Episodes
4 days ago
Sinners and Ain'ts: 2024 ATP Wrap
4 days ago
4 days ago
Finally our 2024 season is coming to a close! Although bonus December content is coming soon, we finish regular coverage by wrapping the ATP season: it was basically the proof that Jannik Sinner’s late-2023 rise was for real, and that he and Carlos have taken the reins of the (mostly) post-Big 4 ATP. Just like the women’s wrap, we’ll take you through the events of the 2024 season, evaluate our picks for 2024 breakout players, and choose our ATP Award winners. We finish up with your memorable/funny/enraging moments (“do you want to change the lady?,” Indian Wells bee attack) and the many players saying goodbye to the sport.
3:10 Where were we at the beginning of 2024?
10:30 Starting in Australia: Sinner risen
16:30 Clay: Rafa’s brief return, Watergate, and Carlos’ apology-fist pump-championship pipeline
22:20 Channel Slam and Novak’s white whale
29:20 Rafa’s retirement at Davis Cup
37:55 Off-court “drama”
41:55 Our 2024 breakout players + thoughts on the ATP Awards
50:00 What will you remember? Bees.
53:25 Moments that pissed you off / made you laugh (sometimes both)
57:55 A ton of retirements this year, even beyond the big names
Sunday Dec 01, 2024
Receipts! Proof! Timeline! Screenshots!
Sunday Dec 01, 2024
Sunday Dec 01, 2024
We were soooo close to wrapping this season, but we’ll always change the schedule for a doping story. The news of Iga Swiatek testing positive for a banned substance provoked shock, confusion, and even resignation among tennis watchers who are, by the day, becoming more versed on the fine details of doping cases. Our immediate questions were: Is the story plausible? Why is the suspension broken into pieces? When should news like this be made public? As always, we like to dive into the report itself, making sure we’ve got the facts straight before offering any hot takes. Later, we try to answer a few of our own questions, touching on player reactions and the danger of comparing one case to another.
1:35 GoFundMe Update
3:25 Iga Swiatek tests positive for trimetazidine in Cincinnati, gets a 1-month non-consecutive suspension
9:05 A timeline to make sense of things
13:10 Iga’s team sends a boatload of evidence to the ITIA
17:30 What’s the difference between No Fault or Negligence and No Significant Fault of Negligence?
31:30 Public disclosure: balancing a player’s privacy with building transparency and trust
36:05 Tara Moore has a more legitimate beef than most
42:30 Simona said this case is identical to hers (it is not)
Monday Nov 25, 2024
Bookends: 2024 WTA Wrap
Monday Nov 25, 2024
Monday Nov 25, 2024
This year in women’s tennis, the top tier took further steps to entrench themselves but the WTA retained its signature depth. Sabalenka, Swiatek, and surprise – Krejcikova – added majors to their hauls; Paolini and Zheng broke out in a big way; and Gauff managed to rewrite her season in the fall. We’ll take you through the highlights, the comebacks, the ‘remember whens,’ and moments both infuriating and hilarious. As usual, we also choose our WTA Award winners and do a self-assessment on our 2024 WTA breakout picks. Thanks for a great WTA season!
0:55 Launching our crowdfunding campaign!
3:00 The season’s major themes: Steadiness at the top (+ Babs!), the Zheng and Paolini breakthroughs, Coco’s two seasons, and many comebacks of varying success
12:20 Picture it: Australia, January 2024
17:20 Danielle makes a career-best run, Iga dominates clay
26:25 Babs snatches Wimbledon, Zheng ascendant
33:20 Aryna bookends her year at the US Open
38:30 Our choices for the 2024 WTA Awards
44:10 How did our 2024 breakout picks do?
47:55 Your most memorable moments: our listeners love Jasmine
50:55 Moments that pissed you off and moments that made you laugh: Babs and Qinwen keeping the girlies entertained
64:35 Farewells and farewells for now
Monday Nov 18, 2024
Get a Grip(MD)
Monday Nov 18, 2024
Monday Nov 18, 2024
Coco writes a new story to end her year -- beating the bad season allegations, as she said -- by taking out Swiatek, Sabalenka, and finally Zheng Qinwen to win the WTA Finals. (Barbie K tried to shake the table, as usual.) In Turin, Jannik Sinner showed that anything you can do, he can do better. He won his first year-end title and notched a 70-win season, the first since 2016. After that, we talk about the retirement of legendary umpire Carlos Bernardes, Frances Tiafoe’s big fine, Jon Wertheim’s hot mic incident, and more.
0:30 Housekeeping: a transition to BlueSky?
6:40 Coco beats the bad season allegations!
19:55 Barbora Krejcikova will f*** it up if you invite her (respectfully)
24:45 ATP Finals: starting with the group photo
29:55 Nice job, Taylor! But Sinner does it better
41:35 #NameTheTennisPlayer is back!
45:15 Umpire Carlos Bernardes retires from tennis
48:00 Wertheim’s hot mic moment
53:15 Tiafoe fined $120,000 for tirade
Monday Nov 04, 2024
And Another Thing
Monday Nov 04, 2024
Monday Nov 04, 2024
The top women descend upon Riyadh, the photoshoot is a smash, and #1 Sabalenka sails into the semis. There are still questions around this business decision, and players have varying success in answering them. Paris, as always, suffers from late-season malaise, and the ATP Finals qualifiers start to firm up (almost), but we wonder about the value of grinding it out this late in the season. Plus, lot of et ceteras, including: Dev Patel is the next Zendaya(!), and off-court coaching is no longer a trial but still a tribulation (heh).
0:30 And another thing about Sinner
2:55 Some meta-commentary on the show and getting older and less stan-oriented
8:15 The WTA Finals looks: great job everybody!
16:10 Players answer inevitable questions on Saudi Arabia, some better than others
26:35 If a tree falls in Paris
38:10 ATP Finals qualifications: not many scenarios are left
44:55 WTA results: Shnaider wins #4 of the year and Somnez enters the top 100
47:05 Sloane on protecting your peace
52:20 Et ceteras: Diego Forlan to play pro tennis, the incomparable Dev Patel to make a tennis movie
57:20 Off-court coaching is now the law
Sunday Oct 27, 2024
Washed
Sunday Oct 27, 2024
Sunday Oct 27, 2024
These October episodes are always all over the place. The tours are sputtering toward a finish as players are vying for the final spots in the year-end tournaments or securing their ranking for next season. We talk about the Six Kings Slam, its strange and corny happenings, and the Saudi efforts to diversify their economy with sports and entertainment. We go through some recent results -- Dasha back in the top 10! -- plus we discuss the Hall of Fame vote that inducted Sharapova, peruse the slightly confusing WTA ranking rules, and honor Dominic Thiem’s great career.
1:00 Does Saudi Arabia even need to sportswash at this point?
12:20 Results: Stan isn't going, Dasha back at #9, second titles for Draper and Mpetshi
18:35 What’s left this season, and who’s in the running for an ATP Finals spot?
25:15 Danielle Collins is in fact not retiring this year
31:20 Sharapova inducted into the Hall of Fame: a test for voters
42:45 Dominic Thiem retires
48:10 Aryna back at #1: arguments over ranking math
Tuesday Oct 15, 2024
Million Dollar Babies
Tuesday Oct 15, 2024
Tuesday Oct 15, 2024
Autumn is supposed to be relatively quiet in tennis, no? Well, in the past week or so, Rafa announced his retirement, CAS released the full decision on Simona Halep's doping case, WADA appealed Jannik Sinner’s No Fault or Negligence ruling to CAS, and one of the most successful coaching pairings of the decade ended. We’ll take you through some key points of the Halep case, including how and why her suspension was so drastically reduced, and some learnings that might help us better understand the Sinner case. We cover the wave of cranky baby behavior in Shanghai, including Frances’ outburst and how it reads in comparison to similar behavior from his colleagues. Plus, Sabalenka nears no. 1 again, Coco resets, and why the continued whispers about Zheng’s personality aren’t sitting right with us.
2:05 Rafa says ‘Adiós a todos’
8:20 CAS finally releases the full decision on the Halep case
23:05 WADA appeals the Sinner decision - what have we learned from the Halep case and others?
32:15 It’s pissy cranky season
40:50 A few WTA players play stupid games, win stupid prizes
43:55 Why is Qinwen becoming public enemy no. 1?
52:30 Coco said “what crisis?”
55:25 Iga splits with Wiktorowski
Sunday Oct 06, 2024
In the Arena
Sunday Oct 06, 2024
Sunday Oct 06, 2024
Welcome to part two of our mailbag! We’re kicking things off with our review of Serena in the Arena (at long last). We can’t help but compare some of the things we’ve said about Serena’s career over the years with how Serena described those events in her own words. Like you all, we noticed a few notable omissions from the series, and a few things that were conveniently glossed over. Spoiler: we enjoyed it. We spend the rest of the episodes sifting through the remainder of your submissions. Hope y’all enjoy!
00:52 Serena in the Arena, at last
22:54 How would we schedule the tennis calendar?
35:02 James grinds his Madrid axe, goes to bat for USO Series
40:25 Giving some grace to non-English speakers in pressers
45:47 The tennis opinion we disagree on most
52:51 Ramblings on the where we see the sport in the next few years
59:30 The prerequisite update on our Bravo TV watching habits
Sunday Sep 29, 2024
Gatekeeping Tennis
Sunday Sep 29, 2024
Sunday Sep 29, 2024
Tennis is a famously exclusive sport. So which forces and institutions determine who gets access? Who’s guarding the gates, and what’s the criteria for entry? In this episode, which is co-produced by Sheriece Matias Dick, we start to explore the barriers to entering tennis, the various paths into the sport, and how the gatekeeping institutions of tennis have jockeyed for power through the profound economic and cultural changes of the past 140 years. After exploring a few players’ journeys into pro tennis, we look into the founding ethos of the sport -- “gentlemanly amateurism” -- and how that obsession with status permeated the sport even as it became more accessible to working class people. Finally, we land in the present day, where the seat of power has shifted from aristocratic patrons to the corporate sponsor, with their own standards of conduct, inclusion, and ‘class.’
0:30 What is gatekeeping and how does it relate to tennis?
9:40 Various routes to becoming a pro tennis player
12:25 Comparing Tiafoe and Fritz
23:05 Tennis’ “working class champions”: various paths to the pro level
30:20 The financial barriers for kids entering tennis
36:50 Tennis as an activity for the leisure class
41:45 Code of etiquette: a surprisingly durable way to police the gate and perform class status
48:30 The Open Era democratizes tennis, sort of
51:45 The new tennis economy: broadcasting rights, sponsorships, and the invention of the branded tennis celebrity
57:35 Connors, McEnroe, and their very American “class struggle”
65:00 From patron to sponsor
Sunday Sep 22, 2024
It's Not Right But It's OK
Sunday Sep 22, 2024
Sunday Sep 22, 2024
It’s the first day of fall, the players are burnt out, and instead of following Laver Cup we’re doing a mailbag. Your questions gave us enough to yap about over two separate episodes, which we’ll release over the next few weeks in addition to something else we’ve been cooking. We talk about Naomi’s surprising coaching changeup; trying to find joy in a sport after it’s presented you a tough ethical dilemma; Coco and Brad’s split; our favorite players who never really jumped off; and a lot more.
01:55 Naomi's coaching change
08:40 ‘Coco crisis’ or out of control expectations?
14:30 How would you conduct your social media profiles if you were a famous tennis player?
20:30 Facing an ethical dilemma in following men’s tennis
35:05 Vee as coach?
41:45 Our walk-out music
44:50 Who are some players late in their careers who you thought would break into the top but never really did? Who were you excited to follow but they didn’t reach their full potential?
Monday Sep 09, 2024
The Sins of Our Fathers
Monday Sep 09, 2024
Monday Sep 09, 2024
The final major of the year is over and the champions are the same as in January: Aryna Sabalenka stakes her claim as hardcourt queen while Jannik Sinner dominates mere days after being cleared in an anti-doping case. We recap some of our highlights from week two, which had a ton of potential but didn’t deliver many (any?) classics. We dig into why disliking billionaires is actually totally fine; conflicts of interest and their sometimes humorous results; online mean girl/mean boy behavior from some famous commentators; and more observations from the site. We finish up with a look at commentator Nick Kyrgios and the complacency that led broadcasters, journalists, and commentators to excuse his misogyny; plus the ongoing lawsuit over Ben Rothenberg’s reporting on the Zverev abuse allegations.
0:35 Not the most brilliant three weeks of tennis in history but OK!
3:00 The women’s final was fun! Aryna Sabalenka bookends her year with hardcourt Slams
7:35 Billionaires, they’re just like us!
14:45 Notable week two matches: Navarro d. Badosa; Zheng d. Vekic; Aryna evolving into the most consistent Slam player on tour
19:00 Rennae cooks coach/commentator Brad Gilbert on air, and why that’s totally fine
26:55 An unseasoned final
30:50 The American narrative + Frances Tiafoe getting so close again
44:50 Penko a first-time Slam doubles winner; Taylor/Katka, Mladenovic/Zhang, D. Young
52:10 “Little grim reapers” and a few more observations from the grounds
63:40 ESPN commentators discover player name pronunciations and immediately get mean about it
71:10 Nick Kyrgios, misogyny, and the insider hypocrisy that protects him
79:45 Ben Rothenberg appeals a lawsuit from Alexander Zverev + its broader implications for journalism
Saturday Aug 31, 2024
Cornrow USO
Saturday Aug 31, 2024
Saturday Aug 31, 2024
Jonathan is back from New York after attending the first three days of the US Open. James quizzes him on the record crowds, the heat, where to find the frozen Honey Deuce, the tennis, and his advice for navigating the grounds. We chat about Naomi’s divisive kit, Adidas’ misstep, and of course the cornrow epidemic. Right, and there was tennis being played, too – Novak & Carlos crash out, the men’s draw could see a real breakthrough (or not), and Paolini and Gauff win for Slam consistency this year.
1:50 The crowds: eased by free movement during matches
11:10 Experiences from the grounds: the heat, Taylor Townsend, Ngounoue/Tien
19:55 Searching for the frozen Honey Deuce
28:55 A Manhattan girlie now
30:55 It’s called fashion: Ruffles and bows
39:50 The screaming follicles
42:50 First week highlights: Tiafoe d. Shelton, Muchova reminds everyone what she can do
54:30 Alcaraz and Djokovic both out before the second week
60:20 Women’s draw chugs along as top seeds remain
72:37 Men’s draw: even with the upheaval, the title could still go to the world #1
Saturday Aug 24, 2024
Multiple Things: US Open Preview
Saturday Aug 24, 2024
Saturday Aug 24, 2024
The US Open is around the corner, but you know what we really want to talk about: the news of Jannik Sinner’s positive doping tests, the lifted suspensions, and the hearing that cleared his name five months later, all before we heard a single peep on the subject. We take you through the facts of the case, the questions around transparency and the perception of fairness, and the privilege of having the means to mount a case and a spokesperson like Darren Cahill on your side. We end with our US Open draw previews: Sabalenka in great position, OsakaPenko, a soft landing for Novak, a tricky quarter for Carlos and a test for Iga.
2:25 But first, the Cincy results
4:10 Yevgeny, calm down
7:05 Frances’ middle finger
11:05 Sinner v. ITIA: the facts
23:10 What does No Fault or Negligence mean?
33:30 “One-billionth of a gram” + the privilege of great PR
47:50 Women’s draw preview: a quartet of cursed women’s 1st rounds
59:25 Men’s draw preview: Jannik, Carlos, and Daniil will have to battle it out on the top half
Monday Aug 19, 2024
Pon De Replay
Monday Aug 19, 2024
Monday Aug 19, 2024
We asked for questions and you sent us so many great ones, many of which cover some of the major topics o’ the day, including the recent rule enforcement controversies and the groundswell of support for video replay. (Basically, video replay needs to happen and it will happen, but it won’t fix everything!) Beyond just the topical, we've got Olympics memories, favorite cake, a few great Coco questions, and the contradiction of having fewer and fewer opinions in a hot take-driven medium. Let’s have some fun before the US Open gets underway next week!
01:30 Which non-Slam event would you have liked to attend?
06:30 Jamaican sprinting and our all-time dream 4x100 relay team
12:20 “What is the most objectively polarizing tennis topic that you have zero opinion on?”
20:25 Video replay: yes, we need it but it won’t fix everything
28:20 The FAA-Draper incident that launched a thousand opinions
38:40 Cleansing the palate from the above question … Favorite cake and favorite episodes (of our own)
42:00 The WTA matching ATP’s prize money: a moving target?
48:00 Toronto vs Cincinnati
52:00 “Coco crisis” or just alarmism?
62:05 WAGs and HABs
67:00 Favorite Olympics moments
Tuesday Aug 13, 2024
Daddy Lessons
Tuesday Aug 13, 2024
Tuesday Aug 13, 2024
Since we last spoke, the entire Olympic tennis tournament and the Canadian Open came and went. Our coverage isn’t comprehensive but more of a riff on the most interesting bits to us. We devote a good chunk of time to the tennis world’s incursions into the “gender controversy” involving Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif, including ugly, often defamatory statements by tennis legends and one current player (the latter being the only one to retract). We bounce over to Canada for some disjointed thoughts on the National Bank Open and finally touch on the end of an era, the dissolution of the stormy Stefanos-Apostolos working relationship.
01:15 The Jamaican Olympic tragedy
11:00 Tennis at the Olympics: Novak, Zheng, Nadalcaraz
23:00 The myth of the badly behaved American trio (it's not a trio)
33:25 Andy Murray’s last dance
34:54 Tennis covers itself in shame during the Imane Khelif “gender controversy”
51:35 Policing women’s bodies is not liberation, it’s more of the same
56:25 Random Canadian Open thoughts
67:30 Shapovalov defaulted
70:35 Stef and Dad break up
Saturday Jul 27, 2024
GOATs on a Boat (Cheek to Cheek)
Saturday Jul 27, 2024
Saturday Jul 27, 2024
We’re celebrating our 350th episode - thanks to all of you for sticking around and pushing us forward for all these years! On this episode, we’re sharing thoughts on the Olympics opening ceremony and the spotlight on tennis royalty; the Olympics tennis draws, rocked by withdrawals and the unique Olympic qualification rules; and the post-Wimbledon clay/grass season. Rafa reached the Bastad final plus, in Hamburg, Arthur Fils matched That Guy’s energy, saved 21/22 break points, and snatched the title in front of a hostile crowd (and opponent).
0:30 A milestone!
3:15 Back on clay: Shnaider’s very good year, Rafa plays a few epics in Bastad
9:40 Newport and the ATP’s hygiene problem
19:10 Hamburg: underarm serves and the tears of a clown
26:50 Tennis Channel debuts a Zverev brother podcast … because why wouldn’t they
28:55 Update from Halep, but where is the CAS report?
31:30 Olympics opening ceremony: Booty siblings together again!
45:00 Olympic tennis: retirement fatigue + late withdrawals are wreaking havoc on the already weird draws
Monday Jul 15, 2024
I Love Good News! Wimbledon Wrap
Monday Jul 15, 2024
Monday Jul 15, 2024
So rarely does a championship weekend feel this great. The widely adored Babs Krejcikova has done it again, this time winning the Wimbledon title amidst an injury-plagued year. It’s her 12th major title across all disciplines. Carlos Alcaraz is now the youngest male Channel Slam winner, sweeping past 7-time champion Djokovic in a rematch of last year’s final. In more good news, Taylor Townsend claims her first major title and Sinikova and Hsieh add to their impressive resumes. Plus, we chat about some extraneous stuff, as usual, like Medvedev’s near-default, Djokovic’s lecture to the crowd, and the “4 the girls” controversy.
2:55 This time, the tougher roads resulted in titles
7:40 Babs is a big match player
24:00 The men’s tournament: where’s the rest of the field?
26:50 Men’s final: all Carlos
37:25 Fritz, Riddle, and That Guy: 4 the girls?
44:55 I know all the tricks
53:15 Medvedev narrowly avoids a default in the semis
56:50 Doubles: Townsend is now a Slam winner! Siniakova & Hsieh add to their historic hauls
Sunday Jul 07, 2024
Eternal Sunshine of the Astonished Mind
Sunday Jul 07, 2024
Sunday Jul 07, 2024
We made it to Middle Sunday at Wimbledon! (Well, not all of us.) The bottom half of the women’s draw is guaranteed to see a surprising finalist; in the top half, slightly more order prevails, even after the dismissals of Swiatek and Jabeur. The men’s draw is proceeding mostly as expected on the top half, while the bottom has seen the rapid rise of Perricard, the precarious state of Djokovic's repaired knee, and a slightly spicy beef between Taylor Fritz and Arthur Rinderknech. We also witnessed the last of Andy Murray at Wimbledon, featuring a moving tribute, a singles withdrawal, and mother Judy getting into a self-inflicted internet scrape.
1:00 Early upsets set up a very interesting and unexpected women’s bottom half
10:10 Navarro knocks out Gauff
18:55 Iga and Ons out within 20 minutes of each other
29:50 The return of Caroline Wozniacki, Esq.
35:50 Andy Murray’s last dance at Wimbledon
41:10 AstonishGate
47:25 Stefanos was just here for the *filmmaking*, not the tradwife content
50:40 Have a nice flight home
53:25 Men’s results: top half going to form, bottom's a little messy
Saturday Jun 29, 2024
Wimbledon Sister
Saturday Jun 29, 2024
Saturday Jun 29, 2024
The year's third major is upon us as we face the first Williams-less Wimbledon in 28 years <sob>. Novak is back from knee surgery and sheltered from world #1 Sinner and defending champion Alcaraz, who share a balanced but tricky top half. Iga’s draw has done her no favors, but some of the grass stalwarts are questionable, including Rybakina, Vondrousova, and the injured Sabalenka. And buckle up, because early on we’ll be treated to the Your Behavior Is Terrible classic, featuring Steve Carell and Lil’ Wayne’s favorite tennis player.
0:35 The end of the Williams Wimbledon Era
3:20 This week’s results: Dasha, Shnaider, Tabilo, T. Fritz
9:20 Injury updates: Andy Murray intent on playing, Sabalenka dealing with shoulder problem
20:00 Men’s draw: Sinner’s tough draw, a potential Paul Rudd matchup
32:15 Men’s bottom half: Djokovic, Hubert, de Minaur + a messy third quarter
39:35 Women's draw: Iga in peril or does the draw not matter?
50:15 Women’s bottom half hinges on Sabalenka’s health
Monday Jun 24, 2024
This Is Going to Ruin the Tour
Monday Jun 24, 2024
Monday Jun 24, 2024
Grass season is well underway -- almost over, actually -- and we’ve got British players coming out of hibernation, a tennis power couple winning again, the new ATP #1 switching surfaces with ease, and basically all the top WTA grass contenders out with injury or illness in Berlin. Elsewhere, Carlos is unhappy with the ATP’s latest rule experiment and a commentator is unhappy with a problem he just made up. We also cover Tsitsipas’ bizarre tradwife posting and the Olympic qualifications; and finally, it wouldn’t be a Slam without wild card drama.
1:55 Grass titlists: Draper, tennis’ actual power couple, and another birthday humiliation
7:10 FOMO in Berlin until all those retirements …
12:30 Castle’s totally unprovoked rant on pronunciation
14:10 Why are you messing with the shot clock rules during an actual tournament?
17:40 Unfortunately yes, we’re still talking about wild cards
22:20 A bunch of Americans say thank you, next to Olympics
29:25 Andy Murray not out yet
34:00 Tsitsipas shares weird tradwife fantasy
41:45 Thoughts on the Federer documentary
Tuesday Jun 11, 2024
Waiting to Exhale
Tuesday Jun 11, 2024
Tuesday Jun 11, 2024
Iga Swiatek further cements her position as the highly feared queen of Roland Garros and Carlos Alcaraz completes a “Surface Slam” amid injury problems and less than ideal preparation. The years-long ordeal surrounding domestic violence allegations and criminal charges against Zverev has been resolved, at least legally, but the tennis community will continue to reckon with its comprehensive failure in their handling of it. We’ve also got doubles news, WTA CEO announcement, and more takeaways from the tournament like umpire headcams (did they get headcam premium pay?).
2:50 Alcaraz wins his first French title, that other guy loses another Slam final up 2 sets to 1
8:05 Zverev assault case has been settled
13:40 The sport has utterly failed in its handling of domestic violence
22:15 Carlos & Jannik in ascendance, Novak out with meniscus tear
32:55 Iga thoroughly dominates the field post-Naomi
41:20 Coco Gauff wins her first Slam doubles title - and Siniakova her 8th!
45:45 WTA announces a new CEO
47:00 Tournament et ceteras: first up, the umpire head cams
49:05 The Djokovic/Jockovic vowel shift
53:30 Danielle Collins addresses the incredulity about her impending retirement
61:10 PTPA announces additional funds raised for its commercial arm, Winners Alliance
Sunday Jun 02, 2024
Teetotaled at Roland Garros
Sunday Jun 02, 2024
Sunday Jun 02, 2024
It’s been a rainy slog through the first week of Roland Garros. The weather has wreaked chaos on scheduling, the tournament banned alcohol on Philippe Chatrier because the fans didn’t know how to act, and the night session has no women (but who would want it anyway?). We analyze the draw as it stands and take you through the highlights and lowlights: Rafa may or may not have played his last match here, Swiatek-Osaka put on a clinic, Djokovic’s fire got lit at 2am on a Sunday, and Dimitrov completed his collection of Slam quarterfinals.
1:55 Did Rafa play his last match at Roland Garros? Not 100%
7:05 Zverev goes to court for intimate partner violence, his colleagues remain (at best) indifferent
12:35 Musetti awakens the Djokovic beast
21:15 Rublev is upset as his on-court behavior gets worse
27:00 Looking ahead to the men’s quarters
32:20 Iga & Naomi throw in a classic, Naomi’s performance inspires optimism
42:35 Upsets: Sakkari, Collins, Ostapenko
46:50 Looking ahead to the women’s quarters
60:25 Rybakina vs the press: the brief journey from drama to indifference
68:00 Nonstop rain + weird scheduling = misery
72:50 Roland Garros enters its Prohibition era
Friday May 24, 2024
We Are In Paris
Friday May 24, 2024
Friday May 24, 2024
Roland Garros approaches, and the women's draw has a heavy favorite in Iga Swiatek plus a few major contenders. In contrast, the men's tour seems in a temporary state of disarray, as Djokovic enters without momentum and Sinner and Alcaraz are dealing with injuries. What's worse, the 14-time champion, the (possibly) retiring Rafa Nadal, draws a man who starts his domestic violence trial days after their match. As usual, no predictions here but lots of chatter about this clay season and who's primed to show out. And what's a major without a little wild card drama?
0:50 Wild card drama is constant but a good chance to talk about maternity leave policy
9:00 Rafa draws That Guy
13:15 Men’s draw analysis: what to expect from Djokovic and the walking wounded?
21:20 Men’s draw: the tricky third quarter
28:05 Women's draw: it's Iga's world
35:40 Women’s draw bottom half: opportunity knocks
47:00 Fedal goes mountaineering
Monday May 13, 2024
Watergate
Monday May 13, 2024
Monday May 13, 2024
Halfway through Rome and it’s all peritonsillar abscesses and water bottles knocking down GOATs and Italian stars retiring and fleeing their home country amidst myriad legal problems. You know, the usual.
0:35 Andrey does not have angina
3:25 Djokovic gets hit in the head by a falling water bottle
9:45 Camila Giorgi retired and lamming it
18:55 Rafa says there’s a tiny, tiny chance this isn’t the end
23:35 Qinwen says no to drama
25:30 More retirement talk: Dominic and Diego
31:45 So how does one qualify for the Olympics?
38:35 How will we know if the extended Masters tournaments are successful?
Sunday May 05, 2024
Doing The Best I Can With What I GOT
Sunday May 05, 2024
Sunday May 05, 2024
Madrid stretched nearly two weeks and few of the top men survived without injury. Felix Auger-Aliassime landed in the final after three walkovers/retirements but it was a very ill Andrey Rublev who snatched the title. Iga Swiatek won Madrid for the first time (be scared). Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur provided lots of food for thought -- in very different ways -- on women’s sports and continuing inequities. Plus, we’re bringing you our thoughts on Luca Guadagnino’s long awaited queer tennis drama Challengers (aka the crowning of Zendaya as a true movie star), and we answer some listener questions!
1:40 Women save the day (after Aryna steps in it)
14:30 More of Madrid women’s draw shining bright
18:25 Ons Jabeur makes a statement about women’s sports + Feliciano Lopez’s change of tone
25:30 Never stay for your farewell ceremony
30:00 Shirtgate: the height of idgaf-ness
36:35 Men’s draw ravaged by injuries but Andrey overcomes
45:55 Cornet is retiring, Tsitsidosa is breaking up
47:50 Our thoughts on Challengers
65:15 What’s the first thing you’d change if you were in charge of the WTA/ATP merger?
73:45 Players who’ve taken us on journeys of like and dislike (or apathy or indifference or standom, etc.) …
Monday Apr 22, 2024
Whatever Happens
Monday Apr 22, 2024
Monday Apr 22, 2024
It’s time to play catch-up with the early results of the European clay swing: Tsitsipas wins his 3rd Monte Carlo title, Casper takes revenge the following week in Barcelona, and Elena Rybakina slays Iga in Stuttgart for her third title of the year. We also talk about Rafa’s return to tennis in Barcelona and Holger Rune’s commitment to remaining messy on social media even after signing with IMG. In off-court stuff: Muguruza retires, the WTA announces their year-end championships in Saudi Arabia, Keith Lee comes to Toronto (yes, there are one or two sneaks). We finish the episode with our thoughts on Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter, the “country” record that smashes genre and takes us to school.
2:50 Stef takes his 3rd MC title + a Holger Rune dramatic reading
9:05 What happen-ed in Barcelona happen-ed: Rafa’s return, Casper’s triumph
18:55 Rybakina drives off with Stuttgart title (or will once she gets her license)
22:25 Sloane back in the winner’s circle
27:30 Live your life: Garbiñe Muguruza ends her HoF career
32:55 Saudi Arabia announcement + becoming an LGBTQ poster child
39:45 Pop culture et ceteras: Challengers, Keith Lee in Toronto, Mariah in Vegas
54:20 Cowboy Carter!
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Charleston Renaiissance
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
We've just returned from an amazing experience at the Credit One Charleston Open, a tournament that's been hugely important to women's tennis and continues to be a favorite among players and fans. We do our best to place Charleston in the context of its host city's complex history and explore the tournament’s role in helping to develop women's tennis. Danielle Collins was unquestionably the main attraction of the tournament -- winning her second straight title with the loss of one set. We also chat about watching TBS faves Dasha Kasatkina and Taylor Townsend, Vika Azarenka, Jessie Pegula, and Sloane Stephens on the unique Har-Tru green clay. Plus, some tips on attending and our review of the signature cocktail.
00:52 We <3 the Charleston Open (and this is not spon con!)
06:09 A little history of the Family Circle Cup, a hugely important women’s tournament
11:44 Reckoning with the history of Charleston, South Carolina
19:06 Our impressions of green clay and other tournament etcs
28:28 Players and moments that stood out for us
42:34 Just like Miami, Danielle was the standard
49:46 James is never beating the stalker allegations
52:15 First Serve vs Honey Deuce
57:18 What does tennis IQ mean and who has it?
62:03 Other results while we were in the Lowcountry
Monday Apr 01, 2024
Miami Requiiem
Monday Apr 01, 2024
Monday Apr 01, 2024
Danielle Collins, you will always be famous. The 30-year-old charisma machine – she of 2 NCAA titles and an unorthodox journey through tennis – wins her biggest title in the final year of her career. On the men’s side, everybody’s fave Grigor Dimitrov beat three top 10 players but fell against the final one, the near-unbeatable Jannik Sinner. Plus, we have more tales from our time at the Miami Open, including one particularly impassioned rant and the key to why Casper Ruud is not beating the Karen allegations.
03:30 Danielle Collins, the woman you are
09:48 She’s still retiring, so stop asking
15:24 Jannik Sinner is the best (*right now)
18:25 Brother Grigor
24:53 Watching Andy Murray + his devastating injury
29:30 Not an impromptu quiz!
31:17 A nightmare on site …
42:40 What’s the tournament director there for if not to field complaints?
47:43 Extras: Thiem injury, Leylah, Novak-Goran split
53:21 The USTA sexual abuse case will go to jury trial + the failed attempt to bar Pam Shriver from testifying
Friday Mar 22, 2024
The Bees Are Back In Town
Friday Mar 22, 2024
Friday Mar 22, 2024
For the first time, we’re coming to you from Miami Gardens, Florida! Before recapping Indian Wells, we share our first impressions of the Miami Open site and some of the tennis we got to see early on: Halep’s first match back from her suspension, Azarenka-Stearns (with an appearance by early Berry Gordy’s son RedFoo), Ostapenko lighting up Court 1, and more. Alcaraz defends his Indian Wells title -- snapping a title-less stretch going back to Wimbledon -- and Iga regains her title while losing a mere handful of games. Later on, we talk about the competing proposals that aim to overhaul mostly everything about tennis (Premier vs. PIF).
0:35 Miami Open: Penko-Siegemund, Vika-Peyton (and why RedFoo is here)
9:35 Simona’s return and Woz’s take heard round the world: “It wasn’t a clearance”
18:48 Minding Our Own Business
22:20 Belatedly wrapping Indian Wells
27:07 Non-problematic beef
29:41 Unnecessary beef
32:28 Miss Beswick strikes again
35:28:Tennis headed for fundamental change: Premier Tour vs. Saudi PIF bid
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Contaminated With Questions
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
On March 5, the Court of Arbitration for Sport rendered its decision on the Simona Halep appeal: the doping was not intentional and the suspension was reduced to 9 months, time long since served. It’s the welcome end to a saga that has dragged on and shaken trust in the sport’s anti-doping institutions. But, we’re left with ever more questions: Why were the conclusions of the ITIA and CAS so starkly different? What of the biological passport results? What took so long? Why are tennis players often so successful at CAS? Aside from the Halep news, we talk about the early happenings at Indian Wells, the cancellation of Netflix’s Break Point, the ATP's annual awkward International Women’s Day video, and more.
01:40 CAS accepts Simona’s contamination defense and throws out biological passport charge
07:50 Why are the conclusions of ITIA and CAS so vastly different?
15:00 Comparisons to Sharapova, the question of “innocence”
25:00 So where are the “real” dopers?
35:30 Indian Wells: withdrawals, Sinner’s win streak, Kerber-Woz revival
45:15 Break Point is over: what went wrong?
50:40 Ruby amends his apology, thanks to Sofya Tartakova
51:50 A (very) slight improvement in the ATP’s Women’s Day video!
Monday Mar 04, 2024
You Cannot Be Serious
Monday Mar 04, 2024
Monday Mar 04, 2024
Rublev’s default from Dubai generated tons of discourse this week, and we devote quite a bit of time to it: the facts, the question of proportionality (of both Rublev’s actions and the umpire’s decision), and why player reactions aren’t the final word. We also recap the end of the lead-up to Indian Wells, with several players showing off the best tennis of their lives. Plus, Murray’s retirement talk; the ATP’s partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund; and the suspension of a low-ranked player for cannabis and how WADA decides to ban a substance.
2:15 Quick results recap: de Minaur, Boulter, Yuan, Humbert, Baez
8:30 The Rublev Default
13:10 The Act of (non)Contrition
25:35 Proportionality, in a few senses
34:45 Andy Murray talks about the end
38:40 #TheNetflixSlam: it was a bit tacky and very American, but overall a huge win for the sport
46:00 ATP partners with PIF
50:55 A 2-year suspension for weed? Also an opportunity for some nerdy anti-doping discussion
Monday Feb 26, 2024
Pills and Potions
Monday Feb 26, 2024
Monday Feb 26, 2024
February concludes with another first-time winner at the WTA 1000 level, Jordan Thompson winning 3 matches in one night to double in Los Cabos, and a bunch of hatchers and snatchers in Doha and Rio. We're also talking about the Coco-umpire incident in Dubai, Holger Rune rehiring Patrick Mouratoglou but retaining his reckless social media brand, and the quagmire of ethics breaches with the influx of betting companies into tennis institutions.
1:40 Jasmine Paolini wins Dubai + Kalinskaya’s fantastic run
7:40 Thompson wins Los Cabos singles and doubles
12:05 Hatching and snatching in South America
17:50 Andy Murray wins his 500th hard court match
21:15 Coco vs. an obstinate (and wrong) umpire
27:25 Holger is back with Patrick: how to fail up in tennis
37:50 James Blake sanctioned under the sport’s betting sponsorship rules; but why can tournaments and other institutions have betting sponsors?
Monday Feb 19, 2024
RIP OHB
Monday Feb 19, 2024
Monday Feb 19, 2024
We're catching up with the tennis tours as they wind through Transylvania, South America, the US, and the Middle East. Iga Swiatek threepeats in Doha, Rybakina racks up more wins, Pliskova surges, and Sinner wins his first tournament off becoming a Slam winner. Meanwhile, Ostapenko still hasn't lost a match to anyone but Azarenka. We've got updates on the high profile doping suspensions: Brooksby gets some clemency from the ITIA, and Halep pleads her case to the CAS and sues the supplement company (hey, Scarborough!). Plus: the last one-hander in the top 10 goes out, and major coaching shakeups at a strange time of the season.
3:20 Iga threepeats in Doha
8:00 The state of Naomi’s return from mat leave
16:45 Rybakina wins Abu Dhabi, Kasatkina slams the scheduling
19:30 Penko and the aborted racquet shake
24:30 Sinner keeps winning, other men’s results
31:40 The death of the one-handed backhand
36:30 Doping updates: Brooksby’s suspension reduced, Simona Halep makes her case at CAS and sues the supplement company
41:20 Coaching breakups: Sakkari and Tom Hill; Holger and everybody
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Fuming: February Mailbag
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
The Body Serve is back with what’s become a February tradition, an off-topic mailbag/pop culture episode. Fair warning to Sw*fties to proceed with caution through a few of the early segments (timestamps below). As we all switch modes from Australian Open to the global February tennis schedule, we offer our highlights and the broader themes raised by the Grammys with a massive dose of deja vu; we answer your questions, both tennis-related and not; we take on the idea of “tarnishing” a legacy by continuing to play past your prime; and chat randomly about the Naomi memoir, We Are the World, and The Traitors (spoilers abound).
1:00 Grammys: the Swift of it all
10:00 The broader problem: the Grammys’ failure to recognize Black women
21:20 Sone actual highlights from the Grammys
30:15 Memoirs
41:25 Will tennis ever change its schedule due to climate change?
43:50 Who will be the next first-time Slam winners?
46:05 Why do they keep protecting that guy? The sunk cost fallacy
48:45 Traitors: spoilers ahead for all versions
55:45 Best-of-5 for women + court speeds
61:00 Ideal tennis dinner guests, the evolution of tennis kits
65:05 Andy Murray and the idea of “tarnishing” one’s legacy
Sunday Jan 28, 2024
Dreaming More Than Ever: AusOpen Wrap
Sunday Jan 28, 2024
Sunday Jan 28, 2024
The 2024 Australian Open wrapped with Aryna Sabalenka defending her title and Jannik Sinner snapping both Djokovic’s dominance and Medvedev’s almost inexhaustible energy to win his first major title. Amidst increasing coverage of the abuse charges against him, Zverev comes dangerously close to reaching a Djokovic-less final but Daniil says ‘calma.’ In good news, Zheng Qinwen breaks out even earlier than expected, Hsieh Su-Wei wins the third and fourth Slam titles of her return to tennis, and Rohan Bopanna reaches #1 at age 43.
01:25 Sabalenka defends her Australian title without much trouble
13:50 Shakey shake! Coco’s run
19:05 Jannik Sinner’s patience and smarts help him win his first major title
27:00 Daniil Medvedev finds the poetry in losing
30:40 The strangest Djokovic semifinal
35:10 Calma: Medvedev stops the Zverev momentum
42:00 The coverage of the abuse allegations against Zverev reach a peak
49:15 Doubles! Bopanna at #1, Hsieh’s continued doubles dominance
56:20 Et ceteras: record attendance doesn’t always make a pleasant experience; a few more fashion notes
Monday Jan 22, 2024
Swallowed Whole: Australian Open Week One
Monday Jan 22, 2024
Monday Jan 22, 2024
We’ve reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, where the women’s draw has swallowed up all but 4 seeded players. Amidst the chaos, we’ve still got the defending champion, the US Open champion, and a number of players who’ve been expected to break out for a while. On the men's side, only seeded players have made the quarters. We chat a bit about the surprises (Borges, Cazaux) and whether anyone will stop Novak from getting his 11th title. We also talk about the kits we liked (Coco and Grigor ftw); the Sports Illustrated layoffs; and, in light of so many mothers playing this Australian Open, we answer a listener question about maternity and paternity leave.
4:05 Men’s quarters - Djokovic rounding into form
16:25 Women’s draw: some would say carnage, we would say chill
28:40 Noskova d. #1 Swiatek
33:10 The fashions: are the fashions in the room with us?
37:45 Eight mothers in the AO draw: what are the tours doing on mat/pat leave?
50:45 Sports Illustrated lays off all editorial staff
57:00 Andre and Steffi present … Simona?
Friday Jan 19, 2024
In The Blinkova(n) Eye
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Six days into the Australian Open and most of the comeback kids are gone (except for Anisimova). On day five, chaos reigned down in Melbourne: Rybakina is gone after losing the longest tiebreak in Slam history, Medvedev scrapes through at 3:30 am, Swiatek survives a tussle with Danielle Collins, and seeds Pegula, Rune, and Kasatkina exit. The news of Zverev’s trial date and his election to the Players Council converge to dominate coverage during week one; players flail in press conferences and the ATP appears inert. Finally, we take a look at Nadal's surprising(?) new role as ambassador to Saudi tennis.
02:39 Anisimova leads the way & other comebacks
14:52 Iga v Danielle
20:36 Danielle announces her final year on tour
23:40 Rybakina, further upsets, and other notable moments
34:12 Players get wrapped up in the Zverev case
44:40 What does a good answer to Zverev questions look like for players?
52:18 Speaking of rotting, Gimelstob is back
54:02 Rafael Nadal: Ambassador or Sportswasher?
65:06 Some sad tennis news to end the episode
Friday Jan 12, 2024
Payola: 2024 Australian Open Preview
Friday Jan 12, 2024
Friday Jan 12, 2024
The 2024 Australian Open is coming whether you're ready or not, this time a day early. The top 4 women are in fine form; Iga’s quarter is cracking, Sabalenka's is less tricky, but the women's draw promises a wild fortnight. We ask whether there's a man who can stop Djokovic's 11th title run (can vs. will is a big distinction). Time is spent on the prevailing sleaziness of the following: the ATP electing Zverev to Players Council, the clueless promotion of Break Point, and Kyrgios' new Osaka-produced podcast and rebrand. We've got a full draw analysis, plus we submit our 2024 breakout picks (James has picked the same person for around 4 years straight).
2:40 Zverev elected to ATP Player Council: they’re trying hard to find rock bottom
8:25 ATP and Break Point get cooked, flayed, sautéed on Twitter
12:20 Nick Kyrgios’ new podcast and rebrand as a righteous ‘disrupter’
25:40 Qualifying results: Hsieh retires from singles, Rodionova out
30:10 This week: Osta-kina, with their powers combined; Draper-Lehecka final
35:50 Breakout picks for 2024
39:05 Women’s draw analysis
55:05 Men’s draw analysis
Join our Australian Open bracket league on the TNNS Live app!
Monday Jan 08, 2024
Comeback Kids
Monday Jan 08, 2024
Monday Jan 08, 2024
Happy new year and welcome to The Body Serve’s 10th season! The first week of the 2024 tennis season – which actually began in 2023 – started with high-profile comebacks and ended with the WTA’s top 4 setting the standard early. It was a great weekend for TBS faves Gauff, Rybakina, Rublev, and Dimitrov, but the good news was quickly followed by Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the Australian Open and that team winning the United Cup. Eh, you win some, you lose some. Overall, the comeback kids performed well enough to inspire a lot of optimism, the United Cup presented a much better product compared to its 2023 debut, and we’re off to the races.
0:35 GoFundMe Update and what we’re looking forward to in 2024!
7:10 Week one was about comebacks: Rafa says hola and adiós a todos
16:50 Naomi back from maternity leave and having fun
20:05 Kerber gets the optimal preparation at United Cup: a bunch of match play even if you lose
25:45 United Cup is much improved
32:55 Rybakina stuns Sabalenka in AO ‘23 rematch
39:30 The Grishaissance continues as Dimitrov earns that Lacoste money
46:20 Cocofina defends a title for the first time
Friday Dec 22, 2023
What Off-Season? Tennis and Pop Culture Mailbag
Friday Dec 22, 2023
Friday Dec 22, 2023
To round out our 9th season, we’re leaving you with one more bonus episode for the holidays. You sent us thoughtful questions and we answer them with probably more light-heartedness than usual. You challenged us to identify our guilty tennis pleasures, our take on the Simona-Patrick blame game, Steve Simon’s shift away from CEO, our favorite tennis era and would-be rivalries, and much more. Happy holidays and see you in 2024!
4:15 Are you excited for next season?
8:30 Simona’s doping case: the shift toward blaming Patrick
15:10 Why do men … (I swear this isn’t going where you think)
19:40 FMK Reader submissions: this is the mildly problematic part
26:50 Back to tennis: what happens first …?
29:40 How have you kept your interest in tennis alive? Favorite era?
41:40 TV shows that have disappointed / Favorite movies of the year
51:25 What does the WTA’s leadership shakeup mean?
55:45 Best player to win only one Slam + a rivalry that could/should have been
66:35 The Riverdale to Academy Award pipeline
71:35 Guilty pleasure player?
78:20 Favorite concerts and who we’d love to see next year
Friday Dec 15, 2023
The Streak Breaker: Hana Mandlíková
Friday Dec 15, 2023
Friday Dec 15, 2023
Hana Mandlíková was, according to Bud Collins, “the least understood player of her generation.” A 4-time major champion, Hana was “some whimsical genius,” the presumed successor to the Evert-Navratilova reign, and at times she sure did make their lives difficult. But let’s dispense with the “next” whoever and the what ifs – Hana on her own is a fascinating figure, an explosive talent with a creative, athletic, and captivating serve-and-volley game. With the help of Hana’s memoir and contemporary accounts, we learn what it was like to be an internationally recognized athlete playing for a strict Communist government shaken by the defection of Martina Navratilova and other major athletes. We interrogate a bit about why Czech(oslovakia) has produced such a deep bench of tennis talent since the early 20th century. Hana Mandlíková is one of its greatest exports: a gifted, straight-talking tennis wunderkind who we hope is becoming both more understood and more appreciated.
4:40 You can’t argue with the résumé
11:00 A very quick history of Czechoslovakian tennis
21:00 Hana’s origins and the Prague Spring
27:45 Life as an Eastern Bloc athlete abroad; and Martina’s defection
35:40 1980: the jump off
39:00 Excitement builds around Mandlíková: those pesky “next Navratilova” proclamations
49:15 Big chat: Hana’s mouth gets her in trouble
55:20 1985 US Open: The crowning achievement
60:55 No what ifs
68:15 Hana & Jana
71:50 Learnings
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Misery Business: 2023 ATP Wrap
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
The ATP season: it wasn’t always fun, but it’s over and that’s what matters! 2023 saw Novak Djokovic manage his schedule wisely and dominate players 15 years younger than him, even as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev attempted to wrest men’s tennis away from him. On this episode, we’ll take you through the season’s highlights and big winners, discuss off-court stuff, and evaluate our breakout picks and your own hopes and dreams for the season that was. All that plus a pop quiz!
03:45 Where were we at the start of 2023?
09:25 Novak returns to Australia and Craig outlaws booing (unrelated)
16:15 Medvedev threatens the Djokovic-Alcaraz domination
20:00 Clay: Rafa’s absence looms large but Novak wins his third
25:20 Carlos spoils the potential Grand Slam at Wimbledon
29:30 Summer hardcourts and the US Open: Sinner starts percolating, Ben emerges
36:25 Italy wins Davis Cup! Exploring the Pietrangeli-Sinner beef
41:55 Season stats + a quiz!
49:50 Off-court: Players’s criminal cases; Kosmos & ITF suing each other; ATP business
56:35 Our breakout picks for 2023: how’d we do?
59:30 Our picks for the ATP Awards
66:45 What you’ll remember, what made you mad, and what you found funny this season: not much, it turns out
70:50 Looking back at your hopes for the 2023 season
Sunday Nov 26, 2023
Let Them Eat Cake: 2023 WTA Wrap
Sunday Nov 26, 2023
Sunday Nov 26, 2023
The 2023 season started and ended with Iga Swiatek as the player to beat, but it wasn’t a repeat of her utterly dominant 2022. A new elite separated itself from the field, as Sabalenka won her first Slam and achieved the #1 ranking, Coco Gauff won the US Open, Marketa Vondrousova shocked Wimbledon, and Rybakina scored three wins over Iga. Off the court, it was an unusually busy year in terms of WTA business news and rising player discontent over scheduling, finances, and plain respect. We’ll do a chronological recap of the season and talk about the overarching trends and biggest winners, followed by your contributions for the things that made you angry in 2023, the funniest moments, and what you’ll remember about the season.
01:20 Launching our 2024 Go Fund Me
09:35 The big winners of the 2023 season
16:10 Where was the WTA Tour at the start of 2023?
19:10 Recapping the season: Sabalenka’s Australian Open and the winter season
27:50 Clay was all about the “big 3,” but Muchova almost snatched
35:10 Vondrousova, the unexpected
43:15 The hardcourt summer made Coco Gauff a superstar
57:25 Superlatives, statistics, and picking the winners of the WTA Awards
01:09:35 Our 2023 breakout players: how’d we do?
01:12:10 WTA Business: CVC investment, safeguarding, WTA Finals bids, and testing the waters on Saudi investment
01:17:10 The moments you’ll remember from the 2023 season
01:21:50 The moments that made you mad: the Madrid disaster takes the cake
01:28:00 Your funniest moments of 2023: poor Kerrilyn
01:34:10 Retirements and comebacks
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
Novak and the Seven Jokers
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
The 2023 tennis season is barreling toward the finish line. First up: the Canadian women win their first ever BJK/Fed Cup behind huge performances by Leylah Fernandez, Marina Stakusic, and Gaby Dabrowski. Novak Djokovic distances himself even farther from the field by dominating Alcaraz and Sinner to win the ATP Finals. There was a ton of discussion about throwing a round robin match to remove the #1 player – and plenty of good reasons for and against – but in the end it was moot, as Jannik Sinner went undefeated in round robin only to be overpowered by Djokovic in the final. Elsewhere, it’s the end of Newport, Atlanta, Krejcikova-Siniakova, and Murray-Lendl (for the third time). Plus, that Defector story about Racquet and some self-reflection about where we’ve been and where we’d like the podcast to go.
01:30 Canada wins its first BJK Cup!
06:30 Novak is not bothered by the field. At all.
09:00 To tank or not to tank (Well, it’s actually a problem of design, not ethics)
17:50 The final: Novak outhits and outserves Sinner
28:00 Newport and Atlanta out
30:10 Rafa returning? Plus the era’s best doubles pairing is over
34:15 Defector story about the upheaval at Racquet
41:30 Some meta-reflection on where we are with the podcast
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Shambles
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
It’s hard to know where to start with the WTA Finals in Cancun, where the poor conditions and seemingly shoddy preparation overshadowed much of the actual play. The WTA is suffering a reputational crisis and a player rebellion, with players complaining publicly and demanding better conditions, scheduling, income, and leave policies. Amidst all this noise, Iga Swiatek stomps through the field and regains the #1 ranking. Elsewhere, Alexander Zverev was issued a penalty order in the domestic abuse case brought by his ex-partner Brenda Patea. Of special interest to us is the ATP’s continued mishandling of the Zverev problem and abuse allegations in general. In et ceteras, Patrick Mouratoglou “feels” responsible for Simona’s ban but stops short of saying he is responsible.
01:30 Novak wins Paris Masters and the gulf has hardly ever felt bigger
08:10 Iga Swiatek’s deeply impressive run in Cancun + the hellish conditions, natural and otherwise
17:10 The backdrop of the player frustrations: a letter of player demands and the WTA’s late response
28:20 The PTPA’s media blitz
30:00 Wrapping the WTA Finals chat with doubles
33:05 Zverev issued a penalty order for bodily harm against former partner and mother of his child
39:40 The ATP’s inaction: a timeline
50:15 Patrick, do you feel responsible or are you responsible?
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Catching A Case
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
TBS 320 arrives as the tours (mercifully) make their final few stops of the season. We recap the results of the past week: Sinner, Auger-Aliassime, and Haddad Maia all score big wins for their respective careers. As you know, James is the resident tennis-player-catches-a-doping-case enthusiast (?) and he’s back to provide updates about Brooksby and Halep. There’s WTA Finals talk as well as a few things we’ve HAD IT with.
02:49 Jannik’s red wig isn’t budging
06:20 Felix says he’s back!
07:15 Haddad Maia doubles up in Zhuhai
12:47 In-depth look at Jenson Brooksby’s case of negligence
33:04 Serena catches a photo-cropping case
36:35 WTA Finals arrives in Cancun – we did it (barely)
43:49 We’ve HAD IT
Monday Oct 23, 2023
Smooth Criminal
Monday Oct 23, 2023
Monday Oct 23, 2023
Admittedly, this hasn’t been our most productive October ever, but we’re here! First, we’re recapping two weeks of results, including a 12th title for Monfils, a first for Shelton, Mertens remaining the only ever winner of Monastir, and Zheng Qinwen triumphing shortly after coach Fissette dipped. Also: Holger Rune hires Boris Becker, recently released from prison and deported from the UK; the Cincinnati Masters will stay put; Craig Tiley promises something he can’t promise; and Naomi sells her likeness to Mark Zuckerberg. And what’s the deal with the lack of women on Tennis Channel and the WTA Board and Tournament Council?
0:30 Autumn fatigue, for players and podcasters alike
4:00 Monfils, Shelton, Fils, and Townsend make it a fantastic weekend for Black players
11:15 WTA results: Mertens, Siniakova, Korpatsch; Zheng wins Zhengzhou, Peggy wins one for mom
20:10 WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai gets underway with a stellar field
23:55 Holger Rune hires Boris Becker
26:55 Zumba instructor Garbiñe Muguruza isn’t thinking about tennis
31:15 Cincinnati will stay in Cincinnati after getting Ohio to put up enough taxpayer money
35:25 Craig Tiley announces Rafa Nadal’s appearance at the Aus Open and no one is more surprised than Rafa
44:10 Naomi Osaka and Candle Gender sell their likenesses to Meta
47:20 Diana Nyad changes her mind on trans inclusion (it relates to tennis, I swear)
55:35 Where are all the women on the WTA Board and the Tournament Council?
Monday Oct 09, 2023
Bloviation Station
Monday Oct 09, 2023
Monday Oct 09, 2023
Tennis returns to China after four years away, as Iga Swiatek reminds us who's boss and Jannik Sinner takes a huge step forward by beating Alcaraz and Medvedev for the Beijing title. Meanwhile, the Cancun organizers are building their Field of Dreams in less than a month and several top players are already bowing out of BJK Cup. We also cover the growing chorus of abuse survivors who are taking aim at the USTA, and why this is far from the last time we'll hear about it. Plus, a few diversions about Zheng, "athleticism," Safarova's extremely brief non-return, and how tennis babies its players when it comes to endangering the people who work on court.
1:05 WTA returns to China with none of what it demanded
7:00 Iga sets things straight with Beijing title
12:25 Jannik Sinner gets his first Meddy win by using a tactic that’s becoming more common …
18:35 WTA Finals in Cancun: stadium is loading ... (currently at 1%)
27:15 Can you ever forgive me? Qinwen says definitely not
33:30 It’s not only about trans people’s participation in sports and it never was
38:30 Tennis is very unserious about hitting staff with flying objects
42:40 USTA legal team under fire for how they’ve handled sex abuse cases
54:30 Lucie Safarova’s very brief return to tennis
56:25 We saw Stevie Nicks!
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Performance, BYE!
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Hiiiiiii, we’re back to discuss the fallout from the Simona Halep verdict and the tennis results since the U.S. Open. Now that Simona has been officially handed a four year suspension, we have a bit more clarity as to what’s been going on in actuality, not just on social media. Spoiler: it doesn’t look good for the former world #1 and two-time Slam champ. Maria Sakkari did what needed to be done (at long last) in Guadalajara, it’s just too little too late for Félix at Laver Cup, and we weigh in on Elena’s performance bye disgust in Tokyo
01:10 Patrick goes on CNN to claim Coco’s success and divert attention
04:00 The Simona verdict is handed down: the fallout
15:01 Darren is still going to bat for Simona
19:33 Why are players and journalists undermining the anti-doping process?
27:47 Now, why did Serena wade into this mess?
29:52 Sakkari headlines the post-USO results. Good on ya, mate
37:38 Barbie K is back and Kenin is on the come up
38:55 The men: All of a sudden Félix has something to say
43:29 Rafa news and it doesn’t sound good (to us)
45:16 Ryabkina and coach let it rip at the WTA and on social media
51:11 Some concerning news about Holger Rune’s health
Thursday Sep 14, 2023
Not Gon’ Cry
Thursday Sep 14, 2023
Thursday Sep 14, 2023
Welcome to Part II of our US Open wrap, this time focusing on the men’s draw. Djokovic wins #24 and the challengers (aside from Alcaraz) have gotten no closer to cracking him mentally or physically … they’ve perhaps gotten even farther away. We talk about the semis, including the straight boy shade fest over PhoneGate and Medvedev’s 12 out of 10 performance against Alcaraz. The other major story of the week is Simona Halep’s 4-year ban for doping, handed down by an independent tribunal. It doesn’t look good, folks. We finish up with the Williams-Ohanian tweets, some trophy size comparison, the WaPo match fixing story, and a few more odds and ends.
0:30 ND24: sharing a throne with Margaret Court (and if you don’t like it you’ll be told to “cry more”)
6:00 Stubborn Medvedev against serve and volleying Djokovic
16:45 My country, my tax shelter + more semiotics!
30:30 Djokovic-Shelton: the phone thing and banking on Shelton’s overall appeal to the youths
45:30 Doubles: Ram/Salisbury threepeat, Bopanna runner-up at 43
51:45 The Spectrum-Disney stalemate blacks out US Open tennis for millions
55:20 Simona Halep’s 4-year ban: first, the news
62:15 The Halep fallout: Patrick, Serena, Genie
77:35 US Open trophies: if size doesn’t matter then why … nevermind
83:40 Reporting from the Washington Post on the largest match fixing ring in tennis history