Rafa

Rafa

DocumentarySports

Release Date: 29th May, 2026

Release Platform: Netflix

Language: English, Spanish, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu

Producer: Timothy Moran, David Ellison, Jason Reed, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Andrew Helms, Connie Honeycutt

Production House(s): Netflix Studios, Skydance Sports

Director(s): Zach Heinzerling

Seasons & Episodes: Season 1: 4 Episodes

Overview

Everyone knows the version of Rafael Nadal that tennis showed them - the headband, the fist pump, the red clay of Roland Garros, and 22 Grand Slams. This version is accurate, but it is also the one which is edited down to three minutes and played on a loop. The real thing was longer, messier, and considerably harder to carry than the highlights suggest.

This documentary showcases the version underneath all that.

Twenty two grand slams is a number. Rafa is trying to get at the person who had to become someone capable of that number, and what that process actually required him to give up, push through, and carry quietly while the world was busy counting titles.

Cast

John McEnroe

John McEnroe

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer

Roger Federer

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic

Fun Facts

- The series is helmed by Zach Heinzerling, the Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated director behind Cutie and the Boxer. He reportedly used a 'cinematic scope' to move the series away from standard sports highlights and into a high-art biographical territory.

- The crew spent significant time filming Nadal’s grueling physical therapy sessions, showcasing the intense medical reality behind his professional longevity.