Tiebreak: Official Game of the ATP and WTA – PS5 Review

Tennis games feel few and far between and it seems like an age since they were truly great. Top Spin might be back on the menu these days but, aside from that, Big Ant Studios appear to be the only studio available to bring a licensed version of the racquet sport to consoles. Tiebreak: Official Game of the ATP and WTA is their latest effort. Despite the high player count, this is clearly a game on a budget and it undermines what they’re trying to offer.

There’s around 120 real players in Tiebreak: Official Game of the ATP and WTA. Most of their appearances feel accurate with grunts and mannerisms taken care off. Nadal bounces the ball obsessively before every serve, Nick Kyrgios has his tattoos fully rendered. As I delved further down the roster, the likenesses did start to slide, sadly. The attention is detail is decent but there’s still a lack of life to the players. They look dead behind the eyes and you don’t really get their personality as part of the package.

The venues fair better. The Grand Slams are off limits but the various ATP events have a sound presentation and accurate court layouts. Monte Carlo’s clay and grandstands show really well and some events feature play under floodlights. Unfortunately, surfaces don’t mark up as you play on them. It’s a shame the crowd don’t add a lot to the atmosphere. There’s excitement from them when rallies extend and audible disappointment with unforced errors. Unfortunately, they don’t feel like they’re that into a match. It’s all a bit mechanical and I don’t feel like the audience has a favourite in any contest.

The court-side elements feel very static. Ball boys and girls don’t retrieve anything from the net and line judges don’t move to avoid any stray shots. For what you can see of the crowd, they appear subdued. Whilst the major Opens aren’t represented in an official capacity, they have fake equivalents. These are arguably the blandest venues on offer with no effort made to approximate something prestigious. Maybe that’s a problem with dealing with the licenses but it would’ve been nice to see them try and elevate those keystone events.

A venue creator is available and community creations appear to have been pulled in from Big Ant Studio’s previous tennis games. There’s plenty to it and the creation suite does seem relatively fully featured. I’ve seen some decent looking created players and venues which could help give the game some legs.

The tennis itself feels a little stodgy. Movement feels fine enough but striking the ball requires anticipation and pre-loading inputs to really hit the ball cleanly. I find directing shots to be difficult and that has led to rallies elongating and providing frustration. You can use the triggers to give directions more emphasis but there’s not a great deal of feedback. It doesn’t feel smooth and reacting to the opposition requires some foresight. Without holding the buttons down, you’re left with a desperate swing that just invites trouble.

The strokes on offer are fairly standard. You can hit the ball flat, add topspin or slice efforts. I’m reliably keeping things within the tramlines but nailing the corners is a distant dream for me. Even the weakest of pros have plenty of power in them so placement has a greater importance. There’s tutorials to run through but even those don’t entirely provide the lessons I would want.

It is at least a little easier when serving. You have three types to cycle through but flat serves have provided me with plenty of openings against the AI. Anything out wide opens the court up to you for a good return and keep a point short. Players do at least demonstrate different styles. Counter-punchers will soak up pressure whilst more aggressive players will look to rush the net. They feel like archetypes rather than individuals but at least that’s one more thing for players to consider.

That’s not to say it’s without challenge. Medium difficulty gives me a lot to think about, even if it does lack nuance. Matches just seem to be drawn out affairs. Victories can be satisfying but I rarely felt like I was in full control. You can shorten matches to speed things up but those wanting an authentic five-set experience will be in for marathon grinds.

Career mode is where I spent most of my time. It’s a very bare-bones experience with your created player scaling the heights of the ATP or WTA rankings. The high count of real professionals really helps but they’re also complimented by a number of fake players. As such, there feels like a full tour’s worth of players to battle. That would be impressive if they just had more about them. Grinding at the bottom of the pile could potentially allow for rivalries to build but I never found that translated to the court.

It makes for a very dry and dull precession. Off-court, you can employ staff to help deal with travel weariness and fatigue. These are expensive to begin with. Sponsors are supposed to alleviate those money troubles but, despite my stature, nobody’s coming to the table. Is it broken? Have I just rushed to success too quickly? I don’t quite understand how player development works, either. You pick your playing style at the outset. There are trainers you can hire but that doesn’t have an immediate effect on attributes. I feel like I’ve got a real lack of agency in that regard.

Tiebreak: Official Game of the ATP and WTA is a budget title saddled with a premium license. Despite all the pro names that come with it, there’s a rushed feel to the presentation and an incredibly bare-bones approach to the career mode. Whilst there is some attention paid to the official venues, they never feel lively or active and even player animations can feel stiff and robotic. The tennis can feel mixed. Hitting a winner can be satisfying but I was missing some precision. It’s not awful but there’s so little extra here to really deliver something good.