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Untold_ Breaking Point Reflection Essay 

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2017 Australian Open Final; Federer vs. Nadal

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2017 Australian Open Final; Federer vs. Nadal

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KIN 108 - Review Assignment - Alex Berardi

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2019 Wimbledon Final, Djokovic vs Federer - Kana Webb

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2019 Wimbledon Final, Djokovic vs Federer - Kana Webb

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2019 Wimbledon Final, Djokovic vs Federer

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KIN 108-001 Break Point Episode 1 Analysis - Megan Demo

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Untold: Breaking Point - Madison Russell

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Untold: Breaking Point - Madison Russell

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Break Point Episode 4 - by Victoria Bedecs

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Break Point Episode 4 - by Victoria Bedecs

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The Netflix documentary "Break Point" takes a closer look at the world of professional tennis and the intense pressure that comes with competing at the highest level. In episode four, viewers are introduced to Spanish player Paula Badosa, who faces the daunting challenge of playing at the Madrid Open as a hometown favorite. The documentary explores Badosa's hometown advantage and the expectations that come with it, as she strives to make a name for herself on the international stage. Additionally, viewers follow the journey of Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, who is determined to make history at the Madrid Open. This introduction will delve into the pressures and challenges that both players face as they strive to achieve their goals on the court.

Paula Badosa, the Spanish tennis player, recently won the Madrid Open Women's Singles tournament, earning her first WTA title. Badosa's hometown advantage played a significant role in her success at the tournament. Badosa, who grew up in the Madrid area, was playing on familiar clay courts, in front of a home crowd, and had the support of her family and friends. In addition, Badosa's experience playing on clay courts in Spain gave her an edge over her opponents, who were not as familiar with the surface. Badosa's success at the Madrid Open is not only a testament to her skill as a tennis player but also highlights the importance of familiarity and comfort in sports performance. It also shows the impact of local support on an athlete's performance in a tournament. Overall, Paula Badosa's hometown advantage played a vital role in her success at the Madrid Open, emphasizing the importance of familiarity and support in sports performance.

In conclusion, being a hometown favorite can be both a blessing and a curse. While it can inspire individuals to achieve great things, it can also lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. It is important for individuals in this position to maintain a healthy balance between their personal goals and the expectations of those around them.

Ons Jabeur, a Tunisian tennis player, is on a quest for history at the Madrid Open, as she becomes the first Arab woman to reach the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 event. Jabeur’s journey to the top of tennis has not been without obstacles. She faced financial struggles and a lack of support in her home country, Tunisia, which led her to train in France. However, her hard work and dedication have paid off, as she has steadily climbed up the world rankings and become a force to be reckoned with on the court. Jabeur’s success is a testament to the importance of perseverance and determination in achieving one’s goals. Jabeur’s determination and unwavering focus on her goals have propelled her to new heights in her tennis career, and her historic run at the Madrid Open is a testament to her hard work and dedication. Her success is not only inspiring to young Arab women, but also to athletes around the world who face similar obstacles in their pursuit of greatness.

In conclusion, the fourth episode of the Netflix documentary "Break Point" sheds light on the emotional journey of two talented athletes, Paula Badosa, and Ons Jabeur, as they prepare for the Madrid Open. The episode captures the immense pressure and expectations that come with playing in front of a home crowd, as well as the desire to make history and leave a lasting impact on the sport. Through their stories, we see the incredible dedication, perseverance, and mental toughness required to succeed at the highest level of tennis. Overall, "Break Point" episode 4 is a must-watch for sports enthusiasts, providing a unique glimpse into the world of professional tennis and the challenges that players face on and off the court.

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Tennis has maintained a reputation through the years of being a sport for the white and for the wealthy. Not only is the game’s accessibility to the masses hurt by this fact, but tennis is also an exceedingly difficult sport to master, with truly exceptional talent being rare. Fortunately, huge strides have been taken in breaking these barriers with time. Perhaps no one has been as influential in this regard as the Williams sisters: Venus and Serena, led by their father Richard. The film King Richard highlights the formative years of the Williams sisters’ lives and details their father’s plan to turn the girls into two of the greatest tennis players of all time.

One crucial component of the Williams’ success shown in the film is discipline. Venus and Serena are shown from the start to hold a serious commitment to the training regimen set forth by their father. They train whenever possible, rain or shine, using whatever makeshift equipment they can. Richard himself is shown petitioning professional coaches to train the girls, even researching while working as a security guard to support his daughters’ tennis aspirations. After constant rejection from coaches, the girls’ skill is eventually too great to be ignored and a professional coach is secured for Venus. She would soon begin competition, where her skill would become a proven commodity to the masses. This opened many previously inaccessible doors for her, such as sponsorships and more competition. However, Richard would choose to reinforce his ideals of discipline by declining these offers and instead have Venus continue training while focusing on school. This decision would attract ire from their new coach, but Richard’s commitment to the principles that had gotten them this far would prove lucrative for their future.

After a long competitive hiatus, Venus would enter a tournament where she would be pitted against some of the best tennis players in the world. During the tournament, Richard comforted Serena as she sat on the sidelines, left out, while her sister competed. This demonstrates that above all, Richard’s commitment to tennis pales in comparison to his commitment to his family. With some professional coaching now under her belt, Venus dominates in her first match. However, when it was revealed who her next opponent would be, her coach had very little faith in her winning. Richard, though, believed in Venus just as he always had. And although she dominated the beginning of the match, she would ultimately be defeated. She was devastated with this result, but Richard would help ease her frustration. He reassured her that while she may have lost this match, it is far from the end for her. His confidence in she and Serena’s ability and career prospects would soon be proven correct.

Shortly after the tournament shown at the end of the film, Venus would sign a sponsorship agreement with Reebok worth $12 million at just 15 years old. Venus would go on to win 7 grand slam titles, and was the first African-American woman to become the top ranked player. Serena Williams, despite being initially undervalued by coaches at a young age, would proceed to win 23 grand slam titles and is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. This level of success could not have been achieved without the dedication of their father, Richard, and his commitment to fulfilling the potential he was certain his daughters possessed. His values and teachings not only opened the door for his family to find success in tennis, but likely opened doors for countless others aspiring to compete at the highest level.

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Breaking Point: "California Dreaming" - submitted by Emma Grace Trammell

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Breaking Point: "California Dreaming" - submitted by Emma Grace Trammell

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I watched episode three, “California Dreaming”, of the Netflix docuseries Breaking Point. I enjoyed this episode because it depicted the mental and emotional toughness needed to be a top tennis player. The episode follows the Indian Wells tournament in the United States, also known as the “fifth slam.” Winning this tournament brings a lot of money as well. Before watching this series, I did not realize that professional tennis players travel almost 30 weeks out of the year to play tournaments; this makes sense why mental and emotional toughness are just as important as physical ability in winning matches and tournaments. Netflix follows Taylor Fritz, an American men’s player, and Maria Sakkari, a Greek women's player, through their games at Indian Wells to show the difficulty it takes to win major tournaments. Both Fritz and Sakkari are examples of why mental and emotional strength is key to winning important matches in tennis.

For Maria Sakkari, she advanced to the Indian Wells final through her mental tenacity in the semifinal match against Paula Badoza. Badoza was the favorite to win the match. At one point Sakkari starts to lose her focus but regains it for an emotional win. However, in the final vs Iga Świątek, Sakkari was unable to stay mentally and emotionally balanced and lost the match. She says she let the pressure get to her and lost her mental focus, something that is hard to get back. She knows that it would have been possible to be the winner of Indian Wells if she would have just kept herself centered. Her semifinal and final matches are both examples of why a tennis player needs to have a balanced mind and heart in order to win matches.

The American Taylor Fritz, on the other hand, was able to win the biggest game of his career because he kept his mind and heart balanced. Fritz played Rafael Nadal in the final. Nadal is one of the greatest players in history and was on a long win streak at that time. In order to beat him, Fritz had to be physically, mentally, and emotionally ready. Despite an injury scare before the match, Fritz was able to go on the court and play an amazing match. He did everything he knew he needed to do and kept his cool to win the match. He deservedly became champion, taking down Nadal and battling through injury to get there.

I like that tennis is not strictly a sport to test who is the most physically athletic or technically skilled. All of the top tennis professionals have similar physical skill levels, so what separates them is their mentalities. You have to want to fight for every single point but also not get too passionate and lose your cool. I also like that the job of coaches isn’t just to teach the skill part; they also help with mental strength. The tennis tour is almost 30 weeks long and many tournaments are up for grabs. However, you have to be able to stay on your game the whole time.

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King Richard is an awesome movie, my opinions below! - Caden Harris

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King Richard is an awesome movie, my opinions below! - Caden Harris

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The movie “King Richard” directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green is a drama film that shows the life of Richard Williams and his two daughters, Serena and Venus Williams. Throughout the movie, the story showcases the road that Richard took the Williams sisters on into stardom as world-dominating tennis players. The film also highlights the challenges the family faced during the pursuit of success in the sport of tennis.

Venus and Serena Williams' training methods were not just restricted to hitting the ball all over the court. Richard’s style of training was comprehensive, and he keyed in on all elements of the game, including tough physical fitness, mental strength, and nutritional focus on diets. Richard taught his daughters to be disciplined and focused as he built a strong work ethic into them.

Richard focused on visualization during the training for his daughters. Like we have discussed in class, envisioning your shot and practicing muscle motion is key to improving your soft skills. Asking them to close their eyes and visualize themselves being victorious is a key method lots of coaches instill in their athletes, so it was cool to see it through this relationship. You could notice the Williams sister's confidence grew through this training and, of course, their success that followed.

Another technique that Richard used was to teach his daughters with worn out tennis balls. This was to ensure they would run faster and must bend lower to adjust to the balls' lack of bounce and control. This technique helped them to develop a well-rounded game, and it was evident in their performances on the court.

King Richard's impact on Serena and Venus's skills can’t be ignored. He was a massive factor behind their success, and his faithful belief in them gave Serena and Venus the drive to work harder to reach their goals. Richard was not just their coach, but he was also their father, and he played a crucial role in shaping their lives in both tennis, school, and other co-curricular activities.

The difficulties that the Williams family encountered on their path to prosperity are also highlighted in the film. They had to go through issues like prejudice and other challenges that could have easily scuttled their aspirations. They persisted in their commitment to their objectives, though, and in the end their tenacity and fortitude were rewarded.

I could relate to some of Richard's training methods for his daughters because of KIN 108. The course covers a variety of subjects connected to athletic performance, physical training, and mental preparation. Richard concentrated on each of these topics in his training methodology, and it was intriguing to observe how his methods complemented the concepts we are studying in class.

In conclusion, King Richard is an amazing film that vividly depicts Serena and Venus Williams' extraordinary journey and the influence of their father on their achievement. Richard trained his girls by emphasizing every facet of the game. He also instilled in them a strong work ethic and a never-give-up mentality. The film also emphasizes the difficulties and obstacles that the Williams family had on their path to success, serving as a motivational lesson that everything is achievable with perseverance, hard effort, and tenacity.

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The Williams Sisters’ Story in King Richard (post written by Sydney Harrison)

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The Williams Sisters’ Story in King Richard (post written by Sydney Harrison)

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Professional tennis has had numerous standout athletes, but it's hard to distinguish any more remarkable than sister athletes, Venus and Serena Williams. The Williams sisters would not be the legends they are today without the diverse challenges they have faced. The movie King Richard shines a light on these challenges, including discrimination and a lack of resources, and underscores the Williams sisters’ resilience in overcoming these obstacles. It also highlights the positive influence their father, Richard, had on their training and unforeseen success.

One of the most significant challenges Serena and Venus Williams faced was the lack of resources available to them at the onset of their tennis career. When young, they trained on rundown courts in unsafe neighborhoods. This put the Williams family at risk, adding stress to tennis sessions and hindering their ability to focus fully on their training. For example, in King Richard, there is a scene where Richard gets beaten by men that harassed his daughters at the neighborhood tennis court. With access to private tennis facilities, like other athletes of their caliber, their training would have been more concentrated. Furthermore, King Richard depicts the Williams sisters’ lackluster training gear, such as worn shoes and improperly sized tennis rackets. Despite these adversities, they displayed remarkable adaptability and resiliency throughout their tennis careers.

Discrimination challenged the Williamses on and off the court. In scenes of King Richard, it shows Serena and Venus facing judgment from parents, players, and coaches who believed they did not belong in tennis. This seemed purposeful in aim to deter the Williamses from dominating the sport. Richard was even advised to have his daughters play basketball instead. However, Serena and Venus would still fight and prove successful in tennis matches. Also, despite fearing the true discrimination they were facing, Richard had the utmost confidence in his daughters’ abilities such that he would battle administrators on this matter. In another scene, Richard is scoffed at by a professional coach for his lesser knowledge of the game. Other tennis coaches treated him as inferior for his knowledge and coaching tactics due to his underprivileged background. Richard was even scrutinized by his neighbors for making his daughter work too hard, like practicing in the rain. However, Richard never faltered when coaching based on his beliefs about the game and his daughter’s abilities. The Williams sisters faced serious discrimination from those seeking to withhold them from success.

The unforeseen success of the Williamses may have been due to the challenges they faced. Of note, Serena was left out of the advanced training Venus received when they were young. While some would say this hurt her tennis skill, it allowed Serena to develop her own highly effective style of play. Additionally, many believed their father was not fit to be their coach. However, Richard being their earliest coach was an unanticipated advantage. He successfully coached their tennis skills and instilled personal values crucial to the game, like planning and humility. Richard believed in his daughters to an extreme level when no one else did, which helped them believe in themselves. Additionally, King Richard shows Richard battling distinguished coaches on proper tennis stances. Other coaches believed a closed stance led to power, while Richard believed an open stance led to power. Without Richard being a strong advocate of an open stance, Venus and Serena may not have developed such powerful strokes. Serena and Venus became such prominent tennis players, because of their father’s stubborn coaching tactics and unwavering belief in them.

King Richard showcases the 2001 US Open Final and 2002 French Open Final where Serena played Venus. These clips showed that Richard raised two of the sport’s best athletes, just like he predicted. No matter the diverse obstacles they faced, the Williams sisters fought with the support of their father. The story of the Williams family serves as a reminder that success is possible, regardless of individual challenges, if one is resilient in one’s plans.

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Naomi Osaka- a Netflix Documentary (post written by Chandler Turnipseed)

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Naomi Osaka- a Netflix Documentary (post written by Chandler Turnipseed)

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After watching the first episode of the documentary Naomi Osaka, I feel as though my appreciation for both the sport of tennis and the professional athletes has grown. In the first episode, fittingly named Rise, Naomi Osaka develops both her tennis skills and her personal connection with the viewers. The progression from playing on the public courts with her sister to playing for the U.S. Open was very inspiring. I imagine that Osaka has probably inspired many young children, like the way that star athletes like Kobe Bryant or Tom Brady do for many, who dream of becoming a professional athlete. It was interesting to hear that Osaka’s tennis pursuits are not entirely self-driven or intrinsically motivated. She tells about how her parents, a man from Haiti and a woman from Japan, met and wanted to have children who were tennis players. Osaka shares with the viewers that she remembers several times throughout her upbringing when she was on the court and getting tired, but then she remembered that playing tennis made her mother happy, so she continued to play and get better for her. It does make someone wonder whether her sister has continued playing tennis, because Osaka mentions that she and her family used to spend at least eight hours a day on the courts some days in her younger years. She is the first Japanese woman to have ever won the U.S. Open back when she won in 2018. The transition from playing as the underdog to playing as the number one player in the tournament is thought, by both Naomi and commentators, to have affected her performance at the following U.S. Open, where she was beat by Belinda Bencic in the round of 16. She won her first few matches somewhat easily, including one against young tennis star Coco Gauff. Now 19, Coco was only 15 years old when she faced Osaka in the third round of the tournament in 2019. Osaka’s encouragement and advice for Gauff after beating her was like the dynamic that we saw of Kobe giving her advice: an older and more experienced player takes the youngster under their wing and helps to guide them through the pressures of the media and the craziness of the sports industry. The difference in the dynamic between Kobe and Osaka vs Osaka and Gauff is that Osaka played against Gauff. Instead of seeing her as just another opponent on the bracket, Osaka took the time to address both Coco and her family after the match to let them know how proud she was of their accomplishments in raising and becoming an amazing and talented competitor in the tennis world. This speaks volumes to the sportsmanship of Osaka, seeing that she cares and thinks about more than just the game, but about how people feel when they leave after playing her. The final standout segment of the documentary revolved around the way in which the media and noise of life as a professional athlete can affect the mental health of a person. Naomi is vulnerable in talking about times where she may feel lonely, isolated, or even like she needs to take a break from all of it. I respect when people who have a platform use it to promote honest conversations about hard yet prevalent topics like this one. Naomi Osaka is far from through with her tennis career, and after watching the documentary I am excited to cheer her on through the rest of it.

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(Example) OPEN: Andre Agassi's Autobiography

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(Example) OPEN: Andre Agassi's Autobiography

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It is an autobiography of famous American tennis player Andre Agassi. He was notorious as a bad boy when he was a player. There was a time when he appeared at a tennis tournament wearing jeans. The story of his unhappy childhood and his maturity along with tennis is described very truthfully. Among many sportsman autobiographies, personally, I consider this is the best. The loneliness and pain he had to experience as a tennis player since he was young, the rivalry against Pete Sampras, and the story of meeting and playing Federer are interestingly described. It is also explained convincingly why he showed up the competition wearing jeans.

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King Richard - Movie about the William's Family 

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King Richard - Movie about the William's Family 

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The movie "King Richard" is one of my favorites. It is about the lives and upbringing of Serena and Venus Williams, and the great involvement of their parents in their tennis careers, especially their father Richard Williams. It is an incredible movie, and made me aware of things about the Williams sisters I would have never known. Prior to watching, I knew of Serena Williams and that she is one of the most amazing woman tennis players--but I did not know she was actually the underdog in comparison to her sister, Venus. It was amazing to watch their tennis careers from start to finish in this film, and something that especially shocked me was how big of a role their dad had in making their dreams come true, hence the movie's title. I also had no idea that one of the girl's coaches went as far as paying for their home in Florida in order to be Venus' coach. It is a great movie and even better story; I recommend it to everyone!

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Battle of the Sexes- Movie about the 1973 Tennis Match

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Battle of the Sexes- Movie about the 1973 Tennis Match

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The movie I decided to write about is, "The Battle of the Sexes." This movie tells the story about the exhilarating 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs that was televised and called battle of the sexes. Not only was this match just a game of tennis, but it brought up the conversation of gender equality and the feminist movement. This game not only brought to light of what was going on, on the court, but also brought up things that were happening off the court as well. I really enjoyed watching this film and found it quite interesting and informative with how it brought up topics that you would think would surround tennis. If you are looking for something to watch, I would recommend this film.

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These two players are of course some of the greatest in history and watching them play against each other is incredible. Specifically seeing Djokovic going from defense to offense and scoring a point is great. It's drastically different from how we play the game because of the skill level, but it is very cool to watch.

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Djokovic is a WARRIOR. 😳 #tennis (via @US Open)

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@underarmserve
Djokovic is a WARRIOR. 😳 #tennis (via @US Open)
♬ original sound - Tennis

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ESPN posted a Tik tok of Krygios serves going out of bound and having to reserve for it to go out of bounds once again, with someone making a joke about buying serves on the court. I thought that this was a good video to demonstrate how good sportsmanship looks our on the court. And how even though the joke was made towards Krygios, he was even able to laugh along with it as well, instead of getting mad that someone was joking about both of serves going out of bounds.

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645.3K Likes, 714 Comments. TikTok video from ESPN (@espn): "Even Kyrgios had to laugh at that 😂 @wimbledon #tennis #wimbledon". Player: "Can't buy a first serve!" | Fan: "Can't buy a second serve!" 🤣 original sound - ESPN.

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On the same note as Wii Tennis, Mario Tennis was a staple for long car rides with my family. I played it on my brothers old GameBoy Color and it was another great exposure to tennis. Part of the success of tennis is that its such a staple sport that it has so many popular video games modeled after it.

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Wii Sports was my favorite game growing up, and Tennis was always my favorite game in it. I love playing it with my friends and family, and now I have Switch Sports. Wii Tennis was the first time I ever "played" tennis, but it was loads of fun then and it still is now.

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Wimbledon posted on their TikTok this week a video of Kyrgios when he was 19 playing the top rated player in the world. He looks cool, calm, and collected. To return the shot, he casually taps the ball with his racket from between his legs. I really like this because it looks so effortless and easy despite requiring a lot of skill.
-Preston

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15.4K Likes, 22 Comments. TikTok video from wimbledon (@wimbledon): "Kyrgios is magic 🪄 #wimbledon". POV: you're 19 playing against the world No.1 on Centre Court. M83 x Star Wars Theme MIX.