The Canadian Open (finally) ends, and with a shocker: Burlington, Ontario’s Victoria Mboko snatches her first WTA title after starting the year outside the top 300, and Ben Shelton wins his first Masters event. Honestly, the longer format, the withdrawals of the top men, and the Cincinnati overlap all really hurt this tournament (the second-longest running in tennis history, btw!). We didn’t want to contribute to this Naomi speech discourse, but I guess we do in a small way. Plus: Stefano Vukov’s suspension has been overturned, That Guy is delulu (but in a very intentional PR type of way), and we take a question or two from the mailbag.

0:40 Burlington’s Very Own

13:50 The Naomi Discourse - not doing it again! (well, a little) 

25:00 Performance, Bye

29:20 The longer format is sucking the life out of the Canadian Open

39:45 Shelton wins his first Masters 1000, electronic line calling loses (again) 

48:00 Stefano Vukov’s ban by the WTA has been overturned in arbitration 

59:50 A few questions from the mailbag

Starting off hot with two updates in doping cases: first, Jannik Sinner has rehired one of the men responsible for the clostebol contamination. In Tara Moore’s case, CAS ruled that the actual beef was legitimate, but the figurative beef with the ITIA, sadly, was not. The DC tournament had outsized buzz this year, thanks to Venus Williams’ wild card and surprising performance, owner Mark Ein’s boosterism for DC-area tennis, Fernandez’s impressive run, and de Minaur’s late-stage heroics. Later, we touch on the Canadian Open, coaching drama, some big local retirements, and answer a few fun listener questions. 

01:30 Sinner rehires fitness coach Ferrara after a year in timeout 

10:35 Tara Moore’s case concludes with a 4-year ban

14:20 She’s still The Venus Williams

30:25 de Minaur wins a heartbreaker against ADF

33:55 Leylah Fernandez wins biggest career title (+ scheduling complaint in Montreal)

39:50 Canadians in the Canadian Open: retirements, withdrawals, but at least Mboko remains standing!

46:30 Coaching changes: two “supercoaches” constantly putting themselves in the talk

51:30 Listener questions: Toronto recs

57:50 Tournament essentials

62:25 An FMK like no other 

Presenting part two of our interview with Courtney Nguyen, tennis podcaster, blogger, and former Senior Writer, WTA Insider! This time around, we chat about tennis commentary, the various ways the ATP encroaches upon the WTA, and Courtney's evolving approach to podcasting while also working for the tour. We had to ask about Courtney's favorite players to cover while at the WTA (and the most challenging), her favorite commentators, and the inevitable(?) day when opinion-havers like the three of us simply run out of opinions.

Wimbledon ends with maybe not the champions we chose but the ones we were given. Iga Swiatek honed her grass game and unleashed an almighty tempest to beat Amanda Anisimova with the loss of zero games. Jannik Sinner snapped his 5-match skid against chief rival Carlos Alcaraz by pounding his way to the title. We cover the very human and predictable limitations of electronic line calling, Sally Jenkins’ (warranted) hit piece on John McEnroe, and our lasting impressions of London. You can also expect us to discuss the embarrassing display of billionaire worship that occurred when “activist investor” Bill Ackman got an undeserved wild card to the Hall of Fame Open.

2:10 Dorothea Lambert Chambers thought her record was safe; Iga thought otherwise

16:10 Amanda’s journey to the Wimbledon final 

21:05 Dimitrov and Djokovic injuries ease Sinner’s path

26:15 What happened, Carlitos?

35:15 Jonathan’s addendum on Swiatek’s season so far

38:50 Electronic line calling is fallible after all!

45:15 Ackman at the Newport Casino as we enter a new and dark Gilded Age 

52:20 Sally Jenkins says what fans have been saying for years: fire McEnroe 

58:20 Last notes from London

We’re back from our first ever trip to Wimbledon with lots of stories from the grounds and our impressions of the whole British Empire of it all (it's intoxicating at the same time). We were there for the hottest opening day in Wimbledon’s history, and the heat seemed to wreak havoc on the draw, with 36 seeds out by the end of round two. We’ll take you through the draws and some notable matches we saw -- Fritz-Mpetshi Perricard, Krejcikova-Eala, Sabelanka-Branstine, plus Mboko, Baptiste, and ‘Cos’ Giron. Plus, if you’re curious about the various ways to get Wimbledon tickets, we’ve got you (even though it’s still not easy).   

2:00 What it was like being at Wimbledon: Let’s start with the food

10:05 Around the grounds: ivy, flowers, Henman Hill, Hailey the Baptist 

30:30 How does one get tickets to Wimbledon?

39:30 It was really hot and a bunch of seeds fell

47:00 Women’s draw: #2-6 are out but Andreeva and Swiatek remain in the bottom half …

57:30 Men’s draw: Fritz hanging on, Alcaraz playing entirely too many sets

Theme music courtesy of Oleg Fedak from Pixabay

Presenting the first part of our interview with Courtney Nguyen, tennis blogger, podcaster, and journalist, and until recently the Senior Writer at WTA Insider. First, we chat about Courtney's exit from the WTA and what's next. You'll hear about the first time we met back in 2015 at the dearly missed Mason Applebee's. We also asked Courtney for her thoughts on the state of AI and tech in tennis, some misconceptions about the WTA, and our mutual love of mess -- not just drama, which is fun, but the deeply human imperfection of this sport, how it's played, and how it's governed. 

The Body Serve lands in London for the very first time! For our Wimbledon preview, we'll take you through some news from qualifying, discuss the players who rallied in the last week before Wimbledon, and outline the top stories of the draw. How long will the Alcaraz-Sinner duopoly last? Is Aryna the favorite or will a grass court demon snatch the title? Will Marketa send the draws crashing down? Will Fritz beat that guy for the 6th consecutive time? 

2:55 Qualifying news: Canadian Branstine stuck playing #1s everywhere she goes

5:55 Major stories: the Sinner-Alcaraz chokehold and at least a dozen contenders for the women’s title

10:30 This week’s results: Peggy, Iga, Eala, Fritz and more

14:45 Men’s draw offers Djokovic a chance, throws Draper a curve ball

25:50 Women’s draw preview: Sabalenka’s rough go 

The tours have begun their brief stop on grass, and here’s what we know: Marketa has risen, Bublik is dangerous, Carlos won’t stop winning, and the WTA hasn’t yet figured out Tatjana Maria’s spins. Outside of the results, we cover the end of Kyrgios’ stint with the BBC and its possible causes. Plus: Sinner and Bocelli’s camp collaboration and the US Open’s mixed doubles pairings, which appear to have been drafted by agents and some very online fans.

03:50 Grass results: Tatjana Maria stuns the big hitters at Queen’s

11:05 Marketa has awoken, Bublik wins second Halle title 

18:50 Kyrgios won’t be broadcasting this year (now why is Chris Eubanks in it?)

26:30 Too late to Kei-pologize?

29:15 Sinner & Bocelli Grammy when?

32:10 A Slam title for fan-fic?!

38:00 A listener question

42:35 Et ceteras: coaching changes, Petra’s imminent retirement, Mariah’s new single 

Roland Garros closes with Coco Gauff’s second major title and a true classic of a men’s final, with Carlos Alcaraz defending his title after weathering three championship points and over five hours of punishing tennis from Jannik Sinner. Of course you’ll get our thoughts on Aryna Sabalenka’s less than pleasant commentary after the match, plus notes on Iga, Novak, and Musetti’s ill-conceived kick. Stay tuned for our fashion segment (Lululemon FTW this time), our impression of TNT’s coverage, and the scheduling nightmare that got even worse. 

3:30 Coco Gauff is a two-time major champ!

12:10 Aryna talks shit, gets whacked by fans and locals alike

20:15 Other notes about the women’s draw

29:30 Men’s final: a true classique

39:00 Semi and quarter notes: Musetti’s kick and That Guy’s futility 

48:50 Reviewing the kits: Nike, go home; Wilson and Lulu, you can stay

58:00 TNT’s coverage created some real energy

All Round of 16 matches are set at the 2025 Roland Garros, after a number of top men crashed out early (though none of the true favorites) and most of the women’s contenders remain on a crash course toward some fiery week two matchups. We look at what’s to come and discuss our week one highlights – including Svitolina-Pera, Keys-Kenin, Draper-Monfils, and Mboko’s run. The episode’s title comes from the tournament’s refusal to schedule women during its flawed night session concept and the ensuing controversy, with a fight led by Ons Jabeur and much of the tennis press. Plus, a review of the Rafa Nadal tribute (a job well done!).  

1:25 RG does the Rafa tribute right

8:05 Upsets galore on the men’s side

13:45 The men’s draw as it stands

24:25 Our women’s draw highlights

38:45 RG night session scheduling is a fight worth fighting 

52:50 Et ceteras: Jasmine “Solomon” Paolini, Ivanisevic joins Team Tsitsipas

Theme music courtesy of Oleg Fedak from Pixabay