It turns out the stick shoots more than once a year. Elena Rybakina snatched the #1 ranking and the US Open title from Aryna Sabalenka with her suffocating, nearly nonchalant power game. On the men’s final Sunday, we witnessed the first match between two openly gay ATP players, as Mika Brunold and Joao Reis da Silva faced off in Austria. Also, yes, That Guy won his second major by defeating a revelatory Ben Shelton. We also chat about kits, the ickiness of an official “prediction market partnership,” and the best quarterfinal day in a long time, featuring a generous gesture from Frances Tiafoe and an epic that played Sabalenka into form.

1:20 Elena Rybakina sewed up #1 and never looked back 

15:40 Aryna Sabalenka’s sour grapes

20:40 Other notes from the women’s draw: the top 4 seeds reach the semis

25:15 The real men’s final: Mika Brunold d. Joao Reis da Silva

28:40 There are no asterisks (unfortunately)

33:55 Ben Shelton breaks through

46:30 "Just let it go" … no 

54:00 Throw it back into the ocean

58:15 A partnership with Kalshi: why this stinks

Jonathan is back from the US Open with stories to share. What is it like attending the US Open now that it's allegedly overrun by influencers? We talk about the difficulty of paying attention to tennis on the sport’s biggest court. Plus, we hear about the experience of seeing Venus and Serena play doubles, staying up with Novak and Venus for the tournament’s latest ever start, and cold green beans and caviar. As for the tennis, the top women have mostly survived and the race for #1 is still on, while the men are offering precious little when so much is at stake. 

1:00 The Louis Armstrong virtual queue

5:40 The women’s round of 16: Zheng, Osaka, Gauff, and more

17:40 Waiting around for Venus vs Kenin

20:00 Venus & Serena doubles: Venus was great!

24:35 Watching tennis in Ashe is not for the easily distracted

29:30 Men’s results: say goodbye to the top half 

44:25 Consider me uninfluenced

53:25 Other stuff from the grounds: lotharios, palomas, and caviar

One of us is heading to New York for the 2026 US Open as we speak. On our preview episode, we talk about the first real fight for the women’s #1 ranking in a while; the surging Gauff, Swiatek, and Pegula; the absolute state of the men’s draw without Jannik and with a questionable Alcaraz; and those poised for huge breakthroughs if things shake out right (Fils? Eala?). We discuss the wild card snub and later non-snub of Stan Wawrinka. Later, some reflections on the mixed doubles exhibition – fun ‘til it wasn’t – and the joy of seeing Muchova and Mensik win and the extroversion twins Carlos and Serena hang out together.    

1:30 Coco & Arthur take Cincinnati

7:50 The race for #1 and other WTA storylines 

10:35 Women’s draw

24:05 Wild cards are not meritocratic (and they’re not supposed to be)

30:10 Men’s draw: Carlos is back, Jannik is not

42:05 The mixed doubles exhibition

51:10 The Roger Federer Laser Light Show

54:30 Remembering Dolly Parton

Bring back the US Open Series! The summer hard court swing continues on its confusing cadence. We spent a few nights at the National Bank Open in Toronto – James unwittingly sat in Iga Swiatek Country and witnessed her return to form (ok, I’ve already said too much). The other biggest stories in tennis these days are: Alex Eala, Rafa Jodar, injuries, and the innumerable opinions on the Williams sisters. Should Venus ******? Should Serena take that wild card? I don’t know man, I’m just trying to enjoy the waning days of summer . Finally, Nick Kyrgios got ahead of the story and announced that he’d tested positive for cocaine in Mallorca, which is a substance of abuse under WADA guidelines. This means if it’s in-competition: very very bad; out of competition: meh.

1:10 Our visit to the Canadian Open in Toronto

9:05 A few more ball kid photoshoots should do the trick

12:25 Jannik out, Carlos in as injuries derail the North American hot boy summer

18:45 Was the Serena comeback always a lark and we all just took it too seriously?

24:20 Checking in on Cincinnati

29:05 Kyrgios and cocaine: looking for empathy, not always finding it

45:00 Funny like I’m a clown? Like I amuse you?

47:10 Kingston, Jamaica has a Challenger event!

We're clocking back in for August, the month of two bloated Masters 1000 events; Eala-mania hits DC and Toronto while Montreal is rocked by high-profile withdrawals and general floppery. Next, we break down the full decision on Marketa Vondrousova’s refusal case, and let's just say she didn't give her lawyers much to work with. Let's not even mention the infamous text (we will). Next, we look at the fallout of the WTA gender testing announcement, then finish up with a day that will live in infamy: corn rows and fishnets and a demonic photoshoot, oh my. 

3:40 We're in Toronto, but also not

16:15 Eala-mania in DC, plus Los Cabos & Memphis

28:10 Breaking down the Vondrousova decision so you don't have to read it (unless you’re an enthusiast like me) 

39:55 Not the Italian Greyhound catching strays

47:45 Checking back in on the WTA gender testing fallout

60:35 A cursed trifecta

The WTA recently announced that it will require all athletes who wish to compete to undergo a genetic cheek swab test to “prove” they are indeed a woman. This follows the IOC’s policy announcement from earlier this year, which itself followed a Trump executive order ahead of the 2028 Olympics. It exists within the larger context of anti-trans legislation and the inescapable language of “protection.” We spend the first half of the episode trying to understand the policy and what has prompted it; the historic context; the broader movement to bar trans women from women’s sport and, in some cases, to delegitimize trans identity altogether; and what the current science tells us. Later, we attempt to decipher the barely-followable PTPA infighting and who’s fighting for what. We also touch on some tennis results, wedding season, a doping story and a match fixing story, and finally the recently announced US Open mixed doubles pairings.

02:00 The WTA’s newest “Women’s Eligibility Policy”

08:45 What happens when someone’s gender becomes a matter of public speculation

24:30 What the current science tells us

31:00 Will the real PTPA please stand up?

39:10 A lesbian wedding!

46:05 Facundo Bagnis: before he speaks his vitamins bespoke

50:25 Speeding through recent results

56:25 US Open mixed doubles teams: subject to change (hopefully)  

Linda Noskova is your Wimbledon champion, the 3rd Czech woman in 4 years! Her imposing power, resilience, and capable hands pushed her past Karolina Muchova, who managed to save 5 championship points in the second set but couldn’t stem the tide. Jannik Sinner defends his title, rarely summoning his best but doing enough to beat an inspired That Guy and prevent what would have been a cursed and vexatious Channel Slam. In doubles, Patten takes aim at the ATP in his victory speech, Ostapenko gets blamed for something she didn’t do (for once), and Guo/Mladenovic knock out the top seeds and eventually win the title. We also chat about Czech tennis history and the everlasting effort to identify why they’re so good, plus the decades-long saga of the All England Club’s plans to expand its site and what still stands in the way. 

0:40 Linda Noskova wins Wimbledon at 21

7:45 My ex-friend

10:15 Other notes from women’s second week: Gauff-Muchova and more

16:55 What’s the deal with Czech tennis?

23:00 Jannik Sinner averts disaster, but the Monster has already been created

34:35 What’s next for Novak?

38:35 Henry Patten takes on the ATP + other doubles results

44:45 Wimbledon expansion: locals say Not On My Church Road

Checking in as we face week two of Wimbledon: 6 of the top 8 women are out, including the #1 and last year’s finalists, but we’re left with a surging Coco Gauff, a Linda Noskova ready to break out (again), a healthy Karolina Muchova, and a Naomi Osaka who’s trying to shed the hard court specialist mantle. On the men’s side, Sinner and Djokovic are on a crash course, our faves Felix and Alejandro are beefing (hopefully briefly), and Grisha breaks our hearts. We spend some time on Serena’s comeback, which has, predictably, opened old wounds and reawakened old trolls. Overall, what do we make of her performance, and what do we hope for her presumed next stop? Spare a thought for Auntie Venus, who just wants to play some doubles.

2:05 The quarterfinal match-ups

7:25 Grass is an outlier

13:50 Notes on the women’s draw: Naomi stuns Aryna

22:30 Coco wins under the buzzer

28:30 Serena’s comeback

42:00 Men’s tournament: don’t trust the Sinner flop allegations; a “pretty match”

48:40 Our faves were fighting

54:50 Zeynep Sonmez’s loophole

58:10 Player protest starts then stops 

The 2026 Wimbledon tournament kicks off Monday, and along with it comes the disorienting experience of seeing the name Serena Williams in a singles draw again. Expectations are all over the place as she opens against the Australian Maya Joint. More broadly, the women’s draw is anyone’s guess, as the top players come in with less than optimal preparation but plenty of experience. On the men’s side, former world #4 Jack Draper breaks out of the injury asylum only to see Taylor Fritz in the first round. Sinner looks to be the prohibitive favorite with a very small second tier – Djokovic, Fritz, Shelton, and? – fighting for a shot.   

1:45 This week’s results: Draper is back, Naomi in her first grass final 

5:15 Notable qualifiers and not-qualifiers 

7:30 Women’s draw: “tough draws” fall apart all the time (solace for Iga fans?)

23:05 Men’s draw: Sinnerstan  

39:15 The most random et ceteras and one big lie

Grass season is about halfway done, and I don’t know what’s going on with the WTA (wishing them luck). Big results for Noskova – who just debuted in the top 10 – plus Robin Montgomery, Ben Shelton, Donna Vekic, and the Frans! The news that Serena Williams received the remaining Wimbledon singles wild card trumped everything this week, while her husband hung out at Trump’s UFC abomination. Recent Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova was given a 4-year suspension for refusing a doping test in December, a decision that will almost certainly be appealed. Lastly, we give some final thoughts on the Knicks and go down the Stevie rabbit hole again.

1:00 Yep, that singles wild card was for #thismama 

14:10 Berlin bagel + it was a good week to be a Fran

24:30 Previous week’s results: s-’Hertogenbosch, Stuttgart, Queen’s

27:30 Diving into Marketa Vondrousova’s 4-year suspension 

36:30 Alexis, your presence wasn’t actually required

40:50 Corentin Moutet gives up his prize money for what, exactly?

43:00 Catching up with the Knicks and Victor Wembanyama 

48:20 Remembering Peabo and igniting the Stevie discussion again