Tennis’ Netflix CURSE! Eight stars of new Break Point series – including injured Nick Kyrgios, American ace Taylor Fritz and world No 2 Ons Jabeur – make NIGHTMARE start to new season, crashing out early at Australian Open
- The Australian Open has been ‘cursed’ by players involved in a new Netflix show
- Netflix’s series ‘Break Point’ followed 10 players through its first five episodes
- So far eight of those featured have been eliminated prior to the third round
- Only Maria Sakkari and Felix Auger-Aliassime remain still in the tournament
- Fans are ‘starting to believe’ that the ‘Netflix curse’ is real and affecting players
- Click here for all your latest international Sports news from DailyMail.com
Tennis fans cannot escape the idea that Netflix’s brand-new ‘Break Point’ series has jinxed it’s series one stars – with EIGHT out of the Australian Open before round three.
The 10-part docuseries focuses on the lives of some of tennis’ biggest names across the 2022 season.
But, those same players have come crashing back down to earth in 2023 with eight of the 10 stars in the first five episodes out of the Australian Open before round three.
Taylor Fritz (left) and Nick Kyrgios (right) are among Netflix stars enduring a miserable 2023
World No 2 Ons Jabeur was ruthlessly eliminated by unseeded star Marketa Vondrousova
In the first five episodes of Netflix’s new Break Point documentary, 10 players were featured
Netflix’s social media team were quick to call the unfortunate form of players a ‘coincidence’
Taylor Fritz, Team USA’s best hope of a men’s singles player winning the Australian Open, joined the casualty list Wednesday in defeat to home favorite Alexei Popyrin – but he was far from the first to fall.
Before the Melbourne Grand Slam even started three players – Nick Kyrgios, fellow Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic and Spain’s Paula Badosa – withdrew through injuries sustained in the lead-up.
From there the band of Netflix stars soon found their opening Slam of the year brought to a premature end.
Paula Badosa (left) and Ajla Tomljanovic (right) joined Kyrgios in pulling out injured
Of those who featured, Matteo Berrettini was first to fall, losing 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7, 7-6
No 13 seed Matteo Berrettini was the first casualty, losing an epic 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (10-6) match to Scottish warrior Andy Murray.
From there, Casper Ruud, the No 2 seed, was dumped out in four sets by American phenom Jenson Brooksby.
Players had bristled when it was put to them that the ‘curse’ was gathering momentum among fans.
Fritz in particular was unimpressed by the narrative.
‘Actually, I didn’t know that was a [thing],’ Fritz said before his second round match.
Maria Sakkari (left) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (right) are the only Netflix stars still competing
‘Obviously I noticed the people pulling out of the tournament, but I didn’t know it was a thing, like, I’m going to lose my first round because I’m in the Netflix show? I didn’t think of that.’
But Fritz would soon join the rest of the Netflix crew in bowing out early with his title hopes extinguished by Popyrin.
But further drama would follow Thursday when first world No 2 Ons Jabeur crashed out, losing to unseeded Marketa Vondrousova, and then Murray claimed his second Netflix victim by taking out Thanasi Kokkinakis in the longest match of the Scot’s career.
Talk of the ‘curse’ has trended on social media with fans convinced that it is a ‘real’ thing
Denmark’s Holger Rune laughed off talk Netflix will be bad for the players’ performance as he revealed, after reaching the third round, that he will get involved for series two.
‘I’m excited to do it. I think it’s going to be great. It’s good for tennis,’ he said.
‘It’s good for us players. [The] more fans we can get into the sport, it’s better. I’m just very positive about it.’
There is the very real prospect that all 10 of the featured players across the first five episodes fall before the end of the first week, with Maria Sakkari and Felix Auger-Aliassime in action into the early hours Friday.
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