Hold On to Your Racket with Josefina Gurevich and Shravya Pant

Indoor season madness continues with action at the Paris Masters and the Billie Jean King Cup! We start off by discussing two important Hot Headlines: player vaccination requirements for the Australian Open and Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai’s recent sexual accusations against Zhao Gaoli and the government’s efforts to silence her. In Tennis Talk we update you on Finals action at the Billie Jean King Cup, discussing Team Russia’s firepower, USA’s narrow semifinal qualification, and the close match-up between the Czech Republic and Switzerland to come. In Paris, we highlight Djokovic and Medvedev’s tour level indoor hardcourt debuts but focus our attention to the real deal at Paris: the (not so under) underdogs. Tay-Tay Fritz, Cam Norrie, Dominik Koepfer, and Sebastian Korda are all included in our discussion. Last but not least, we update you on the WTA Race to Guadalajara and the ATP Race to Turin as we talk about Anett Kontaveit’s magical qualification run, Ons Jabeur’s humorous sportswomanship, and the battle for the last few spots in Turin. Enjoy!

As we say in this episode, the Laver Cup served boring this year. Nevertheless, we’re here to recap the important parts of some of the best ATP and WTA action last week, as well as a few key moments from the Team Europe vs. Team World showdown (blowout): Annett’s title roll, Sakkari’s top ten debut, Hubi grabbing two trophies in Moselle, Kwon making history for South Korea, and key reflections on Opelka’s comment about Zverev and the Laver Cup ignoring the Zverev allegations. We also discuss Hot Headlines, including Federer’s recovery and recent comments on social media and pressure put on players like Raducanu and Osaka, as well as recent coaching splits on the WTA tour. The Laver Cup may have been lamer this year, but that doesn’t mean that the two of us don’t make the best of our chat in this episode. Tune in!

As week 1 of the US Open wrapped up and we move into quarterfinal territory, we discuss all the craziness that has gone on in Flushing Meadows these past eight days. First we discuss some of this week’s Hot Headlines, including Naomi Osaka’s third round loss, behavior on court, post-match comments about taking a break from tennis, and the importance of prioritizing mental health. We also talk about US Open Pride Day and ATP players’ supportive comments about the sentiment, including words from FAA about spearheading an LGBTQ+ community research initiative within the ATP. As for the tennis, it’s been a Gen Z party. Along with a discussion about their stellar tennis, we also ponder what a dinner party with Jenson, Emma, Leylah, and Carlos would look like. We discuss faves like Svito and Matteo and second week standouts like Oscar Otte, Shelby Rogers, and Josefina’s newest crush: Botic VDZ. This has certainly taken the cake for our favorite episode yet, and it’s only fitting that that happened at our favorite tournament of the season, so jump into the tennis and enjoy.

Dear HOTYR listeners, the US Open has finally begun! Action at our favorite tournament has kicked off with a slate of thrilling first rounders and interesting draws in Flushing Meadows. In this episode, we discuss some key Hot Headlines including Ben Rothenberg’s article detailing part two of Olya Sharypova’s harrowing account of domestic abuse allegations towards her ex-boyfriend Alexander Zverev. We also discuss the US Open’s vaccine mandate for fans but the lack of vaccination requirements for tennis players, opening up a much needed conversation about athletes’ privilege and lack of education on the vaccine. Moving on to the tennis, we take a look at both the men’s and women’s singles draws, taking you through quarter-by-quarter to highlight favorites, dark horses, players we think could make a deep run, and other predictions for the tournament. Tune in for the perfect welcome to the US Open!

It's our one year podcast anniversary! Can you believe it? To celebrate, the two of us held a HOTYR Anniversary Gameshow where HOTYR listeners and tennis enthusiasts from around the world participated in an array of tennis-themed games to test their tennis wit. Tricky trivia questions and a couple of fun games of our own creation stretched the minds of our tennis-obsessed contestants. We had so much fun interacting with our listeners and fellow fans of the sport. Listen along to participate in the gameshow yourself and to hear who was crowned the winner and will receive a HOTYR prize box. Thank you so much for your support throughout this past year - we couldn't have done it without you all - and a big thank you to our contestants, as well!

Tennis at the Olympic Games has concluded and the US Open hard court swing has begun! After a long week of playing tennis, the two of us sat down to recap Russia’s dominance on the podiums and other breakthrough players in the Olympics. We also check in on the action going on at the Citi Open (ATP 500) and the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic (WTA 500) going on in Washington, D.C. and San Jose, California. PLUS, the two of us are attending the Citi Open this weekend, so this episode contains sufficient hype for that. 

The Olympics are (finally) here! Despite some subdued fanfare in the tennis world surrounding this event, we’re here to bring sufficient hype to the games. We preview the draws and discuss what makes the Olympics so special, as well as noting which players have opportunity to make history in Tokyo. Djokovic’s chase for calendar gold, chances for ATP and WTA breakthroughs, and Osaka’s return (and recent Netflix documentary) are all part of our discussion today, so come join us for a fun (and informative, of course) preview of the world’s greatest sporting event.

Tropical storms, power outages, Wi-Fi issues, and tech difficulties have made it incredibly difficult for us to record these past couple of weeks, but we finally did it! The two of us discuss the highs and lows of Wimbledon, including Ash Barty and Novak Djokovic’s history-making championship runs, Matteo Berrettini’s contribution to a successful weekend for Italian sport, Karolina Pliskova’s resurgence, and key breakthroughs from players like Raducanu, Shapovalov, and Sabalenka. We end on a happy note catching you up on some great things Naomi Osaka has been up to, including her ESPY wins, upcoming Netflix documentary, and recent Barbie doll release! The laughs are back, so join us for a quick chat about tennis and more.