One of the most memorable moments from the first season of Netflix’s Break Point came in Episode 6, which detailed Nick Kyrgios‘ mental struggles at Wimbledon in 2019.
It was revealed that Kyrgios checked into a psych ward in London that year. The Australian’s father, George, sister, Halimah, and manager, Daniel Horsfall, shared emotional recollections of that period in Kyrgios’ life.
“He has not told a soul what they said in there,” Horsfall said. “That conversation they had in that room, no one knows.”
Paul Martin, one of Break Point‘s executive producers, explained that it was Kyrgios who steered the production team towards sharing the moment.
“I think it is just a process. It was never a narrative that we tried to force. I think when you spend time around Nick, you understand that there’s something bigger at play,” Martin told ATPTour.com. “Clearly there’s this stuff going on, stuff in his head and all that stuff. But it wasn’t a case of saying, ‘Hey, listen, we really need to get to the bottom of this.’
“It was a case of us spending time with him and seeing him evolve as a person and a player from Australia to Wimbledon. And then just the trust that our production team had strung up with him that he felt that he was suddenly willing to share when he hadn’t been before. When we started filming, I don’t think we ever dreamt that we would go where we went with Nick. And I think that was driven by him. It wasn’t driven by us and us trying to paint this kind of picture of Nick. It was a very open and honest perspective of himself, driven by Nick.”
According to Martin, the episode helped humanise Kyrgios and athletes in general.
“I think it was difficult, because everyone kind of looks from the outside at professional athletes, and they think that everything’s harmonious in their home life and their personal life and their background. And therefore, when they go on court, they should behave in a certain way, or they go on a pitch and they should behave a certain way,” Martin said. “What everyone tends to forget, I think the success of all our shows has always been about bringing that human element into these personalities and into these sports.
“Once you understand Nick’s background and his story, maybe it doesn’t excuse some of his behavior, but it certainly gives you an understanding, a different perspective on it. And I think that’s what we tried to do.
Kyrgios wanted to provide a different perspective for fans, according to Martin.
“I think it’s testimony to his kind of openness and honesty that he really went there. And he talked about it, when he’d really never talked about that stuff with anyone before,” Martin said. “I think it was a real surprise to some of the people closest to him looking to really go to that depth and talk about those feelings that he dealt with, and had to face.”
Source Tennis – ATP World Tour
