Explaining the Netflix Curse

Netflix has recently released a tennis-focused documentary, titled “Break Point,” about what the company describes as future stars of the sport. 


Quick question: what do Felix Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud, Ons Jabeur, Nick Kyrgios, Maria Sakkari, Taylor Fritz, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Matteo Berrettini, Nick Kyrgios, Paula Badosa, and Ajla Tomljanovic have in common (besides starring in the show)?


If you guessed that they all lost in the fourth round or earlier at the Australian Open — the biggest event after the release of the series — you’d be correct. (Tomljanovic, Badosa, and Kyrgios withdrew before the start of the tournament.) 


New fans are surely disappointed. Why have all of these future stars of the sport losing so early? They are the shiny, new Netflix-approved faces of the sport! At least one of them should make it to the quarterfinals!


And from this thought process emerges the idea of the “Netflix curse” (which Tomljanovic has openly condemned) — any player who stars in “Break Point” was bound to lose in the Australian Open. It seems like a silly idea, right? It’s just a TV show; how can it impact a player’s performance?


I have a theory about the “Netflix curse.” It’s not magic or superstition that makes the players lose. It’s the additional pressure. Representing the sport on such a global scale without great success in the majors would make these players want to live up to their fullest potentials — and as Fritz’s coach puts it, you can’t want it too much. You get paralyzed. 


In a sense, “Break Point” does to these players what the general public does to first-time slam winners (ex. Emma Raducanu) without fail. By flooding them with publicity, they’re exposed to sky-high expectations. When they feel that pressure, they freeze. They go for shots they won’t make. They play bad tennis. They lose. My brackets suffer. 


But what’s interesting about all of these “Break Point” players is that most of them are veterans, so one would think they would be used to the publicity and the pressure. It seems the Netflix series could shake even the most solid players’ games enough to cause an upset. You’d better pray that your favorite player doesn’t star in an episode any time soon!

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