Netflix & Skydance Team for Rafael Nadal Doc Series

Netflix and Skydance Sports have partnered to produce a documentary series about the life and career of Spanish tennis icon Rafael Nadal.

The docuseries will spotlight Nadal’s career and his life off the court, with access to material from his personal archive and his family, coaches and advisors. It will also feature unprecedented access to Nadal throughout his comeback to competitive play in the 2024 season after sitting out most of 2023 with an injury.

Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, including a record 14 French Open singles titles. He has been playing tennis since the age of 3 and turned pro at 15. Since then, he has won four U.S. Open titles, two Wimbledon championships, two Olympic gold medals and two Australian Open crowns.

Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning director Zach Heinzerling (Stolen Youth; Cutie and the Boxer; McCartney 3, 2, 1) is set to direct. The docuseries will be produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jason Reed and Jon Weinbach for Skydance Sports.

“Rafael Nadal stands as one of the most influential and greatest figures in the history of sports,” said Diego Ávalos, VP of content for Spain, Portugal and the Nordics at Netflix. “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. Partnering with our friends at Skydance to celebrate Nadal’s unequivocal career is a true honor.”

“Rafael Nadal is truly one of the greatest players and inspirations in the history of tennis,” added David Ellison, founder and CEO of Skydance. “Beyond that, he is a friend, and working with Rafa, Zach and Netflix to tell his story is both an honor and a privilege.”

“I never thought I’d do something like this, but I got a call from David Ellison, and with his words together with an amazing project they put in front of my eyes, it really convinced me this was the right thing to do,” Nadal said. “Everyone will be able to see how my life has been during my tennis career and particularly in this last year I had. It will also show how my life and my tennis career developed through the years. I am sure the final product, the docuseries, will be amazing and that it will be seen around the world. My thanks to David Ellison and his team at Skydance for creating and believing in this project; to my family and my team for allowing being filmed this past year—I know it was not easy for all of us; to my colleagues and peers who have given time to put themselves in front of a camera for some time; and thanks to the tournaments around the world that facilitated the work. It wasn’t easy.”