The Body Serve

Why Andy Murray's Feminism Matters

08:40  What is feminism and why does it matter?

17:15  Andy Murray and feminism; what has he done to earn the label?

22:00  Women in sports - why Mauresmo's appointment matters

28:00  Complicating Murray's feminism

30:00  Why men (and women) fear identifying as a feminist

33:00  Andy vs. his colleagues in men's tennis

34:00  Spanish Davis Cup and Rafa Nadal showing his ass, and not in a good way (Hi, @TrollandGarros!)

38:30  A few final thoughts on defining feminism, and how misogyny limits both women and men

Read Jonathan's essay on why Andy Murray's feminism matters. 

Rolly G Recap: Serena Turns 20 & Stan Brings His Best

We're recapping the wild, bizarro, and ultimately rewarding 2015 Roland Garros:

- Celebrating the extraterrestrial accomplishments of Serena Williams, and her unrepentant, flawed, and pioneering Serena-ness.
- We marvel at Stan Wawrinka's power, backhand, and competitive will.
- We tout our wisdom in avoiding predictions.
- In #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas, we give our perspective on the Tara Moore Twitter Catastrophe. Consequential? Not really. It's tea, though.
- Learn what to bring to a verbal knife fight with Jonathan.

French Open Preview, Part 2

It's a prediction free French Open preview!

- The controversy machine that is the British tennis press 

- We recount a favorite shady men's tennis moment

- Getting to the bottom of the Rafa time violation hoopla in #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas

- Most importantly, we look at the highlights of the 2015 Roland Garros singles draws: the loaded top halves,      Federer's luck, the Nadal-Djokovic quarter from hell, and the chances of some dark horses.

French Open Preview, Part I

It's Episode 12, and we're reviewing the clay season, including the Nadal narrative, Serena's disappointing swing, and the other standouts.

BUT FIRST: 

- we chat about Mad Men's finale and the fates of our heroes: Peggy and Joan.

- we lament Game of Thrones and its unimaginative reliance on sexual assault.

- we generally go way off-topic! 

See What Had Happened Was ...

In #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas, we:

- Introduce a new segment, in which you'll hear our expertise on a salacious happening in the tennis world, past and  present (starting with Andy Murray's dressing-down of Lukas Rosol)

- Indulge our nostalgia by recounting what sparked our interest in tennis.

- Talk about our favorite players from yesteryear.

- Discuss why tennis inspires such a devoted following.

L'affaire Bouchard & Gearing Up for Rolly G

On the docket for episode 10:

- Eugenie Bouchard's fateful snub.

- Professionalism, likeability and comparing successful women (or, the Mariah effect).

- Rafa's hard road on clay and Novak's dominance.
- Featuring our impersonations of Genie and Rafa.

Boys Will Be Boys, If We Let Them

It's episode 9, and we're looking at:

- The perceived weakness of the WTA vs. one player's historic dominance.

- Sexist double standards as they apply to dominance and parity.

- Simona Halep's continued ascent and the question of rivalry with Serena.

- Djokovic's bad behavior and the "boys will be boys" ethos.

- Our new game: #NameTheTennisPlayer

Do The Work: Race, Tennis & Society

In Episode 8, we revisit racism in tennis:

- Re-assessing Serena's return to Indian Wells
- Why we're just a tad skeptical
- What it means to do anti-racist work
- Rafa's struggles, Federer's future, and Djokovic's dominance

- Why are we so obsessed with choking? Revisiting Jana Novotna

References:

Louisa Thomas

Jana Novotna

Tumaini Carayol

The Tennis Commie Manifesto

We're back for episode 7:

- What makes an effective tennis commentator?

- The assorted errors, gaffes, and malapropisms of the ESPN set (or: The McEnroe Effect).

- Tennis' complex web of conflicts of interest.

- Justin Gimelstob, the Teflon Commentator.

- How has Gimelstob managed to keep his job(s)?

- Failure of leadership, and the organizational chaos that keeps tennis directionless.

 

Late-Winter Tennis Blues

Late-Winter Blues:

- Requiem for a fruitful tennis partnership: Serena & Big Sascha part ways

- Caroline tried it, but Vika prevails yet again

- The fortunes of the Big 4 heading into the Fifth Slam(s)

- James' brush with fame: a tweet from his Queen

- Checking in with Venus, Hingis, Daveed, and Juan Martin

- James confesses his disgust at the current crop of ____ players.

Talking Race: Serena's Return to Indian Wells

In this episode, we discuss Serena Williams' decision to return to Indian Wells:

- The 2001 IW final and the Williams' ensuing boycott

- How race and racism have shaped the Williams' careers

- Serena's legacy and her evolving politics

- Does the U.S. celebrate its black athletes like it does white athletes? Are there strings attached? 

- How do blackness, patriotism, and racial politics intersect?

19 Jewels In Her Crown

In episode 4, we recap the Aussie Open:

- Serena gets 19, Maria tries but fails to overcome the coughing SW. 

- Madison Keys slams her way to the semis.

- Venus re-emerges as a contender?

- What, if anything, does Rafa's showing in Australia mean for his quest for 10 in Paris?

- Jennifer Capriati's twitter woes and the horror of watching your heroes become human.

- Andy Murray the mental case? Andy succumbs to Novak's bizarre dramatics.

- Hingis wins first slam since 2002, Mladenovic is unimpressed.

The Final 16

In this episode, we chat about the first week of the Aussie Open:

- Notable scares, battles, flops, and the dearly departed

- Venus' resurgence and Serena's conservative play

- Kyrgios and nationalism in sports

- We preview our favorite quarterfinal match-ups

- What have we learned this week? 

Australian Open Preview

Our preview of the Happy Slam:

- Who are the favorites? Does anyone outside the top 4 seeds have a chance? 

- Who is poised to have a breakthrough year, and who will endure a sophomore slump?

- The difficulties of analyzing the draw - and the folly of predictions.

- Nonetheless, we name our men's and women's picks!

- Our tribute to Li Na and that sweetest of backhands.

A Formal Education

In which we discuss the top stories of 2014 and what we're looking forward to this year:

- In Praise of Her Holiness Venus Williams, Queen of the WTA

- Rafa and Serena's roller coaster seasons

- Federer's comeback from the brink to reach 11 finals & almost win Wimbledon

- Doling out controversial forgiveness to Stanford

- A bit of light Sharapova bashing (we are much gentler than Serena would be)

- Speculating what the future holds for the Big 4

- The present and future of Canadian tennis, or: what's in store for Milos' arm sleeve