"If I were a tennis player, I'd refuse future invitations" - Tennis fans discuss the 'Netflix curse' after Matteo Berrettini's Australian Open loss

Several tennis fans discussed the 'Netflix curse' on social media following Matteo Berrettini's first-round exit at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Berrettini entered the Asia-Pacific Major as the 13th seed and lost a marathon clash 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(6) against former World No. 1 Andy Murray. The Italian did well to fight back from two sets down and had a match point during the fifth set. However, Murray saved it and managed to win the set via a tie-break to book his place in the second round of the Australian Open.

Matteo Berrettini was among the few players who featured in Netflix's recently released tennis docuseries Break Point. Others who appeared on the series included Nick Kyrgios, Paula Badosa and Ajla Tomljanovic, all of whom have withdrawn from the Australian Open.

Tennis fans have come up with the theory of the 'Netflix curse' which might be the reason behind the withdrawals and early exits of the players. They discussed it on social media following Berrettini's defeat to Murray.

One tweeted that he would refuse future invitations to be a part of Break Point if he were a player.

"Andy Murray so far playing a *perfect* match, leads Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-3. If I were a tennis player, I would refuse future invitations to be a part of the Netflix series. Just saying," the user's tweet read.

Another fan stated that the 'Netflix curse' might be a valid explanation for the early exits and withdrawals of the likes of Berrettini, Kyrgios, Badosa, and Tomljanovic.

"Mayhaps netflix curse is a valid explanation for all these withdrawals and losses," the fan's tweet read.

Another fan wrote:

"And the #NetflixCurse strikes again. How good from Andy Murray- he’s back!! Matteo Berrettini [13] out of the #AusOpen."

Here are some more fan reactions:

Matteo Berrettini will drop outside the top 20 of the ATP rankings following Australian Open exit

Berrettini leaves the court following his defeat to Andy Murray

Matteo Berrettini's early exit at the Australian Open will see him suffer a sizeable drop in the ATP rankings as he was unable to defend his semifinal points from last year's tournament. As of now, the Italian will slip seven spots to 21st. He will drop out of the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time since August 2019.

Berrettini now has a 3-3 record in 2023, having previously won three out of five singles matches at the ATP Cup, where he helped Italy reach the final. He will be eager to bounce back and climb up the rankings following his defeat at Melbourne Park.