Tennis Fans Blame ‘Netflix Curse’ After Nick Kyrgios’ Australian Open Withdrawal

While the long list of tennis players not competing at the 2023 Australian Open continues to grow, there seems to be a trend after Australian star Nick Krygios announced his withdrawal from the tournament on Monday.

Fans are calling it the “Netflix curse.”

The docuseries “Break Point,” which premiered on Friday, features Kyrgios in the first episode. The second episode highlights top WTA players Ajla Tomljanovic and Paula Badosa, who also pulled out of the tournament on Friday due to injury.

One person took to Twitter, “The “NetflixCurse has now ruled Ajla Tomlajanovic, Paula Badosa and Nick Kyrgios out of the #AusOpen. Pray for Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe.”

Ruud, Fritz and Tiafoe and just a few of the other players that are featured in the docuseries. 

The remaining episodes also follow players No. 7 Felix Auger-Aliassime, No. 14 Matteo Berrettini and No. 17 (doubles) Thanasis Kokkinakis on the men’s side and No. 2 Ons Jabeur and No. 6 Maria Sakkari on the women’s side. 

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Other fans are taking to the internet that the “Netflix curse is real” and are hoping that Part 2, which is expected to drop in June, will be canceled. 

While the first round of the 2023 Australian Open is still being played, time will tell how many more players from the “Break Point” cast will drop out of the Grand Slam.

From the team behind “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” “Break Point” follows a select group of world class tennis players on and off the court as they compete in iconic tournaments all over the world. 

Through the series, viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most pressure-tested lives in the game.  

“At the end of the day, the show is about the human condition, and what this particular sport does to the human condition and how people respond to being in this place and this time. And it’s very relatable,” said executive producer James Gay-Rees, who also is one of the people behind “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.”

After Netflix launched “Drive to Survive” in 2019, F1 experienced a huge increase in viewership with nearly 53% of the show’s viewers saying they became fans of the sport.

This is the Netflix effect “Break Point” is looking to garner for tennis.