The Body Serve

We come to you midway through the US Open after a first week stuffed with feel-good stories and breakout stars on the women's side, and lots of miserable, crabby men (with the exception of Gael Monfils). We chat extensively about Coco Gauff, the powerful people pushing to relax the age eligibility rule, and that complex and emotionally loaded post-match interview with Naomi. You can also hear about the 22nd meeting of Serena-Maria, the breakouts of Townsend and Ahn, that wild men's third quarter, and Medvedev fully embodying the villain archetype.

4:30 Some thoughts on the Serena-Maria match and why everyone is always mad

11:30 Alexis is everyone's petty spouse

14:00 "I don't know who that is"

20:30 Jonathan institutes the Hall of Shame, major disagreements follow

23:50 Two great American stories: Taylor Townsend and Kristie Ahn

30:00 Coco Gauff dominates headlines again, but Naomi Osaka shows why she is #1

35:45 Why is there a "debate" about waiving the age eligibility rule, when it's been shown to work?

42:40 The unprecedented, emotionally charged post-match interview with Coco and Naomi

49:30 Carla Suarez Navarro is the latest victim of the First Round Performance penalty

50:35 Men's draw stuff: Grigor, Shapo-Monfils, Nick says j'accuse

59:20 Daniil Medvedev becomes cartoon villain, actual villain

67:30 WTA Player Council shakeup, more info on Puig-Murray-Stephens triangle, quick women's draw assessment

We're back to preview the US Open, the final major of the year. Can Naomi defend? Will last year's umpire drama dominate the fortnight? Did the summer tell us anything about who's a real contender on the men's side? Plus, we have a bit of fun with the Sachia Vickery tweetstorm and the clout-chasers who decided to stick their noses in (only for them to be chopped off). Finally, check out our essential R&B Spotify playlist!

:30 Buckle up, it's gonna be a bumpy 2 weeks

5:05 Women's draw: Naomi Osaka attempts to defend her first major title

10:15 Women's bottom half: Serena-Maria to play at US Open for the first time

22:10 Men's draw: Djokovic and Federer on the same side

28:15 Men's third quarter is the most exciting quarter of both draws 

36:45 Kamau Murray leaves Monica Puig on the eve of US Open, reunited with Sloane Stephens

41:20 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas: Sachia Vickery is wondering why would you try her, why would you bother

48:55 The Body Serve's first Spotify playlist! 

We're back safe and sound in Toronto after covering the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. On episode 169, we put a bow on the event chatting everything from the quarter-finals onward, culminating in Madison Keys and Daniil Medvedev as your champions. On deck: the actual matches, stray observations around the grounds, thanking listeners we met along the way, and finally...DRAMATIC READINGS, back by popular demand.  

 

02:40 Madison Keys wows to win the biggest title of her career

09:26 What more to say about Sveta & QF matches

17:10 Medvedev vs Goffin making us look like fools

19:25 Getting to the bottom of the Cincy crowd & Nole

23:11 Can we stan Medvedev? Should we stan Medvedev?

27:38 Thoughts on players we saw for the first time

35:20 Stray observations around the grounds

40:14 Sloane dumps Sven? Stray observations, and shout outs

44:35 Cow Corner: DRAMATIC READINGS from Cincy

We're pleased to bring you a chat with 2-time major champ Svetlana Kuznetsova, who was one of our first player interviews back in 2016. She chats with us about the problems with her visa, her beautiful dog Dolce, and her outlook on tennis as a 34-year-old veteran. Also on the docket: stories from Cincinnati, how the draws have shaken out, the surprising runs of Rublev and Kuznetsova, and more. 

:30 Happenings in Cincinnati - some big upsets but a great women's quarterfinal roster

8:00 Sloane goes in

11:10 Court 10 was lit: Sabalenka-Sakkari, Osaka-Hsieh

18:40 The men's draw kind of fell apart ... but there's still defending champ Djokovic, Medvedev, RBA

24:30 Some very quick thoughts on the latest Kyrgios time-waster

31:15 Kamau Murray talks about the Sloane split and how he started working with Monica Puig

37:30 Our interview with the resurgent Svetlana Kuznetsova, returning to our show after 3 years

This weekend we took the deeply boring journey from Toronto to Cincinnati. First, we recap what we saw on the ground at the Rogers Cup, what had happened in the finals, and what we expect to see at the Cincinnati Masters. Then, we've got exclusive audio from Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic regarding ATP politics. Federer and Nadal have recently been elected to the Player Council, while Djokovic remains its president during a particularly tempestuous year. 

 

2:20 Rogers Cup Toronto, as we saw it

6:40 Serena retires to Andreescu in horrible scene 

9:00 Bianca Andreescu's run to her hometown title coming back from injury ... damn, what would she be like at 100 percent?

14:20 Coupe Rogers in Montreal: Nadal def. Medvedev

20:00 Nick Kyrgios' magical week in Washington, DC

25:45 The state of the Williams sisters

31:00 To look forward to in Cincinnati: Andy Murray returns to singles! 

35:30 Roger Federer speaks to us about his return to the ATP Player Council

41:45 Novak Djokovic, Player Council president, answers a few of our questions about this wild year on Player Council

We're back from the Wimbledon wilderness to tackle the results and major tennis stories of the past few weeks. On the docket for this episode: a doping suspension, Hall of Fame inductees, and Sveta's visa woes. We also debut a new segment, "Book Report," before bringing back last episode's smash, "Dramatic Reading," to finish the show.

 

00:50 We're heading back to Cincy & Love Island

05:15 Catching up on ALL the winners

11:11 Haddad Maia's doping scandal

17:38 Andy Murray, Kyrgipas, and Lendl leaves Zverev

22:43 Where in the world is Svetlana Sandiego?!

29:50 Williams social blitz & Franckie/Leylah beef

34:25 Comebacks & remembering Peter McNamara

37:36 HOF Inductees: Li Na, Mary Pierce, and Kafelnikov

43:05 Book Reports: Prajnesh Gunneswaran & Jil Teichmann

49:15 Dramatic Reading: the pettiest of letters

Novak Djokovic is your repeat, and now five-time champion at Wimbledon. He was joined by Simona Halep at the Champion's Ball, after the Romanian swept aside Serena Williams in the women's final. We sort through both finals, and the notable matches of Wimbledon's second week, before wading into some of the notable off-court happenings since our last episode. Chief among these: the Konta press conference and Serena addressing the 2018 U.S. Open.

 

01:00 The much talked about Djokovic-Federer final

16:20 How we got to the men's final

19:40 What in the HELL happened to the younger guys?

23:12 How Simona did THAT

26:54 Where it went wrong for Serena

34:43 The Simona-Tiriac-Nastase nexus as strong & troubling as ever

41:46 How we got to the women's final

45:38 Don't patronize me: the Jo Konta press conference

52:00 Doubles results, Tomic docked, and Muguruza dumps Sumyk

60:01 Serena writes about U.S. Open final, we discuss

Week one of Wimbledon is in the books and we're back to recap the carnage, the drama, and the surprises. Without question, Coco Gauff was the biggest story through the first three rounds; her win over Venus Williams was part of an onslaught of suffering for some of the biggest names. We talk her magical run, the Nadal-Kyrgios match, the latest ATP Council drama, before taking a look at the remaining 32 players in the men's and women's draws.

 

02:05 Seeds and such: oh, the carnage

08:34 Segueing into Coco Gauff's dream run

22:42 Nadal-Kyrgios delivered on the court

30:12 Parmentier dances on Maria's grave & Fabio's latest

36:31 Stan's doing the MOST. Why?

37:46 Novak, Gimelstob, and more ATP Council DRAMA

47:55 What we're not being told: reading between the lines

53:41 Andy and Serena headline Mixed Doubles

58:04 Serena caught up in manufactured drama

61:44 Perusing the remaining singles matches

It's a short turnaround and a holiday weekend in Canada, so we're bringing you our Wimbledon preview from the car, driving down I-90 in Upstate New York. We touch on a few of the off-court rumblings from the past few weeks, including the history-repeats-itself row over Wimbledon seeding, Coco Gauff's historic achievement, and Serena's Wheaties debut. We finish with an analysis of the men's and women's draws, armed with the knowledge that our predictions could be moot in a matter of days.  

1:50 Let's get the seeding drama out of the way

6:30 Fed Cup gets the Davis Cup treatment - 12-team final in Budapest in April 9:15 Herbert pauses the Mahut bromance to play doubles with Sir Andrew Murray 12:05 Serena on the Wheaties box! 14:35 Coco Gauff becomes youngest Wimbledon qualifier in Open Era, gets Venus Williams in Round 1 19:30 What's on the agenda for ATP Players Council? 23:00 37-year-old Feliciano Lopez wins Queens Club singles and doubles, stays on court for roughly 95 hours over the weekend 26:00 Getting to the draws - who has a shot here? 34:30 Women's draw analysis: I know we've said this before, but the women's top quarter is absolutely, historically stacked 44:20 Men's draw analysis: Rafa and Roger land on same side, Anderson's grass performance does him a huge favor in the seedings

As tennis transitions to grass, we're scrambling to catch up on the post-Roland Garros results, beefs, surprises, and clunky, poorly conceived solutions to ongoing problems. Barty is steps away from the no. 1 ranking, Berrettini eases onto the turf, Felix's rise continues unabated. Since it's Pride Month, we're giving a mini-reprise of last year's Pride episode: looking at the difference between genuine allyship and tokenism, how capital subsumes real LGBTQ issues, and what Taylor Swift has to do with it.

  2:00 ATP retroactively counting Laver Cup matches in head-to-heads ... huh? 5:50 A thought experiment on alternative ranking systems 16:00 A propos of nothing, the US Open says they want to allow coaching during matches, delighting Patrick Mouratoglous everywhere 24:45 Grass results: Garcia wins, Vekic gets frustrated, Berrettini & Felix take to the grass  31:30 More grass: Venus charms in Birmingham, Barty eases into the grass season, Sir Andrew Murray returns! 36:35 WTA finally acknowledges its LGBTQ fans 42:30 Marco Trungelliti blows the whistle on match fixing, gets trashed by fellw players 46:00 What Jonathan is mad about: Sania Mirza getting blamed for the Pakistani cricket team's loss 51:20 Discussion: how to feel about the proliferation of corporate Pride branding? What is for-profit queerness? Do we risk straight people co-opting and blunting the force of queer politics? You know, really laidback stuff like that.

What happen-ed at Roland Garros: Rafa Nadal leaves Paris with a TWELFTH title and Ash Barty with her unexpected first. Dominic Thiem made further strides up the ATP mountain, but fell just short to a ruthless Nadal, again. The women's draw saw a stampede of dark horses make the second week, cementing the WTA as a tour ripe with would-be winners. All that plus wind, rain, scheduling mishaps, and Madison Keys hunting down a towel snatcher on this recap episode of the 2019 French Open.

 

01:59 Ash Barty surprises and delights in her maiden Slam singles run

16:45 The weather causes poor scheduling, yet again

21:39 Konta's resurgence, fatigue in defending the WTA, and defending Jo

32:43 The other decimation that happened in Paris: Nadal's duodécimo

46:41 Fed's ball launch: subjectivity falls in favour of some while it doesn't for others

49:23 In defence of Nole, despite his "I'd like to speak to your supervisor" disposition

53:51 Holding organizers responsible for their shit decisions rather than blaming players

61:49 Double take: Kiki's TIME at world #1 and Thiem's #1 supporter

69:40 Rankings watch: Naomi & Ash top the WTA & a pair of new ATP top 10 entrants

73:29 Madison rectifies, James judges Simona, and G.E.M.S. Life vanishes   

We've made it through the first week of the 2019 French Open, and as you might imagine, there is LOTS to talk about. Before the tournament even began, we were dealt a few high-profile withdrawals that affected the shape of the draws. We discuss those as well as the big upsets in the opening rounds. Nonetheless, both the men's and women's fields are nicely poised heading into Championship Weekend, with breakthrough runs mixed in with some of the usual suspects doing what they do best. As usual, some of the biggest news was made off the court; we cover the latest Serena Williams drama after her third round loss.

 

02:05 Kicking things off with some notable WTA performances

14:53 Let's talk about Sloane Stephens

21:00 Assessing Serena's three matches & where she's at

28:15 Virgil A-blah & our lukewarm reaction to Serena's kit

33:15 Unnecessary sets, and the top men progressing nicely

36:34 Zverev is still alive and kicking, and condescending

39:37 Tsitsipas' pedigree on full display, so too his gamesmanship

51:21 A not-so-good, pretty bad tournament for the Canadians

59:35 Fandom as a fetish: tennis twitter going off the rails

63:24 The Serena-Thiem affair: the misinformation campaign

78:54 Lucie Safarova, one of the good ones, hangs up her racquet

Roland Garros starts with a cracking schedule on Sunday ... settle in for our draw analysis and wide-ranging conversation about the clay season, the democratization of the men's clay events, and some odds and ends. How will Naomi fare as a first-time no. 1 seed? Will Novak complete Novak Slam 2.0? Will we get another first-time women's Slam winner?  

 

3:00 A Redistribution of wealth in the clay season

6:15 Men's draw: Djokovic gets Thiem, Rafa gets Fed/Tsitsipas 12:00 The unpredictable men's 3rd quarter and Rafa's soft draw 20:30 What it means that Roger is back; and resisting "grace" 24:50 Women's draw: first time no. 1 Osaka gets a wild draw 30:20 What to make of Serena, troll extraordinaire 36:30 3rd quarter: Sloane the star, Venus/Elina, Muguruza, Bertens, Bencic 49:40 4th quarter: will dark horses Vondrousova or Mladenovic take out the consistent Pliskova? 53:35 Nick Kyrgios spends a week "managing expectations," then withdraws 55:30 Sir Andrew Murray expects to play doubles at Wimbledon 58:00 We asked y'all what you were looking forward to 1:05:50 Katie Boulter didn't do anything wrong, for the record ... 1:09:00 Bigging up #KinderGirlWorld Day, props to Madison Keys

We're back from our big trip with a big (way too long) episode. It's not entirely our fault, there were two massive tournaments the past two weeks, and some major off court happenings to cover as well. We begin with a recap of Madrid and the questionable dealings of Ion Tiriac before getting into the action in Rome. While it was a pretty tragic time for us at the Foro Italico, it was the site of a return to glory for Rafael Nadal. We segue into the Nick Kyrgios drama that dominated the tennis news cycle as well as the latest updates from the ATP Board election saga. We couldn't end the episode without a few (disappointed) words about the Game Of Thrones final season and even worse finale.

 

01:20 Thanks for the well wishes, a few words on our trip

06:04 Ion Tiriac, Madrid, and his war against the WTA

11:37 Where the Madrid women's trophy at?!

14:26 Our dire thoughts on the Rome tournament

25:19 What happen-ed in Rome happen-ed

35:50 A resurgent turn for many of the women in Rome

41:06 A tale of two gay stories: Janowicz and Ferrer

48:41 Nick Kyrgios had a WEEK

59:13 Djokovic and the latest ATP Board developments

76:41 Game of Thrones finale: yes or mess?

The Body Serve is back, answering your thoughtful and tough questions with -- we hope -- a bit of knowledge and a lot of honesty. Although we recorded this previously, we believe the questions are still topical, relevant, and fascinating. Thanks to all who submitted questions; the below list doesn’t even cover all of them!

 

2:20 Jonathan asks James a gotcha question!

6:45 What are our 3 favorite pop duets? (or in Jonathan’s case, like 10 (Thuan, @delsarto13)

13:00 Who is the player you most disagree on? Any players one of us is a big fan of, and the other is not? (Stuart Masheter, @topsmmash)

22:15 What is the deal with appearance fees? (Julian, @holdmyracquet)

29:00 Tackling the many questions on the Gimelstob situation

37:45 Which women should the ATP be recruiting to run for its board? (Tyler Green, @TylerGreenBooks)

41:00 Which tournaments would you add, remove, upgrade, or relocate? (Arun, @arknight12)

47:00 Game of Thrones characters as tennis players (Peter, @thaiguy84)

50:55 Do you think any young WTA player (

Dominic Thiem absolutely bodied the Barcelona field to join Federer as the only two-time titlists on the ATP Tour this season. Petra Kvitova's turn as renaissance woman and most consistent player of the WTA continued in Stuttgart, leaving her oh-so-close to finally ascending to world #1. Of course, we revisit the ongoing Justin Gimelstob saga and get you updated on the latest shenanigans. Oh, and have you heard, Sloane Stephens got engaged!

 

01:21 Dominic BODIES his way to the Barcelona title

08:53 Petra Kvitova the WTA renaissance woman

12:18 Vika's back? A chat about her comeback

22:30 Rafa makes it CLEAR where he stands on equal pay yet again

31:37 From queer excellence to straight fuckery

33:08 Gimelstob can't stop, won't stop

38:48 Gimelstob's narcissism stays jumping out

48:04 Fiiiiiiinally, folks in tennis are starting to speak up

51:59 Why are we still here? For what? And at what cost?

57:10 #RoadToRome candidates and some juicy petty tidbits

61:40 Andreescu injury, Genie coaching split, and Sloane's big news!

This week on The Body Serve, we've got a surprising week in Monte Carlo to recap, an exciting weekend strewn across the globe in Fed Cup, and a resolution to the Justin Gimelstob court case. Fabio Fognini beat Rafael Nadal in the Monte Carlo semis on his way to a maiden Masters 1000 title. Meanwhile, Ash Barty and Sam Stosur headlined the Fed Cup action, leading Australia to its first final in over 25 years! We finish the episode with an expanded discussion on the developments in the Justin Gimelstob case, and what it means for his place in tennis going forward, among other things...

 

01:01 A surprising loss for Rafa in Monte Carlo?

04:59 The Princes of Clay not up to the task in week one

09:00 Fognini's past and how it frames his present

15:32 Team Australia headlines Fed Cup semifinal weekend

20:46 The reunited Garcia/Mladenovic tandem take out Romania

23:15 Great Britain, despite the drama, advances to World Group II

32:02 Gimelstob pleads no contest to felony assault

35:52 The weak responses from Tennis Channel and the ATP

43:25 Gimelstob begins the process of re-integrating himself into tennis

48:00 What is it about this situation that renders so many mute?

The clay season is upon us and Sloane Stephens is tired of f#@*ing losing! We recap the last two weeks since we've been away, starting with the action in Charleston where Madison Keys scored an impressive title win on the green clay. Other tidbits: Sveta is back! Muguruza bosses Monterrey, and Anisimova wins her maiden WTA title. We offer an ATP clay season preview, before segueing into a spirited discussion on Patrick Mouratoglou's latest bout of opinions. Also, look out for the return of The Rant at the end of the episode!

 

01:50 Madison matures on the green clay of Charleston

07:40 WTA roll call: Muguruza, Azarenka, Anisimova, Sveta, Swiatek

12:28 ATP roll call: Paire, Andujar, Garín, and Sandgren's big streak (of losing)

19:54 ATP clay court preview: much of the same but a bit more

23:58 Alexander Zverev in a precarious position

32:32 Mouratoglou has opinions on how to save tennis, and so do we

53:43 The Tsitsipas/Medvedev feud LIVES!

55:24 A golf diversion: Tiger Woods wins The Masters

63:42 The Rant: you'll have to tune in to find out

Ash Barty and Roger Federer closed out the Sunshine Swing with titles at the Miami Open. For Barty, it was the biggest win of her career, and one that catapulted her into the WTA top 10 for the first time. Federer, fresh off a finals loss the week before at Indian Wells, went one further to add trophy #101 to his collection. The Canadian takeover of tennis continued to take hold as Auger-Aliassime made the semifinals before losing to repeat finalist, John Isner. We cap the episode with a discussion on the difficulties of making a living from covering tennis, and why it's vitally important to welcome as many diverse voices to the table as possible.

  

02:51 Vegemite Queen dripping in power and finesse

08:31 In celebration of the superb, underestimated Hsieh

12:56 The weekly battle for WTA #1 continues

15:35 A whole, grown ass, salty loser: Kerber v Andreescu

24:25 The potpourri of f*^kery surrounding Isner and his "niceness"

28:22 Federer wins #101 in tip top form

33:33 Felix just can't wait to be king

41:29 HOW DARE YOU?! say anything bad about the Miami Open

46:27 A discussion on covering tennis for a living...or not

Bianca Andreescu's coming out party continued in a big way by winning the Indian Wells title. The breakthrough theme in the "tennis paradise" also featured a first Masters 1000 title for Dominic Thiem, rendering Roger Federer beaten finalist for a second successive year. We recap some of the other notable performances on both sides of the draw before getting into a discussion of how the ATP is failing in its efforts to police the dissemination of its product on social media. Lastly, James takes a quiz about his favourite tournament on the tennis calendar.

 

03:05 She the north, but where can we watch her?

17:33 Other notable performances from the women at Indian Wells

19:30 Venus vs Petra: to squawk or not to squawk or when to squawk

27:50 Serena's illness & her terrible volleys?

32:08 The harnessing of Dominic Thiem

37:50 Nadal's knee, Nole's loss, and Denis' rapping

46:31 The ATP policing dissemination of its product on social media

50:57 James takes a quiz on his beloved Indian Wells

The calendar is ratcheting up - March brings the Sunshine Double, with all its excesses, star power, and crackling match-ups. Our IW ambivalence aside, this week has already given us the Vika-Serena reunion, Petra & Venus, and Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime achieving yet another first. We also cover the ATP governance drama, Martina's wheel-and-come-again on the trans athlete argument, and Osaka's strikingly perceptive words in The Undefeated.

2:30 The star power of Nick Kyrgios, when he wants it

14:20 Roger Federer joins the 100 club! Jimmy Connors is shaking

18:00 Naomi Osaka names Jermaine Jenkins head coach

21:30 Serena & Vika reignite their rivalry, and it doesn't disappoint

31:15 Felix Auger-Aliassime quietly, methodically gets his first top 10 win

37:30 An update on the ATP governance shake-up: Kermode is out, but who is in?

50:45 Martina Navratilova is back with another essay on trans women in sport ... but is it better? Taking on the straw man argument.

60:10 Genie Bouchard moves into film production - a rom-com classic is coming

64:10 Will Smith to play Richard Williams on screen

67:00 The fascinating, thoughtful Osaka interview from The Undefeated - her place in things

 

On the occasion of our Sesquicentennial, we thank all our listeners, both old and now, who have been along for the ride. We recap all the tennis news from the past two weeks and the winners on both tours: Bencic, Monfils, Opelka, Mertens, Cecchinato, Albot, Djere, Tstitsipas, and Van Uytvanck. We chat about the Osaka-Tsitsipas social media mess, as well as Naomi's words on her split with Sascha Bajin. Finally, we try to grapple with the mess that Martina Navratilova has gotten herself into.  

 

03:26 Recapping a long list of winners the last fortnight

06:25 The dire Long Island Open gets a lift

13:52 Bend it like Bencic in Dubai, if you can!

20:14 Our Québécois fav busts out in Rio

27:44 Tsonga to miss Indian Wells due to Sickle Cell Trait

31:29 What in the hell was Stefanos thinking?!

36:47 Osaka talks Bajin breakup

45:18 Martina Navratilova and her controversial op-ed

68:55 Sometimes you need to call something by its name

February can be a moment for tennis to catch its breath. But Fed Cup brought us some cracking match-ups, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga re-entered the top 200, and everyone's favorite maybe-catfish started and suspended a GoFundMe. Naomi Osaka stopped the world (momentarily) when she announced that her winning partnership with Sascha Bajin has ended. Plus, we finally catch up with the shakeups and infighting in the ATP Players' Council and Board of Directors.

1:20 Tsonga is back and he's spectacular (or; I will be your father figure)

5:45 Fed Cup blockbusters: Czech team loses at home, Ash-stralia takes out USA

13:30 The Darko saga continues - stop snitching and enjoy the drama, folks

21:45 Serena re-enters the top 10

23:35 Naomi Osaka shocks the tennis world by announcing split with Sascha Bajin 

27:00 Maybe there's not actually any "there" there

40:00 Catching up with the ATP governance shakeup

54:45 Questions to consider moving forward: does the anti-Kermode wing reflect the views of most players? Is there a push for unionization among the rank and file?

57:00 Things we dislike (we disagree on that) and things we like (Netflix's One Day at a Time)

We're here to wrap the 2019 Australian Open: crowning a new WTA number 1 and watching Novak make history with his 15th major. Petra Kvitova came close to her first major off grass, Rafa Nadal stunned until he didn't, and the ATP Next Gen inched forward; while one member of the WTA Next Gen won 2 straight majors and took over the sport entirely. Stick around for a critique of "race science," the minefield of Naomi's racial identity, and why the locker room needs to remain private (oh hi, John McEnroe). 

02:30 Naomi Osaka becoming the woman to beat

10:30 Petra! Don't call it a comeback!

17:00 The other women's late-stage women's matches: Pliskova's improved movement, Serena's loss 

22:45 Why do y'all want us to drag Danielle Collins?

30:00 Men's final: Novak raises his level to neutralize Nadal's strengths

41:45 Other happenings on the men's side: Tsitsipas stared into the abyss and doesn't like what he sees

44:00 Stosur & Zhang win doubles title - Zhang's first major and Stosur's first Aussie

46:20 When what happens in the locker room doesn't stay in the locker room

49:00 Talking about black athletes with race pseudoscience

57:30 John McEnroe's naked obsession with Rafa's naked body ... wtf?

63:00 Men's tennis manspreading into women's tennis -- how microaggressions become a 50-year pattern

71:05 Naomi Osaka's fraught and contested racial identity

We're checking in midway through this Australian Open, marked by a few welcome breakouts but high quality match-ups on the horizon. This episode's title borrows from Frances Tiafoe's impromptu description of Amanda Anisimova's decimation of Aryna Sabalenka. We recap the matches, the controversies, the fashion, and the issue that won't die: mid-match coaching.   

 

1:00 Andy Murray says goodbye ... for now ... maybe

5:30 Tsitsipas takes down 2-time defending champ Federer 8:40 Frances Tiafoe, an American many forgot 15:00 5 US women in the 4th round, and not who we thought 20:25 #HatchingandSnatching: Anisimova snatches the wig snatcher 25:45 Danielle Collins, a curious but certainly not boring figure 31:10 Serena storms through first few rounds 35:45 What's left in this draw: who is going to be the women's number one? Is RBA the real deal? 48:45 Walk walk fashion baby: Serena's romper; Rafa's sleeveless; and Nike rocks the classic black & white but misses with bunchy, ill-fitting skirts and shorts 54:00 Vika's revealing press conference 55:45 The "rules are rules" brigade created a monster: the double standard detectives 1:04:50 Get your G.E.M.S. life

It's not easy to say goodbye to Andrew Murray -- and we're not saying goodbye yet. But, we begin our Australian Open preview with a tribute to the authentic, generous, straight-to-the-point Scot who has changed our sport forever. It's not all doom and gloom: we also talk through this week's results and the Australian Open Heat Stress Scale, followed by an analysis of both the men's and women's draws. We conclude with an update on the ever-tempestuous ATP leadership battles; this time, the Board will vote on Kermode's future, and what a Board it is.

 

1:00 Appreciating Andy Murray: present tense only

18:00 Results from this week: Kvitova and Barty beat a boatload of AO contenders between them

21:45 The new Australian Open heat protocol: you down with AOHSS?

26:40 Women's draw - "dangerous floaters" and the Simona-Serena-Venus quarter of death

38:15 Women's bottom half - we disagree on whether the women's draw is lopsided

43:40 A diversion on Sloane Stephens and star power - the mainstream press isn't sure what to do with her

52:15 Men's draw: who could possibly stop Novak from getting to the final?

1:01:00 Men's bottom half is crowded af

1:03:30 ATP Board set to vote on Kermode's contract ... digging into the almighty mess that is men's tennis governance

Welcome to our Season FIVE opener. Our brief offseason is over and week one of the 2019 season caught us off guard with SO MUCH action right off the bat. We recap the seven titlists who emerged from the first week of play before tackling some of the offseason happenings while we were away. We have a message for the fandoms, a few things we're keeping our eyes on for the season, as well as a few predictions. The episode wraps with a dip into our listener mailbag as we attempt to tackle your questions with a bit of (hopefully) levity.

 

02:59 Week one results: 7 champions crowned

22:45: #SaveHopmanCup and its unique place in the tennis landscape

29:40: Injury updates & Sveta's Insta prowess

32:37 AO super tiebreak rule change

36:50 To the left, to the left: Venus cleans house

39:23 This is who they are: ATP elects Stakhovsky AGAIN

41:08 Calling all fandoms: let Naomi be, sit there & eat your food

47:45 A few things we'll be keeping our eyes on in 2019

53:23 Our 2019 year-end top 10 picks & breakout/comeback candidates

60:46 Listener mailbag: thanks for all your submissions!

As our fourth cycle comes to a close, we recap the men's tour with its continued Big 3 dominance, Djokovic's herculean comeback, and NextGen banging on the door (well, more like politely ringing the doorbell). We look at the latest Gimelstob debacle as a mess that tennis governing bodies made for themselves, one that echoes MeToo stories across every industry, and which the sport continued to ignore and pave over until things blew up spectacularly. Finally, we finish with some levity: our TBSMoments awards, including feel-good moments, WTF moments, and most bizarre off-season story.

 

01:00 Who won the big titles this year? Is the Big 3 still a thing? Yep.

13:00 Rankings leaps and tumbles: NextGen isn't quite here yet, but they're really close 22:40 The Gimelstob Debacle: Tennis has a whole mess on its hands, much of its own making 33:30 Tennis governance and how conflicts of interest can rot an organization from the inside out 38:50 Why the resounding silence from the tennis world? 48:35 Other controversies: Novak sparks unionization rumors, Sandgren comes out as an Alt-Right dabbler, Darko gets exposed(?) 55:40 Retirements and comebacks 57:45 Our favorite and most impactful matches of the year 61:00 Jonathan takes a quiz on the ATP season - play along at home! 68:15 The #TBSMoments awards, starting with Denis Shapovavovavorlov, WTF moments, and wildest off-court story 72:00 Men being d---s ... as always, fertile ground on the ATP Tour 75:55 Finishing this season with Feel-Good Moment and the You Did THAT Moment

We consider a WTA season that was by turns tumultuous and gratifying, full of tedious controversies and long-awaited breakouts. This episode takes on the major themes of 2018, the title winners, the comebacks and retirements, a few surprising events that almost faded from memory, and our #TBSMoments. Oh, and as if 2018 wasn't annoying enough, take our WTA Quiz alongside James.

 

02:00 Who won what? Parity was the name of the game

13:10 How'd we do on predictions? Well, there's a reason we don't usually make them

17:00 Moving on up (and down)

23:45 Matches that stood out ... most of them feature Simona

27:40 #RememberTheTime

35:55 Moments that had people mad this year: Miami crowd, Pliskova lumberjack, the endless Serena controversies, Peng gets snitched upon

51:15 Your favorite comebacks of the year, and a few farewells

56:30 Quick update on WTA streaming and Tennis Channel

58:05 James takes a quiz on the WTA season!

68:00 Our #TBSMoments: first up, funniest moment of the year

72:00 WTF Moment: the Plisko-chop

75:10 The You DID THAT Moment and Feel-Good Moment

Y'all know by now we're a pair of Mariah stans, and we are HERE for her new album. We chat briefly about her tightly spun new effort at the top of the show, before segueing into the tennis action. Zverev and Tsitsipas won the ATP & Next Gen Finals respectively, two banner results for the future of the ATP. The meat and potatoes of this episode is a convo about conflicts of interests in tennis, precipitated by an interview given by Julien Benneteau. We finish with a new segment called, "Yes or MESS," before bidding adieu to Aga Radwanska and Lucie Safarova.  

 

03:15 Going the distance: Zverev wins ATP Finals

13:47 Proceed with caution: On-court advertising boards

16:14 Thank you, next (gen): Tsitsipas runs the board in Milan

18:26 A No No: Federer & conflicts of interest

29:05 GTFO: We ain't buying it, Craig Tiley

40:00 Giving Me Life: Yes or MESS (New Segment!)

50:50 (No longer) With You: Coaching carousel continues

53:46 Portrait of a career: Farewell, Aga & Lucie

It seems like we've been talking about the next generation of ATP players a lot recently, and Karen Khachanov keeps that trend going with a massive first Masters 1000 title in Paris. Elsewhere, the WTA officially ends its season with Ash Barty hoisting the trophy in Zhuhai. Although he was unable to keep his win streak going, Djokovic leaves Paris with the #1 ranking secured into 2019. We talk a bit about the upcoming ATP & #NextGen Finals, before finishing the episode with more news in the ongoing tennis culture crisis of ballkid abuse.

 

00:32 Khachanov rides momentum to dream week in Paris

04:09 Federer shows up and shows out vs Nole

08:01 Hats off to Ash Barty and her beautiful game

20:33 Luksika Kumkhum winning out loud

24:57 Rafa shuts it down, has ankle surgery?

27:42 Nole secures year-end #1 for a 5th time

31:55 What next for the Saudi exhibition?

34:28 James goes to bat for Isner at ATP finals

37:48 The #NextGenFinals sowing some good seeds

50:04 Yet again: THESE ARE CHILDREN!

Elina Svitolina ran the table in Singapore to secure the biggest title of her career. Meanwhile, Sloane Stephens has shown -- to us and herself -- that her standing in the game cannot be denied. Other topics on offer this episode: Wozniacki reveals her arthritis diagnosis, Grigor's alarming hairline, the absurd Sampras "boring" debate, and the growing calls for Rafole to abandon their Saudi exhibition. Thanks as always for listening!

 

03:10 Svitolina reverses course, goes undefeated to win Singapore

09:55 Sloane makes herself undeniable

13:12 What next for Svitolina & the Year End Championships

20:05 9s across the board for Federer & other ATP results

29:01 Wozniacki's big, worrying news in Singapore  

31:50 Long story very short: Grisha, where your follicles at?!

35:44 To play or not to play: A Saudi saga

47:41 The boring Sampras debate and considering him as tragic figure

53:08 Tennis Jesus shows Verdasco how to apologize

58:42 How NOT to do a Naomi Osaka costume: NO BLACKFACE

The 2018 tennis season is getting ready to pull into its final station, and we've got tales from a few of its last few stops. Nole's purple patch and Borna's full package headline the action in Shanghai. We also assess the state of the ATP's burgeoning #NextGen stars and posit who is poised to emerge as the real deals. It was a very successful Asian swing for some of the game's top Asian players; perhaps we are seeing tennis' heavy investment in Asia pay some dividends? Finally, enjoy a few TV recommendations and brace yourself for Jonathan's almighty rant on something he reaaaally dislikes.

 

00:32 Nole extends his purple patch in Shanghai

07:20 A circular, probably not-so-fair take on Zverev

14:55 Who of the #NextGen is MOST ready?

23:16 But, back to Borna Coric....he's got all of the packages

24:46 So, who's been doing the winning the last two weeks?

34:54 Where were you when I needed you?

37:37 The Asian players came to play during the Asian Swing

40:34 Etcs: Fighter girl Simona, Aga's apartments & poor Delpo

48:38 Things we like & one thing Jonathan REALLY dislikes

We've recharged our batteries after the draining U.S. Open just in time to catch up with the tennis happenings on the Asian Swing. Aryna Sabalenka continues her march to the top of women's tennis with her big win in Wuhan. We ruminate on what people mean when talking about being "the next Serena," before finally wading into the Davis Cup changes. Hopefully you'll find a bit of levity towards the end of the episode as we stick up for Sloane, torch Verdasco, and speculate on what makes Indian Wells such a fertile WTA stomping ground.  

 

01:52 The Sabalenka train picks up serious steam

05:05 Tursunov provides great insights as Aryna's coach

13:28 What does it mean to be "the next Serena?"

19:31 Catching up on the winners since we've been gone

28:26 Davis Cup semis & new format

34:15 A healthy dose of skepticism at the Davis Cup changes

45:31 A big big tangent on policing black women in America

60:24 "F@#*ing bitch tried to hit me!"

66:49 Dear Fernando, they are LITERALLY children

68:58 A quick word on Naomi Osaka

There are so many things to talk about from the U.S. Open women's final, but chief among these is that Naomi Osaka bossed her way to a maiden Grand Slam title. We talk about just how awesome Naomi and her game were this past fortnight, before wading into the mess that was the drama in the championship match. We implore listeners to consider multiple things we think are true of this situation, instead of painting this as a black and white issue. We belatedly finish with Novak's 14th - and oh so impressive - Slam title, before revisiting the Pliskova saga and how it could have been avoided.

 

02:53 Naomi Osaka's star is born

10:33 So, we get to the final...

14:57 Looking at what happened with empathy

23:30 To coach or not to coach

29:42 Why questioning Serena's integrity cuts so deep

35:15 Rules are rules except when they're not

42:34 Serena claims unequal treatment, was it the right time?

46:14 What does it take for people to see blackness at play?

54:28 Where Serena and her team went wrong

66:32 Multiple things are true: to recap

70:40 Novak wins #14 and ATP etceteras

79:28 The Pliskova mess and how we could have avoided it

The late, great Aretha Franklin -- a huge tennis fan -- provides the theme for our episode today, as we tackle the unusually wild first week of the US Open. First, we talk about the actual tennis, the upsets, and the 30th Williams-Williams showdown. Then, we tackle the mountain of extracurricular storylines: Alize Cornet's accidental (pending?) revolution, the fashions, Serena's tutu; and an extended meditation on Kyrgios, our expectations of athletes, and how Nick's personality seems to compel people to overstep their professional bounds. We finish with a very personal tribute to the Queen of Soul.

 

2:00 Something they can feel: New York brings the heat!

14:45 Ever changing times: early round upsets

20:10 Sisters are doing it for themselves: Williams Bowl XXX

25:40 Respect: the appalling Cornet code violation

32:15 Don't play that song: Catsuit correlation and causation

35:55 Great gowns, beautiful gowns: US Open fashions

42:35 Chain of fools: the men are at it again (Lahyani, Murray-Verdasco drama)

52:10 You better think: Chris Fowler needs some help

1:01:15 We say a little prayer that these boys leave Tsitsipas alone

1:07:50 Sail on silver girl: Our Aretha Franklin tribute 

We sat down with the coaches of last year's US Open finalists, David Taylor (Keys) and Kamau Murray (Stephens). These very different coaches share their thoughts on navigating player personalities and what they see as the most important roles of a tennis coach. But first, we analyze the US Open draws: the stacked women's first quarter, which could see a Venus-Serena third round and a Simona-Serena fourth, but with much uncertainty for all. On the men's side, Nadal gets an easy-ish one, while Djokovic looms for Federer (or vice versa) in the quarters. We also take on FFT President Giudicelli's comments on Serena's catsuit, and why boycotting is not top of mind for us.

 

2:10 The tragic: the women's first quarter, which features 5 current or former no. 1s plus Kuznetsova

12:45 The good: Madison Keys' draw 21:15 Also good: defending champ Nadal gets a soft draw to the semis 32:50 The bad (depending on your position): Djokovic and Federer drawn to play in the quarters 38:10 Peng Shuai gets dinged by the Tennis Integrity Unit, Lendl joins the Zverev camp 42:50 French Federation president Giudicelli bans Serena's catsuit: the cultural battleground that is the black female body 51:30 Is this the least wide-open women's draw in a while? 56:20 Our interviews with David Taylor and Kamau Murray, coaches of last year's US Open finalists Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens 1:04:40 Kamau Murray's radical honesty

The bad news: our time in Cincinnati has come to an end. The good news: we're back with another episode to recap an event that produced a stellar title run by Kiki Bertens and a full-circle performance from Novak Djokovic. After recapping the finals, we rehash some of the notable matches we saw over the past week and regale you with some stories/observations from around the grounds. We also pondered a few questions: is Stan back? Is Milos being usurped and replaced in Canadian media? Do fans really care about Nick Kyrgios' "antics?"

 

2:30 Kiki Bertens takes out four top 10 players to win Cincinnati

11:30 Simona Halep and Darren Cahill audio: looking at Simona's evolution as a player and Darren's as a coach

17:00 Serena-Petra in Round 2 ... the tantalizing rivalry that never really was

24:00 Djokovic beats Federer to complete his Masters set: MasterBlaster

31:35 Other men's matches: Stanley vs. Roger, battle of Canadian no. 1s, Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov

36:45 The undeniable star power of Nick Kyrgios

41:55 Thanks to USTA Midwest for the USTA Pride Event at the Western & Southern Open

44:00 Stories from around the grounds: ball thievery, Alexis Ohanian flying under the radar, watching Coric & Fuscovics

52:35 Marin Cilic provides your moment of zen

You might have read what Roger Federer had to say about why there hasn't been an openly gay male tennis player in on the ATP Tour. Now, hear his words, along with those of Kevin Anderson, as both speak on what can be a tricky and challenging issue. Plus, our chat with Nick McCarvel about the upcoming event he's hosting (in partnership with No Challenges Remaining) to kick-start the conversation of "being queer and out in pro tennis," featuring the out retired player Brian Vahaly.

 

1:00 Talking about LGBTQ issues in tennis - why now?

6:25 Roger Federer speaks on the possibility of a male player coming out on the ATP Tour

14:20 Kevin Anderson expands on his previously stated support for LGBT athletes, and why he was compelled to speak in the first place

18:00 What are some of the barriers for an ATP player coming out?

24:50 Our chat with Nick McCarvel, host of the upcoming Open Playbook event with Brian Vahaly in NYC

 

Open Playbook: Being Queer and Out in Pro Tennis - at Housing Works Bookstore, Soho, NY on August 23

Event benefits Housing Works and New York Junior Tennis & Learning

Here in Cincinnati, we had the chance to sit down with Sascha Bajin, Naomi Osaka's coach and the former long-time hitting partner of Serena Williams. Sascha talks about his playful relationship with Naomi, his approach to coaching, and his recent social media tribulations. We're also recapping the Rogers Cup, which was highlighted by an incredible giant-killing run by Stefanos Tsitsipas and a superb women's final between Simona Halep and Sloane Stephens.

 

2:00 Catching up with Rogers Cup results: all about Stefanos

7:30 Denis & Sascha Z ruffle a few feathers - we attempt to move past the knee-jerk reaction 17:00 Rafa's run to the Rogers Cup title 19:30 Simona and Sloane put on a great show in Montreal women's final 26:00 Anything to say about the shot clock? Not really 29:00 Our conversation with Sascha Bajin, coach of Naomi Osaka 37:00 Sascha's trials and tribulations on social media: "I've been getting in so much trouble on Twitter"

We are tackling listener questions little by little; you've given us so many great ones that we will have to space them out. But first, we try to provide some context into Serena Williams' repeated statements about doping tests: we look at the structure of the anti-doping system in tennis, Therapeutic Use Exemptions, and the uphill battle to arm everyone with comprehensive knowledge on the system. We also talk Andy Murray's emotional return, Kuznetsova and Vekic's accidental profundity, and Serena's no good very bad day at the office.

 

0:30 Like Alyssa Edwards and Andy Murray we're back back back again

1:55 Murray battles, cries, gives it all, but DC tournament director wants more 9:25 Serena has a very bad day against Jo Konta - what's next? 14:10 What's happened since Wimbledon? Fognini wins 2 titles, Thiem stays losing, Zverev defends DC title 17:10 Kuznetsova and Vekic remind us that playing tennis is about survival and sticking around for the good moments 21:00 Tackling Serena's comments on anti-doping in tennis - trying to get the whole story on USADA, ITF, WADA 29:00 Therapeutic Use Exemptions and the story that riled up Tennis Twitter - what are the ethical considerations in writing about stolen medical data? 36:45 Question from Sam (@top_tennis): how would you do doping tests if you had the power to shape the anti-doping system in tennis? 41:20 Who will complete the Career Slam first - Kerber, Muguruza, Kvitova, or Azarenka? (from Arun, @arknight12) 44:05 What are the top 5 places you'd recommend around the Rogers Cup venue or Toronto in general? (from Angie, @angs2014) 48:15 If y'all were single, would you go on Love Island? Which tennis players would you bring? (from Peter, @thaiguy84) 52:40 A truly scandalous FMK from Dr. Sholz (@SholzTalks10s)

Wimbledon is (mercifully) over, and we've got two players making their returns to the winner's circle after rather tumultuous 2017 campaigns. Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in a much-talked-about semifinal before taking out Kevin Anderson in the final. Meanwhile, Angelique Kerber became the second ever player (Venus) to beat Serena Williams twice in a Grand Slam final. We then parse through the major stories of week two at the All England Club, including Dominika Cibulkova's appearance in this episode's #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas.

 

01:52 Kerber reasserts her class with third Grand Slam title

06:46 Serena has a ways to go yet, but what a ride!

14:26 Nadalovic, Rafole, Djokodal? Whichever you prefer, it was a hell of a match

32:17 AELTC relying on tradition, honour and empire to explain away bad organization

38:23 Women's final (non)scheduling: the issue is about R-E-S-P-E-C-T

45:06 Dedicated to Jana: doubles rundown

48:07 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas: Cibulkova gives ALL the bad looks

54:08 Rankings Watch: who's up and who's down after Wimbledon?

56:53 Chrissie Evert has had IT: she will name and shame

61:44 What will it take for the WTA to acknowledge its rich gay history and present?

64:44 #SaveHopmanCup

Maybe you've heard that Wimbledon 2018 has been full of shocking upsets, but just how shocking are they? Most of the early-round vanquishers have backed up their results with trips to the second week. In the words of tennis' poet laureate, Venus Williams, their places in the draw are not accidental, but "an opportunity earned." We comb through the draw, look at Federer's decision to leave Nike for Uniqlo, and take a look at Marion Bartoli and Nick Kyrgios' tiff. 

 

0:30 Week 1 summary: Everybody lost

5:10 Wozniacki's unkind words for Makarova are belied by Makarova's actual results 10:25 Many of the early-round giant-killers are still slaying! 16:00 Other women's draw stuff - Serena, Venus, Kerber, Simona, Hsieh 24:20 Our women's draw predictions 25:55 Men's draw: Mackenzie McDonald is giving US fans a different look 31:45 Gulbis is rebuilding his career the hard way, knocks out #4 Sascha Zverev in round 3 37:00 Other men's draw stuff and predictions 41:30 Federer with Uniqlo in massive 10-year contract 47:30 Marion Bartoli goes all the way in on Kyrgios & Monfils

We're back to regularly scheduled programming with our Wimbledon preview. First, we go over the grass court news: the seeding question that dominated the news cycle, Kyrgios' water bottle explosion, Petra's excellence, and Boris Becker's heretofore unknown career in diplomacy. Then we break down the gentlemen's and ladies' draws. 

 

3:15 Nick Kyrgios pleasures a water bottle, owes 15,000 Euro; or: why we should stop criminalizing Nick

10:20 Odds and ends - Andy is back, Fed and Rafa trade no. 1, Petra Kvitova wins title no. 5 17:00 The Serena Williams seeding drama: here's how the Wimbledon seeding policy works 25:45 Draw preview - does Federer have any obstacles? 29:15 Nadal's fortunate draw avoids many of his bugaboos 36:50 Women's draw - Simona Halep's very tough quarter w/ Petra, Penko, Pova 45:55 Sloane is #4! A year after being #957 48:45 For some reason we really care about the #25 seed's draw

We are proud to bring you our Pride Special, a partial and selective history of the LGBTQ people across tennis history who changed our sport forever. Some of the stories you'll know, others were news to us, but all of them challenged our view of history and opened our eyes to so many forms of resistance. Listen for stories about Baron Gottfried von Cramm, Helen Jacobs, Billie and Martina, Renee Richards, and many more. Happy Pride!

  03:45 The early modern era: Big Bill Tilden 8:00 Helen Jacobs, shorts pioneer and one-half of a fascinating gay relationship in the 1930s 14:20 When queer love is criminal: Baron Gottfried von Cramm 22:00 Ted Tinling, the designer of women's tennis 27:00 Renee Richards changes everything 40:00 The summer of 1981: Billie Jean King & Martina's outings pose an existential threat to women's tennis 45:55 "In Defense of Billie Jean," by ally Chrissie Evert Lloyd 51:00 Martina: a perfect storm of Cold War hysteria, citizenship fears, and the "butch" female body 54:55 Amelie Mauresmo, who was never "in" 1:03:45 Gender trouble: the confounding clash of sex, sexuality, gender, and gender expression 1:11:30 Things we learned and closing thoughts   Reading List: Big Bill Tilden - Frank Deford Second Serve - Renee Richards The Rivals - Johnette Howard "Amelie Mauresmo's Muscles: The Lesbian Heroic in Women's Professional Tennis" - Pamela J. Forman and Darcy C. Plymire "Renee Richards Wants to be Left Alone," Michael Weinreb (Grantland) "Renee Richards' 'Second Serve' is a Book About Two Remarkable People," Jeremiah Tax (Sports Illustrated) "Life, Death, Tennis and the Nazis: Gottfried von Cramm, The Man That Wimbledon Forgot," Will Mage (Vice Sports UK)

Simona Halep and Rafael Nadal are your French Open champions. For Simona, it was her first time as last woman standing at a Slam, while Nadal hoisted the Coupe des Mousquetaires for an 11th time. After recapping both finals and notable matches since the quarterfinals, we tackle some of the outside-the-lines etceteras that popped up since our last episode. On tap:  Nadal's alleged equal pay remarks, the ubiquity of flossing, the laughable punishment meted out in the James Blake case, and using Margaret Court to raise the stakes for our current greats.

 

01:41 Simona turns the Titanic back around

11:05 Putting the many facets of Simona into context

15:55 Muguruza defollicles Maria & Madison has no answers for Sloane

20:02 Complicating Sloane's relationship with the media

24:46 Sloane gives a pitch perfect performance as runner-up

27:00 Nadal's third "La Undécima" & the anxiety of greatness

34:54 How did Dominic acquit himself in his first Slam final?

39:48 The massive elephant in the room: Nadal & equal pay in tennis

53:28 Assessing Novak's performance and loss to Cecchinato

58:11 Speaking of Cecchinato...thinking out loud about sports reporting

63:50 Doubles, juniors & flossing?!?! How do the kids all know how to do it?

70:53 ENOUGH of using Margaret Court to move the goalpost.

The quarterfinals of the 2018 French Open are set, and we are back with episode 125 to recap how we got here. Serena Williams dominated week one discussion with her catsuit, and her play, before having to withdraw ahead of a fourth round meeting with Maria Sharapova. Some folks had stuff to say about her attire, and we've got something to say about that. We cover the usual mid-slam topics: upsets, genuine surprises, feel-good stories, amusements, and various atrocities.  

 

02:02 Mother is back, causing ALL the conversation

05:30 The catsuit's out of the bag

15:34 Serena has to withdraw ahead of the Sharapova match

21:15 Girl, BYE: Bill Simons and Karolina Pliskova edition

29:08 WTA upsets, surprises, and  upcoming quarterfinals

39:56 So, let's talk about Sloane

46:55 Marco Trungelliti's road race with destiny

48:12 Cecchinato's surprise and Jack Sock's abominable display

51:08 ATP upsets, disappointments, and other etceteras

53:54 The folly of John Isner

55:34 Grigor and Goffin disappoint, Nole holds court, and QF previews

64:55 Serena's moment of levity/immense pettiness

The denouement of the clay season is upon us with the dawning of the French Open. We're back to preview the year's second major with the help of some of our listeners. We solicited questions specific to Roland Garros, and you all came through big time; we structure our draw analysis through your thoughtful offerings. After parsing through the draws, we finish with a few thoughts on the protected seeding drama that erupted again this week.

 

02:26 Women's draw dark horses

09:34 Muguruza or Ostapenko: who will fare better?

13:57 Players who'll benefit/suffer most from lack of on-court coaching

16:40 Is this the beginning of the end for Aga?

20:00 Other women's draw observations

30:18 Men's dark horses

34:45 Who will be Nadal's fiercest competition?

37:10 The Big 4 as super coaches

42:18 FMK Frenchies edition: Pouille, Chardy, and PHH

44:26 Other men's draw observations

52:06 Wading into the protected seeding WTA issue again

 

Recommended reading: A Maternity Leave Policy for the WTA by @BadToss

Rafa Nadal rights the ship on clay with a gritty win over Sascha Zverev, and Svitolina defends her Rome title with far less drama. We also cover Francoise Abanda's charges of racial discrimination, Sascha Zverev's stunning hot streak, Djokovic's resurgence, and we spend a good while on our See What Had Happened Was: Karolina Pliskova's shocking tantrum in Rome.

 

1:40 Il Re della terra battuta: Rafa wins 8th Rome title

4:45 Sascha Zverev's game is steadily improving (except the volley) - expect him to change his fortunes at majors 10:00 Djokodal 51 - great signs for a resurgent Novak 15:20 Elina Svitolina defends Rome title, winning 8 straight finals 19:30 The Sharapova-Halep semifinal was - well, it was something 26:50 Canadian no. 1 Francoise Abanda addresses racism in tennis 34:00 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas: Karolina Pliskova melts down, smashes umpire's chair 40:55 What would be the reaction had someone else done this? (Take your pick) 45:00 The umpire was wrong, Karolina was wrong, but only one of them acted with aggression and malice

The show is back from a two-week hiatus to discuss more clay court tennis! Rafa Nadal got to a record 50 consecutive sets won before bowing out to Dominic Thiem, who in turn bowed out to Zverev two matches later in the Madrid final. Petra Kvitova continued her awe-inspiring run with a third title in Madrid, this after taking the title in Prague the week before. We rag on Shapovalov and Patrick Mouratoglou, take a deep dive into Cornet's ITF ruling, then finish up with a few tennis etceteras.  

 

01:28 #Thirev is a thing? The Bel-Ami Madrid final

07:11 A few clay tangents and musings

10:40 Phallic with a real sense of danger

14:49 The most positive Sharapova segment we've ever done

17:21 Petra won't stop winning, and other WTA standouts

25:00 Taking the piss out of Shapovalov and his "haters"

32:00 Serena is playing Roland Garros? Lord God Patrick says so

35:39 The Cornet case: did they make every reasonable effort?

49:40 Results we missed, injury updates, and Vinci's farewell