Wimbledon, England – July 6, 2014 – AELTC: Novak Djokovic with the trophy after winning the Men’s singles final match during the 128th edition of the Wimbledon Championships (Photo by Scott Clarke / ESPN Images)
Amazon announced Friday that it will go ahead with an original documentary series about top tennis player Novak Djokovic. It’s possible the company could eventually have the rights to live tennis as well.
Amazon is pursuing the video rights to the French Open and professional rugby, as Bloomberg reported the online retailer has expressed interest in a wide range of sports with global appeal and discussed amassing enough live sports for a separate sports offering on Prime Video.
The report, citing people with knowledge of the matter, comes after Amazon was reportedly among the companies that was interested in acquiring the streaming rights for the NFL that eventually went to Twitter.
Prime Video, where Amazon users have access to thousands of movies and television shows, premiered in July the NFL Films-produced original documentary series “All Or Nothing,” which followed the Arizona Cardinals’ 2015 season.
Amazon’s focus on adding sports programming led to the series starring Djokovic, who is currently the No. 1-ranked men’s tennis player and the winner of 12 Grand Slam titles. The series will give a look inside the life of Djokovic over the next tennis season.
“There are not enough superlatives to describe Novak Djokovic, one of the most accomplished, multi-dimensional, exciting and captivating athletes on the planet,” Conrad Riggs, Head of Unscripted at Amazon Originals, said in a statement. “Prime members will get an intimate look at the mind and life of a world champion, husband and father, as well as the incredible group of individuals that make up his team.”
Added Djokovic: “My fans have been suffering and celebrating with me from the very beginning of my career on the tennis courts and now I want to share with them all my daily life and what’s important to me — my values, my beliefs, and my habits — and also introduce to them all the amazing people that are always next to me.”
