"Netflix curse" perfect: all the stars are out
The "Break Point" series is intended to focus on the new stars of the tennis world after Federer, Nadal and Djokovic - and give them a push. At the Australian Open, however, this has not been successful at all - we reported. After Felix Auger-Aliassime also left, the proof of the "curse" seems to have been finally delivered.
by Tennisnet editorial team
last edit: Jan 23, 2023, 06:14 pm
The Tennisnet editorial team has also reported on the content of the series - and we were quite critical of the first five published episodes. The format doesn't seem to bring any luck to the professionals who are shown in the series either. One protagonist of the series had to give up in Melbourne after the other or, like Nick Kyrgios, could not compete at all.
The last remaining was Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian joked about the connection after his third-round win against Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo: "I think it's funny. Maybe the players who lost think it's somehow related. I don't think so." But: It is "funny how things sometimes develop". After the next round, however, he was no longer joking.
Because in round four it was surprisingly over for the Canadian in Australia. The world number seven lost to Czech outsider Jiri Lehecka, who now meets Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Auger-Aliassime made the "Netflix curse" perfect in Melbourne, which he himself didn't want to know about. One thing is certain: all ten protagonists of “Break Point” dropped out early in Melbourne or were unable to start at all due to injury.
The stars go home in rows
Casper Ruud, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Matteo Berrettini, Taylor Fritz, Ons Jabeur and Maria Sakkari failed before Auger-Aliassime. Nick Kyrgios, Ajla Tomljanovic and Paula Badosa had to cancel their participation in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year before it started for health reasons.
"To clarify: this is a pure coincidence," Netflix said on Twitter before the Canadian's defeat, after eight of the ten professionals had already caught it. After the end of Auger-Aliassime, nothing more was heard from the makers. Are they slowly starting to brood?
We will see how the "curse" spreads from Australia in the tennis world.