The Body Serve

US Open Recap: Djokovic At 10, Stakhovsky's Gaydar & Fish's Farewell

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:

Mardy Fish in The Players Tribune

Stakhovsky, USA Today

Stakhovsky, New York Times

US Open Recap: Pennetta Peaks As Serena Stumbles

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

Mid-US Open Chat: Michael Lewis Reports From Flushing Meadows

:30 Intro - Rafa's loss

4:30 Interview with sports journalist Michael Lewis

8:00 Talking U.S. junior Reilly Opelka, 2015 Wimbledon junior champ

14:00 Comparisons with current American players

24:00 Opelka's future and potential

30:00 Jessica Pegula and James' hometown newspaper

33:00 Michael at the US Open: court surfer

34:30 Madison Keys as the next evolution of Big Babe tennis

38:30 Serena's longevity

42:00 Can you stand the heat? Retirements and just how hot it was

44:00 Best of 3 vs. best of 5

51:00 Federer's comments from his ivory tower

58:00 Balancing sportswriting and fandom - how do players' personalities affect how writers cover them? 

US Open Preview: Serena's March to Herstory

1:00 Jamaica's success at the track world champs: Bolt, Shelly-Ann, VCB, and Segway drama (see videos below)

8:15 Rafa's Tommy Hilfiger campaign/US Open promotional events

16:00 What is herstory?

19:00 Claudia Rankine's "The Meaning of Serena Williams": Serena as symbol; black feminism; pop stars and "uppity-ness"

29:30 Women's draw analysis: the loaded first quarter & notable 1st rounds

35:30 Quarterfinal match-ups

43:30 Simona Halep's chances and criticism of her

49:45 Men's first rounds

51:00 Rafa's draw

54:00 Murray vs. Kyrgios and a quick wrap-up of the NK saga

58:00 Jonathan's men's pick

Veronica Campbell-Brown changes lanes

Usain Bolt knocked over by cameraman

Cincy Recap: Rena, Drake, and $3 Long Islands

We're back from Cincinnati to regale you with tales from the final leg of our summer tennis odyssey! 

1:00 Drake + Serena = Aubrena

6:00 The Mason, Ohio Applebee's, tennis hangout

10:00 Meeting new friends!

20:00 Food food food

23:30 The tournament venue

28:30 Rafa's much bigger in person 

32:00 Pospisock doubles & new fave Vasek

39:00 Madison-JJ

41:00 A "what-in-the-actual-fuck" moment

43:30 Venus-Diyas

45:45 Serena

50:30 Annoying fans

54:00 Some things we didn't like

#NKFalling & Anecdotes From Rogers Cup Toronto

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

In Search Of Rafa: Dispatch From Montreal

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

 

Wimby Recap: Grass Greener Than Ever For Serena & Novak

4:00 Serena Slam 2.0

10:00 A note on Sharapova and being the butt of jokes

14:30 Women's final

22:30 Martina Hingis

25:45 Kvitova/Halep/Jankovic

29:30 Men's side - the supremacy of Djokovic

33:00 Federer

37:00 Great returners vs. servers

39:00 Rafa: what's next?

43:00 Court assignment drama

45:15 Having some fun with stodgy Wimbledon traditions

Wimbledon Aftermath: Sexism, Homophobia, and Misogynoir

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.

2:30 NY Times story on body image in women's tennis

18:00 Rothenberg's response to the controversy

32:45 Sergiy Stakhovsky's homophobia

37:30 The ATP's responsibility

44:30 The Nick Kyrgios Show (and our evolving views on it)

49:00 Kyrgios and race (and blackface)

Reading material: 

Ben Rothenberg

Dave Zirin

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