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Tennis podcast featuring casual, semi-respectable conversations about the ATP & WTA.
Episodes
Monday Jan 09, 2017
Monday Jan 09, 2017
The Body Serve begins its third season with an extended episode that covers the off-season, the early goings-on of the 2017 tennis season, and some fun and games. We're especially happy to share our new intro, which incorporates quotes from some of our favorite players. Stay tuned for an Australian Open quiz and our nominees for the male players who should start wearing short shorts (for fashion reasons only, obviously).
1:00 January means the Visit Melbourne ad is back! A dramatic reading
5:00 Tennis had no chill in the off-season: Serena-Common interview, Serena gets engaged, Ivanovic retires, Federer Periscopes
13:00 Kvitova shock
18:15 Pliskova wins Brisbane
21:30 Let's talk about Auckland: Serena and Vee underwhelm
27:00 James' mini-treatise on being a Serena fan
30:20 Novak wins Doha; talking about another Novak "incident"
38:00 Dimitrov beats 3 Top 10 players to win Brisbane
39:45 Taking stock of Nadal's form after winning Abu Dhabi exo
42:45 Mattek-Sands reaches no. 1 in doubles ... misgivings?
46:30 Twitter polls: who do you think will have the best year?
52:45 Et ceteras: Destanee Aiava, Ash Barty, and Jonathan likes Vinci now ....
59:00 Which male players should usher in a short shorts trend? (Accepting a challenge from @themaindraw and @caitlin_thomps)
1:08:00 Jonathan takes an Australian Open quiz!
1:19:30 Some TV shows we're watching
Tuesday Dec 20, 2016
Tuesday Dec 20, 2016
Our tennis season is over, but we're leaving you with one final episode of The Body Serve in 2016. We talk about the much hyped Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls: what worked and what didn't, why Rory is such a problem, which of Rory's exes is the hottest, and how Kelly Bishop and Lauren Graham slayed every scene they were in. We also add to our TV episode and recommend a few gems for you to check out over the holidays.
2:30 What worked about the Gilmore Girls revival? #1 Lauren Graham
9:00 Lorelai and Emily: the central relationship of Gilmore Girls?
16:00 Paris Geller, hilarious and terrifying
20:00 Cameos by Parenthood cast, Sutton Foster, and Stars Hollow: The Musical
22:15 An Emily Gilmore meltdown for the ages
24:30 Rory’s exes are all hot now
28:00 What didn’t work? The last four words
29:30 How do you solve a problem like Rory?
33:45 A small diatribe on stereotyping millennials: we didn’t invent participation trophies
37:30 Things that didn’t work in 2016 but might have in 2000
41:20 Sudden diversity in Stars Hollow and Hartford
50:00 Who’d you rather: Dean, Jess, or Logan?
54:15 Revisiting our TV episode – talking about Transparent’s representation problems
60:00 Atlanta, Stranger Things, High Maintenance
63:45 In praise of season 7 of Shameless, and especially Emmy Rossum
67:00 Check out Club de Cuervos, Mozart in the Jungle, Chewing Gum, and Fleabag
Monday Dec 12, 2016
Monday Dec 12, 2016
Episode 63 marks the finale of our second season. We spend a good chunk of time thanking some of our supporters by name. (Please forgive us if we missed you - it wasn't intentional!) We have lots of fun chit-chatting about the petty, messy, trying, and frivolous moments in tennis this past year. We also take you back to a once-controversial subject in tennis: the Williams sisters' hair, and its role as a signifier of their outsider status.
3:15 Rundown of 2016's messy af moments in tennis, starting with Gibbs-Stakhovsky-Murray
Thursday Dec 08, 2016
Thursday Dec 08, 2016
As promised, we're back to recap the second half of the 2016 tennis season, picking up where we left off with the crowning of Djokovic and Muguruza at Roland Garros. We recall the good, the bad, and the absurd thrown our way by the tennis gods: the Williamses at Wimbledon, Cilic's two sets to love woes, and everything del Potro did this season. Also, look out for a previously untold story from Cincinnati regarding our interview with Sania Mirza!
02:22 Sharapova handed a two-year tennis prison sentence
09:18 Putting Dominic Thiem to bed...erm...rest...one last time
12:58 Hyperbole alert: Querrey upsets Novak at Wimbledon
15:38 The deleterious effect of Cilic's dark cloud
16:54 Marcus Willis, the fat farm & British press doing the MOST.
18:45 Wimbledon respite for Williams fans
23:05 The hand of God, a trailblazer, and Vladimir Safin elected to HOF
28:10 Rogers Cup: where were you when Federer shut it down?
35:05 Olympic tennis throws a WRENCH in the tennis season
45:16 SanTina calls it quits
47:50 A few untold stories from Cincinnati
57:50 Pliskova effs up our lives & Stan does it AGAIN?!?!
65:53 Blitzing through the Fall: Murray, Woz & Cibulkova
72:21 JMDP bleeds Argentinian blue at Davis Cup
75:25 Leaving on a lighter note, some fond memories of 2016
Thursday Dec 01, 2016
Thursday Dec 01, 2016
Grab your fine-toothed comb as we sift through the first half of the 2016 tennis season. From Vika and Kerber in Brisbane to Djokovic and Muguruza at Roland Garros, James and Jonathan recap the utter madness of tennis in between. Along the way, we remember Bud Collins, get tongue twisted about the Kitty Chiller chitter chatter, and are generally surprised by how much of the season we'd forgotten/blocked from memory.
04:10 - Vika kicks things off in Brisbane
05:40 - James' dalliance with being a Sloane Ranger
11:00 - Nole & Rafa get the ATP season underway
13:20 - Remembering Nole's superhuman stretch of success
15:36 - Australian Open (the bullshit begins)
17:40 - Kerber saves MP in 1st Rd, contemplating the what ifs?
21:32 - Raonic loses to Murray SIX times in 2016!!!
25:54 - Venus wins #49 after an abominable January
28:12 - That wacky week in February
32:48 - That drab outfit, on that drab podium, with that drab conference furniture, and that drab carpet
36:10 - Kerber gets back on track with a little help from her friends
41:50 - Raymond Moore revisited
46:20 - Either the ball goes over the net or it doesn't (remembering Bud Collins)
51:50 - A week in the life of Serena Williams
52:40 - Rafa feeling himself in April
61:24 - Kitty Chiller chitter chatter
63:43 - ROLAND GARROS -> deluges & disappointments
Tuesday Nov 22, 2016
Tuesday Nov 22, 2016
Help celebrate our 60th episode! We're here -- on a more regular schedule, lately -- to talk about Andy Murray cementing his no.1 ranking by taking out frequent foe Novak Djokovic. Who had the better year? Did the WTFs measure up as a memorable tournament? What the hell is going on with Rafa's hair?
:30 Welcome to our Diamond Jubilee
Sunday Nov 13, 2016
Sunday Nov 13, 2016
Settle in for our second annual TV episode, where we discuss the many, many shows we've been watching. Ideally, we throw in some analysis, some political content, and praise for the women and people of color who are helping to make TV's second golden age so special. Look out for Transparent, Outlander, Jane the Virgin, Insecure, Orange is the New Black, Queen Sugar, and a withering takedown of former fave UnReal.
5:00 Best New Show - OWN comes into its own
Tuesday Nov 08, 2016
Tuesday Nov 08, 2016
For episode 58, we're talking about WTA Finals champ Cibulkova, Zhuhai winner Kvitova, and men's tennis' new number 1, Sir Andrew Murray. The ATP and WTA have both seen some big shake-ups recently. We chat about all that, plus James takes a tough quiz on ATP Number 1s - play along at home!
0:30 Welcome back! Thanks for coming!
5:00 We can't help but like Dominika Cibulkova, WTA Finals champ
10:30 Kuznetsova's magical 2 weeks
13:45 The WTA Pretty Good Trophy in Zhuhai -- though Petra slays once again
19:30 Tying up some loose threads in women's tennis: Kerber, Serena
24:45 Andrew Barron Murray, your new world no. 1
32:15 Sympathies for sad Novak fans? Nah
40:00 The World Tour Final draws - now who's Lendl and who's McEnroe?
43:00 Rankings shake-up: Roger out of top 10, Ferrer out of top 20
46:00 Self-care sidebar
50:15 So what is the deal with Thiem's scheduling?
55:00 James takes a quiz: ATP Number Ones
Tuesday Oct 18, 2016
Tuesday Oct 18, 2016
We're back to take you through Nick Kyrgios and Maria Sharapova's disciplinary drama. We try to figure out where to stand on Kyrgios, why his behavior angers so many, and what the ATP means by suggesting counselling. As for Sharapova, we are not kind about her tasteless media blitz following her (slightly) reduced suspension. Stick around for actual tennis talk - lauding the strong fall performers and looking ahead to Singapore.
3:00 Kyrgios suspension: warring camps
7:25 Is Nick's perceived apathy the reason so many people are mad?
12:00 What to make of the counselling option? What is the state of mental health in tennis?
21:30 The Swiftian/Trumpesque Media Victory Tour of Maria Sharapova ... where good taste went to die
26:30 James takes you through the details of the Sharapova appeal decision
33:30 Tennis legends invite Maria to WTT charity event, all is forgiven
38:00 Serena's fall swing: Disney World, Color Purple, Formation, NOT Singapore
41:30 Singapore lineup and scenarios
43:00 Big ups to Cibulkova, Wozniacki, Kvitova, Radwanska, Konta, Keys
47:30 Men's fall standouts: Dimitrov, RBA, Murray - can Murray get to no. 1?
51:30 Talking down the Novak slump chatter
54:00 Our faves Venus and Rafa are struggling
Sunday Oct 02, 2016
Sunday Oct 02, 2016
We're back for Episode 56, talking about the busy autumn swing in Asia. Since we haven't been around for a minute, there's also lots of chit-chat about happenings in the news, doping drama, Black Lives Matter, and a reprise of one of our favorite Mariah covers.
0:40 Welcome and odds and ends: halftime show performer, hunty, Jenners, etc.
8:00 Petra Kvitova's slayful and savage run to the Wuhan title
15:00 Wozniacki's career resuscitation
18:45 Naomi Osaka has a huge week in Tokyo
23:00 Lepchenko's statement on meldonium use, and what it has to do with Maria
28:45 Therapeutic Use Exemptions - Serena, Venus, Rafa, and Simone Biles
33:15 The case of Bethanie Mattek-Sands ....
36:30 Serena making headlines even when she's not playing
38:00 Taking up Black Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, Venus, and the project to silence anti-racist movements
45:45 WTA CEO Steve Simon drops a bombshell: shortening women's tennis matches? (Plus some talk about cricket!)
Monday Sep 12, 2016
Monday Sep 12, 2016
Angelique Kerber and Stan Wawrinka are your 2016 U.S. Open singles champions. Episode 55 takes a look back at the last fortnight of Grand Slam tennis for the year. We've got lots to say about the ESPN commentary (specifically John McEnroe), as well as the insipid narratives whenever Serena loses. Each of the top players gets some play in this episode; we finish things with an "Odds and Ends" segment where we cover "biggest upsets," CoCo Vandeweghe not knowing who Naomi Osaka is, and the horrendous night session scheduling.
Saturday Aug 27, 2016
Saturday Aug 27, 2016
Episode 54 brings you our preview of the 2016 US Open. We're combing the draws for storylines, but as usual we avoid predictions. Listen for our thoughts on Madison Keys; dangerous floaters like Del Potro, Puig, and Kvitova; Novak and Serena's fitness and form; and players we'd love to see break out. We also award medals in the Thirst Trap Olympics, recognizing those male players who are doing the most to inspire internet thirst.
2:00 Serena's draw and what "tough" means for her
6:00 The Venus & Radwanska quarter: is Pliskova a threat?
10:00 Women's bottom half - Keys gets the 8 seed
14:15 Puig-Muguruza in 3rd round?
18:45 Men's top half - Djokovic's draw is not so easy
21:00 Is Cilic a contender?
22:30 Some advice to the USTA about night matches
26:30 The absolute clusterf*** of the men's 3rd quarter
32:30 Some fantasy scenarios/players we want to have a good showing
40:00 Thirst Trap Olympics: which male players are trying hardest to get tongues wagging?
Tuesday Aug 23, 2016
Tuesday Aug 23, 2016
In Episode 53, we're sharing our experiences from the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio; Jonathan as press and James as fan. Listen to Jonathan's impressions of tennis reporting, and James' stories about the food, the practice sessions, and a few brushes with fame. But the real centerpiece of this episode is Jonathan's sit-down with the engaging, thoughtful Sania Mirza, doubles no. 1 and recent Cincinnati champion.
2:00 James talks about his time in Cincinnati: rain, mud, and calzones
6:30 Osaka-Gavrilova
13:30 James' encounters with famous people
16:00 Jonathan's experience as press in Cincinnati
24:30 Applebee's changes their hours .... late night in Mason, Ohio
33:45 Pliskova def. Kerber, salvages Serena's no. 1 ranking
39:45 Women's doubles final - Mirza/Strycova def. Hingis/Vandeweghe
45:25 Interview with doubles no. 1 Sania Mirza
Saturday Aug 20, 2016
Saturday Aug 20, 2016
Episode 52 brings you the first ever player interview on the podcast. Jonathan sits down with Svetlana Kuznetsova in Cincinnati. The current world #10 talks everything from being in control of her career, playing Serena, to telling us which musical diva best encapsulate her (#TennisDivas). Jonathan also reports on some of his observations from his week covering the Western and Southern Open, most specifically inside player press conferences. Enjoy the interview and check back for episode 53 which will feature a one-on-one with Sania Mirza!
Monday Aug 15, 2016
Monday Aug 15, 2016
It's episode 51, and we're wrapping up an eventful Olympic tennis event: the upsets, the Delpo miracle, Puig's big win, and diving in headfirst on issues of race, identity, and political action. You know, light stuff like that.
0:45 Are we feeling very O-lympic today? Some qualms with Olympic tennis
6:30 Del Potro def. Djokovic, then wins silver
10:45 Other winners: Murray, Nishikori's hygiene, Nadal, gold medalist Monica Puig!
15:30 Venus wins 5th medal, a silver in mixed with Ram
19:00 What's the place of Olympic tennis in the sport in general?
21:30 A racially charged question at pre-Olympics press conference
24:00 Self-identification, generational divides, race, and the "Starbucks model"
33:30 James takes Fast Quiz #2
37:45 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas Brad Gilbert gets mean on Twitter vs Jack Sock
41:30 A Body Serve update - we're in Cincinnati right now ... stay tuned!
Saturday Jul 30, 2016
Saturday Jul 30, 2016
Celebrate our 50th episode with us! This one is jam packed - catching up with the past few weeks of tennis, telling you about our adventures at Rogers Cup Toronto, reviewing the Serena doc, performing a dramatic reading, and taking a tennis quiz!
Monday Jul 11, 2016
Monday Jul 11, 2016
2:45 Serena Williams gets 22
Monday Jul 04, 2016
Monday Jul 04, 2016
We're back to chat about the first week of Wimbledon 2016, upsets and all. Later in the episode, Michael Lewis returns for his second appearance on the show to tell us about his first trip to the All England Club. We close the show by issuing a few thumbs up and thumbs down before getting into #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas.
2:00 Both French Open winners are out!
13:00 Looking at the women's draw: who's left, great match-ups, Serena-Sveta XIII
23:30 Shall we talk about court assignments?
27:45 Men's draw
36:45 Interview with Michael Lewis, who just came back from his first visit to Wimbledon - the quiet, the pomp, and poppin' bottles
44:30 A few players he saw: Federer on Centre, Venus, Dustin Brown, Vandeweghe, Vinci-Riske
59:00 Sneaking into good seats with the aid of Body Serve friend @stephintheus
1:06:30 Thumbs Up to Marcus Willis, Queen Venus
1:13:30 Thumbs Down to boys behaving badly
1:17:00 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas Serena gets petty af; or, the "we all hate each other" fallout
Check out our guest Michael Lewis' Wimbledon blogging here.
Saturday Jun 25, 2016
Saturday Jun 25, 2016
It seems like Roland Garros just ended, but tennis barrels forward. In episode 47, we talk about who's prepared for Wimbledon, who might Brexit early (we're looking at you, Roberta), and checking in with the Sisters Williams. Who are your picks? Can Thiem reach another semi? Will Madison break through in a big way? Is Novak unstoppable?
3:30 The quest for 22, Part IV: Serena's draw
9:30 Early exits: Vinci, Bencic, Errani?
13:30 Venus gets the #8 seed
20:00 Men's draw, starting with Djokovic & Federer
27:00 Men's bottom half - is anyone stopping Andy?
33:00 Five players with a shot
35:45 Ranking and seeding chatter
40:00 Mouratoglou's messy comments
43:30 Celebrating Pico Monaco, 2016 Thirst Trap Points Leader
Wednesday Jun 08, 2016
Wednesday Jun 08, 2016
We start episode 46 with a last-minute discussion of the news of Sharapova's 2-year ban. We break down the ITF report, talk about what "intent" actually means, and what this all might mean for Sharapova and tennis' future. Then, we chat about the second week of Roland Garros, which turned out to be, well, disappointing for us. Ignore how petty James is and enjoy our discussions about Bartoli's verbal diarrhea, more Kyrgios vs. Kitty Chiller drama, and what the future holds for Muguruza.
0:00 Breaking news! Sharapova gets 2-year ban
2:15 What "intentional" means
19:30 Roland Garros recap: Serena's loss to Muguruza
26:00 Is Muguruza the real deal?
34:30 The Rant: Taking aim at Serena's fairweather "fans"
41:30 The warring fandoms
45:00 Serena passes currently banned Sharapova as top-earning female athlete
50:30 Bartoli's major gaffe exposes the blurred lines in tennis
55:00 Men's results: Novak wins Career Slam, 4 in a row, and we are petty af
1:01:15 Kyrgios' withdrawal and questioning the "Olympic spirit" fallacy
1:08:45 Some good news: Venus is back in the top 10!
1:12:25 Comebacks by Ashleigh Barty and del Potro
Sunday May 29, 2016
Sunday May 29, 2016
Presenting episode 45: simultaneously mourning Rafa's withdrawal and basking in Venus' run to the fourth round. We also talk the Murresmo split, Lepchenko's silent ban, Cornet's drama, McEnroe's new pupil, the round of 16 matchups, and give our dream finals. Oh, and we begin the show with a recap of seeing Beyonce at her #FormationWorldTour.
1:00 First, we went to see Beyonce!
8:30 Rafa's withdrawal
14:20 Varvara Lepchenko serves a silent ban for failed drug test
17:30 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas: Cornet is far too much
24:00 Andy Murray's split with Mauresmo & his 5-set matches
27:30 Serena's snapchat & the Williams Invitational
34:45 You say zebra, I say hideous
39:00 Raonic hires John McEnroe
46:15 Stacked doubles draws
48:45 Breaking down the women's Round of 16
53:30 Venus def. Cornet in 3rd round, sans drama
59:30 Bacsinszky, Kuznetsova, Muguruza, Stosur, etc.
1:04:00 We share our dream finalists
1:05:00 Men's Round of 16: Djokovic, Thiem, Stan, Nishikori, Gasquet, Murray
1:11:00 Dream men's finalists
Episode brought to you by Racquet Magazine: a new tennis quarterly. Learn about the project here.
Don't forget to check out the Racquet Mag's Instagram page.
Saturday May 21, 2016
Saturday May 21, 2016
Episode 44 is our Roland Garros preview. We start with the men's side, which got a whole lot more interesting a few weeks ago, with Rafa's resurgence, Andy's rebirth on clay, and Novak suffering a few setbacks. Next, enjoy our chat with Caitlin Thompson, co-founder of the new print-only Racquet Magazine and co-host of The Main Draw podcast. Stay tuned for info on how to subscribe or donate to Racquet's Kickstarter. Finally, we talk about the women's draw and, honestly, your guess is as good as ours.
1:30 Honoring Roger Federer's streak of 65 straight majors
4:45 Is Rafa's draw "shockingly horrible," as James thinks?
7:00 We can agree, though, that Novak's is a cakewalk
11:30 Debating the merits of playing the week before a major
15:30 Men's bottom half: wtf
25:00 Our chat with Caitlin Thompson
30:00 Previewing Racquet Magazine & why you should be as excited as we are!
50:30 How to subscribe, donate, and get some awesome gifts
54:15 Previewing the women's draw - starting with Serena, as always
57:00 Is Azarenka really the second favorite?
1:00:00 Checking in with Venus, Timea, Kerber, Madison
1:06:15 Women's bottom half: your guess is as good as mine
Monday May 16, 2016
Monday May 16, 2016
Sunday May 01, 2016
Sunday May 01, 2016
Monday Apr 25, 2016
Monday Apr 25, 2016
1:00 Lemonade is here!!! Serena shares her throne
9:15 RIP Prince
12:30 A week in the life of Serena Williams: Laureus, Snapchat, Beyonce, tacos
15:00 Rafa Nadal changes the ATP season
17:30 Turning point of Rafa's season: Thiem? Zverev?
22:30 Winning without his best
26:00 Kerber defends Stuttgart title: What slump?
28:00 Other standouts: Buyukakcay, Falconi, and Laura Siegemund
32:00 Good Petra was back, for a week at least
33:30 Giorgi update
37:00 Kei on Klay
40:00 Djokovic's Monte Carlo loss
44:00 The Nadal-Murray matchup and the ugliness it brings out of Andy
48:00 Shoutout to a few of our old faves, Fed Cup captains Conchita Martinez and Amelie Mauresmo
Nadal Wins Again, Kerber Keeps Rising - Vol 16 of "This Week In Tennis"
Monday Apr 11, 2016
Monday Apr 11, 2016
Episode 40 is here! We're covering Miami, the Giorgi-Italian Federation guerra, doubles domination, and taking a much-needed break from "issues."
1:30 Catching up with us - Kinky Boots & Diana Ross!Friday Mar 25, 2016
Friday Mar 25, 2016
2:00 James revisits Djokovic's comments and follow-up
10:30 Roger Federer tries to add some nuance, and fails
14:00 Warring fandoms and how we interpret players' words
17:00 Tennis Twitter's Manic Monday: Nicole Gibbs stands up
24:00 Andy Murray drops in to read Stakhovsky down
30:00 Neil Harman stops by for no reason
33:00 Going to bat for Andy Murray, currently the only ATP advocate for women
38:45 The trouble with allies/having a daughter makes you a feminist?
46:00 Hashing out the major arguments for/against equal prize money, briefly
50:00 Higher-faster-stronger is not the only measure of athleticism
55:30 Our case for the moral argument in favor of equal prize money
57:30 In praise of Billie Jean King
1:01:00 BJK and Chrissie Evert share great anecdotes about the 70s
1:06:00 Why are the men not focusing on pay disparity on the ATP? Instead, they prefer to blame women.
1:11:00 Big ups! Gibbs, BJK, Andy, and more
Monday Mar 21, 2016
Monday Mar 21, 2016
1:00 Getting right into the Sharapova announcement
4:30 Debunking the myth of the purity and virtue of drug testing
15:00 The spirit of the law: what can players do to gain an advantage?
19:00 Maria's true colors come out in her Facebook post
23:00 Reactions from Serena, Venus, WTA, sponsors
29:00 White privilege is real
33:30 UNION
39:30 Venus' return to IW and her Players Tribune essay
45:00 Raymond Moore, misogyny, and our continued gross feelings about Indian Wells
53:45 Novak Djokovic's ill-considered comments on women's tennis
1:01:30 Players should take a sport history course at WTA/ATP University
1:04:15 Talking tennis, briefly: women's final, Rafa, Novak, and a few others who had a good week
Vol. Eleven of #ThisWeekInTennis: "Sexism Row Casts Another Shadow on Tennis at Indian Wells"
Monday Feb 29, 2016
Monday Feb 29, 2016
0:30 Oscar Recap: white people laughing
12:00 Fresh Off The Boat's tennis episode starring BJK!
14:45 Appreciating Michael Chang
17:30 Big news: a listener happened upon Serena Williams at the gym while listening to The Body Serve!
19:00 New segment: #WheelAndComeAgain - Rafa, Simona, Petra
26:30 #BigUp to Sloane Stephens, now a 3-time WTA champion
30:45 Dominic Thiem: All I Do Is Win
36:00 Marcos Baghdatis, finalist in Dubai
38:30 Stanley's 9-match win streak in finals
42:00 Carla Suarez Navarro wins Doha, destroys ARad in the process
47:30 Verdasco's #thirsttrap
48:30 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas: Novak's eye problems
New #ThisWeekInTennis -"Thiem At It Again"
Saturday Feb 20, 2016
Saturday Feb 20, 2016
3:00 Venus, Ambassador to Asia
11:30 New residents of the Top 10: Bencic & Vinci
17:00 Dubai carnage. What top 10?
21:15 Good news! The Delpo and Barty comebacks
28:00 Mega Thiem
32:30 Justin Gimelstob's appearance on Beyond the Baseline podcast - why???
38:45 Gimelstob addresses his bad behavior
45:00 OK, ladies now let's get in formation
53:00 Why Formation is not for white people (and why they're mad about it)
59:30 Super Bowl halftime show: the art of upstaging
1:05:30 The Rant: The Grammys and Taylor Swift, demon
1:11:30 What creative heights must black artists reach in order to be recognized?
1:18:00 Cam Newton, the Williams sisters, and expectations of black athletes
This Week In Tennis
Monday Feb 01, 2016
Monday Feb 01, 2016
Melbourne crowns a new women's major champion and cements Djokovic's dominance over all opponents, while we debut a (hopefully) long-running segment called The Rant.
Saturday Jan 23, 2016
Saturday Jan 23, 2016
We're attempting a rare mid-Slam podcast; we're chatting about the tennis and some bigger issues floating around tennis this week: match fixing, bad commentary, and Hewitt's retirement.
1:30 We wade into the match-fixing scandal
Friday Jan 15, 2016
Friday Jan 15, 2016
Welcome to Season 2 of The Body Serve! It's time to preview the first major of the year:
Wednesday Dec 30, 2015
Wednesday Dec 30, 2015
Our last episode of 2015 is completely tennis-free. Here's a discussion of our favorite TV of 2015, including James & Jonathan's individual top 10 shows, plus some surprises and disappointments.
2:00 The wealth of great TV & why TV is better than the movie industry right now
9:00 Shows on the bubble of our top 10s (Nashville, Americans, Parks & Rec, etc)
21:00 Jonathan's top 4-10 shows of the year
24:45 James' top 3-10
25:15 UnReal is remaking the Lifetime network!
28:25 The wonderful final season of Downton Abbey
30:00 Some disagreement on season 3 of Orange is the New Black
37:00 Jonathan's top 3
40:00 James' top 2
47:30 Transparent & why it is singularly great
59:00 Debating Fargo's violence
1:04:30 The biggest disappointments of 2015
1:12:30 The biggest surprises (hint: Fargo and its women)
1:18:45 Even MORE TV shows we liked but didn't make the top 15-20
1:23:00 The huge number of impressive leading actress in comedies
Tuesday Dec 15, 2015
Tuesday Dec 15, 2015
Episode 31 is our season finale, as we finally recap the ATP season. Plus, women's tennis always finds its way in, and we're talking about SI's choice of Serena as Sportsperson of the Year and Jennifer Capriati's twitter diarrhea.
1:00 Serena Williams is SI's Sportsperson of the Year! But how does the horse feel about this?
8:00 New York trip: Mariah's Christmas show and Lea Salonga!
18:00 Capriati's twitter. GIRL.
24:00 Back to tennis: Novak Djokovic's all-time great season
31:00 Rafa's, well, not as good season
35:45 Stan & his haters
38:00 Davis Cup: Murray goes undefeated
41:30 Where is the next generation?
49:00 Young men's drama far exceeds women's drama
53:00 Revisiting Andy Murray's feminism: complicating the concept of 'ally'
57:30 Our biggest surprises of the year
1:01:45 Murray's bad performances vs. Roger & Novak
1:04:30 Our favorite moments
1:06:30 Congrats to first-time title winners & farewell to the retirees
Friday Dec 04, 2015
Friday Dec 04, 2015
We've reached 30 episodes! Here's our recap of the year in women's tennis:
4:30 Serena's year in review
9:00 Is it fair to compare her season with Novak's?
14:30 The intangibles of Serena's season, especially Indian Wells return
18:00 All hail Queen Vee's triumphant season
22:00 James' controversial pick for favorite Venus moment
26:00 Czechs win 4th Fed Cup in 5 years
28:30 Underachievers: Petra & Caroline
32:30 Topsy-turvy Top 10
39:00 Sharapova, the consummate pro
41:45 A quick recap of doubles: Hingis/Mirza and Safarova/Mattek-Sands
44:30 Bouchard's career quagmire & USTA lawsuit
53:30: Quickly, where's Vika at?
55:00 Our biggest surprises of the 2015 WTA season
59:00 Kerber's banner year
1:06:30 Bloopers
Monday Nov 09, 2015
Monday Nov 09, 2015
In Episode 29, we're celebrating Venus' big win in Zhuhai and her return to the top 10. In #TennisDivas, we try to find diva counterparts for tennis players.
:30 Effervescing because of Venus' Zhuhai win
5:00 Venus' run to the title: Madison, Saisai, Vinci, Pliskova
7:00 Final vs. Pliskova
14:00 Jonathan does some serious rankings math, Olympic qualification scenarios
18:30 Venus as ambassador for the WTA, taking advantage of WTAsia
25:30 Tennis Divas: what is a diva?
31:00 Which diva is Venus?
34:00 Is Serena a Mariah? Or a Beyonce?
40:00 The non-divas: Ariana, Ashanti, Demi, Selena Gomez
44:00 Sorry, Caroline
46:30 Who gets to be Aretha?
50:30 Sharapova's perfect diva match
55:00 A few male tennis divas: Roger & Rafa get paired with all-time musical greats
1:00:00 The perfect opportunity to shade Justine
1:02:00 Adele and her tennis equivalent, with a digression on Sam Smith
Wednesday Nov 04, 2015
Wednesday Nov 04, 2015
1:30 First things first: Justin Bieber is making good songs. What is going on?
5:00 Toronto is winning pop culture right now
7:00 Masculinity and fandom: how men perform gender through watching sports; excluding women from sports fandom
15:00 TV time! Why Jane the Virgin works (especially for James)
19:00 Nashville, Jonathan's non-guilty pleasure
23:30 James Blake on Jon Wertheim's podcast; avoiding the topic of race
31:30 A sort-of tangential discussion of desegregation and racism in Normandy, Missouri (see This American Life's "The Problem We All Live With")
39:00 Talking Singapore
41:00 Does winning the WTA Finals predict a Grand Slam win?
43:00 Radwanska a victim of bad press for winning fair and square
47:00 Fedal is back!!!
54:00 Our hopes for the rest of the season
56:30 Venus: #thankful #blessed #bringiton
Wednesday Nov 04, 2015
Wednesday Nov 04, 2015
Episode 27 features an interview with Twitter friend Frith (@pluckyloser), who attended the WTA Finals in Singapore:
2:45 Interview with Frith, correspondent in Singapore
7:30 Frith's impressions of Singapore, the tournament facilities, fan experience
13:30 Serena's absence
18:00 Pros of the round robin format
23:45 Sharapova's form and warm reception: biggest takeaway of the tournament?
29:30 Muguruza: "she looked scary"
33:50 Hingis-Mirza: Sania Superstar
37:30 Pennetta's farewell: "I didn't want her to Bouchard the tournament"
41:00 Our favorite WTA moments of the year
46:45 Tournament attendance, the Serena effect?
Tuesday Oct 13, 2015
Tuesday Oct 13, 2015
Fall means a million tournaments in Asia, and players scrambling to snatch last minute points for the year-end championships. Here's episode 26:
1:00 The Good Wife, The Fall, and fall TV
6:30 Road to Singapore: James says get rid of tour championships
11:30 Who really gets round robin, anyway?
13:30 The top players of the Asian swing: Muguruza, Venus, and Radwanska
15:00 Venus' Wuhan win
17:30 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas: Vinci gets out of hand and Venus shuts it down
24:15 Talking tennis in China: sparse crowds, stifling smog, and diversifying the sport
32:00 Shanghai ROLEX Masters twitter drama
35:50 Speeding through the ATP side of the fall swing
39:00 Rafa finally beats whats-his-name Pennetta's fiancee; Rafa vs. Nole
43:00 We read your tweets! Which player do you despise most?
49:30 James' mini-rant about Justine Henin
55:00 The usual suspects: Stako, NK, Dolgopolov, Fognini, and listener hate for Djokovic
Thursday Oct 01, 2015
Thursday Oct 01, 2015
In episode 25, we welcome our special guest Lindsay Gibbs, co-founder of The Changeover and sports reporter at ThinkProgress.
2:30 Lindsay's introduction
3:30 Lindsay talks The Changeover and the online tennis landscape
8:15 "How To Talk About Women's Tennis"
15:00 The infamous Inside Tennis "autopsy" of SW which is racist racist racist
20:00 Media literacy & learning to listen
24:30 "That's not how, like, feelings work" OR checking your privilege
27:00 Serena Williams, Viola Davis, and the burden of history
34:00 Julie DiCaro's piece on online abuse targeting women in sports writing - dealing with Twitter trolls
39:45 Stakhovsky and the ATP's failure to address lgbt issues
43:30 Can the WTA teach the ATP anything about handling lgbt issues?
45:30 Patenting the Erecto-meter, coveting Ferraris
50:30 Our questionnaire: first up, Lindsay's dream tennis comeback
55:30 Who would you put in tennis time-out?
59:00 The most important question: Whitney, Mariah, or Celine?
1:02:00 Remembering the Bravermans and the Gilmores
Monday Sep 14, 2015
Monday Sep 14, 2015
Episode 24 marks the end of our Grand Slam season. Here's Part 2 of our US Open recap:
1:30 The men's tournament: maybe a bit boring?
3:15 Retirements, the heat, cashing that 1st round check
9:00 Mardy Fish's farewell; his courage turns sports cliches on their head
16:30 James Blake and the NYPD
23:00 Apology does not equal justice
25:00 Stakhovsky update: statements from ATP Players' Council & Sergiy himself
28:30 The inadequacy of "be-who-you-are" politics
31:45 Stako's gaydar and locker room hijinks
37:00 Talking actual tennis: a tough tournament for our faves
38:30 Fabio Fognini def. Rafael Nadal
43:45 Men's QFs; hear Jonathan's (unfair?) disdain for Gasquet
46:30 Tsonga's untapped potential, again
51:00 Men's final - SABR drama and Jonathan lets loose on Boris
57:00 Letting go of resenting Federer
59:45 James on why he can't love Roger, and why he does love Serena
1:03:00 Late-era Roger vs. Sampras
1:06:30 Djokovic's dominance and the nasty NY crowd
1:08:00 Putting the GOAT debate to bed for now
Reading list:
Sunday Sep 13, 2015
Sunday Sep 13, 2015
In episode 23, we're recapping the women's side of the US Open:
1:00 James gets a special celebrity serenade for his birthday
4:00 Depth on the women's tour, weakness of the top 10?
14:00 Bouchard and the Kyrgios curse
16:30 Althea Gibson documentary
21:30 Serena-Venus XXVII
29:00 Venus' year and what we can expect in 2016
33:00 Perceptions of the Williams sisters from non-tennis fans
37:30 Simona-Flavia semifinal
39:00 Serena-Vinci, "upset of the century"
48:00 Don't blame Drizzy! The real enemy: Kim K
52:30 Women's final
57:30 Chrissie the hypocrite
59:00 The Flavia/Roberta lovefest & Flavia's big announcement
1:05:00 Max Eisenbud's rude tweet, since deleted
Saturday Sep 05, 2015
Saturday Sep 05, 2015
Friday Aug 28, 2015
Friday Aug 28, 2015
Tuesday Aug 25, 2015
Tuesday Aug 25, 2015
Friday Aug 14, 2015
Friday Aug 14, 2015
We wade into the NK fracas, but first we recap our only day at Rogers Cup Toronto this year, highlighted by a Petkovic Q&A, a Vika-Petra night match, and Halep's efficiency.
1:45 Our day at Rogers Cup Toronto: Simona Halep vs. Jelena Jankovic
5:00 The Toronto crowd & tennis etiquette
8:00 Petko vs. Watson
11:00 Stosur practice (and autograph!), Safarova holding babies
16:00 Azarenka vs. Kvitova, Wednesday night's marquee match
20:00 Lahyani superstar
23:00 Petkovic Q&A!!! And our high-tech audio clip
28:45 He Who Must Not Be Named takes over Tennis Twitter
33:00 Stanley's official response
36:00 Why do folks assume tennis "needs" a character like NK?
41:00 The Kyrgios Family Attack Squad
43:00 Hewitt as mentor
49:00 Bandwagonists is a word, says Jonathan
50:00 Sincerity vs. irony, the great postmodernist battle
Tuesday Aug 11, 2015
Tuesday Aug 11, 2015
Listen to our thoughts on the city of Montreal, the Uniprix Stadium grounds, practice court hangouts, and our observations on the early days of the 2015 Coupe Rogers.
0:30 Impressions of Montreal, Uber adventures, and much smoked meat
11:00 Uniprix Stadium and the tournament grounds
18:00 Practice court hijinks
27:00 Rafa's practices
36:00 Our quixotic quest to see the Rafa/Verdasco doubles match
41:00 Wrap-up
Thursday Jul 16, 2015
Thursday Jul 16, 2015
4:00 Serena Slam 2.0
Tuesday Jul 14, 2015
Tuesday Jul 14, 2015
In Episode 16, we're grappling with some of the social and cultural issues that popped up during Wimbledon. Specifically: the controversial New York Times piece on body image in women's tennis; Stakhovsky's homophobic comments and the ATP's role in dealing with them; and the circus surrounding Nick Kyrgios.