The controversial career of tennis player, Nick Kyrgios, is the focus point of the first episode of the new Netflix series, Break Point, which will be available in Australia on January 13, The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) reports.
The episode follows the 27 year old’s journey to last year’s Australian Open in Melbourne, Victoria as the series takes a close look at the lives of a number of next generation tennis players.
Maria Sakkari, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Paula Badosa and Thanasi Kokkinakis are also among the athletes featuring in the Netflix documentary. Break Point shows their ups and downs throughout the 2022 season.
In a glimpse of the first episode seen by the SMH, Kyrgios can be seen talking in an emotional way to his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi about the struggles he had to overcome in the past. He describes the first four or five years of his tennis career as ‘chaotic.’
“I can’t keep doing this. I have to be kinder to myself,” Kyrgios can be heard telling Costeen in a video about his way of living when he was on tour. He stressed he was spiralling out of control and drinking every single night.
“For my mental health, I could never be one of those players again that plays all year round. I couldn’t do that. I value my family, my close, close friends and Cossie too much to put tennis in front of that any more. I don’t think that’s healthy.”
In the first episode of the series, many athletes also speak about Kyrgios and Greek tennis player, Stefanos Tsitsipas, is among them.
“He’s not a bad guy,” Tsitsipas said. “He just becomes the devil when he enters the court.”
From there, the focus shifts to Kyrgios’ critics and how he has been hurt the most by the words of Australian swimming champion, Dawn Fraser.
In 2015, Dawn told Kyrgios and tennis player, Bernard Tomic, to “go back to where their fathers or their parents came from.”
Episodes 6-10 of Break Point will land on Netflix in June 2023.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
