The Body Serve

Rain across the Southern US nearly derailed a few tennis tournaments this weekend, but Ons Jabeur and Frances Tiafoe held on to win Charleston and Houston, respectively. We chat about the early clay season, Naomi's post-baby goals, and some updates on Wimbledon, Carlos, and Iga. For a good chunk of the episode, we take on Martina Navratilova's escalating takes on trans athletes, and more broadly, trans women. How did this expand past trans women's participation in sport to a more generally exclusionary worldview? What will it take for the tennis establishment to say something?

0:35 Don’t count out Ons Jabeur just yet!

7:55 Frances Tiafoe makes it through the rain, wins career title #2 

12:25 Other first-week clay events: Casper, Tatjana Maria, Dominic Thiem 

16:20 Naomi Osaka’s recent interview on Japanese TV had everything; injury updates

21:10 Plus: updates from Wimbledon on their policy change on Russian and Belarusian players; a few huhs(?) and a surprise from Del Potro

Trigger warning: this is tough subject matter and there is some coarse language to follow

28:10 Martina’s history and evolution on the subject of trans women: the infamous 2019 op-ed, the apology, the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group, and their misleading “facts vs feelings” rhetoric

37:05 It’s become about much more than “protecting women’s sport” - what type of womanhood is authentic?

45:50 “LGB” is a lie 

49:20 It’s been time for tennis to say something

Our Miami champs – Kvitova and Medvedev – underscore how tough it is to win the Sunshine Double. Petra Kvitova completes one of her most unexpected tournament runs by winning her 30th WTA title and ninth at the 1000 level. On the men’s side, Daniil Medvedev caps an astonishing run of tournaments with title #4, and Alcaraz and Sinner’s electrifying semifinal gets widespread attention. We've also got Eubanks, Gauff/Pegula, a decision from Wimbledon, and Pouille's openness about mental health.

01:35 So much rain, so much discourse

05:25 Petra wins title #30!  

16:15 Barbie K says WTA Big 3 is fake news!

18:55 Yes, Sinner vs. Alcaraz is becoming a really good rivalry

27:35 Medvedev turns his whole trajectory around these past few months: 4 titles in 5 tries

30:50 Chris Eubanks makes his career-best run and enters the top 100

34:45 Between Gauff, Pegula, and Townsend (and more!), American women’s doubles is lit

38:20 Wimbledon will allow Russian & Belarusian players who sign neutrality declarations

42:20 When is Rafa returning?

44:20 Lucas Pouille opens up about depression, substance use, and learning humility

We’re coming to you mid-Sunshine Double, which at this point is more like Sunshine Month? Sunshine Quarter? Anyway, pack your SPF. We’re seeing storylines emerge for the year: is there a WTA Big 3 emerging? Who else will join that top tier? Is Carlos poised to dominate? Will the racquet talk? Beyond the tennis being played, we’re covering two continuing stories: the attempts by the WTA to protect players from abuse and exploitation, and the CVC/WTA deal and what that means for revenue. We also have a discussion on one of our favorite topics: the state of tennis journalism and its many challenges.

0:35 Hashtag tyranny

4:55 Rybakina beats Iga & Aryna to win Indian Wells - a new “big 3?” 

14:20 Carlos comprehensively picks apart the draw in IW

19:00 Miami so far: is Bianca “back?” Taro Daniel bagels AZ, the world cheers

24:30 Iga debuts a new clothing sponsor

29:40 Continuing story: new developments with the WTA’s efforts to combat abuse 

37:45 More on the CVC deal: finding new revenue opportunities based on the social (and real) value of equal prize money

43:50 The conundrum of tennis, or any sport, having a diligent, critical, and *paid* press corps

55:10 Listener questions: Scream 6 and Daddy Pedro Pascal

It’s a little bit of everything this week -- first, some thoughts on the first week of Indian Wells, whose courts are slower than Daniil Medvedev’s bathroom breaks (his words). We chat about Murray, Medvedev, Raducanu, Muchová, and the undeniable Ben Shelton. In business news, we talk about the WTA’s official partnership with CVC Capital Partners, a private equity firm that has just promised a $150m in new and better revenue streams for women’s tennis. Plus, Denis Shapovalov goes all in on gender pay equity, Netflix’s Break Point announces a season two, and Rafa’s all-time top 10 record is lost.   

0:30 Some housekeeping and a thank you

3:10 Indian Wells week one: Daniil says it’s not a hardcourt (and is he really wrong?) plus some chatter about the women’s draw

10:00 Jonathan’s new fave Ben Shelton

12:50 Private equity firm CVC invests $150m in WTA Ventures, a new commercial subsidiary

17:50 The Tsurenko-Steve Simon story - where is the reporting?

23:00 You got nothing to say now? Holger Rune gives himself the rare Double L 

26:40 Denis Shapovalov honors his mom and says equal pay for equal work NOW!

38:25 Big up Sloane Stephens Foundation! 

39:40 We’re getting a Break Point season two whether we like it or not 

45:10 Rafa’s record for consecutive weeks in the top 10 will end at 912

46:25 Injury updates: Kontaveit plus where is Jen Brady?

It’s been a rough week in the Body Serve household, as we said goodbye to our beautiful 16-year-old beagle Vince. He’s felt like a third co-host over the years, a presence who was always just off-mic (and sometimes on it when he snored).

In tennis, Barbora Krejcikova did the thing – taking out #1-2-3, saving match points, serving and getting served bagels, and pummeling Iga’s second serve to win Dubai. On the men’s side, Medvedev won three titles in three weeks, getting back into the top 10 and stopping Novak’s dominance of their head-to-head. Andy and Ruby have great weeks, plus Chaka comes for Mariah and Joe Biden catches strays over the literally endless Novak vaccine drama.

0:30 Vince

February in tennis: four continents, three Iga bagels, two male US Open champs winning titles, and one white woman wearing racially inappropriate hairstyles. This month is nothing if not eclectic. We also chat about Hsieh dropping in then dropping out of Dubai, what the hell is going with Schwartzman and Muguruza, and the breakout star who will change tennis in his country forever.  

0:45 Iga generously doles out bagels; Sakkari Semifinal Segment

13:45 Wu Yibing becomes first Chinese man to win a title, also gets people to watch an Isner match

20:10 Carlos is back; plus a rankings factoid 

22:50 Finance pro Matija Pecotić leaves work early to beat wild card king Jack Sock 

25:45 What’s going on with Diego Schwartzman and Garbiñe Muguruza?

28:45 The disingenuous comparison of men’s records to women’s 

31:50 Counting inches: Novak, the Sunshine Double, and the “proof” that nobody needs

36:15 Hsieh resurfaces, Ostapenko’s appropriation, and Eubanks’ near miss

44:40 Things we like/dislike: withholding stars, oats, and beans

Post-Australian Open tennis continues around the world, but this week we’re mostly talking about the seeming conclusions of the ATP’s two highest profile domestic violence cases (but not their only cases, btw). The ATP quietly dropped a new release shortly after the AO that the Zverev investigation had concluded and that the results were, well, inconclusive. Days later, Nick Kyrgios pled guilty to common assault against his ex-girlfriend but the charges were dismissed. A lot of tennis talkers and front-office folks will likely be relieved, but where does this leave us? Are we any closer to tennis organizations handling DV with care and responsibility? Also, more about the business side of tennis: the spectacular collapse of the Davis Cup-Kosmos deal, billionaire “disruptors,” and looking at PTPA financing and its latest presentation.

01:55 Results: Parks, Zhu, Stanley!

05:40 ATP quietly drops the news of the Zverev investigation

17:40 Nick Kyrgios pleads guilty to common assault, court drops the charges

23:50 Lots of concern about the consequences to the perpetrator 

26:00 What will the ATP do? …. Bueller? Bueller?

30:10 US says COVID is over, we’re not paying for your shit anymore (and also Novak is coming)

32:40 ITF ends its Davis Cup contract with Kosmos a mere TWENTY years early

37:05 Money in tennis: the “disruptors”

40:30 What are the PTPA’s goals? Looking at their recent presentation 

51:20 Lepchenko ban reduced … these supplements get ‘em every time

53:45 The Grammys do it again! 

On the 14th day since the Australian Open started, we rested while Novak wept. The victimhood tour is complete, Jonathan is annoyed, and we pay it as much (or as little) attention as we can muster. Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka did THAT. Wow, what a moment. From her grit, skill, and determination on court, to her goofy glamour the following day, we put some respect on that incredible women's final! Other matters of business: lots of geopolitical tensions boil over, the Djokovic pater creates yet more headache for his son, Tursunov comes for Pam, the ballkids work for free, and Babs and Kat simply don’t lose Slam matches anymore. 

3:00 Sabalenka & Rybakina give us an insta-classic

16:15 The men: so …… anyway

23:45 The bweh tragedy; and Shelton’s upside and areas for improvement

31:15 Doubles: Krejcikova/Siniakova haven’t lost a Slam match since 2021; Sania plays her final Slam

35:10 Et ceteras: so, nationalism eh?

43:05 Papa Djokovic ignites a flag scandal

52:05 Pam’s tweet brings Tursunov out of the woodwork, why?

63:55 Is it work? Pay the ballkids 

67:45 Tiafoe wins best dressed by a mile

72:00 ESPN keeps its team Stateside

74:30 Punting the Kosmos mess but staying for the strawberry jam

77:15 Extras: rankings movers, TBS fantasy, and a disclaimer

Welcome to the third installment of our Australian Open series! We're at the quarterfinals, and the men's draw is giving chaos while the women's seems kind of … correct? We talk about Djokovic's mini-battle with the press and overall less than sunny mood, the state of safeguarding against abuse on the WTA, and another induction into our Hall of Fame. Finally, we offer our review of episodes 4 & 5 of Break Point (much improved!) and our favorite segment, Alison Riske-Amritraj's vociferous defense of the rules. 

0:00 Don’t skip the intro this time

3:50 The women’s quarters - being able to appreciate tennis as more non-partisan than ever

15:00 Azarenka captures magic again, Sabalenka fixes her f***ing serve

20:55 The men’s draw has been a touch chaotic, no?

24:25 Novak Djokovic’s resentment tour 

32:40 Korda, Shelton, Ruby, Rune

42:20 The PTPA’s nothing salads

45:40 That's Not The Rule, Kerrilyn 

54:15 Sabalenka gets inducted into the TBS HOF

55:00 Recapping Break Point 4 and 5 - some depth and more real insights than the previous installments

63:50 Continuing to look at the effort to curb abuse and exploitation of women on the WTA Tour 

70:35 The charges against Tsitsipas and why they don’t stick

Hey there, just popping in to offer some thoughts on the first few days of the 2023 Australian Open and the first three episodes of Netflix’s tennis docuseries Break Point! We talk about a few standouts from a pretty rocky and wet week one (don’t be offended if we missed your fave, it’s not comprehensive); we discuss the Netflix Curse chatter that seems to be dooming 8 of the 10 featured players; and we think about some fascinating press conference moments from Taylor Townsend, Rafael Nadal and, in a rather different way, Camila Giorgi.   

2:50 The Netflix Curse or the Netflix picking the wrong players syndrome?

5:10 Standouts in the first few days: Parrizas Diaz, Volynets, Brooksby, Shelton

11:00 Let me complain for a minute: the AO app is not good; and the rain highlights tennis’ built-in inequities

14:20 Andrew Murray plays for 10.5 hours over two matches

17:10 TBS Hall of Fame gets two new inductees!

21:35 Rafa leaves Australia with a new injury, smashes a cliche about athlete ‘sacrifice’

32:05 Taylor Townsend shines in doubles, gets real about tennis finances 

34:25 Camila Giorgi faces the music about alleged vaccine fraud and blissfully exists on her own planet 

40:25 Novak: hamstring, hamstrung

42:25 Recommendation for tennis from James’ parents, only one of whom watches tennis

47:00 Discussing Break Point - who is it for, what’s it meant to accomplish, and does it do that?

51:20 The tennis brat / bad boy trying to reform -- it’s not giving us anything new 

55:35 Go to the business center