‘Break Point’ Reveals How Rafael Nadal Psyched Out Casper Ruud at the 2022 French Open

There are a lot of moments that will stick with you from the first five episodes of Netflix‘s new professional tennis docuseries, Break Point. There’s the wildly sympathetic edit the sport’s polarizing bad boy Nick Kygrios gets in Episode 1. The apocalyptically messy state of then-lovebirds Matteo Berrettini and Ajla Tomljanovic’s hotel room in Episode 2. Rising American star Taylor Fritz’s risky decision to play the Indian Wells finals on a potentially career-ending injury in Episode 3. The candor with which Paula Badosa opens up about her on-going struggles with depression in Episode 4. Basically, Break Point is an intimate exploration of what’s driving (and derailing) the next generation of tennis greats. But there’s one single scene in Break Point Episode 5 that gives us some insight into how current tennis legend Rafael Nadal sees this new class of talent. And no, it’s not the kerfuffle that emerges with Rafa has to go up against his uncle and mentor’s latest coaching client Felix Auger-Aliassime at the French Open.

Break Point‘s single super revealing Rafael Nadal moment comes when the tennis champ is about to face off against Casper Ruud in the 2022 French Open finals…and Nadal does his best intimidation dance right in front of Netflix’s cameras.

Produced by the same team behind Netflix’s smash F1: Drive to Survive, Break Point follows an elite group of up-and-coming tennis greats as they navigate the mental, emotional, and physical strain of the 2022 Grand Slam season. Part 1 starts with last year’s Australian Open and ends with Casper Ruud’s showdown against his life-long hero Rafael Nadal on the clay courts of Roland Garros. Part 2, which will premiere in the summer, is set to follow the same class of players from Wimbledon through the U.S. Open.

Hardcore tennis fanatics may find themselves let down by the series, as it’s far more interested in giving this new generation of athletes the reality TV treatment than it is in probing the fundamentals of the game. As a casual tennis fan who wants to learn more about the sport’s vast cast of emerging heroes, villains, and dark horses, I was hooked. Break Point clearly picks and chooses its narratives — many of which have yet to reach their dramatic conclusions in Part 2 — based on which players they had access to. While Nadal isn’t a subject in the docuseries, he is a constant character throughout the series, dogging the younger male stars with his seeming invulnerability on the court. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Episode 5, “King of Clay,” the episode literally named for Nadal.

Because Break Point‘s camera crews had access to Nadal’s final opponent at the French Open, Caspar Ruud, the show lucked into being able to also shoot Nadal in the tense moments before both players went out on the court. As Ruud preps for the momentous match, his father tries to hype him up: “Get badass in your head. He fears you.” And based on Nadal’s spastic stretches in the next scene…I think Ruud’s dad might have been right.

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The Ruud we see in the holding area is vibrating with nerves. This is not only one of the biggest matches of his young career, but he’s up against his childhood hero, Nadal. At first, Nadal seems totally nonchalant. But then, as Nadal begins to lift his bag over his shoulder, he pauses and drops the bag. The tennis icon then begins a series of stretches and practice swings. So far, it doesn’t seem strange. Maybe just a final warm-up. A release of nerves.

After someone says they have 30 seconds, Nadal dashes in front of Ruud and skips back past his bags. He begins a series of quick warm-up movements that look as much like shadowboxing as tennis swings. Ruud looks more and more uncomfortable as he attempts to avoid watching any of this. Rafa isn’t just getting his body ready for a fight; he’s clearly trying to already psychologically dominate the younger player before they’re even on the court.

What happens next? Well, you’ll have to watch Break Point Part 1 or just google the results of last year’s French Open to find out. But what I found fascinating about that sequence is how it both illustrated Rafael Nadal’s power as a player, while revealing that he does rely on psychological games to spook rivals.

Earlier in the same episode, it’s hinted that Nadal’s uncle and former coach Toni knows the secret to defeating his nephew on clay. However, Uncle Toni won’t spill this strategy to new client Felix Auger-Aliassime. I’m sure there’s a physical tell only Uncle Toni can see, but in those 30 tense seconds with Caspar Ruud, it seemed to me that Nadal’s weakness is he’s human, too. He just knows how to play act being the badass enough to scare the other men yearning for his title.