The Body Serve

2022 Wimbledon prep had been dominated by the ban of Russian and Belarusian players, and then Serena Williams stopped the world by announcing her return to competitive tennis, first in Eastbourne doubles (OnsRena 4ever) and ultimately the Wimbledon singles draw. She joins a crowded field with no clear favorite, with Iga, Ons, Angie, Coco, a few Karolinas, and Petra all in with a shot. The men’s side sees Rafa and Djokovic on opposite sides, with Rafa attempting to continue his 14-match Slam win streak and Djokovic trying to upend the year’s narrative and further complicate the best-ever conversation. 

1:10 Stop the world; world, stop: the birth of OnsRena and Rena’s surprising return to Wimbledon

11:55 Another unlikely return to Wimbledon: Rafa’s foot procedure allows him to play SW19

14:40 Tara Moore popped for alleged doping

19:50 Women’s draw: RG was a sure thing for Iga, but not so at Wimbledon

27:05 The Serena quarter (well, technically the Badosa quarter): LOADED

36:50 The women’s bottom half offers huge opportunity (*whispers* but it should be Ons)

46:40 Men’s draw top half: Djokovic, Alcaraz, and a few seeds who’ve never won a match here

52:05 Bottom half: Berrettini, Fritz, and Tsitsipas rounding into form at the right time

Cuthbert Collingwood "Ted" Tinling was a man whose unlikely story threads throughout the eras of twentieth century tennis like no one else's. A product of a patrician English family who moved to the French Riviera, Ted found himself umpiring for Suzanne Lenglen at 13 years old. He would grow to become a successful London couturier in the interwar period, and in the late 1940s found tennis pulling him back, this time as a designer of tennis fashion. Tinling wed ultra-feminine design with functionality, creating outfits unique to each wearer and which emphasized the need for sportswear to work and move like a tennis player. Much has been written about his rebellious nature and his banishment from Wimbledon -- and we certainly cover that -- but we're also interested in the contradictions of a man with great respect for the codes of tennis tradition but who repeatedly strained against it.

0:45 Ted Tinling: tennis’ great multihyphenate 

7:20 The Tinlings move from Eastbourne to the Riviera, the hotbed of Jazz Age tennis

11:55 Suzanne Lenglen, France’s homegrown superstar 

16:45 The end of his Riviera boyhood – from child umpire to Mayfair couturier

20:40 Post-war: a revolution in colour

23:45 Tinling and Dior’s New Look - a regression or a rebellion? (Or both?)

27:35 The panties that altered history

36:45 The 1960s: Tinling as the premier designer of women’s tennis

42:50 You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby

48:25 The Tinling Slam: all four plus the Battle of the Sexes

53:20 Wimbledon Act II: Back in the Club

56:20 Infinite sites of rebellion - chipping away at tennis’ strictures 

63:10 A few more stories we want to tell: Elizabeth Ryan and Bill Tilden

Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal are joint winners at Roland Garros for the second time, with Iga extending her dominance over women’s tennis and Rafa entering truly uncharted territory as a 14-time RG winner and extending his lead in the all-time Grand Slam count. In keeping with the episode title, we’re trying to understand how Nadal did that in the face of a tough draw, poor preparation, and a career-threatening foot condition. Twenty-one-year-old Iga, on the other hand, is making it look easy. We take you through the major moments of week two, making plenty of time for the Battle of Scandinavia, Mauresmo's unfortunate comments, doubles results, and Rafole #59. 

1:15 Racquet Bracket results: sometimes mediocre is all we can hope for

5:20 Unbeatable Iga

11:50 The streak: let’s let the active players live without comparing them to GOATs

20:25 The makeup question … che schifo!

27:00 The men’s quarters on: the endless Ruud-Rune dust-up, an at times imperious Cilic

37:05 Nadalovic didn’t quite live up to expectations

42:20 Nadal-Zverev, that injury, and that weird discourse that resulted

50:50 The final is what we needed – a low-stress denouement to a very tough tournament

62:30 Retirement watch was on but we fight on - more info on the foot

69:25 Men’s double makes history and the reunion of Garcia/Mladenovic

72:55 Rankings watch: lose in the first round, earn a career high ranking!

76:45 Amelie Mauresmo’s turbulent fortnight 

The Roland Garros quarterfinals are set, and despite a brief scare, Iga Swiatek continues her stunning win streak as the lone remaining top 10 seed in the women’s draw. But fear not, the quarterfinal match-ups are cracker (RIP Derry Girls). On the men’s side, we still have the promised Djokovic-Nadal quarterfinal, Alcaraz is still winning, and the once-presumptive finalist Tsitsipas has crashed out. We get serious about an issu important to us: Martina’s appearance on Piers Morgan’s show, the ongoing fight against trans women in women's sport, and what we're not talking about when we talk about this issue. 

01:15 Women’s quarterfinals: they may not be what you asked for, but they’re still pretty good

10:25 Simona Halep opens up about panic attacks and emotional setbacks (PMo centers himself)

13:30 Women’s first week roundup: Queenwen, Kasatkina, Kerber, Coco, Sloane, Leylah

25:25 Men’s quarters: some of the top guys were tested but they (mostly) came through 

30:30 Felix takes Nadal to five sets (allez!) amidst the Toni drama (it’s not that big a deal) 

37:35 What’s the deal with this night session? One match? 

48:20 Et ceteras: a mini Covid scare and Begu & Rublev’s near-misses

51:15 Talking about the movement against trans women in women's sport and why they're missing the forest for the trees

68:25 Quick follow-up on the language of discrimination + the damned subjunctive tense

Not more than four short months ago, we were reveling in Rafa and Ash’s Australian Open glory. Now that we’ve been abandoned by Ash, and Rafa’s foot has set alarm bells ringing, we enter the year’s second Slam with that familiar feeling of dread. Iga has taken the baton from Ash and sped through the Spring season; who can catch her? On the men’s side, things are a bit more focused…on one very concentrated half of the draw. Join us for our 2022 Roland Garros preview where we parse through the draws, give updates on the latest Wimbledon mess, and finish with the glowing debut of Drag Race All-Stars 7!

3:20 Women’s draw: name one player who can beat Iga (well, the few who might be able to are in her section LOL)

14:25 Women’s bottom half: Is Ons the favorite to reach the final?

20:10 Babs is back but the fourth quarter is the land of opportunity

26:50 Men’s draw, first quarter: I would like a recount

41:45 Men’s bottom half: Stefanos, it’s yours, take it

48:50 Et ceteras: RG makes changes to post-match media process, GEMS Baby is dropping in October, Naomi Osaka forms her own agency

55:00 ATP, WTA, ITF will not award ranking points at Wimbledon due to the Russian/Belarusian ban 

68:10 Appreciating the Drag Race All Stars All Winners season

Two drop shots to rule them all: Ons Jabeur wins her first WTA 1000 title and Carlos Alcaraz slices through two GOATs and a [redacted] to win his fourth title of the year. In a shorter episode than usual, we chat about Madrid, the ongoing comebacks and retirements, Shapo Music’s spectacular unraveling in Rome, and more.  

3:50 Ons Jabeur wins Madrid!

10:00 What were we saying about the WTA top 10 a few months ago? Well …

17:10 The final weekend scheduling in Madrid makes the women an afterthought, again 

22:30 Carlos’ achievements are undeniable – but some context, please!

31:00 Et ceteras: Murray, Wawrinka, Thiem; Andreescu’s break and return 

35:05 Kevin Anderson & Gilles Simon retire 

40:05 Denis Shapovalov’s absolute shit fit in Rome

43:45 WTA is getting a 1000 tournament in Mexico!

As we get older, we get more comfortable existing in the “I don’t know” space, which might be a strange thing to say while also producing a podcast where we share our opinions. But as the debate about Wimbledon rages on, as Boris Becker is sentenced to prison, and in light of your great but tough questions, we’re comfortable remaining equivocal on some things lately. We catch up with the tennis in Europe, check in on some woeful but on-brand missteps, and discuss the Ukrainian players’ response to the Wimbledon decision (something we missed last week). Finally, we end by answering some excellent listener questions – fun, challenging, or both.

1:00 Simona slaying in Madrid, Rafa is back with a tough draw, and catching up w/ Estoril & Munich  

8:25 More on Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian & Belarusian players

10:50 What have the Ukrainian players been saying?

21:30 Raducanu splits with coach Torben Beltz

26:35 A few of the week’s worst: the PMo self-promo machine, Cirstea, and homophobia from “allies”

35:55 Boris Becker sentenced to prison for hiding assets - another chapter in a sad post-tennis saga

48:05 Madrid asks, how do we employ a creepy private security and surveillance regime while also making it *adorable*? 

Mail

50:35 What’s going on with the WTA/ATP collaboration?

59:25 Which tennis players would you recruit during a zombie apocalypse?

66:00 Our cringiest tennis moments

71:30 FMK Bridgerton Brothers

75:20 Ending on some Williams sisters questions

Thank you all for your patience while we’ve been away! We’re back to recap all the tournaments we’ve missed – almost three weeks of them. Iga Swiatek wins her 23rd straight match by beating repeat runner-up Sabalenka in Stuttgart, while Carlos Alcaraz wins his 23rd match of the year, taking the Barcelona title from PCB. The biggest off-court story has been Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players, and the fallout from players, the WTA and ATP, and the larger political stakeholders.

2:55 Wimbledon acts unilaterally (shocking, I know!) and bans players from Russia and Belarus 

22:20 Pam Shriver opens up about problematic and abusive relationships on tour 

25:50 Not another wild card drama. I don't have it in me

33:00 Alcaraz falls into the lap of the ATP

40:30 Putting the comparisons between Carlos & Iga into context

46:55 All she does is win: 1ga still soaring 

57:10 The core of Stefanos’ problem

61:25 Results carousel: Marrakech, Houston, Charleston, Bogota

65:30 Etceteras: WTA Finals, Gail Falkenberg; Kim & Tommy retire

68:40 Serena unfollows Patrick on IG & a word on Willow Pill

It's been barely two weeks since Ash Barty's retirement and already Iga Swiatek is answering our questions about what's next for the WTA. Riding a 17-match win streak, she knocks out fellow heiress apparent Naomi Osaka to win her third straight WTA 1000 title. Carlos Alcaraz generated a truly astonishing level of buzz on the men's side with his Miami title -- and while we always caution against too much hype, tennis is truly in a fascinating spot right now. 

1:15 Iga fills in the blanks after Ash’s retirement

8:35 Let’s enjoy the present: on the WTA especially, it’s not Next Gen, it’s Now Gen 

20:25 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga announces his imminent retirement from tennis 

23:35 Carlos Alcaraz wins Miami, generates well-earned excitement; but let’s cool it with the hype, ok?

33:40 Injuries, absences, instability among the ATP top guys have created a perfect void for a young gun to swoop in

37:00 A few more racquet throws in Miami and the ATP finally says enough! (well, we think)

41:40 Et ceteras: Clay baes Thiem & Wawrinka make their return in Andalucia; rumors swirl about a Russian ‘ban’ from Wimbledon but what’s actually going on?

45:00 IMG snags Frances Tiafoe and purchases the Mutua Madrid Open 

52:10 The Oscars - and no, we’re not talking about that 

Ash Barty shocked the tennis world this week by announcing her departure from the game as a 25-year-old dominant #1. After the shock wore off, though, it started to make sense based on what we know about Ash, as a player who’s planned her career intentionally and who was upfront about how she approached the sport. What were her greatest moments? What does Ash’s retirement teach us? What is her legacy? 

0:40 Getting over the initial shock

8:30 Ash’s early career and first break from tennis

14:00 Ash returns to tennis in 2016 and steadily builds a world-beating resume; post-COVID dominance

27:00 Career achievements: those weeks at #1 and talking about her successor

31:20 The retirement announcement

36:25 What did we learn from Ash’s retirement? What's the precedent for this?

39:00 Rethinking work and setting boundaries after a pandemic and the myriad disruptions of millennial and Gen Z life

48:30 Reframing authenticity

54:40 Our favorite Ash Barty memories