Hold On to Your Racket with Josefina Gurevich and Shravya Pant

We are so excited to share this interview with you all. For the first time in HOTYR history, we got to sit down with a real life professional tennis player (yes, they actually exist): Robin Montgomery! What better perspective to hear from than a fellow tennis obsessed GenZ-er? We discuss Robin’s young tennis career, including her impressive 2021 US Open girls singles and doubles championship double whammy and the transition from the junior to the pro circuit. We discuss the day in the life of a pro athlete, building a supportive team, and the WTA's mental health efforts, as well as Robin’s favorite memories on tour, including the times she got to hit with Venus and Naomi, World Team Tennis, her US Open main draw experience, and being graced by a particular Italian’s presence. It’s always a pleasure to highlight GenZ talents, and we are so grateful to have gotten the chance to speak with Robin – enjoy!

Cincy tennis baby! We start with a little blast from the past; while getting ready to leave for college, Shravya discovered a little elementary school project, a book she wrote in first grade titled “How to Be a Good Tennis Player.” Next time your fave is in their flop era, lend them this book. We then chat about the action in Cincy this week, with a resurgent WTA field (and some drama about balls?) and an exciting array of ATP players coming through strong this year. Caroline Garcia's hot streak, Madison Keys' strong play, Carlitos' reliable Masters 1000 game, and our favorite octopus' pre-US Open defense journey are all on the list in this episode. As the US Open is upon us, the stars in Cincy are sure to guide us to Flushing Meadows’ next success stories.

Another classic episode of HOTYR with your two favorite teenage mutant ninja turtle hosts, minus the mutant ninja turtle part. This episode has an extra layer of pizzazz because Shravya made a little trip up to Toronto to watch some tennis, so we have some up-close and personal accounts of the tennis in the Maple Leaf Country. We open up with a heartfelt discussion of an icon leaving the sport, that icon being Serena Williams. We go into her article with Vogue, and what role gender has played in the circumstances that led her to choose between her family and her athletic career. A really prevalent issue today, we feel it is important to highlight that Serena’s freedom to make the choice to retire was awarded because of how hard she has worked for it. Either way, definitely a tough conversation to have considering we are saying goodbye to the woman who has shaped the modern tennis world; simply put, there will never be another Serena. We could talk about Serena for hours on end, but we then get into some Canadian Masters tennis thats taking place right now and who to look out for as we move into the semis in both Montreal and Toronto (especially PCB aka Mr. Solid). From British baes to Brazilian breakouts, this bonkers bunch brings the banter.

It’s like we’ve met our idol…because the one and only Blair Henley was our guest this episode! Blair has become one of the most recognizable faces in tennis media, working at some of the top tournaments (including the Grand Slams, tour finals, Masters 1000 events, and much more) to bring the player content we know and love. We chat with Blair about her career, all the way from her college tennis experience, freelance tennis writing days, and first tournament media trips to jet setting around the US and world to interview the ATP and WTA’s biggest stars as she does today. As we go-over her career overall, we hone in on her unique perspective of the sport and unique experiences that came with it, for example what her experience covering the USA vs. Ukraine BJK Cup match just days after the Russian invasion. What makes working in tennis so special? Who have been some of her favorite and most difficult players to interview? We discuss all this and more, including, of course, some of Blair’s insights into the tennis going on this week at the Citi Open and in San Jose and Los Cabos, as well as a fun rapid fire at the end. The two of us were so grateful to be able to sit down with Blair, someone who we are truly inspired by and whose passion for her career is evident in all of her content, including this episode. Come for the lively conversation and hard court swing chatter, stay for the laughs.

We’re wrapping up Wimbledon in classy fashion with this episode and an awesome event thrown by Wimbledon, the Hill in NY, featuring live viewing of the finals at an NYC replication of Henman Hill. We dive right into the conversation that needs to be had, the Kyrgios allegations. We discuss victim erasure in the media and different conversations (or lack thereof) that are being had regarding Chiara Passari, Nick’s ex-girlfriend, taking him to Canberra court. It’s disappointing how little the issue has been discussed in tennis media due to Nick’s recent success in making the men's final at Wimbledon. After wrapping up that necessary discussion, we get into the tennis. The women's final brought plenty of entertainment with Ons’ big grand slam breakout performance and Elena’s cool as a cucumber celebration (?) after the biggest win of her young career; an awesome women’s tournament and classy final duo. When we move to the mens’ final, we talk about the ghost finalist that could have been Berrettini and the birth of a cringe worthy bromance. Instead, we have Novak Djokovic eating grass and effectively dapping up Nick Kyrgios. So that’s that for Wimbledon 2022.

Summer has officially started and the grass is greener than ever; welcome to the grass season! As we soak up the summer sun and embark on two months of tennis coaching (oh boy), we turn from our Red Ball classes to the professional level, discussing the latest on the ATP and WTA tours when it comes to the grass. A celebration of Serena’s return and Rafael Nadal’s baby are both in order, as well as a look at the 2022 grass champions so far and some special love for Tim van Rijthoven. Who’s in form for a deep Wimbledon run? Who could surprise us with some strong play at SW19? From Matteo to Beatriz, from Hubi to Ons, we’re excited to dive into the grassy action. Tune in for an enthusiastic embrace of grass court play.

Roland Garros has ended and we are here to wrap it up. We discuss some notable headlines, ranging from WTA players speaking out about menstruation to protestors walking on to Court Philippe-Chatrier to fabricated locker room beef. We also chat about Rafa’s historic #22 in 2022 and Iga’s continued win streak, while highlighting the impressive runs of Coco, Casper, and more. Also catch a glimpse of the latest updates on Josefina’s love life ;) Enjoy.

Bonjour, mes amis! We are back with a quick turnaround to celebrate the fun and chaos of the French Open! Join us as we discuss the action in the early rounds in Paris (Stef’s routine comeback, OJ and Barbie K’s early exits, Shapo’s rush to get back to rapping, and more), the ATP and WTA’s formal decision about Wimbledon, player responses to the point drop (Naomi, don’t just quit the grass!), and a tribute to Jo-Willy. It’s rare we get to bask in the fun of the early stages of a slam, so tune in for a good one.