Nick Kyrgios, in his latest gig as a pundit for Eurosport for the 2024 Australian Open, hailed Daniil Medvedev for ’embracing’ the role of a villain. This could very possibly be a veiled dig at Alexander Zverev and the ATP for showing the German as the ‘hero’ in Netflix’s Break Point.
Season 2 of Break Point has an entire episode dedicated to Zverev, chronicling his comeback after his near-career-ending injury at the 2022 French Open. However, the show makes no mention of the domestic abuse allegations against him by two separate ex-girlfriends. The production contrarily tries to position him as the protagonist against Medvedev’s antagonist. Break Point has received endless criticism from fans and the media for their attempt to whitewash Zverev.
Covering the Australian Open for Eurosport, Kyrgios also seemingly spoke in Medvedev’s support. He said he loves watching the Russian play and how he has ’embraced’ acting in a negative role, like a villain does in a movie. The Aussie remarked tennis needs more players like him. He said that Medvedev doesn’t care what audiences think of him, but they watch him regardless.
“I love watching Medvedev play. I love him so much. Honestly. He embraces being the villain, and I love it so much. He can have that mantle any day. It’s what we need; we need more of that. You’ve got to be comfortable in your own skin. Don’t worry about what people will think, because they’ll tune in, everyone watches Medvedev anyway.”
Medvedev has had his share of run-ins with the viewers and the officials. However, as opposed to his early years on the Tour where he was seen as a poor sportsman, he is now widely loved by most fans and even neutrals. After the skewed portrayal in Break Point, the 2021 US Open winner has further received extensive support from fans. Even though he is far from perfect, he has become one of the biggest draws of any tournament.
Kyrgios’ words ring true, with people accepting Medvedev as he embraces the antagonist role. The player-turned-pundit will hope many players who are unapologetically real, come through the ranks.
Nick Kyrgios backs Daniil Medvedev against nemesis Alexander Zverev
In addition to getting a starring role in Break Point, Alexander Zverev was also elected to the ATP Player Council. The association faced heavy backlash from fans. With his support of Daniil Medvedev, who Netflix’s show pushes as the World No.6’s rival, Nick Kyrgios joined the bandwagon in standing against the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medallist.
Interestingly, Zverev took a shot at Kyrgios. The latter featured heavily in the first season of Break Point, almost akin to a main lead. In his episode in the second season, Zverev remarks that Netflix should have filmed him in Season 1 itself (Independent). He implied his journey would have had more drama and content than any player seen in the inaugural season.
The duo had also crossed swords in 2020 when Kyrgios got under Zverev’s nerves at the ATP Cup. He did push-ups every time the German did a double fault. After the match, Zverev hit back and said there were many players better than him. He said Kyrgios isn’t even the best Australian on the tour, giving that tag to Alex de Minaur.
As Kyrgios opted to sit out of the 2024 Australian Open, there will be no new chapter to this fiery rivalry just yet. Meanwhile, Zverev will take on qualifier Lukas Klein whereas Medvedev faces Emil Ruusuvuori in their Round 2 matches on Wednesday night and Thursday morning EST respectively.
