The LTA, the British tennis body, has unveiled a digital docuseries taking viewers behind the scenes of professional tennis in Britain. Beyond the Baseline aims to shine a spotlight on the players rising up the rankings and delve into what it takes to compete at this level of the professional game.
Presented by Lexus, the six-part series premiered on 24 October on the LTA’s YouTube platform and digital channel network, with a new 12-15–minute episode to be released each week. It follows ten of the rising professional players in British tennis (including Sonay Kartal, Arthur Fery, Billy Harris, Ben Bartram and Eden Silva).
The series provides these players the opportunity to tell their own stories of their personal journeys with the sport – the highs and the lows of striving for success – alongside a look at their off-court training and on-court action, across the tennis events calendar of this year.
Working with industry expert in sports and digital production, Whisper, the production team also sat down with several other recognisable faces in British tennis, who have spoken about their own experiences and journeys with the events at this level, notably Andy Murray, multiple Grand Slam winner Alfie Hewett, and British number one, Katie Boulter.
Julie Porter, COO, The LTA, said: “Beyond the Baseline has been a really inspiring project to date, not just for us as an organisation, but for this player group who have been part of the journey from the very beginning. The depth and breadth of characters in British tennis right now is incredibly exciting; being able to provide the platform for them to tell their stories and reach a broad, new audience for the sport is something we only want to continue going forward, opening up tennis to new audiences, creating new generations of fans. This first series is just the beginning.”
Joe Bennett, Content Director, Digital and Content, Whisper, added: “We’re thrilled to go live with this series after a significant amount of time spent following these players through their professional journeys, as LTA’s official production partner.
“Whisper is proud to play a part in a real first for the LTA in terms of showcasing the personalities behind the players. We aimed to show relatable characters in real-life settings, and crucially demonstrate the unvarnished journey of top tennis players.
“Following extensive background interviews with players including Andy Murray, Liam Broady, and Katie Boulter, one thing stood out: there is no shortcut to global success. Beyond The Baseline celebrates this process and shines a light on the real story behind British tennis players.”
Michael Burns
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