Long before the advent of Netflix, Martina Navratilova was tennis reality television. She was a dashing, powerful 18-time major singles champion, who escaped an oppressive European regime and went on to live the large, American dream.

These days, she is busy tending to a number of (very) active dogs and providing analysis for Tennis Channel. Somehow, she finds time to occasionally wander into scenes on Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Miami,” because her wife, Julia Lemigova, is a main character.

Maybe that’s why she hasn’t had time to check out Season 2 of Netflix’s “Break Point,” which traces the drama of the 2023 season in six episodes. 

“Nowadays, everybody’s got their cameras out,” she said recently from South Florida. “You’re much more on display than you used to be. When I was practicing, I had maybe five people watching. Now, they can have 500 people watching. It’s got to be hard to be authentic and act natural when there’s always a camera there.”

Netflix: Watch Season 2 of 'Break Point'

Navratilova was prepping for the Australian Open, which begins Sunday. She’ll be pontificating from the comfort of home because that Tennis Channel analysis will come via Zoom. She’s attended F1 and NASCAR races and understands why Netflix’ “Drive to Survive” was so successful.

“The danger element, the suspense is massive,” she said. “If you mess up in F1, you can die. If you mess up in tennis, you lose a point.”

Nevertheless, the suspense in Melbourne will be palpable, with the four top-ranked players already enjoying great success in Week 1 of 2024, spiced by a handful of highly anticipated comebacks. Here’s how Navratilova breaks it down:

Iga Swiatek

Heading into the United Cup final against Germany, the World No.1 was 7-0 to open the season in Australia. But she and Poland teammate Hubert Hurkacz fell in the definitive super tiebreak. With a 5-0 record in singles, working on a new, forward-thinking game, she’ll be among the favorites here. 

Navratilova’s take: How good will she be if she starts going forward? Ridiculous. I think she’s got the potential to be kind of like [Rafael] Nadal. She’s got those soft hands -- she just doesn’t seem confident to use them. When Nadal came up, he was allergic to the net, didn’t have a slice. And then he developed all of that. I think she has such a curious mind and she’ll want to improve that. Hard to believe, but she’s got a lot of places she can get better. Her so-called weaknesses can become strengths. Not backing away from the net, she can be even more dominant.

Break Point S2: Trailer

Aryna Sabalenka

The defending champion in Melbourne, Sabalenka ripped through her first four matches in Brisbane but lost the final to Elena Rybakina 6-0, 6-3. If she wants to repeat, she might need to find a way to beat Rybakina, who is 3-1 against her since losing last year’s Australian Open final.

Navratilova’s take: Brisbane was an amazing tournament, because Sabalenka’s going 6-0, 6-1, 6-0 and thinking, 'Ooh, I’m doing really well.’ She was dominant, getting better every match -- then she got blown out. She’s not used to that -- let’s see what she comes up with as an answer.

Elena Rybakina

Rybakina went 5-0 in Brisbane, but lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-3 in the Adelaide quarterfinals, giving her plenty of time to recover for Melbourne.

Navratilova’s take: She dropped, what, 15 games in five matches to open the season? She’s been serving great. After losing the final last year, she’ll be super motivated. So, I think for me, she’s the favorite right now. Because the surface suits her better than Swiatek. And she’s got to have a lot of confidence about the way she played, dominating and being healthy. It’s between Swiatek and Rybakina.

Coco Gauff 

The 19-year-old finished the 2023 season with a flurry, capturing her first major at the US Open. In Auckland, she was 5-for-5, beating Elina Svitolina after dropping the first set.

Navratilova’s take:  I think [coach] Brad Gilbert has really helped her with the forehand -- don’t stress about it. And find a different way to win. He had to play that way himself. You can only play your best once in a while. You’re just trying to get as close to that as possible. She has found a way to tame her emotions. The first couple years on tour, I thought she was too fired up. I thought she was going to burn out. She’s still a teenager, I know, but she needed to just dial it down. Like Carlos Alcaraz, going all out on every point, every match. You just can’t sustain that, when every point is a match point. 

Naomi Osaka 

The 26-year-old mother is ranked No.833, but that won’t last long. The four-time major champion hit the ball well in Brisbane after a lengthy layoff, splitting two matches. She’s reunited with coach Wim Fissette.

Navratilova’s take:  She’s always been very shy, to the point where it can get in the way. Obviously, having a child changes so many of your perspectives. So many walls that we put up have to come down when you’re a mom. I think it’s too soon for having any high hopes, since it’s been so long since she played. I expect her to do well enough, but she can’t expect to win in Australia. But, certainly, she’s capable of beating anybody.

Emma Raducanu 

Three surgeries later, the 2021 US Open champion is back. She went 1-1 in Auckland, losing to Elina Svitolina in three sets.

Navratilova’s take:  If she’s healthy, she’s a threat to anybody anytime, but she can also lose early, which can shake your confidence. She’s so much fun to watch when she’s healthy, so much fun. But we haven’t seen anything close to the form she won the Open with. I hope she gets to that.