With Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from this year’s French Open and Simone Biles dropping out of a couple of events at the Tokyo Olympics there has been a huge amount of discussion and focus on mental health in sports recently which perhaps makes Breaking Point, the fifth and final episode in Netflix’s Untold series, the most poignant and socially significant of them all.

Chapman Way and Maclain Way, directors of the fourth episode Crime & Penalties, return to tell tennis star Mardy Fish’s story about his battle with anxiety and mental health during a time when ‘mental toughness’ was one of the defining traits of a successful sportsperson.

With tennis icons Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and the hot-tempered John McEnroe coming to the end of their illustrious careers, American tennis was experiencing something of a decline and needed some new stars to take the reins. They built a structure of regional and national tennis centres to help develop aspiring young athletes who just might have what it takes to become America’s new champion. One such athlete was Mardy Fish, another was Andy Roddick.

The film chronicles Mardy’s training as a teenager at the famed Saddlebrook Academy, where a ‘no whining, no complaining, no escape routes’ mentality was the key to ‘mental toughness’, his friendship and professional rivalry with former world no.1 Andy Roddick, and his battle to climb up the world rankings at a time when tennis’ Big Three – Federer, Nadal and Djokovic – were dominating the circuit.

But only hours away from the biggest match of his career; a fourth round match against Roger Federer, a chance to play in the quarter finals of the US Open, a chance to become America’s champion, Mardy Fish cannot stop the thoughts from flooding in. He shocks the tennis world by withdrawing from the match and quitting tennis at the peak of his career.

Diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder, Fish spends a couple of years working through his trauma before coming back to tell his story to a world where mental illness, especially in sport and even more so in men, was stigmatised and undermined. His story helped pave a way for existing and future players to follow with regards to their mental health.

Following the tried and tested Netflix formula, Breaking Point is delivered through a mix of talking head interviews, archival footage and subtly powerful music to deliver its story. Before I met my husband, tennis was one of those more ‘boring’ sports that I would watch on occasion but rarely get excited about, now I think I follow it more than he does!! But even though, of all the sports depicted in the Untold films, tennis is the only one that I really watch Mardy Fish’s journey, and incredible story, was still unknown to me.

You only have to look at some of the statistics around mental health to know that, even now, we still have a long way to go with regards to mental health but one of the most important things is to create a space where open dialogue is achievable without fear of judgement or prejudice. Breaking Point will hit hard for some people but its frank and honest discussion is a much needed step in showing people that they are not alone.

“It’s still a daily battle but I win every day.”

Mardy Fish

Breaking Point is now available to stream on Netflix.

Don’t forget to check out my reviews of the other episodes in Netflix’s Untold series
– Malice At The Palace
– Deal With The Devil
– Caitlyn Jenner
– Crime and Penalties