The Netflix Slam 2024 just got over, and it was the young 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz who emerged victorious over Rafael Nadal. The 22-time Grand Slam champion cleverly chose to play in the tournament, while Netflix too bagged the ideal superstar for its tennis debut, making it a win-win deal and a partnership for the future as well With the broadcast being on OTT, it opened up new markets with more young kids watching it as much as adults.
This is also considering that they would try to convince their parents to pay a bare minimum of subscription fees on platforms like Netflix to watch these matches, vis-a-vis more expensive pay-per-view TV broadcasts in many countries. True, it’s no different from any ATP Tour. But the chances of their favorite stars facing each other all the time are disproportionate. A platform like Netflix is bringing two tennis players together for a match, both of whom have a legion of fans, and taking the content i.e. the match worldwide to maximum audiences. This will definitely attract people.
However, with each move of progress, there lies conjectures that garner criticism. Just like Rafael Nadal’s embracing attitude towards Saudi Arabia. Nadal not only signed a brand ambassador deal with them but also agreed to play in the 6 Kings Slam Exhibition Tournament in October this year. Apart from Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, the exhibition tournament will feature huge names in tennis like Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune.
Nadal’s move has been criticised by many for warming up to a nation that has been under the scanner for its human rights issues. On the other hand, Nadal’s generosity towards Saudi Arabia has motivated Roger Federer and his agent Tony Godsick to move the Rod Laver Cup there in the future. The Spaniard is expected to lead from the front when it comes to championing the Saudi Arabian tennis scene, while the ATP Tour recently signed a deal with the country’s government’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in a multi-year, strategic deal for sponsorships, other naming rights and hosting of more events.
Nadal recently opened up about being selective towards tournaments. He will only play the major tournaments, like Grand Slams, etc, and skip other ATP Tours. This is because it gets very taxing on his body to play all year round. He will be playing in the Indian Wells but will skip the Miami Masters. Exhibition matches, given that Nadal thinks are great, could be his solution.
Rafael Nadal at Netflix Slam 2024 had only one major catch
Rafael Nadal could certainly inspire in exhibition matches, which could make children get more interested in the sport and pick up the tennis racket. However, it’s also true that these exhibition matches generate a lot of money and the players get paid larger sums for it. Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz’s appearance fees for ATP events are $1 million and $800,000 – $900,000 respectively, otherwise.
So, yes, while it’s true that children might get inspired by watching their sporting idols, the idols aren’t just doing it for that. But they have a huge financial gain to do such events.
This also brings Netflix to attention for they could regulate their content as per age requirements. If such sporting shows like Netflix Slam, Break Point, Drive to Survive, Captains of the World, etc. cater to young, budding sports enthusiasts, then they could potentially put a censor on their other content for only adults to watch. This way, kids will find only these Sports-Entertainment events on their platform to watch and will benefit from it.
