So it turns out, tennis fans, we’ve all been taken for a ride by the ATP Tour.
In fact, “tennis professionals” have been lying to us for over half a century, on the men’s side anyway.
The true story has all been revealed in a hilarious social media post from the ATP Tour that has just gone live and is quickly gaining enormous traction.
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The truth is, when the ATP Tour launched back in 1972, it was actually the commencement of a scripted reality show so, naturally, we are kicking off season 52 this year.
Some of the “players” you thought you knew and loved, or loved to hate, are in fact actors.
Meet Fraser McKnight, who plays Sir Andy Murray.
“Yeah I mean, I think that’s what people don’t realise. Like, it’s all just scripted,” McKnight says in the video.
“So I’ve been part of this show for 16, 17 years, or ‘ATP Seasons’, as we call them,” Critchley explains.
“The players, the matches, it’s all just kind of made up. It’s a bit like, you know, wrestling or the reality TV shows, like none of it’s real.
“We usually get our storylines at the start of the year and we just try to make everything look natural.
“You know let’s face it, people are stupid, so, you know, they’ll buy anything.
“We just try to make everything look real and the viewers seem to love it.”
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There is also the fantastically named Bert Critchley, who does his best to get inside the mind of his character, Novak Djokovic.
“Something that I’m really trying to evoke with this Novak character is not just the performance and the achievements, but a bit more of an essence, a bit more personality, try to have people relate to him.
“I want to bring truth to Novak. What is he thinking, what is he feeling? What would motivate him, if he was a real person?”
Other characters that feature in the behind-the-scenes shoot include Gael Monfils, one of the most athletic players in tennis history on-court, who actually struggles terribly with his co-ordination in reality, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Stan Wawrinka, Francis Tiafoe, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Carlos Alcaraz.
Some of the best moments are saved for Rublev, who gives a look behind the curtain as he shoots some of the sound bites he supposedly makes on court, including grunting holding only a frying pan and making a sneaker squeak on a tile.
Jenny Page and Jamie Turner are introduced as the writers of the show.
“Welcome everyone, as usual, you know what we’re here to do, main storylines for the season,” Turner says in a group brainstorming session.
“Where do you want to start?”
Turner in particular is looking forward to the new season.
“The start of any new season’s exciting. Seeing our words come to life, it’s a … it’s a real buzz,” he said.
The ATP Tour even went to the lengths of creating Instagram accounts for all of the characters in the video.
The online reaction has been excellent, with Djokovic among those spruiking the genius promotion with a dig at his own semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner at this year’s Australian Open, a tournament he has “won” 10 times.
“Glad to be part of another ‘ATP season’,” the world No. 1 wrote on X. “Amazing group of actors, very proud to be part of this cast.
“Normally the writers start the season with my character Novak winning the Australian Open title. So, for anyone that doesn’t like the beginning of this season, please contact the director.”
US Open champion Coco Gauff is another that loves the promotion.
“This is hilarious, omg,” she wrote on X using a crying emoji. “Whoever came up with the concept deserves a raise!”