Pressure Point

There is no sport where the mental pressure can escalate as intensely as in tennis. The scoring system is designed in such a way that the pressure keeps building—even when you’re comfortably ahead. Much like the criticism often faced by Novak Đoković, Viktor too is expected to conform to the expectations of the Western public and media. On top of the cultural differences between his homeland and the Netherlands, the endless travel from tournament to tournament is beginning to take its toll. The tennis player no longer truly feels at home anywhere. He has trained his entire life to win Grand Slams, but no one prepared him for the ruthless serves of the press, politics, and public.

Top actor and tennis fanatic Vanja Rukavina creates a dream alter ego in Viktor—one that brings him face to face with the growing pressure from two cultures. Vanja: “I often feel like a pawn caught between two worlds. My friends say I’m not Bosnian enough, and my family thinks I’m not Dutch enough. On a good day, I feel enriched by being able to draw from both cultures, but on a bad day, I feel like I don’t truly belong anywhere.”

The performance is in Dutch and includes English surbtitles.