Episodes

  • For the first time, we’re coming to you from Miami Gardens, Florida! Before recapping Indian Wells, we share our first impressions of the Miami Open site and some of the tennis we got to see early on: Halep’s first match back from her suspension, Azarenka-Stearns (with an appearance by early Berry Gordy’s son RedFoo), Ostapenko lighting up Court 1, and more. Alcaraz defends his Indian Wells title -- snapping a title-less stretch going back to Wimbledon -- and Iga regains her title while losing a mere handful of games. Later on, we talk about the competing proposals that aim to overhaul mostly everything about tennis (Premier vs. PIF).

    0:35 Miami Open: Penko-Siegemund, Vika-Peyton (and why RedFoo is here)

    9:35 Simona’s return and Woz’s take heard round the world: “It wasn’t a clearance”

    18:48 Minding Our Own Business

    22:20 Belatedly wrapping Indian Wells

    27:07 Non-problematic beef

    29:41 Unnecessary beef

    32:28 Miss Beswick strikes again

    35:28:Tennis headed for fundamental change: Premier Tour vs. Saudi PIF bid

  • On March 5, the Court of Arbitration for Sport rendered its decision on the Simona Halep appeal: the doping was not intentional and the suspension was reduced to 9 months, time long since served. It’s the welcome end to a saga that has dragged on and shaken trust in the sport’s anti-doping institutions. But, we’re left with ever more questions: Why were the conclusions of the ITIA and CAS so starkly different? What of the biological passport results? What took so long? Why are tennis players often so successful at CAS? Aside from the Halep news, we talk about the early happenings at Indian Wells, the cancellation of Netflix’s Break Point, the ATP's annual awkward International Women’s Day video, and more.

    01:40 CAS accepts Simona’s contamination defense and throws out biological passport charge

    07:50 Why are the conclusions of ITIA and CAS so vastly different?

    15:00 Comparisons to Sharapova, the question of “innocence”

    25:00 So where are the “real” dopers?

    35:30 Indian Wells: withdrawals, Sinner’s win streak, Kerber-Woz revival

    45:15 Break Point is over: what went wrong?

    50:40 Ruby amends his apology, thanks to Sofya Tartakova

    51:50 A (very) slight improvement in the ATP’s Women’s Day video!

  • Rublev’s default from Dubai generated tons of discourse this week, and we devote quite a bit of time to it: the facts, the question of proportionality (of both Rublev’s actions and the umpire’s decision), and why player reactions aren’t the final word. We also recap the end of the lead-up to Indian Wells, with several players showing off the best tennis of their lives. Plus, Murray’s retirement talk; the ATP’s partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund; and the suspension of a low-ranked player for cannabis and how WADA decides to ban a substance.

    2:15 Quick results recap: de Minaur, Boulter, Yuan, Humbert, Baez

    8:30 The Rublev Default

    13:10 The Act of (non)Contrition

    25:35 Proportionality, in a few senses

    34:45 Andy Murray talks about the end

    38:40 #TheNetflixSlam: it was a bit tacky and very American, but overall a huge win for the sport

    46:00 ATP partners with PIF

    50:55 A 2-year suspension for weed? Also an opportunity for some nerdy anti-doping discussion

  • February concludes with another first-time winner at the WTA 1000 level, Jordan Thompson winning 3 matches in one night to double in Los Cabos, and a bunch of hatchers and snatchers in Doha and Rio. We're also talking about the Coco-umpire incident in Dubai, Holger Rune rehiring Patrick Mouratoglou but retaining his reckless social media brand, and the quagmire of ethics breaches with the influx of betting companies into tennis institutions.

    1:40 Jasmine Paolini wins Dubai + Kalinskaya’s fantastic run

    7:40 Thompson wins Los Cabos singles and doubles

    12:05 Hatching and snatching in South America

    17:50 Andy Murray wins his 500th hard court match

    21:15 Coco vs. an obstinate (and wrong) umpire

    27:25 Holger is back with Patrick: how to fail up in tennis

    37:50 James Blake sanctioned under the sport’s betting sponsorship rules; but why can tournaments and other institutions have betting sponsors?

  • We're catching up with the tennis tours as they wind through Transylvania, South America, the US, and the Middle East. Iga Swiatek threepeats in Doha, Rybakina racks up more wins, Pliskova surges, and Sinner wins his first tournament off becoming a Slam winner. Meanwhile, Ostapenko still hasn't lost a match to anyone but Azarenka. We've got updates on the high profile doping suspensions: Brooksby gets some clemency from the ITIA, and Halep pleads her case to the CAS and sues the supplement company (hey, Scarborough!). Plus: the last one-hander in the top 10 goes out, and major coaching shakeups at a strange time of the season.

    3:20 Iga threepeats in Doha

    8:00 The state of Naomi’s return from mat leave

    16:45 Rybakina wins Abu Dhabi, Kasatkina slams the scheduling

    19:30 Penko and the aborted racquet shake

    24:30 Sinner keeps winning, other men’s results

    31:40 The death of the one-handed backhand

    36:30 Doping updates: Brooksby’s suspension reduced, Simona Halep makes her case at CAS and sues the supplement company

    41:20 Coaching breakups: Sakkari and Tom Hill; Holger and everybody

  • The Body Serve is back with what’s become a February tradition, an off-topic mailbag/pop culture episode. Fair warning to Sw*fties to proceed with caution through a few of the early segments (timestamps below). As we all switch modes from Australian Open to the global February tennis schedule, we offer our highlights and the broader themes raised by the Grammys with a massive dose of deja vu; we answer your questions, both tennis-related and not; we take on the idea of “tarnishing” a legacy by continuing to play past your prime; and chat randomly about the Naomi memoir, We Are the World, and The Traitors (spoilers abound).

    1:00 Grammys: the Swift of it all

    10:00 The broader problem: the Grammys’ failure to recognize Black women

    21:20 Sone actual highlights from the Grammys

    30:15 Memoirs

    41:25 Will tennis ever change its schedule due to climate change?

    43:50 Who will be the next first-time Slam winners?

    46:05 Why do they keep protecting that guy? The sunk cost fallacy

    48:45 Traitors: spoilers ahead for all versions

    55:45 Best-of-5 for women + court speeds

    61:00 Ideal tennis dinner guests, the evolution of tennis kits

    65:05 Andy Murray and the idea of “tarnishing” one’s legacy

  • The 2024 Australian Open wrapped with Aryna Sabalenka defending her title and Jannik Sinner snapping both Djokovic’s dominance and Medvedev’s almost inexhaustible energy to win his first major title. Amidst increasing coverage of the abuse charges against him, Zverev comes dangerously close to reaching a Djokovic-less final but Daniil says ‘calma.’ In good news, Zheng Qinwen breaks out even earlier than expected, Hsieh Su-Wei wins the third and fourth Slam titles of her return to tennis, and Rohan Bopanna reaches #1 at age 43.

    01:25 Sabalenka defends her Australian title without much trouble

    13:50 Shakey shake! Coco’s run

    19:05 Jannik Sinner’s patience and smarts help him win his first major title

    27:00 Daniil Medvedev finds the poetry in losing

    30:40 The strangest Djokovic semifinal

    35:10 Calma: Medvedev stops the Zverev momentum

    42:00 The coverage of the abuse allegations against Zverev reach a peak

    49:15 Doubles! Bopanna at #1, Hsieh’s continued doubles dominance

    56:20 Et ceteras: record attendance doesn’t always make a pleasant experience; a few more fashion notes

  • We’ve reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, where the women’s draw has swallowed up all but 4 seeded players. Amidst the chaos, we’ve still got the defending champion, the US Open champion, and a number of players who’ve been expected to break out for a while. On the men's side, only seeded players have made the quarters. We chat a bit about the surprises (Borges, Cazaux) and whether anyone will stop Novak from getting his 11th title. We also talk about the kits we liked (Coco and Grigor ftw); the Sports Illustrated layoffs; and, in light of so many mothers playing this Australian Open, we answer a listener question about maternity and paternity leave.

    4:05 Men’s quarters - Djokovic rounding into form

    16:25 Women’s draw: some would say carnage, we would say chill

    28:40 Noskova d. #1 Swiatek

    33:10 The fashions: are the fashions in the room with us?

    37:45 Eight mothers in the AO draw: what are the tours doing on mat/pat leave?

    50:45 Sports Illustrated lays off all editorial staff

    57:00 Andre and Steffi present … Simona?

  • Six days into the Australian Open and most of the comeback kids are gone (except for Anisimova). On day five, chaos reigned down in Melbourne: Rybakina is gone after losing the longest tiebreak in Slam history, Medvedev scrapes through at 3:30 am, Swiatek survives a tussle with Danielle Collins, and seeds Pegula, Rune, and Kasatkina exit. The news of Zverev’s trial date and his election to the Players Council converge to dominate coverage during week one; players flail in press conferences and the ATP appears inert. Finally, we take a look at Nadal's surprising(?) new role as ambassador to Saudi tennis.

    02:39 Anisimova leads the way & other comebacks

    14:52 Iga v Danielle

    20:36 Danielle announces her final year on tour

    23:40 Rybakina, further upsets, and other notable moments

    34:12 Players get wrapped up in the Zverev case

    44:40 What does a good answer to Zverev questions look like for players?

    52:18 Speaking of rotting, Gimelstob is back

    54:02 Rafael Nadal: Ambassador or Sportswasher?

    65:06 Some sad tennis news to end the episode

  • The 2024 Australian Open is coming whether you're ready or not, this time a day early. The top 4 women are in fine form; Iga’s quarter is cracking, Sabalenka's is less tricky, but the women's draw promises a wild fortnight. We ask whether there's a man who can stop Djokovic's 11th title run (can vs. will is a big distinction). Time is spent on the prevailing sleaziness of the following: the ATP electing Zverev to Players Council, the clueless promotion of Break Point, and Kyrgios' new Osaka-produced podcast and rebrand. We've got a full draw analysis, plus we submit our 2024 breakout picks (James has picked the same person for around 4 years straight).

    2:40 Zverev elected to ATP Player Council: they’re trying hard to find rock bottom

    8:25 ATP and Break Point get cooked, flayed, sautéed on Twitter

    12:20 Nick Kyrgios’ new podcast and rebrand as a righteous ‘disrupter’

    25:40 Qualifying results: Hsieh retires from singles, Rodionova out

    30:10 This week: Osta-kina, with their powers combined; Draper-Lehecka final

    35:50 Breakout picks for 2024

    39:05 Women’s draw analysis

    55:05 Men’s draw analysis

    Join our Australian Open bracket league on the TNNS Live app!

  • Happy new year and welcome to The Body Serve’s 10th season! The first week of the 2024 tennis season – which actually began in 2023 – started with high-profile comebacks and ended with the WTA’s top 4 setting the standard early. It was a great weekend for TBS faves Gauff, Rybakina, Rublev, and Dimitrov, but the good news was quickly followed by Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the Australian Open and that team winning the United Cup. Eh, you win some, you lose some. Overall, the comeback kids performed well enough to inspire a lot of optimism, the United Cup presented a much better product compared to its 2023 debut, and we’re off to the races.

    0:35 GoFundMe Update and what we’re looking forward to in 2024!

    7:10 Week one was about comebacks: Rafa says hola and adiós a todos

    16:50 Naomi back from maternity leave and having fun

    20:05 Kerber gets the optimal preparation at United Cup: a bunch of match play even if you lose

    25:45 United Cup is much improved

    32:55 Rybakina stuns Sabalenka in AO ‘23 rematch

    39:30 The Grishaissance continues as Dimitrov earns that Lacoste money

    46:20 Cocofina defends a title for the first time

  • To round out our 9th season, we’re leaving you with one more bonus episode for the holidays. You sent us thoughtful questions and we answer them with probably more light-heartedness than usual. You challenged us to identify our guilty tennis pleasures, our take on the Simona-Patrick blame game, Steve Simon’s shift away from CEO, our favorite tennis era and would-be rivalries, and much more. Happy holidays and see you in 2024!

    4:15 Are you excited for next season?

    8:30 Simona’s doping case: the shift toward blaming Patrick

    15:10 Why do men … (I swear this isn’t going where you think)

    19:40 FMK Reader submissions: this is the mildly problematic part

    26:50 Back to tennis: what happens first …?

    29:40 How have you kept your interest in tennis alive? Favorite era?

    41:40 TV shows that have disappointed / Favorite movies of the year

    51:25 What does the WTA’s leadership shakeup mean?

    55:45 Best player to win only one Slam + a rivalry that could/should have been

    66:35 The Riverdale to Academy Award pipeline

    71:35 Guilty pleasure player?

    78:20 Favorite concerts and who we’d love to see next year

  • Hana Mandlíková was, according to Bud Collins, “the least understood player of her generation.” A 4-time major champion, Hana was “some whimsical genius,” the presumed successor to the Evert-Navratilova reign, and at times she sure did make their lives difficult. But let’s dispense with the “next” whoever and the what ifs – Hana on her own is a fascinating figure, an explosive talent with a creative, athletic, and captivating serve-and-volley game. With the help of Hana’s memoir and contemporary accounts, we learn what it was like to be an internationally recognized athlete playing for a strict Communist government shaken by the defection of Martina Navratilova and other major athletes. We interrogate a bit about why Czech(oslovakia) has produced such a deep bench of tennis talent since the early 20th century. Hana Mandlíková is one of its greatest exports: a gifted, straight-talking tennis wunderkind who we hope is becoming both more understood and more appreciated.

    4:40 You can’t argue with the résumé

    11:00 A very quick history of Czechoslovakian tennis

    21:00 Hana’s origins and the Prague Spring

    27:45 Life as an Eastern Bloc athlete abroad; and Martina’s defection

    35:40 1980: the jump off

    39:00 Excitement builds around Mandlíková: those pesky “next Navratilova” proclamations

    49:15 Big chat: Hana’s mouth gets her in trouble

    55:20 1985 US Open: The crowning achievement

    60:55 No what ifs

    68:15 Hana & Jana

    71:50 Learnings

  • The ATP season: it wasn’t always fun, but it’s over and that’s what matters! 2023 saw Novak Djokovic manage his schedule wisely and dominate players 15 years younger than him, even as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev attempted to wrest men’s tennis away from him. On this episode, we’ll take you through the season’s highlights and big winners, discuss off-court stuff, and evaluate our breakout picks and your own hopes and dreams for the season that was. All that plus a pop quiz!

    03:45 Where were we at the start of 2023?

    09:25 Novak returns to Australia and Craig outlaws booing (unrelated)

    16:15 Medvedev threatens the Djokovic-Alcaraz domination

    20:00 Clay: Rafa’s absence looms large but Novak wins his third

    25:20 Carlos spoils the potential Grand Slam at Wimbledon

    29:30 Summer hardcourts and the US Open: Sinner starts percolating, Ben emerges

    36:25 Italy wins Davis Cup! Exploring the Pietrangeli-Sinner beef

    41:55 Season stats + a quiz!

    49:50 Off-court: Players’s criminal cases; Kosmos & ITF suing each other; ATP business

    56:35 Our breakout picks for 2023: how’d we do?

    59:30 Our picks for the ATP Awards

    66:45 What you’ll remember, what made you mad, and what you found funny this season: not much, it turns out

    70:50 Looking back at your hopes for the 2023 season

  • The 2023 season started and ended with Iga Swiatek as the player to beat, but it wasn’t a repeat of her utterly dominant 2022. A new elite separated itself from the field, as Sabalenka won her first Slam and achieved the #1 ranking, Coco Gauff won the US Open, Marketa Vondrousova shocked Wimbledon, and Rybakina scored three wins over Iga. Off the court, it was an unusually busy year in terms of WTA business news and rising player discontent over scheduling, finances, and plain respect. We’ll do a chronological recap of the season and talk about the overarching trends and biggest winners, followed by your contributions for the things that made you angry in 2023, the funniest moments, and what you’ll remember about the season.

    01:20 Launching our 2024 Go Fund Me

    09:35 The big winners of the 2023 season

    16:10 Where was the WTA Tour at the start of 2023?

    19:10 Recapping the season: Sabalenka’s Australian Open and the winter season

    27:50 Clay was all about the “big 3,” but Muchova almost snatched

    35:10 Vondrousova, the unexpected

    43:15 The hardcourt summer made Coco Gauff a superstar

    57:25 Superlatives, statistics, and picking the winners of the WTA Awards

    01:09:35 Our 2023 breakout players: how’d we do?

    01:12:10 WTA Business: CVC investment, safeguarding, WTA Finals bids, and testing the waters on Saudi investment

    01:17:10 The moments you’ll remember from the 2023 season

    01:21:50 The moments that made you mad: the Madrid disaster takes the cake

    01:28:00 Your funniest moments of 2023: poor Kerrilyn

    01:34:10 Retirements and comebacks

  • The 2023 tennis season is barreling toward the finish line. First up: the Canadian women win their first ever BJK/Fed Cup behind huge performances by Leylah Fernandez, Marina Stakusic, and Gaby Dabrowski. Novak Djokovic distances himself even farther from the field by dominating Alcaraz and Sinner to win the ATP Finals. There was a ton of discussion about throwing a round robin match to remove the #1 player – and plenty of good reasons for and against – but in the end it was moot, as Jannik Sinner went undefeated in round robin only to be overpowered by Djokovic in the final. Elsewhere, it’s the end of Newport, Atlanta, Krejcikova-Siniakova, and Murray-Lendl (for the third time). Plus, that Defector story about Racquet and some self-reflection about where we’ve been and where we’d like the podcast to go.

    01:30 Canada wins its first BJK Cup!

    06:30 Novak is not bothered by the field. At all.

    09:00 To tank or not to tank (Well, it’s actually a problem of design, not ethics)

    17:50 The final: Novak outhits and outserves Sinner

    28:00 Newport and Atlanta out

    30:10 Rafa returning? Plus the era’s best doubles pairing is over

    34:15 Defector story about the upheaval at Racquet

    41:30 Some meta-reflection on where we are with the podcast

  • It’s hard to know where to start with the WTA Finals in Cancun, where the poor conditions and seemingly shoddy preparation overshadowed much of the actual play. The WTA is suffering a reputational crisis and a player rebellion, with players complaining publicly and demanding better conditions, scheduling, income, and leave policies. Amidst all this noise, Iga Swiatek stomps through the field and regains the #1 ranking. Elsewhere, Alexander Zverev was issued a penalty order in the domestic abuse case brought by his ex-partner Brenda Patea. Of special interest to us is the ATP’s continued mishandling of the Zverev problem and abuse allegations in general. In et ceteras, Patrick Mouratoglou “feels” responsible for Simona’s ban but stops short of saying he is responsible.

    01:30 Novak wins Paris Masters and the gulf has hardly ever felt bigger

    08:10 Iga Swiatek’s deeply impressive run in Cancun + the hellish conditions, natural and otherwise

    17:10 The backdrop of the player frustrations: a letter of player demands and the WTA’s late response

    28:20 The PTPA’s media blitz

    30:00 Wrapping the WTA Finals chat with doubles

    33:05 Zverev issued a penalty order for bodily harm against former partner and mother of his child

    39:40 The ATP’s inaction: a timeline

    50:15 Patrick, do you feel responsible or are you responsible?

  • TBS 320 arrives as the tours (mercifully) make their final few stops of the season. We recap the results of the past week: Sinner, Auger-Aliassime, and Haddad Maia all score big wins for their respective careers. As you know, James is the resident tennis-player-catches-a-doping-case enthusiast (?) and he’s back to provide updates about Brooksby and Halep. There’s WTA Finals talk as well as a few things we’ve HAD IT with.

    02:49 Jannik’s red wig isn’t budging

    06:20 Felix says he’s back!

    07:15 Haddad Maia doubles up in Zhuhai

    12:47 In-depth look at Jenson Brooksby’s case of negligence

    33:04 Serena catches a photo-cropping case

    36:35 WTA Finals arrives in Cancun – we did it (barely)

    43:49 We’ve HAD IT

  • Admittedly, this hasn’t been our most productive October ever, but we’re here! First, we’re recapping two weeks of results, including a 12th title for Monfils, a first for Shelton, Mertens remaining the only ever winner of Monastir, and Zheng Qinwen triumphing shortly after coach Fissette dipped. Also: Holger Rune hires Boris Becker, recently released from prison and deported from the UK; the Cincinnati Masters will stay put; Craig Tiley promises something he can’t promise; and Naomi sells her likeness to Mark Zuckerberg. And what’s the deal with the lack of women on Tennis Channel and the WTA Board and Tournament Council?

    0:30 Autumn fatigue, for players and podcasters alike

    4:00 Monfils, Shelton, Fils, and Townsend make it a fantastic weekend for Black players

    11:15 WTA results: Mertens, Siniakova, Korpatsch; Zheng wins Zhengzhou, Peggy wins one for mom

    20:10 WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai gets underway with a stellar field

    23:55 Holger Rune hires Boris Becker

    26:55 Zumba instructor Garbiñe Muguruza isn’t thinking about tennis

    31:15 Cincinnati will stay in Cincinnati after getting Ohio to put up enough taxpayer money

    35:25 Craig Tiley announces Rafa Nadal’s appearance at the Aus Open and no one is more surprised than Rafa

    44:10 Naomi Osaka and Candle Gender sell their likenesses to Meta

    47:20 Diana Nyad changes her mind on trans inclusion (it relates to tennis, I swear)

    55:35 Where are all the women on the WTA Board and the Tournament Council?

  • Tennis returns to China after four years away, as Iga Swiatek reminds us who's boss and Jannik Sinner takes a huge step forward by beating Alcaraz and Medvedev for the Beijing title. Meanwhile, the Cancun organizers are building their Field of Dreams in less than a month and several top players are already bowing out of BJK Cup. We also cover the growing chorus of abuse survivors who are taking aim at the USTA, and why this is far from the last time we'll hear about it. Plus, a few diversions about Zheng, "athleticism," Safarova's extremely brief non-return, and how tennis babies its players when it comes to endangering the people who work on court.

    1:05 WTA returns to China with none of what it demanded

    7:00 Iga sets things straight with Beijing title

    12:25 Jannik Sinner gets his first Meddy win by using a tactic that’s becoming more common …

    18:35 WTA Finals in Cancun: stadium is loading ... (currently at 1%)

    27:15 Can you ever forgive me? Qinwen says definitely not

    33:30 It’s not only about trans people’s participation in sports and it never was

    38:30 Tennis is very unserious about hitting staff with flying objects

    42:40 USTA legal team under fire for how they’ve handled sex abuse cases

    54:30 Lucie Safarova’s very brief return to tennis

    56:25 We saw Stevie Nicks!