Perfect Match?

Grass Season: players slipping and sliding! serve and volley winning matches! five weeks and then the Most Important Slam in Tennis (Wimbledon)!

This time, Michele explains to Bryan some things! The grass surface, some grass history, the schedule and what it means for Wimbledon 2025.

Also:

• Stefanos Tsitsipas' dumb newsletter
• The Williams Sisters' dubious podcasting platform

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast

Send us your hot takes at [email protected]

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our dreams came true: Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open Men's Final and Coco Gauff won the Women's. But more than just winning, they demonstrated the intrinsic magic in how they move through the world. They bring joy wherever they go, they are on hero journeys and they uplift us all.

Also, this is our first full episode we recorded on video! Bryan had Covid this week, so we had to record remotely, so why not put up an annoying video podcast with the bold letter captions and the rest of it?

The video can be watched here: https://youtu.be/v-aYLGG_zXI

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak, Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at @perfectmatchpodcast

Send us your hot takes at [email protected]

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US Open can no longer be trusted to police ticket scalpers. Within minutes of the 2025 US Open tickets going on sale, only reseller tickets were available at over double the face value. We've had enough!

Luckily there is a bill working its way through the NY State Legislature that would ban this kind of naked profiteering off of event tickets. If you live in New York State, please contact your state Senator and tell them to support Senate Bill S8221, which would ban profits of over 25% on all event ticket resales. The NY State Senate website allows you to easily look up your state Senator and contact them directly. Rise up!

Also:

• Soccer riots in Paris
• French Open highlights
• Sam Querry's (we know, who?) campaign to become a tennis commentator
• McEnroe brothers hate on Bluesky
• David Beckham and Matt Damon's stupid pickleball ad

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak, Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at @perfectmatchpodcast

Send us your hot takes at [email protected]

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just prior to the French Open kicking off, the US Open announced a big plan to "reimagine" Arthur Ashe Stadium for the 21st Century. In a highly self-congratulatory post, the USTA laid out its plans to double the space for Courtside and Suite ticket holders ($$$) by removing seats from everybody else. But hey, they are adding a couple of bathrooms for the cheap seats. Does this align with their mission and the legacy of Billie Jean King for whom the Tennis Center is named? No, it does not. We gripe about this.

Also

• How to watch the French Open on TV (it's complicated, but doable)
• YouGov's poll of the most known and popular tennis players among Americans
• Some American players' very provincial and hilarious takes on traveling in Europe

If you are around this Saturday, May 31st, we are hosting a French Open Watch Party in Manhattan! Introduce yourself by leaving feedback at perfectmatchpodcast.com and come by!

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak, Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at @perfectmatchpodcast

Send us your hot takes at [email protected]

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The French Open is almost here, so we dug up our conversation with Katya Rogers, Executive Producer of WNYC's On The Media about the classic cinéma vérité movie The French. The conversation tackles the tough questions around the 1981 French Open, the 80s in general, athletes who smoked, and perhaps inappropriate girl crushes on much older men.

Enjoy!

Also, if you are in New York on May 31st, we are hosting our first ever Perfect Match? event at 30 Love in Manhattan. There will be food, a cash bar and lots of TVs showing the 3rd Round of the French Open. If you'd like to stop by, introduce yourself by leaving feedback at perfectmatchpodcast.com. See you there!

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak, Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at @perfectmatchpodcast

Send us your hot takes at [email protected]

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Common throughout Spain and the Middle East, sometimes a bunch of snacks constitutes dinner. Similarly, in podcasting you can throw together a bunch of loosely related tidbits and you have an episode. Particularly when your original topic kind of falls apart an hour before you want to start recording!

We cover the new tennis-loving Pope, pay disparity at the Italian Open, formerly Russian player Daria Kasatkina gets some love from Ukrainians, Jim Courier is fed up with the Russian flag ban (bad take), Tsitsipas nonsense, and Michele's trip to Florida.

Snack until you're full.

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Note: we are having a little French Open watch party on Saturday, May 31 from noon-4pm at 30 Love, the tennis-themed bar in Manhattan. Send us feedback at perfectmatchpodcast.com for more info.

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As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak, Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at @perfectmatchpodcast

Send us your hot takes at [email protected]

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are still grieving our late, beloved cat Dusty, so we looked at how grief has affected professional tennis players at different moments in their careers. From Iga's recent loss of her grandfather tanking her run at the Madrid Open to Barbora Krejčíková's 2021 French Open title in tribute to her deceased coach Jana Novotna, death affects us all...and keeps affecting us.

We are fully in the clay season ("playing in the dirt", as Jim Courier would put it), and certain players have taken their disputes over line calls to Instagram. This is kind of a problem! Also, Jannik Sinner is back in Rome, but at his request, he's been provided with a private locker room because some other players have said mean things about him. We don't think this will help!

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As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak, Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at @perfectmatchpodcast

Send us your hot takes at [email protected]

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are back to Alcaraz, specifically his (now fully released) 3-part DocuSeries about his grappling with the expectations around him versus his human need to enjoy life. Surprisingly personal and unexpectedly profound, My Way asks the big questions: How much do we owe those around us and what do we owe ourselves? Where do we set boundaries with those who are most invested in us? And so on...

Also, T2 is bad and Bryan applies to be a ball person at the US Open.

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This episode is dedicated to Dusty, my beloved cat of 18 years who passed away last Wednesday. Michele and I will never forget you Dusty, and may you be fed whenever you want wherever you are...

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As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak, Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at @perfectmatchpodcast

Send us your hot takes at [email protected]

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monogamy vs. Polygamy: these days it’s more of a choice than a default; a discussion rather than an assumption. But how does this new openness relate to tennis and who we root for? Does the true fan root for only one player or is it better to dip our toes into different waters?

This week we reveal our tennis fandom polycules and their organizing principles. Michele also reminisces about her time as Roger Federer's cuckquean fan, and how she had to move on to a hierarchical polycule with Carlos Alcaraz as her primary. Bryan discovers that his men's fandom polycule is almost identical to Michele's, and he discusses his non-hierarchical fandom polycule on the women's side.

Also, a Brit accuses a French player of smelling bad, Tennis Channel app woes, and the genius of Jelena Ostapenko.

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak, Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at @perfectmatchpodcast

Send us your hot takes at [email protected]

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've all heard about the importance of "work/life balance". We definitely advocate for the "life" side of that balance, but if you're one of the world's top tennis players, is there room for having a life?

In the forthcoming Netflix documentary "Carlos Alcaraz: My Way", Carlos makes it clear that he's interested in more than just winning as much as possible. We see him vacationing with family, eating his mother's cooking and hanging out in his (small) childhood bedroom where he keeps his trophies. He goes as far as to say, “I’d like to be the greatest in history”, and then, “It’s my dream, but having fun is key to me.”

Same, Carlitos!

In this episode we dig deep into what drives the most electrifying male player since the Big Four era, and we also dust off an ill-advised 2006 "open letter" from Chrissy Evert to Serena Williams, encouraging Serena to get more serious about tennis!

Oh, and there's some new bumper music Bryan put together. Let us know what you think  at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak, Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at @perfectmatchpodcast

Send us your hot takes at [email protected]

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.