Could Nick Kyrgios go all the way at Wimbledon and win his first major title as a singles player?
That was the main theme of the seventh episode of Break Point, the second of the newly released batch. The episode picked up in the middle of the Australian’s showdown with Stefanos Tsitsipas, which was full of tension. After winning, Kyrgios walked off court and told the Netflix camera crew, “I can’t wait for this press conference bro.”
The pair traded barbs in the media, but all that mattered was that Kyrgios advanced through the draw.
For a talented player who had not always fulfilled his potential, a breakthrough performance seemed within arm’s reach. But perhaps the most intriguing moment of the episode came when the crew filmed Kyrgios — safely through to the semi-finals after defeating Cristian Garin — watching the end of the quarter-final between Rafael Nadal and Taylor Fritz. Interestingly the Australian admitted to preferring a showdown with Nadal, whom he called the “greatest of all time”.
The Spaniard won the match, but withdrew before the semi-finals. Suddenly, Kyrgios stood on the precipice of history, one victory from becoming Wimbledon champion.
Expert Patrick Mouratoglou said of Kyrgios’ opponent, Novak Djokovic: “Beating Novak at Wimbledon probably the highest mountain to climb for any tennis player.”
Could Kyrgios summit the final peak?
The episode diverted from that storyline to focus on Tunisian Ons Jabeur, who was quickly becoming a superstar. Behind-the-scenes footage showed the photoshoots and commercial opportunities adding up. Jabeur even played doubles with sporting icon Serena Williams in Eastbourne.
“Just a girl from Tunisia”, she quickly became an icon for girls throughout the world. Her husband Karim Kamoun encouraged her to keep dreaming and Jabeur revealed her biggest aspiration.
“I have one dream in my mind now,” she said: winning Wimbledon.
“[It would be] something big for the whole sport in the world,” her husband later said.
Jabeur ultimately fell short to Elena Rybakina, who also eliminated Break Point star Ajla Tomljanovic. But both Jabeur and Tomljanovic showed growth through defeat and despite their tough losses, gained plenty of fans along the way.
The end of the episode focused on Kyrgios’ shot at Djokovic and glory.
“I’m a kid from Canberra,” Kyrgios said. “I’m not supposed to be here. But I’m here.”
The Australian made a perfect start against Djokovic, but it did not prove enough. The Serbian showed his experience in calm and patience, which ultimately allowed him to turn the tide and halt Kyrgios’ title chase.
Nick fell short, but proved that he is more than just potential. Andy Roddick was complimentary of the Aussie.
“He grew a lot this year,” the former World No. 1 said. “I didn’t think he’d ever be able to put it together and make a deep run at a Slam. He almost won Wimbledon.”
Source Tennis – ATP World Tour
