV announcer] No way!
[cheering]
[suspenseful music playing]
[referee] Game. Badosa.
[cheering]
[speaking Greek]
She's going into that mode again.
[cheering]
[referee] Game. Badosa.
[Tom] If she's starting to panic,
I'm the person she's going
to take out her frustration on.
I don't speak Greek, but she'll start
speaking in Greek it to me.
- She's asking if she's rushing.
- No, perfect.
[shouting in Greek]
Let's go, Maria.
[Tom] I see her starting to glare at me.
[TV announcer]
Sakkari is starting to feel frustrated.
[Tom] Oh-uh, this is not good.
[suspenseful music playing]
[referee] Set. Badosa.
If she can get her head into a good place,
she could easily win this first set.
[Tom] I need to try
and do something different
just to kind of maybe throw her off.
I remember standing up.
[clapping weakly]
And Maria looked at me like,
"Why are you standing up?"
[referee] Set.
[Tom] It just distracted her mind.
[Maria grunting]
Come on, let's go! Let's go!
[Tom] Keep the arm loose.
Keep the arm loose.
[TV announcer] That is outstanding.
Point by point. Point by point.
[TV announcer]
Closing out these big matches.
It's sometimes been
so difficult for Sakkari.
[cheering]
Stay in the moment. Let's go.
[TV female announcer] Match point.
[TV announcer] Sakkari serving for a place
in the biggest final of her career.
[cheering]
[TV announcer] Few players deserve
moments like this more than Maria Sakkari.
Through to the biggest final
of her career.
An understandably emotional reaction
to a huge moment
against last year's winner.
[cheering]
[stadium announcer] Paula Badosa.
[loud cheering]
[slow music playing]
[Paula] I couldn't defend the title.
[slow music playing]
I really wanted to feel the same emotions
I felt the last time.
She's a fighter.
[woman] Maria!
- [woman] Good job!
- Thank you.
[soft music playing]
[speaking Greek]
[soft music playing]
I'm so proud of you, Maria.
All good. All good.
[soft music playing]
[Tom] Some way
to serve it out as well, huh?
That was the best way
I've ever closed out a match.
[laughter]
[relaxing music playing]
[TV female announcer] That's it.
In Indian Wells, we have our final four.
Maria Sakkari will take on
the Grand Slam winning Iga Swiatek
and California kid, Taylor Fritz,
will face off against Rafael Nadal.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Taylor] I play Rafa Nadal
in the finals of Indian Wells.
[suspenseful music playing]
It's what you worked
your whole life to do.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Taylor] I had only
played Rafa once before.
That would've been the other
biggest match of my life.
He got me pretty good.
Now it's different.
I can trust my game and play within myself
and not think I have to do
all this crazy stuff until I, you know,
think I have a chance at winning.
[woman] Good night.
[Taylor] One of the toughest things
about it
it's kind of convincing yourself
that you can beat this guy.
[soft music playing]
You can beat this guy that never gives up.
He literally comes back
from being down all the time.
Someone who's just going to fight
for every single point until the end.
Who's obviously been
in this situation a ton of times.
This is just another day for him.
It's the biggest match of my life.
[soft music playing]
[music stops]
[Morgan] P laying guys like Nadal,
you know he can't get nervous.
He can't even afford to get nervous
for a second.
Um, he can't afford
to get, like, tight on a certain shot
because he's playing fucking Nadal.
It's crazy coming
to this tournament as a kid and then
We were sitting here last night,
I was like, "I'm in the finals tomorrow."
I didn't even, you know
It hasn't even fully, like, set in, so
Uh
I just got to kind take myself
out of that mindset and, you know,
I just came all this way so
Just one more match to go.
I might as well win that last match.
[Courtney] Players will always want to get
a little bit of practice in
before their matches.
The practice the day of the match is
really the only time you're going to get
to work on the little details
that are going to make a difference.
[suspenseful music playing]
Ouch!
Fuck.
- Where'd you feel it on, mate?
- That hurts so fucking bad.
[Taylor] A couple balls into the practice,
when I push off to move to the left,
it's the sharpest pain.
It's the right ankle.
Fuck.
It was just a sharp pain.
Like nine out of ten on the scale of
It just hurt so bad.
I'm thinking like,
"That's it."
It's the biggest match of my life.
And I'm going to have to pull out.
I can't even play.
[soft music playing]
- We're sure you're going to do it.
- Yeah.
[soft music playing]
[TV announcer]
Finals day in Tennis Paradise.
PNB Paribas Open 2022.
[Maria]
I've achieved great things in tennis.
- Good luck tonight.
- Thank you.
I know that I can achieve
even better and bigger things.
Mentally I'm prepared to handle
the emotions going into a final.
[Courtney] Maria has a great run of form,
but Swiatek has played bigger finals.
She's played a Grand Slam final.
She's already won a WTA 1000.
And this is literally the biggest match
Maria has ever played in her life.
[birds cawing]
And back.
Good. Relax.
When serving, if you're with the wind,
you can use good kick serves,
it's going to bounce so high.
Against the wind,
I'd go more slice to bring it down.
[Tom] Guys, this is sand in the air.
[Maria] Yeah, I got it in my mouth.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Maria] For me, it's just a dream
coming true being here.
[suspenseful music playing]
I can do it.
[suspenseful music playing]
[stadium announcer]
She comes to Indian Wells
at a career high ranking
of number six in the world.
From Greece, Maria Sakkari.
[loud cheering]
She's a Grand Slam champion.
She won Roland-Garros in 2020.
From Poland, Iga Swiatek.
[loud cheering]
Go, Maria. Let's go.
[suspenseful music playing]
[audience gasping]
[cheering]
[TV announcer] Long way to go, but
What a start for the Greek.
Good job.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
- Come on, let's go.
- Great job. Maria. Great job.
[referee] Sakkari leads. Two games to one.
[grunting]
Nice shot.
Nice shot.
[Tom] Good legs there, Maria.
[referee] Game.
Swiatek.
[Tom] Relax the arm.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[referee] Game. Swiatek.
Keep playing to the middle.
It's fine. You've got this.
- I went middle and she went on the line.
- Yeah?
- Fuck me!
- Keep making her go middle.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Maria] Keep going.
Keep trying.
Keep fighting for it.
[suspenseful music playing]
[referee] Game and first set. Sakkari.
[TV announcer]
First set to Swiatek. Six-four.
[Maria] I just want to cry.
But I was always a fighter.
That's what got me to where I am today.
[audience gasping]
[referee] Game. Swiatek.
[TV female announcer]
Maria Sakkari needs to get back into it.
[TV announcer]
He just wouldn't rule her out.
[grunting]
[cheering]
[cheering]
Let's go. Let's go!
[TV female announcer]
Maria has to fight for it.
Could be the greatest comeback ever.
[Maria] Your heart starts beating faster.
[cheering]
She needs to stay strong mentally.
And then you struggle with your movement.
You struggle hitting the ball.
[Tom] Play everything through
the middle of the court.
One more word
and I will break the racket.
[Tom] It doesn't matter.
Every ball through the middle.
[referee] Advantage, Swiatek.
She's getting stuck.
[audience gasping]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Maria] What is happening to me?
[shouting in Greek]
[referee] Deuce.
Go to hell. Nothing goes in.
[TV announcer]
Dangerous territory here, Sakkari.
[Tom] Anything we say now
is going to piss her off more.
[Maria grunting]
[Maria] When you want things so badly
This is a mental capitulation.
[Maria] sometimes you just can't handle
the pressure.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
It's like two little creatures
inside of me just fighting.
[cheering]
[cheering]
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer] Championship point.
[Maria] This is my final chance.
[referee] Game. Iga Swiatek.
[TV announcer]
Indian Wells has a new champion.
[cheering]
[stadium announcer]
Congratulate you and may I present to you
your 2022 BNP Paribas Open
Women's Singles champion,
Iga Swiatek.
[loud cheering]
[soft music playing]
[Maria] All the pressure I had
all these years it just came out.
It was horrible.
I just want to cry.
It's embarrassing.
You're not yourself.
I was not the Maria I was
for the entire two weeks.
[soft music playing]
That emotional win against Paula
in the semifinals
just took away a lot of energy from me.
[soft music playing]
Even losing is part of the game.
We all learn
how to lose.
Unless you are
Roger, Rafa or Novak.
That's a different story.
The rest of us
we're going to lose more than we win.
[Paul] But we need to get
some extra strong stuff,
so the doctor is going to have
to prescribe it.
Yeah.
Anybody in there?
Is one of you gentlemen a doctor?
It's so painful.
- I know.
- That would be weird
- It's deep in there.
- Yeah, painful.
So we can Yeah.
Pain is like unmatched
to anything I've ever felt.
This is so fucking painful.
- More painful
- Can you see where that bursa is?
The most pain I've experienced.
You may have a little fracture.
We're not And then you
You could cause more harm than good.
We could also just inject the bursa
and see if that takes away the pain.
Potential good versus potential harm.
If this is my son, playing this match
What I do want him to do?
It's really hard for me to believe
that numbing it up is the right thing.
Anything I can do to just, like,
try to get on the court.
I'd much rather go out there and at least
try to play a game or two
than to just pull out
and not even take the court at all to try.
- You want to try, right?
- Yeah, of course.
This is good.
- I'll do whatever I can.
- Of course.
[Taylor] I've trained my whole life
for this moment.
[soft music playing]
If I pulled out,
I'd be thinking about this forever.
[Paul]
You can't see it, but you're hesitating.
This, to me, is a 60 percent showing
of what you can do.
Let me try. It's all I'm asking.
I'll pull the plug if it's not there.
You want to go out there
with 17,000 people
- It's better than not going out there.
- No, not at all. Totally not.
I feel like I'm good enough right now
to give it a shot.
- Against him in this wind?
- Why the fuck not?
Would you be willing to walk on court,
play at 60 percent,
and then we get the diagnostics?
You made it worse and now you can't play
for maybe one or two months.
We're wasting time
because I need to get another injection
if I'm going to play.
[Morgan] Listening to Paul say
he cannot go out and play right now,
that is horrifying for me
because playing with a foot injury,
that could be career ending.
Do you know how many
of these I've rehabbed?
I've rehabbed 200 at least.
It will make it worse.
It will flare you up.
You will miss minimum one event,
possibly multiple events.
Everything we're doing is trying to be
in your best interest, you know that.
- I'm sorry I'm so stubborn.
- I know you're competitive.
I know I'm just fighting with you guys.
- That's what fucking makes you so good.
- I want to try.
I know.
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer]
It is finals day. Just two remain.
It promises to be such a great final,
but there's a lot of uncertainty
over Taylor Fritz.
Some injury concerns, in particular.
Nadal isn't without
his injury concerns either, is he?
Earlier in the week, it was the foot
was bothering him so much.
[stadium announcer] A southern
California native is through to the finals
it's American Taylor Fritz!
[Paul] Come on, come on! Come on, Fritzy!
[TV announcer] There hasn't been
an American champion
in Indian Wells since 2001.
That was Agassi.
A little bit of nerves is a good thing.
[stadium announcer] Two-time
Olympic gold medalist from Spain,
Rafael Nadal!
[cheering]
[TV announcer] Rafa Nadal, looking
to make it 21 victories this season.
Undefeated this year.
Looking for a fourth title.
This is the biggest match
of Taylor Fritz's career.
[suspenseful music playing]
And feels fit enough to start this match,
which is great news.
[Taylor] There's a difference
between "can play"
and feeling you can win the match.
But, if I pulled out,
it would bother me my whole life.
[grunting]
[cheering]
[TV announcer] What a start.
I hope he's okay.
[Taylor] Holy shit. I can play.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[referee] First game. Fritz.
[Taylor] The way I feel right now,
I need to go for this.
[TV announcer]
Fantastic start for the American.
Good point there.
[Taylor] I'm playing Rafa.
I'm beating Rafa.
[suspenseful music playing]
I have to stay in the moment.
I've got to fight it off.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[music continues]
- Come on!
- [referee] Game. Set. Fritz.
[shouting in Spanish]
Good job, Taylor.
[TV announcer] The twist
to this opening set is a set away
from becoming the Indian Wells champion.
[Taylor]
I feel like I'm super close to winning.
[Paul] Here we go. Come on.
[Taylor] For someone like Rafa
who is known to just come back
from these crazy matches.
He wins matches from a set down.
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer] Brilliant from Nadal.
Amazing how Fritz got there.
How long do numbing shots last?
I don't know.
The more sliding he does,
the more he could irritate it.
[suspenseful music playing]
[referee] Game. Nadal.
[TV announcer] So, here we go.
Slightly different feel to this now.
Incredible reactions from Taylor Fritz.
How did he win that point?
[Taylor] This is your match.
You can win.
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer] What a response!
Fritz threw everything at Nadal.
He's still found a way.
[Taylor] It's Rafa. I've got to accept
he's going to win some crazy Rafa points.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[cheering]
[suspenseful music playing]
[referee]
Game. Nadal. Second set. Tie break.
[TV announcer]
A tie break to settle the second set.
The first two of seven.
[grunting]
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[Paul] It's going to be a dog fight.
[cheering]
[TV announcer] Levels things up
in this second set break up.
[cheering]
[TV announcer] What a tie break this is.
Brilliant. He's got himself back in front.
Championship point.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Taylor] Championship point.
He's against the wind, so it's not
going to come super-fast at me.
As long as I make my first serve,
he's going to play it a bit safer.
I'm nervous.
And I know that he knows that I'm nervous.
Maybe I can break the pattern
of what I'm doing.
Go for the shot
that he's going to expect least.
Go.
[loud cheering]
[triumphant music]
[TV announcer]
Taylor Fritz is the king in California.
He wins his very first
Masters 1000 trophy.
He ends Nadal's run.
It is the day he will remember
for the rest of his life.
Let's go!
[mixed voices]
[Taylor] Nothing in the whole world
can beat that feeling
of, like, winning.
[triumphant music playing]
[stadium announcer]
The men's singles champion: Taylor Fritz.
[triumphant music playing]
[music continues]
[Taylor] Winning this tournament is just
one of those crazy childhood dreams
that you really never think's
going to happen so, thank you.
[cheering]
[TV announcer]
Taylor Fritz has arrived in the big time.
[Taylor] I've never seen my dad cry
from being happy.
He's so proud of me.
He told me I was going to win
this tournament when I was a kid.
For all the late nights and the long days
when we were on the tennis court.
We did it.
I won Indian Wells.
[laughing]
[Paula] I've been dreaming all my life
to win this tournament.
[man] My dream has always been considered
as one of the biggest on tour.
[Courtney]
Being a favorite at your home tournament,
expectations are so much higher.
[stadium announcer] Paula Badosa.
[Paula] Of course I feel
all that pressure.
[suspenseful music playing]
[in Spanish] Fuck.
[Courtney]
Ons Jabeur, the trailblazer from Tunisia.
[cheering]
No cameras, please. No cameras.
[Ons] I'm a dreamer.
My dream is to win a major title.
[Ons' husband] I need to help my wife.
Her dream is my dream.
[Ons]
People would say, "You cannot do it."
So I need to believe even more in myself.
[slow pensive music playing]
[pensive music playing]
It's tough to be happy in tennis
because every single week everyone loses.
But one person.
[Taylor] You get used to losing.
It's pretty non-stop.
Minimum 30-something weeks
of the year traveling.
It kills you.
You just want to keep working,
keep improving.
And since all I'm thinking about
is just like
doing absolutely everything
I possibly can do
to like deserve to belong
with these guys in the top ten.
I'm very excited for the next tournaments
because Indian Wells is going to be hot.
[upbeat music playing]
This is not working. Whoo!
[upbeat music playing]
Bye.
[upbeat music playing]
That winning feeling
is just the best feeling.
And the bigger the match
and the bigger the tournament,
the better that winning feeling is,
you know?
[upbeat music playing]
[music stops]
[soul music playing]
[TV announcer]
Let's settle into tennis Paradise.
It's Indian Wells.
[soul music playing]
Indian Wells is an iconic tournament.
[Felix]
Huge site in the middle of the desert.
It's a lot of wealth from the west coast
and celebrities and all that.
[man] I'm gonna standardize the look.
[laughter]
There's much more money involved,
prestige and thrill.
[TV announcer] The winner will net
over 1.2 million dollars.
It's a great tournament.
I just love to be there.
Excuse me. Can you?
Who is this cat?
[laughter]
It's a pretty good litmus test
for the way the year might go.
It's probably the best tournament on tour.
One of the best moments of my career,
and it always will be like that.
[Courtney Nguyen] Winning Indian Wells
can change entire careers.
It's a tournament that has always
been dominated by Grand Slam champions
[Paul Annocone] The stars of the tour
are ready to battle it out
at a tournament known as the 5th Slam.
[TV female announcer]
In the men's competition,
it's been 21 long years
since an American lifted the trophy.
[TV male announcer] Nadal!
[TV female announcer]
And with Rafael Nadal
steaming through his most successful start
to the season ever,
2022 looks set to make it
another tough year
for homegrown talent.
[birds cawing]
- How you doing, Taylor?
- Good, how you doing?
I'm Taylor Fritz. I'm 24 years old.
I'm originally
from Rancho Santa Fe, California.
It's your home state tournament.
How special of a feeling is that?
It's so cool.
This is the one tournament
that choose to have big results at, so
Um, it's just It's so good.
Indian Wells is one of the most
important tournaments for me.
I came here as a kid.
[slow music playing]
My dad would take me.
[slow music playing]
[woman] Good shot.
Taylor, eighteen and a half months old.
[Taylor] My dad coached me pretty much
my whole life up until when I turned pro.
He worked me hard, and maybe at the time
I wasn't happy about it
and it caused, you know, friction with us.
But I know, in the end, he knew that
I'd be thankful for it all. And I am.
[slow music playing]
I remember one time we were
on center court and he said,
"You're going to win
this tournament one day."
[slow music playing]
You know, I want
to make my dad proud of me.
[slow music playing]
And also, I think in the US
we're used to always having someone
who's the best at everything.
Taylor, do you feel you can help get
tennis back to the level
when Agassi and Sampras
and everyone were playing?
I don't know
if I can get it back to that level.
But I can definitely, uh, just help.
[interviewer]
Who is the best American male right now?
I mean, on paper, on ranking,
that would be me.
You're going to make me look
like a cocky asshole.
[upbeat music playing]
[Taylor] I've been moving up consistently
for the last couple years.
[upbeat music playing]
If you take Roger
and Rafa and Novak out of it,
I've beaten every other player.
[upbeat music playing]
But I've never won a major tournament.
This could be the year.
This is the year that I feel up for it.
[Taylor]
When we started dating, I was ranked 24.
- Yeah.
- And then what was my low point?
- Forty one? Forty three, yeah.
- Forty two, forty three? Maybe.
It was hard to watch you
so stressed about your ranking,
but you also had a hard time
and would never talk to me about it.
But I knew how hard on yourself you were.
It's a process of top ten and top eight
and top five and top three and then, one.
You're on your way.
Taylor's really hard on himself sometimes,
but it's not
a super rewarding sport for most.
[Taylor] Who knows where I'd be right now
if we weren't together.
She's been with me
for the last two and a half years,
and they've been the best of my career.
[slow music playing]
[Morgan] We met on a dating app.
That's how everyone our age meets,
so I don't feel weird saying that anymore.
[TV announcer]
American Taylor Fritz at Indian Wells.
[Taylor] When we're at a tournament now,
she is trying to do whatever she can
to help me.
You know, I feel like, um,
what we've built is more like, uh,
almost like a team.
[upbeat music playing]
[TV announcer] On the men's side,
Rafa might be the player to be,
but for the women
there's no clear favorite.
As world number one, Ash Barty,
stays away amid rumors of retirement.
Just who could take her place?
With Ash Barty's possible retirement,
it's a massive opportunity
for all the players here in Indian Wells.
[cheering]
[upbeat music playing]
[music stops]
I'm Maria Sakkari.
I'm from Greece.
And I want to, um,
I want to be number one in the world.
[interviewer] What's your worst fear?
Failure.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Courtney] She's built like a Greek god.
[music continues]
She can run for days.
She can be more physical
than most players on tour.
She's one of the best players
in the world.
[challenge music playing]
Maria On the course she's so intense.
And then off the course
she's like the biggest teddy bear.
[suspenseful music playing]
She's a true friend.
[soft music playing]
[Ajla] Maria hasn't won a big title.
And that has been the knock
on her career so far.
[speaking Greek] Hi, Mom.
- Would you like a coffee?
- Yes.
[speaking Greek] I'm excited to go.
It's just that I'm feeling a bit anxious.
I want to reach the finals.
You know that, Maria?
The most important thing
is to enjoy what you're doing.
Because if you're happy on court,
you'll perform better.
[Maria]
My mom was a professional tennis player.
She was the one who made tennis
in Greece an actual sport.
[challenge music playing]
[Maria's mother] Maria has sacrificed
a lot from a young age.
Only her own demons or an injury
can keep her out from the tennis court.
Because tennis players
don't just lose to their opponents,
they lose to themselves.
[grunting]
[bird cawing]
[TV announcer] This is big time.
This is Indian Wells.
Let's go. Let's fucking go.
[people cheering]
[stadium announcer] Maria Sakkari!
[TV female announcer]
Of course only half of these players
will move on after the first round.
[TV announcer] Let's get into it.
[suspenseful music playing]
[referee] Game. Frances Tiafoe.
[TV announcer] Another straight set win.
[TV female announcer] Both men and women
are playing the best
of three sets to win the match.
It is stressful for all the seeds,
the opening round, just trying to get by.
Definitely nervous.
[TV announcer] Incredible stuff.
Fritz moves on in the desert.
[challenge music playing]
[TV announcer] Her fans are happy.
Maria Sakkari is happy. She gets it done.
[stadium announcer] Come one, make
some noise everyone for Maria Sakkari.
[cheering]
[Maria]
It's hard for me even to put into words
how it feels when you hear
that game set match.
It's an addiction.
I'm sweating.
Gosh, I feel so good right now.
- I feel so good.
- Me, too.
[Maria] Tom is probably
the youngest coach on the WTA Tour.
He's more than a coach to me.
He's my best friend.
[speaking Greek]
[Maria grunting]
There's a lot more to my job
than just time on the court.
I'm also talking to Maria
about her emotions, her psychology.
But at the end of the day,
the player is the one
that has to go out there and do it.
She has to believe in herself.
- [man] Coffee time?
- [Maria] Yes.
It's my sixth espresso today.
Do you think I'm the player
that drinks the most coffees on the tour?
- By far.
- I think it's a lot.
Okay, do you want to talk about the match?
Because it was quite good.
- Was it?
- I think so.
What do you think, honestly?
Even though
my tennis was not ten out of ten,
mentally,
I was eleven out of ten.
Mentally, you were fantastic.
I'm not trying to put you
into pressure to be perfect,
but you know, as the rounds go on,
you're playing really good players.
The margins are like that.
I want you to be disciplined.
In big moments, be disciplined.
I don't know. I feel like
I can trust myself and I do trust myself.
- Which is, I think, very good.
- That's good. You should trust yourself.
[Tom] Maria's had a tough time.
She lost a few semis in a row.
In tennis, these things
weigh on your head.
And sometimes,
the closer you get to winning,
and then losing, it almost hurts more.
[Tom] Here in Indian Wells,
the goal is to win the tournament.
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer] Maria Sakkari.
That is outstanding.
[Maria] I can be myself.
I can be Maria Sakkari.
Just doing what I love.
[grunting]
[TV announcer] That ball goes long
and Maria Sakkari
is into the fourth round at Indian Wells.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[TV announcer] Taylor Fritz is into
the Indian Wells quarterfinals.
He has had to work mighty hard.
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer] And Maria Sakkari is
semifinal bound at Indian Wells.
When you're happy, you're enjoying
yourself and everything goes your way.
[cheering]
[TV announcer] The American Taylor Fritz
moves himself a spot
in the semifinals at Indian Wells.
Can I get an omelet with bacon, ham,
and a little bit of cheese?
Yeah. Thank you.
[Paul] No matter what your level is,
you're only as good as your mind lets you.
Your mind is what's going to drive
your ability to achieve
what you want to achieve on the court.
- What's up, Hollywood?
- What's up?
My name is Paul Annocone.
I've been fortunate enough
to coach a few of the all-time greats.
Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.
Now I've got the good fortune
of working with Taylor Fritz.
Good luck, Taylor.
[Paul] Taylor Fritz
is one of the toughest,
most strong-willed players
I've ever been around.
That's probably his biggest asset.
It's also probably his biggest liability.
[TV announcer] Semifinals Saturday
in Tennis Paradise. It's Indian Wells.
Taylor Fritz,
the last American in the draw.
The California boy.
He takes on Andrey Rublev.
To play even Nadal or Alcaraz.
[Taylor] Rublev.
He's on a 13-match win steak.
Maybe on paper I'm not the favorite.
But in my mind, I am.
[suspenseful music playing]
[stadium announcer] He's from just
a couple of freeways away.
It's Taylor Fritz.
[cheering]
[Paul] When I'm coaching Taylor Fritz,
I look at three categories.
[referee] Taylor Fritz to serve.
[Paul] Physical talents is what you have.
The skill set.
The strength, the conditioning,
the mobility, the jumping.
A lot of that's God given.
And it is what it is.
[cheering]
[referee] Taylor Fritz.
Fritz. He's three games. Two down.
[man] Good start. Good start.
[Paul] The second category is the heart.
And that's the unconditional competing.
Can you play every point
like your life depends on it?
[suspenseful music playing]
[audience gasping]
[cheering]
[cheering]
[announcer] The first set
goes the way of the Californian.
[TV announcer] He's hardly put
a foot wrong so far.
[cheering]
[Paul] And then is the head.
The head is your ability to process
without letting the emotion overwhelm you.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[referee] Fritz.
[TV announcer] Be careful there, Rublev.
Goodness me, my leg was hurting
just watching that.
Rublev. He just wants it so badly.
It's a passion.
Spills over into anger and rage.
[suspenseful music playing]
Evidence of the frustration
[music stops]
Fritz is still relaxed and he's only
a few points away from the final.
[Paul] At the biggest moment
in your life
[soft music playing]
[cheering]
[Paul] It's only you.
It's dead silent.
Those three categories better be in line,
or else you're going to fail miserably.
[TV announcer] Match point.
[suspenseful music playing]
[loud cheering]
[TV announcer]
It is victory for Taylor Fritz.
He's done it in California.
What a special moment for the 24 year old.
He can hardly believe it.
It's the biggest final of his career.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Paul]
I think Taylor was starting to believe,
"I can do this."
And he was starting to believe
that key component.
[suspenseful music playing]
But still there are those times
when you have to grab him
when he comes off the match.
"That was terrible."
"I can't do this, I can't do that."
[Paul] Good job, bro.
- Don't let him get
- Proud of you. Good job.
- 2:30.
- Get on the bike.
I'll tell you
2:30.
playing someone who sat on the fence
and spun the shit out of the ball
for three hours,
made it impossible to hit a ball
for a set and a half.
Cool. Skip, jump on the bike.
[Taylor]
All the decisions I made in the game
were actually the right decisions,
just bad execution.
[Paul] We're not talking
about the result of the game,
we're just talking about the mindset.
And I'm saying, my mindset was good and
Remember how you told me to tell you
when things aren't in a top-ten mentality?
- That isn't. I can promise you that.
- Okay.
[Paul] We'll have to grab him
and say, "Taylor,
everybody comes up with great shots.
Everybody comes up
with head-scratchers that are bad."
That's life. That's tennis.
[Paul] When you berate yourself
and don't stop and you get so uptight
and you beat the shit out of yourself,
it is really hard to the just focus
on the next point
and be clear, committed and confident.
You did a much better job
once you got composed.
You didn't play great today,
but you figured it out.
That's a sign of someone
who's going to win.
[racket hitting ball]
[Paul] The methodology has to be
"Don't want it too bad."
Because self-imposed pressure is, to me,
the biggest catalyst to paralyze
your ability to maximize your talent.
[soft music playing]
[Maria] I played, I think,
seven or eight semifinals last year.
And I was just struggling
because I could see the finish line
and then I wouldn't win the match.
My mind would go so far in a match
that I just couldn't close it out.
[soft music playing]
I was too excited.
I was nearly there.
But not there at the same time.
And there are a lot of losses
that hurt, even today,
like the one last year in Paris.
[TV female announcer]
The chances of Maria Sakkari
have just ebbed away here.
[cheering]
[referee]
Game, set, and match: Krejčíková.
[TV female announcer] Nothing
that Maria Sakkari could do today.
[Maria] I lost that match
from being match point up.
I didn't know
how to handle that situation.
I couldn't sleep for three days.
I was just lying in bed
and trying to sleep,
but I was so nervous and so sad.
It was tough for me to handle.
And I told my coaches
that I want to retire from tennis.
And I retired for four days.
And then I was on a Greek island.
And I just called Tom and I said, "Okay,
when can we start practicing again?"
"Coming back from retirement."
That's how we've been calling it.
[upbeat music playing]
[Courtney] Paula versus Maria.
It's an incredibly
highly anticipated match.
Because these are two players
who have put themselves in the top ten,
had great starts to the season,
Paula's defending the title here.
I'm in a very good position.
I won the tournament last year.
I want to live that emotion again.
But when you play as a favorite,
it's tricky
because you're opening a place
with nothing to lose.
[audience applauding]
[referee] Ready. Play.
[suspenseful music playing]
Bravo! Let's go!
[cheering]
[TV announcer] Massive start here
from the Greek. Setting the tone.
[Tom] She's playing brave,
but she's going after the ball.
Good play. It's a good play.
[Maria] I'm in the zone.
Great job, Maria. Great job.
[TV female announcer] I've never seen her
hit the forehand that well.
[Tom] Maria is playing lights-out tennis.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[cheering]
[Tom] I just want Maria
to keep this mentality.
[TV announcer] No way!
[cheering]
[suspenseful music playing]
[referee] Game. Badosa.
[cheering]
[speaking Greek]
She's going into that mode again.
[cheering]
[referee] Game. Badosa.
[Tom] If she's starting to panic,
I'm the person she's going
to take out her frustration on.
I don't speak Greek, but she'll start
speaking in Greek it to me.
- She's asking if she's rushing.
- No, perfect.
[shouting in Greek]
Let's go, Maria.
[Tom] I see her starting to glare at me.
[TV announcer]
Sakkari is starting to feel frustrated.
[Tom] Oh-uh, this is not good.
[suspenseful music playing]
[referee] Set. Badosa.
If she can get her head into a good place,
she could easily win this first set.
[Tom] I need to try
and do something different
just to kind of maybe throw her off.
I remember standing up.
[clapping weakly]
And Maria looked at me like,
"Why are you standing up?"
[referee] Set.
[Tom] It just distracted her mind.
[Maria grunting]
Come on, let's go! Let's go!
[Tom] Keep the arm loose.
Keep the arm loose.
[TV announcer] That is outstanding.
Point by point. Point by point.
[TV announcer]
Closing out these big matches.
It's sometimes been
so difficult for Sakkari.
[cheering]
Stay in the moment. Let's go.
[TV female announcer] Match point.
[TV announcer] Sakkari serving for a place
in the biggest final of her career.
[cheering]
[TV announcer] Few players deserve
moments like this more than Maria Sakkari.
Through to the biggest final
of her career.
An understandably emotional reaction
to a huge moment
against last year's winner.
[cheering]
[stadium announcer] Paula Badosa.
[loud cheering]
[slow music playing]
[Paula] I couldn't defend the title.
[slow music playing]
I really wanted to feel the same emotions
I felt the last time.
She's a fighter.
[woman] Maria!
- [woman] Good job!
- Thank you.
[soft music playing]
[speaking Greek]
[soft music playing]
I'm so proud of you, Maria.
All good. All good.
[soft music playing]
[Tom] Some way
to serve it out as well, huh?
That was the best way
I've ever closed out a match.
[laughter]
[relaxing music playing]
[TV female announcer] That's it.
In Indian Wells, we have our final four.
Maria Sakkari will take on
the Grand Slam winning Iga Swiatek
and California kid, Taylor Fritz,
will face off against Rafael Nadal.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Taylor] I play Rafa Nadal
in the finals of Indian Wells.
[suspenseful music playing]
It's what you worked
your whole life to do.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Taylor] I had only
played Rafa once before.
That would've been the other
biggest match of my life.
He got me pretty good.
Now it's different.
I can trust my game and play within myself
and not think I have to do
all this crazy stuff until I, you know,
think I have a chance at winning.
[woman] Good night.
[Taylor] One of the toughest things
about it
it's kind of convincing yourself
that you can beat this guy.
[soft music playing]
You can beat this guy that never gives up.
He literally comes back
from being down all the time.
Someone who's just going to fight
for every single point until the end.
Who's obviously been
in this situation a ton of times.
This is just another day for him.
It's the biggest match of my life.
[soft music playing]
[music stops]
[Morgan] P laying guys like Nadal,
you know he can't get nervous.
He can't even afford to get nervous
for a second.
Um, he can't afford
to get, like, tight on a certain shot
because he's playing fucking Nadal.
It's crazy coming
to this tournament as a kid and then
We were sitting here last night,
I was like, "I'm in the finals tomorrow."
I didn't even, you know
It hasn't even fully, like, set in, so
Uh
I just got to kind take myself
out of that mindset and, you know,
I just came all this way so
Just one more match to go.
I might as well win that last match.
[Courtney] Players will always want to get
a little bit of practice in
before their matches.
The practice the day of the match is
really the only time you're going to get
to work on the little details
that are going to make a difference.
[suspenseful music playing]
Ouch!
Fuck.
- Where'd you feel it on, mate?
- That hurts so fucking bad.
[Taylor] A couple balls into the practice,
when I push off to move to the left,
it's the sharpest pain.
It's the right ankle.
Fuck.
It was just a sharp pain.
Like nine out of ten on the scale of
It just hurt so bad.
I'm thinking like,
"That's it."
It's the biggest match of my life.
And I'm going to have to pull out.
I can't even play.
[soft music playing]
- We're sure you're going to do it.
- Yeah.
[soft music playing]
[TV announcer]
Finals day in Tennis Paradise.
PNB Paribas Open 2022.
[Maria]
I've achieved great things in tennis.
- Good luck tonight.
- Thank you.
I know that I can achieve
even better and bigger things.
Mentally I'm prepared to handle
the emotions going into a final.
[Courtney] Maria has a great run of form,
but Swiatek has played bigger finals.
She's played a Grand Slam final.
She's already won a WTA 1000.
And this is literally the biggest match
Maria has ever played in her life.
[birds cawing]
And back.
Good. Relax.
When serving, if you're with the wind,
you can use good kick serves,
it's going to bounce so high.
Against the wind,
I'd go more slice to bring it down.
[Tom] Guys, this is sand in the air.
[Maria] Yeah, I got it in my mouth.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Maria] For me, it's just a dream
coming true being here.
[suspenseful music playing]
I can do it.
[suspenseful music playing]
[stadium announcer]
She comes to Indian Wells
at a career high ranking
of number six in the world.
From Greece, Maria Sakkari.
[loud cheering]
She's a Grand Slam champion.
She won Roland-Garros in 2020.
From Poland, Iga Swiatek.
[loud cheering]
Go, Maria. Let's go.
[suspenseful music playing]
[audience gasping]
[cheering]
[TV announcer] Long way to go, but
What a start for the Greek.
Good job.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
- Come on, let's go.
- Great job. Maria. Great job.
[referee] Sakkari leads. Two games to one.
[grunting]
Nice shot.
Nice shot.
[Tom] Good legs there, Maria.
[referee] Game.
Swiatek.
[Tom] Relax the arm.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[referee] Game. Swiatek.
Keep playing to the middle.
It's fine. You've got this.
- I went middle and she went on the line.
- Yeah?
- Fuck me!
- Keep making her go middle.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Maria] Keep going.
Keep trying.
Keep fighting for it.
[suspenseful music playing]
[referee] Game and first set. Sakkari.
[TV announcer]
First set to Swiatek. Six-four.
[Maria] I just want to cry.
But I was always a fighter.
That's what got me to where I am today.
[audience gasping]
[referee] Game. Swiatek.
[TV female announcer]
Maria Sakkari needs to get back into it.
[TV announcer]
He just wouldn't rule her out.
[grunting]
[cheering]
[cheering]
Let's go. Let's go!
[TV female announcer]
Maria has to fight for it.
Could be the greatest comeback ever.
[Maria] Your heart starts beating faster.
[cheering]
She needs to stay strong mentally.
And then you struggle with your movement.
You struggle hitting the ball.
[Tom] Play everything through
the middle of the court.
One more word
and I will break the racket.
[Tom] It doesn't matter.
Every ball through the middle.
[referee] Advantage, Swiatek.
She's getting stuck.
[audience gasping]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Maria] What is happening to me?
[shouting in Greek]
[referee] Deuce.
Go to hell. Nothing goes in.
[TV announcer]
Dangerous territory here, Sakkari.
[Tom] Anything we say now
is going to piss her off more.
[Maria grunting]
[Maria] When you want things so badly
This is a mental capitulation.
[Maria] sometimes you just can't handle
the pressure.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
It's like two little creatures
inside of me just fighting.
[cheering]
[cheering]
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer] Championship point.
[Maria] This is my final chance.
[referee] Game. Iga Swiatek.
[TV announcer]
Indian Wells has a new champion.
[cheering]
[stadium announcer]
Congratulate you and may I present to you
your 2022 BNP Paribas Open
Women's Singles champion,
Iga Swiatek.
[loud cheering]
[soft music playing]
[Maria] All the pressure I had
all these years it just came out.
It was horrible.
I just want to cry.
It's embarrassing.
You're not yourself.
I was not the Maria I was
for the entire two weeks.
[soft music playing]
That emotional win against Paula
in the semifinals
just took away a lot of energy from me.
[soft music playing]
Even losing is part of the game.
We all learn
how to lose.
Unless you are
Roger, Rafa or Novak.
That's a different story.
The rest of us
we're going to lose more than we win.
[Paul] But we need to get
some extra strong stuff,
so the doctor is going to have
to prescribe it.
Yeah.
Anybody in there?
Is one of you gentlemen a doctor?
It's so painful.
- I know.
- That would be weird
- It's deep in there.
- Yeah, painful.
So we can Yeah.
Pain is like unmatched
to anything I've ever felt.
This is so fucking painful.
- More painful
- Can you see where that bursa is?
The most pain I've experienced.
You may have a little fracture.
We're not And then you
You could cause more harm than good.
We could also just inject the bursa
and see if that takes away the pain.
Potential good versus potential harm.
If this is my son, playing this match
What I do want him to do?
It's really hard for me to believe
that numbing it up is the right thing.
Anything I can do to just, like,
try to get on the court.
I'd much rather go out there and at least
try to play a game or two
than to just pull out
and not even take the court at all to try.
- You want to try, right?
- Yeah, of course.
This is good.
- I'll do whatever I can.
- Of course.
[Taylor] I've trained my whole life
for this moment.
[soft music playing]
If I pulled out,
I'd be thinking about this forever.
[Paul]
You can't see it, but you're hesitating.
This, to me, is a 60 percent showing
of what you can do.
Let me try. It's all I'm asking.
I'll pull the plug if it's not there.
You want to go out there
with 17,000 people
- It's better than not going out there.
- No, not at all. Totally not.
I feel like I'm good enough right now
to give it a shot.
- Against him in this wind?
- Why the fuck not?
Would you be willing to walk on court,
play at 60 percent,
and then we get the diagnostics?
You made it worse and now you can't play
for maybe one or two months.
We're wasting time
because I need to get another injection
if I'm going to play.
[Morgan] Listening to Paul say
he cannot go out and play right now,
that is horrifying for me
because playing with a foot injury,
that could be career ending.
Do you know how many
of these I've rehabbed?
I've rehabbed 200 at least.
It will make it worse.
It will flare you up.
You will miss minimum one event,
possibly multiple events.
Everything we're doing is trying to be
in your best interest, you know that.
- I'm sorry I'm so stubborn.
- I know you're competitive.
I know I'm just fighting with you guys.
- That's what fucking makes you so good.
- I want to try.
I know.
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer]
It is finals day. Just two remain.
It promises to be such a great final,
but there's a lot of uncertainty
over Taylor Fritz.
Some injury concerns, in particular.
Nadal isn't without
his injury concerns either, is he?
Earlier in the week, it was the foot
was bothering him so much.
[stadium announcer] A southern
California native is through to the finals
it's American Taylor Fritz!
[Paul] Come on, come on! Come on, Fritzy!
[TV announcer] There hasn't been
an American champion
in Indian Wells since 2001.
That was Agassi.
A little bit of nerves is a good thing.
[stadium announcer] Two-time
Olympic gold medalist from Spain,
Rafael Nadal!
[cheering]
[TV announcer] Rafa Nadal, looking
to make it 21 victories this season.
Undefeated this year.
Looking for a fourth title.
This is the biggest match
of Taylor Fritz's career.
[suspenseful music playing]
And feels fit enough to start this match,
which is great news.
[Taylor] There's a difference
between "can play"
and feeling you can win the match.
But, if I pulled out,
it would bother me my whole life.
[grunting]
[cheering]
[TV announcer] What a start.
I hope he's okay.
[Taylor] Holy shit. I can play.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[referee] First game. Fritz.
[Taylor] The way I feel right now,
I need to go for this.
[TV announcer]
Fantastic start for the American.
Good point there.
[Taylor] I'm playing Rafa.
I'm beating Rafa.
[suspenseful music playing]
I have to stay in the moment.
I've got to fight it off.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[music continues]
- Come on!
- [referee] Game. Set. Fritz.
[shouting in Spanish]
Good job, Taylor.
[TV announcer] The twist
to this opening set is a set away
from becoming the Indian Wells champion.
[Taylor]
I feel like I'm super close to winning.
[Paul] Here we go. Come on.
[Taylor] For someone like Rafa
who is known to just come back
from these crazy matches.
He wins matches from a set down.
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer] Brilliant from Nadal.
Amazing how Fritz got there.
How long do numbing shots last?
I don't know.
The more sliding he does,
the more he could irritate it.
[suspenseful music playing]
[referee] Game. Nadal.
[TV announcer] So, here we go.
Slightly different feel to this now.
Incredible reactions from Taylor Fritz.
How did he win that point?
[Taylor] This is your match.
You can win.
[suspenseful music playing]
[TV announcer] What a response!
Fritz threw everything at Nadal.
He's still found a way.
[Taylor] It's Rafa. I've got to accept
he's going to win some crazy Rafa points.
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[cheering]
[suspenseful music playing]
[referee]
Game. Nadal. Second set. Tie break.
[TV announcer]
A tie break to settle the second set.
The first two of seven.
[grunting]
[suspenseful music playing]
[cheering]
[Paul] It's going to be a dog fight.
[cheering]
[TV announcer] Levels things up
in this second set break up.
[cheering]
[TV announcer] What a tie break this is.
Brilliant. He's got himself back in front.
Championship point.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Taylor] Championship point.
He's against the wind, so it's not
going to come super-fast at me.
As long as I make my first serve,
he's going to play it a bit safer.
I'm nervous.
And I know that he knows that I'm nervous.
Maybe I can break the pattern
of what I'm doing.
Go for the shot
that he's going to expect least.
Go.
[loud cheering]
[triumphant music]
[TV announcer]
Taylor Fritz is the king in California.
He wins his very first
Masters 1000 trophy.
He ends Nadal's run.
It is the day he will remember
for the rest of his life.
Let's go!
[mixed voices]
[Taylor] Nothing in the whole world
can beat that feeling
of, like, winning.
[triumphant music playing]
[stadium announcer]
The men's singles champion: Taylor Fritz.
[triumphant music playing]
[music continues]
[Taylor] Winning this tournament is just
one of those crazy childhood dreams
that you really never think's
going to happen so, thank you.
[cheering]
[TV announcer]
Taylor Fritz has arrived in the big time.
[Taylor] I've never seen my dad cry
from being happy.
He's so proud of me.
He told me I was going to win
this tournament when I was a kid.
For all the late nights and the long days
when we were on the tennis court.
We did it.
I won Indian Wells.
[laughing]
[Paula] I've been dreaming all my life
to win this tournament.
[man] My dream has always been considered
as one of the biggest on tour.
[Courtney]
Being a favorite at your home tournament,
expectations are so much higher.
[stadium announcer] Paula Badosa.
[Paula] Of course I feel
all that pressure.
[suspenseful music playing]
[in Spanish] Fuck.
[Courtney]
Ons Jabeur, the trailblazer from Tunisia.
[cheering]
No cameras, please. No cameras.
[Ons] I'm a dreamer.
My dream is to win a major title.
[Ons' husband] I need to help my wife.
Her dream is my dream.
[Ons]
People would say, "You cannot do it."
So I need to believe even more in myself.
[slow pensive music playing]