Nick Kyrgios stars in Netflix’s tennis documentary Break Point, which airs Friday | Tennis news

“I don’t know if this is the last time. Nothing good lasts forever though, right?” Nick Kyrgios considered retirement before last year’s Australian Open.

From the team behind F1: Drive to Survive, Break Point follows a select group of top tennis players including Kyrgios, Iga Swiatek, Frances Tiafoe and Ons Jabeur on and off the court as they compete in Grand Slam tournaments and tournaments around the world. .

Their dream is to win prizes and reach the top of their sport.

“This Netflix (show) is kind of the last hope that tennis will be interesting on the global map for a long, long time. We have a lot of young personalities. I think the first episode is pretty exciting and I think it will keep people interested for sure”

Kyrgios, watched from the sidelines by his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, is heard saying: “My tennis career depends on how I play this year.”

It captures the mood of tennis with the retirements of Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Ashleigh Barty in 2022.

Kyrgios explains of the documentaries leading up to this year’s Australian Open: “It wasn’t just for me. I think the tennis world desperately needs to get back on the world map. Obviously when Novak and (Rafael) Nadal do as well as Roger (Federer).

“This Netflix (show) is kind of the last hope that tennis will be interesting on the global map for a long, long time. We have a lot of young personalities. I think the first episode is pretty exciting and I think it will keep people interested for sure.”

It also helps open a window to the storm and pressure – a word used repeatedly in the first five episodes of the series, which are constant factors for WTA and ATP athletes returning to the Grand Slam stage when play begins at Melbourne Park on Monday. .

Kyrgios finished 2022 enjoying his most successful season, playing his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in July, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

In the first half of the first season, there are occasional unexpected moments, such as when Kyrgios discusses his drinking habit with his manager Daniel Horsfall.

“I just had to be kinder to myself for my mental health. I could never be a player who played year-round. I couldn’t do it,” he says.

Or when Maria Sakkari says in the third episode that she stayed for four days after blowing a game ball and losing in the semifinals of the 2021 French Open.

There’s also a mix of fresh and archival footage. It features interviews with coaches, agents, family members, significant others, journalists and former players such as Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova.

Paula Badosa talks about dealing with depression in episode four, while Taylor Fritz, the top-ranked American man, gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look in episode three of a player dealing with an injury ahead of the biggest game of his career in Indiana. Wells.

Break Point gets up close and personal with star players competing around the world on the ATP and WTA tours for over a year.

From career-threatening injuries and emotional heartbreak to triumphant victories and personal moments off the court, viewers get a behind-the-scenes look at the pressure-tested lives of the world’s best tennis players.

Netflix is ​​available on Sky Q and Sky Glass