Black Spin Global: The Podcast

In this emergency, no-notes pod, Lucy and Eugene discuss Jasmine Paolini’s magical run in Rome.

The “Queen of Italy” secured her second WTA 1000 title in style, blitzing Coco Gauff in the final in front of a packed Campo Centrale.

The Italian No 1, now back up to world No 4 in the singles ranking, also defended the doubles crown with Sara Errani.

As well as giving Paolini her well-deserved props, we also give Gauff, the new world No 2, her flowers after making it to back-to-back WTA 1000 finals and share our thoughts on some of the other moments in Rome.

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We're kicking things off with exciting news — you can now send us a voice message directly through our website to join the conversation! Got a hot take, a question, or just want to say hi? We want to hear from you!: https://blackspinglobal.com/#:~:text=Join%20the%20conversation

In this episode, we discuss how Naomi Osaka is back in the winner’s circle, capturing the Saint-Malo title — her first since becoming a mom and her first since the 2021 Australian Open. Eliakim Coulibaly makes history as the first Ivorian to win a Challenger title — and in his home country, no less! 

We break down the Madrid Open with Lucy sharing her experience on-site — from Coco Gauff’s strong run to the final to Aryna Sabalenka’s consistent excellence this season. Shoutout to Gabriel Diallo, who made the quarterfinals as a lucky loser, now jumping up to World No. 53!

In tennis news: Jannik Sinner is back after his 3-month ban, and rising star Tyra Grant announces she's switching from the USA to represent Italy, her country of birth.

We wrap things up with early takeaways from the Rome Open.

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Lucy and Eugene dissect Serena’s Jannik Sinner comments in TIME magazine (2:50), salute Coco Gauff after her power player agency move (11:06) and discuss the possible outcomes as players demand more cash from the Grand Slams (13:39). And that is just the news.

As far as action on the court, Billie Jean King Cup debutants Victoria Mboko and Hailey Baptiste both shine (21:38), Frances Tiafoe reaches his third final in Houston (26:09), Arthur Fils brings his strong hard-court form to the clay (32:00), Ben Shelton goes all the way to the championship match in Munich (40:40), Jasmine Paolini gets another statement win in Stuttgart (46:17).

To close, we share our Madrid predictions (49:10).

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Lucy and Eugene sing Victoria Mboko’s praises after her strong showing at the Miami Open where Jasmine Paolini – “The Queen of Italy” – made a run to the semi-finals after taking out Naomi Osaka en route. Osaka, who saw off Hailey Baptiste in the third round, also turned in some good performances during her run to the round of 16. Florida girl Coco Gauff, who dished out a bagel, also reached the last 16.

Arthur Fils made it back-to-back Masters 1000 quarter-finals, getting the better of Frances Tiafoe and world No 2 Alexander Zverev along the way, before getting done in by some unfortunate scheduling.

We also share our thoughts on the PTPA lawsuit, Daria Kasatkina becoming an Aussie, Sloane Stephen’s Doc&Glo brand winning an award, Serena’s tennis watching habits and grade the first quarter of 2025.

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Lucy and Eugene are joined by Ground Pass founder Anastasia Folorunso to go over events at Indian Wells 2025.

Anastasia talks about her experience on the grounds for Black Spin Global in Tennis Paradise where Madison Keys, playing in her first event since the Australian Open, cruised to the semi-finals and Arthur Fils and Ben Shelton both made the last eight.

Listen out for Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova’s candid US Open mixed doubles takes.

We also share our thoughts on the WTA rebrand, Coco Gauff taking the Oscars and shoutout Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs for taking the doubles crown.

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Legend of the game and Grand Slam champion Zina Garrison joins Lucy and Eugene for a special episode to mark International Women’s History Month.

We spotlight the trailblazer who had a storied career that included a junior world No 1 ranking, junior major titles at Wimbledon and the US Open; 14 singles crowns and 20 in doubles (including three mixed Grand Slam titles) on the professional tour; gold and bronze medals at the Olympics, three Fed Cups and a career-high ranking of No 4.

Garrison, who spent the majority of her career inside the top 10, talks about her run to the Wimbledon final in 1990, being put in a box as an African American player, disparities in the game in her era and today, the coaching landscape (especially for women), Portia Archer running things at the WTA, athletes and mental health pressures and much more.

The three-time mixed doubles Grand Slam champion also shares her thoughts on the US Open switching things up for 2025 and gives her former charge Taylor Townsend, the current doubles world No 2, her flowers.

*Special shoutout to Michael Parks for the assist.

Career highlights 1:40
Quick-fire questions 3:23
Wimbledon 1990 5:27
Winning Junior Wimbledon 12:48
Eye-opening moments 14:30
Being put in a box 16:50
Clothing deal snub 19:40
Sponsorship deals today 22:40
Coaching landscape 25:49
Celebrating Portia Archer 34:07
Venus and Serena paving the way 37:13
Influence on today’s players 40:47
US Open mixed doubles 43:24
Athletes and mental health pressures 47:34
Doubles’ standing and its importance 52:51
Taylor Townsend putting in work 54:26
Working with Serena 57:15
On-court coaching 59:40
Bringing back the foundation 1:00:55

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Lucy and Eugene celebrate title winners Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is now a two-time champion on the ATP Tour in 2025, Evan King and Christian Harrison who secured their first tour-level doubles title in Dallas, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova (the doubles No 2 and No 1) winning their first WTA 1000 crown and Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani winning the title in Qatar.

Mikael Ymer is back! The Swede, playing for the first time since Wimbledon 2023, won on his return to action in an ITF event back in January and has played Davis Cup and a series of Challengers since.

The WTA Tour is the gift that keeps on giving this year. The latest WTA 1000 winners Amanda Anisimova and Mirra Andreeva prove anyone can get it. We discuss…

We also share our thoughts on Serena’s cameo in the Super Bowl halftime show, Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban, Elena Rybakina and Emma Raducanu news and the US Open doing things differently for mixed doubles in 2025.

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Intro 00:00
FAA wins title No 2 of 2025 4:06
King and Harrison first-time winners 9:05
Townsend and Siniakova win Dubai 11:12
Paolini and Errani win Qatar 13:19
Paolini singles 15:05
Mikael Ymer’s back 18:13
Anyone can get it on the WTA Tour 21:11
Serena’s Super Bowl 29:30
Sinner’s three-month ban 33:10
Rybakina and Vukov 40:14
Raducanu stalker 45:51
US Open mixed doubles 49:16
Happening this week 53:25

To celebrate Black History Month in the United States, and in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Arthur Ashe winning Wimbledon, Black Spin Global dedicated a special episode to the pioneer who was one of the founders of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

Lucy and Eugene delve into Ashe's early career that included graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in business administration, serving his country, his civil rights work and his significant influence on tennis governance.

This podcast also features interview snippets from Bob Lutz, Richard Evans, Butch Buchholz, Marshall Happer and Owen Williams, courtesy of the Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. Interview credits:

Butch Buchholz, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, May 26 2021, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California.

Bob Lutz, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, Dec 14, 2022, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California.

Richard Evans, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, July 9, 2021, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California.

Owen Williams, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, May 5, 2021, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California.

Marshall Happer, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, Feb 2, 2022, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California.

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Lucy and Eugene are joined by Christian Basnight, founder of Christian's Court, to review the 2025 Australian Open where Madison Keys secured her first Grand Slam title, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova did it again in women’s doubles and Ben Shelton made another major semi-final.

We talk about Keys’s championship-winning run in detail, paying particular attention to her semi-final against world No 2 Iga Swiatek and the thrilling three-set final against world No 1 and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, and give the 29-year-old American her flowers for staying true to her game.

Townsend and Siniakova, the top seeds in the women’s doubles draw, added to their Wimbledon crown to become two-time slam champions. We discuss Townsend’s incredible impact on doubles and her understanding of how poignant and important her achievements are.

Coco Gauff, everybodies pick for best-dressed player, looked good during her quarter-final run where she fell to Paula Badosa. Despite talk from the “internet coaches”  we saw marked improvements in the world No 3’s game, especially the serve – she finished second in the aces leaderboard which feels significant.

Shelton, who lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the last four, had another great AO. Not only did the young lefty make an impact on the tennis court, the charismatic American also spoke out about the awkward on-court interviews he and some of his fellow players endured. We discuss.

And to close we rate this year’s tournament out of 10 and reveal some of our other favourite moments.

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With week one of the 2025 Australian Open in the books, Lucy and Eugene go through all the action including No 3 seed Coco Gauff steamrolling through to the fourth round where Belinda Bencic awaits*. Listen out for who was pretty much spot on with their prediction for this match.

Madison Keys, coming off the back of her title-run in Adelaide, has also looked very good in Melbourne. The newly-married American has made tweaks to her game, and her equipment, and it seems to be paying off.

On the men’s side, Ben Shelton and Auckland champion Gael Monfils face-off in round four in what should be a thriller! La Monf has played inspired tennis en route to week two and Shelton has looked more impressive in each round.

Naomi Osaka had to retire in the third round due to abdominal trouble but the four-time Grand Slam champion picked up two good wins. Jasmine Paolini, who may be carrying an injury, fell to Elina Svitolina in round three but is still going strong in doubles with Sara Errani. So is Taylor Townsend with Katerina Siniakova and Asia Muhammad in mixed with Andres Molteni.

*Episode was recorded before any fourth-round matches were played.

***Apologies in adance, this episode is explicit.

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