The Body Serve

Tennis returns to China after four years away, as Iga Swiatek reminds us who's boss and Jannik Sinner takes a huge step forward by beating Alcaraz and Medvedev for the Beijing title. Meanwhile, the Cancun organizers are building their Field of Dreams in less than a month and several top players are already bowing out of BJK Cup. We also cover the growing chorus of abuse survivors who are taking aim at the USTA, and why this is far from the last time we'll hear about it. Plus, a few diversions about Zheng, "athleticism," Safarova's extremely brief non-return, and how tennis babies its players when it comes to endangering the people who work on court. 

1:05 WTA returns to China with none of what it demanded

7:00 Iga sets things straight with Beijing title

12:25 Jannik Sinner gets his first Meddy win by using a tactic that’s becoming more common … 

18:35 WTA Finals in Cancun: stadium is loading ... (currently at 1%)

27:15 Can you ever forgive me? Qinwen says definitely not 

33:30 It’s not only about trans people’s participation in sports and it never was

38:30 Tennis is very unserious about hitting staff with flying objects

42:40 USTA legal team under fire for how they’ve handled sex abuse cases

54:30 Lucie Safarova’s very brief return to tennis

56:25 We saw Stevie Nicks!

Hiiiiiii, we’re back to discuss the fallout from the Simona Halep verdict and the tennis results since the U.S. Open. Now that Simona has been officially handed a four year suspension, we have a bit more clarity as to what’s been going on in actuality, not just on social media. Spoiler: it doesn’t look good for the former world #1 and two-time Slam champ. Maria Sakkari did what needed to be done (at long last) in Guadalajara, it’s just too little too late for Félix at Laver Cup, and we weigh in on Elena’s performance bye disgust in Tokyo

01:10 Patrick goes on CNN to claim Coco’s success and divert attention

04:00 The Simona verdict is handed down: the fallout

15:01 Darren is still going to bat for Simona 

19:33 Why are players and journalists undermining the anti-doping process?

27:47 Now, why did Serena wade into this mess?

29:52 Sakkari headlines the post-USO results. Good on ya, mate

37:38 Barbie K is back and Kenin is on the come up  

38:55 The men: All of a sudden Félix has something to say 

43:29 Rafa news and it doesn’t sound good (to us)

45:16 Ryabkina and coach let it rip at the WTA and on social media

51:11 Some concerning news about Holger Rune’s health 

Welcome to Part II of our US Open wrap, this time focusing on the men’s draw. Djokovic wins #24 and the challengers (aside from Alcaraz) have gotten no closer to cracking him mentally or physically … they’ve perhaps gotten even farther away. We talk about the semis, including the straight boy shade fest over PhoneGate and Medvedev’s 12 out of 10 performance against Alcaraz. The other major story of the week is Simona Halep’s 4-year ban for doping, handed down by an independent tribunal. It doesn’t look good, folks. We finish up with the Williams-Ohanian tweets, some trophy size comparison, the WaPo match fixing story, and a few more odds and ends. 

0:30 ND24: sharing a throne with Margaret Court (and if you don’t like it you’ll be told to “cry more”)

6:00 Stubborn Medvedev against serve and volleying Djokovic

16:45 My country, my tax shelter + more semiotics!

30:30 Djokovic-Shelton: the phone thing and banking on Shelton’s overall appeal to the youths

45:30 Doubles: Ram/Salisbury threepeat, Bopanna runner-up at 43

51:45 The Spectrum-Disney stalemate blacks out US Open tennis for millions

55:20 Simona Halep’s 4-year ban: first, the news

62:15 The Halep fallout: Patrick, Serena, Genie

77:35 US Open trophies: if size doesn’t matter then why … nevermind

83:40 Reporting from the Washington Post on the largest match fixing ring in tennis history

Coco Gauff -- a child prodigy who built her career step by step -- grabs her first major title at 19 to cap a stunning turnaround this summer. She slays every question, embraces gratitude, thanks her haters, and will leave New York a superstar. Aryna Sabalenka ascends to world no. 1 for the first time, reaching the semifinals in every Slam this year, but couldn't stop Gauff in the final. The US Open leaves women's tennis in a truly exciting place, with a clear top tier and a number of women with diverse playing styles always a threat to win. We're also talking about the WTA Finals announcement, the second annual ball controversy, doubles, and Pegula's rich girl confidence.

0:30 Cori Dionne Gauff is the US Open champion!

7:15 The final: fighting back from a first set blowout 

25:45 How we talk about male coaches in women’s tennis

31:15 Aryna’s disarming honesty 

40:05 Madison zones for 70 minutes but comes up short against Sabalenka

48: Other notes from the second week: Ostapenko’s fitness should not be in doubt

53:20 Doubles: Dabrowski/Routliffe win the title and Townsend lit up the courts all week

59:35 The WTA Finals are where?

63:35 What is up with the US Open balls?

71:30 Speaking of haters

We're fresh off our second visit to the US Open (and James' first!) and sharing our observations of the grounds, the big stadiums, the Honey Deuces, and the record crowds. James tells the story of night one on Ashe, something he's wanted to experience for a long time. Coco Gauff wrested control of the match but Laura Siegemund and her antics spurred *discourse* that crossed into the mainstream. We discuss the matches we saw, the big breakthroughs, and where we are in the draw. We're also covering the mysterious "respiratory [and apparently gastro] illness" ripping its way through the site, the competing bids for the WTA Finals, some big American retirements we're not torn up about, and finally, celebrating Black excellence at the US Open. 

5:10 Night 1: Siegemund's scams and her failure to own them

13:40 Michelle Obama?!

17:30 The overcrowding is no joke but finding respite with Dasha on Court 6 made my Tuesday

28:30 There’s marijuana in the park?! Plus observations of the stadiums

31:55 Everybody is sick - what have we *not* learned a few years into a pandemic? 

38:10 Round of 16 lineup: 4 Americans each in the men's and women's draws, very few major upsets 

53:00 Court 5 and Holgerian hubris

55:55 Another delay with Simona Halep’s doping case

61:20 Isner and Sock retire and do we care?

66:55 The bad publicity surrounding a potential WTA Finals move to Saudi Arabia

73:15 A few thoughts before signing off

It’s The Body Serve’s second visit to the US Open (James’ first!). We recorded part of this episode in Toronto, minutes before leaving for the airport, and then broke down the draws after arriving in Queens. There was a lot of news to get through, namely the ATP’s financial security pilot program and the rumors of the WTA Finals taking place in Saudi Arabia. Our draw analysis focuses on first round matches to watch, the Americans’ chances, the fourth consecutive Iga-Coco quarter, and the contenders hoping to spoil another coronation.

1:05 Where are the WTA Finals going to be played? Riyadh, Prague, Washington, DC are options 

7:35 The ATP’s Baseline program: guaranteed income, injury protection, and money for up and comers 

14:20 State of the tours ahead of the US Open, compared to last year

21:45 Mother is a mother again!

24:40 Previewing the draws from NY!

26:15 Men’s draw: another Alcaraz-Sinner quarter? Anyone stopping Novak? 

40:15 Women’s draw: Iga is the favorite but the hype is high for Gauff, Pegula + Muchova, Sabalenka, and Rybakina are top challengers

Cincinnati was starting to feel like a hangover from the Canadian tournaments but finals Sunday turned that all around. Coco Gauff grabbed her first 1000 title -- going 11-1 since her loss at Wimbledon -- and Djokovic beat Alcaraz over 4 hours in one of the more dramatic three-set matches you'll see. Are we seeing a May-December rivalry in the vein of Martina-Steffi? We've also got the bee story and the return of The Rant, with each of us giving it a go.

1:05 The blazing women’s 100m final because this is a Jamaican track and field stan podcast 

5:35 Coco Gauff wins her first 1000 title (and the defunct US Open Series)

15:55 Townsend & Parks win the women’s doubles title

18:55 The rivalry that men’s tennis desperately needs

24:35 Give me the juice

34:10 Bees in the trap: Tsitsipas vs Bee Lady 

38:40 Was that too harsh? (a common refrain in our household)

42:00 Vaya con Dios, Robert y Juan Sebastian 

44:35 The Rant is back (Parental Advisory)

Tennis returned to Canada as weather wreaked bedlam on the women's draw in Montréal. Jessie Pegula won her second 1000 title and scored a great win over #1 Iga Swiatek, but we need to talk about some horrendous scheduling decisions that impacted Rybakina and runner-up Samsonova. Jannik Sinner wins his first Masters title on the men's side, while de Minaur and Paul record massive wins of their own. We've also got Casper Ruud's tour of Canadian Content, the weird rules revelation in the Raonic-Tiafoe match, and the strange persistence of American high school line dance standard "Cotton Eye Joe." Most importantly, we ask you all to decide once and for all: is Danielle Collins a Karen or an icon? 

01:04 : Cincy FOMO and our initial forays into Toronto tennis this year

07:20 Recapping the men's action in TO amidst intermittent weather

13:41 Casper Ruud's many many looks off the court 

19:51 The women's tournament is rocked and wrecked by rain

27:38 The Notebook: an Iga hate story 

31:52 Where did you come from, where did you go?

33:59 Is she a Karen or is she iconic? 

38:23 Caro's back and the reviews are mixed 

41:46 A net is not a net, when there's no doubles players there

45:49 Coco's revival and Brad's involvement 

51:38 Now, why is Dasha in it? Kyrgios is unthinking, unserious, and unsavory 

Welcome to the brief, post-Wimbledon grass-clay-hardcourt-Euro-American-Hopman Cup season, with players fighting for money and points across various countries on all surfaces. We start with the news of Mikael Ymer’s 18-month suspension for missing doping tests (the ITF didn’t like the first ruling so they went back to the well). Then we move on to the news that Alexander Zverev’s ex-partner has pressed criminal charges for bodily harm, which are currently winding their way through German courts. We talk newcomers Akugue and Michelsen, Ruud’s bagels, and what’s next for the summer hard court swing. 

1:00 Mikael Ymer banned for missing doping tests after the ITF appealed his innocent verdict

8:35 New criminal charges filed against Zverev for intimate partner violence, Berlin prosecutor applies for penalty order

17:10 The Zhang/Toth incident in Budapest - Toth was wrong but the reaction swung wildly out of proportion

25:50 Kei Nishikori is back!

28:05 Breakthroughs for Noma Noha Akugue, Clervie Ngounoue and Queenwen!

34:20 ATP updates: Mannarino at home on grass, plus Alex Michelsen, Fils, Ruud, and Stanley

43:05 Canadian Open ticket prices, my word!

47:20 RIP Sinéad

Well well well, what has Wimbledon wrought?! Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova are your singles champions, defeating Novak Djokovic and Ons Jabeur respectively. We try to get to the bottom of how both results happened, while touching on some of the other happenings from the final stretch of the tournament. Many congratulations to Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty on the births of their babies, and a closing rant by James on Novak hagiography

01:12 Carlos Alcaraz did WHAT?

14:00 Does this shift the best men's player narrative?

17:00 Will Alcaraz’s win signal that the field has a chance? No

25:16 Put some respect on Vondrousova's name

35:10 Jabeur disappointment and moving forward 

40:48 WTA consistency: Svitolina, Swiatek & Pegula

44:24 Rounding out the Wimbledon champions

47:48 Babies Osaka and Barty have arrived!

49:25 Jennifer Brady is back & one final rant from James on Novak hagiography