The Body Serve

In our season seven finale, we’re recapping this odd and transitional year on the ATP Tour, a year in which Novak Djokovic came very close to winning the first Grand Slam since 1969 and a bunch of youngsters shook the table of Big 3 hegemony. We take an honest look at our breakout predictions – not great, Bob – and reminisce about some truly wild (and some depressing) Remember When moments. Although there’s much levity, you know us – we’re not going to recap the ATP season without talking about the dark shadow cast by the ATP’s repeated fumbling of the Zverev & Basilashvili abuse allegations. 

Thanks for your support this year and every year – see you in 2022! 

04:00 In Australia, Russians make history and Djokovic wins his 9th

14:00 The spring gives us a sign of what’s to come (Rublev, Karatsev, Hurkacz, Sinner) plus a quick chat on PTPA progress this year

20:55 Clay season: Tsitsipas announces himself as a favorite for Roland Garros alongside Nadal & Djokovic

22:35 Novak screams and hollers his way to the Roland Garros title, beats Tsitsipas from 2 sets down 

27:20 Grass season: Djokovic’s Wimbledon win seemed kinda … easy? Golden Slam Watch is on

41:40 US Open: BathroomGate went on way too long; breakouts galore; Medvedev kills the dream

46:15 Fall season: Norrie wins IW, Frances captures our attention, Russia bookends its year with a dominant Davis Cup win

49:00 Let’s look at the receipts: titles and rankings 

52:50 How’d we do on our breakout picks?

55:15 Remember When? Hecklers, innocent bathroom breaks, the code-cracking racquet launch, YawnGate, and the unfortunate trend of ATP players using homophobic slurs

65:05 The ATP’s Integrity Problem

Friends, we’re finally at the end of our WTA season. So much of what we recapped didn’t even feel like it happened in 2021. Kenin signing with Motorola but tweeting about it from her iPhone? 2021, really? Badosa and Kostyuk broadcasting from their Fox News bunker in Australia? Feels like forever ago. Nonetheless, we try to make sense of a truly unique year in tennis, in which the sport learned to live with the pandemic to varying degrees of success. We asked for help with our “Remember When” segment and boy, did y’all deliver. We finish with our mini-review of “King Richard” and then a taste test of Mariah Carey’s venture into Irish creams: her latest stone cold smash hit wonder!

Above all, we are so incredibly grateful for all your support and sticking with us through seven seasons. To the OG listeners, we can’t even know what to say. To those who just joined us, it’s a privilege we don’t take lightly. 

02:10 An update on our GoFundMe: We can’t even know what to say

08:10 The princesses and the paupers: a super quarantine and one persistent mouse almost derail the Australian Open

17:20 Mugs, Sabalenka, Jabeur, Gauff, and Badosa steadily build their impressive seasons in the spring

25:55 Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from Roland Garros, plus … you thought Barbora Krejcikova was just a great doubles player? 

35:15 Grass season: vets find success but Barty cements her #1 status

46:30 Still reeling from that wild US Open 

56:00 Stats in review: A not-so-clear-cut POTY and year-end rankings 

66:40 Remember when: tennis players can’t control God, talk to Him 

77:00 How’d we do on our breakout picks?

81:10 A dispiriting Peng Shuai update

87:55 It’s time to finally make good on the calls for #TennisUnited

89:20 Our King Richard review: It OUTSOLD!

97:35 A nutty taste test: Black Irish Mimi edition

First things first: we are officially announcing the launch of our GoFundMe campaign! Thank you to our listeners for the past 7 amazing years, and we’re looking forward to great stuff to come. Since our last episode, the Peng Shuai story has received widespread coverage in US media, with Chinese state media offering some video clips as “proof” of Peng’s well-being. The WTA has done a great job pushing the issue, but we wonder what's next if the WTA's demands are not met. We also celebrate the successful Guadalajara WTA Finals, spend a good 10 seconds on the ATP Finals, chat about WTA historiography and why they’re so good at, and cover a few odds and ends about Australia and Federer.

01:50 GoFundMe - it’s awkward to ask for money but here we go!

04:20 Peng Shuai situation -- Story blows up in US media; Chinese state media offers some seemingly orchestrated appearances. What’s next? What can we do from here?

16:35 Muguruza’s win caps off a fun and diverting WTA Finals in Guadalajara; much praise to her opponent, new #7 Anett Kontaveit

23:00 Ever notice that the legends of women’s tennis are always around to promote the sport? Here’s why (at least in our view)

32:50 ATP Finals: If a tree falls in a forest . . . anyway

38:50 Australian Open confirms vax stance and Novak demurs 

42:15 Roger Federer updates his fans, and it’s tough to hear

Episode 245 features a potpourri of tennis happenings. We begin with a discussion of the harrowing Peng Shuai news and the response from tennis' governing bodies. After getting caught up on ALL the tennis since our last episode, we end with a bit of levity -- thanks to our generous listener, Kaitlyn -- our first ever live taste test on The Body Serve! 

Oh, and we've also got the soft launch for our second ever GoFundMe for the podcast. Thanks to all of you for supporting us as we finish up season seven! 

01:05 Launching our 2021 fundraising drive: help us fund the podcast 

07:45 Peng Shuai makes a brave allegation, disappears from public view. What can (and should) tennis orgs do?

17:25 Novak shakes off his US Open vanquisher and secures year #7 as the best

21:30 BJK Cup: the perpetually aggrieved is re-aggrieved

29:50 WTA Finals - lay off the fashions, eh?

36:15 Our dream final spoiled in Stockholm

39:35 NextGen Finals - innovation for innovation's sake does actually work sometimes

52:40 We asked: What's one player tic or habit that annoys you (irrationally)? Boy, did you deliver 

61:35 Taste test / ASMR session -- trying a holiday specialty from New Brunswick!

We are well and truly in the final stretch of the 2021 season, rounding third and heading for home. The field for the WTA Finals in Guadalajara is set after Anett Kontaveit blitzed through Moscow and Transylvania. We chat extensively about Frances Tiafoe's great run in Vienna, but must wade into unholy waters filled with Jannik Sinner salt. Later, we've got updates but not really on the vaccine saga for the Australian Open, before finishing with a few detours into our own personal interests.

0:55 Anett Kontaveit decides not to lose anymore, snags final qualifying spot for WTA Finals

07:30 Frances Tiafoe’s fantastic run to the Vienna final

10:00 Jannik says the show must NOT go on

24:20 Tiafoe has the x-factor and that's that on that

33:15 Andy keeps on truckin, Emma gets a few wins and more fans in Romania

37:10 It's all governmental infighting and leaked memos in Australia! And Benoit Paire says he doesn't care who misses out, it's Benoit Time 

44:55 Where is Sofia Kenin?

51:15 Updates: Jared Donaldson; will Martina be on Real Housewives of Miami?! 

56:35 Niche cricket and baseball content for the brave and curious

October’s Very Own Indian Wells has concluded and we’ve got a surprising men’s winner in Cam Norrie and a surprising-but-not-really-surprising women’s champ in Paula Badosa. We take a ride on Reilly and Novak’s Straight Talk Express, where truth (or some version of it) reigns. Some quick thoughts on the current role of the press, one holdover question from our mailbag, thoughts on TT’s annual Hall of Fame nominations news cycle, and finally, the brief return of our Dramatic Reading segment. 

2:25 Indian Wells a kingmaker / queenmaker? Let’s look at the receipts

6:20 The men’s side finally gets a taste of WTA-style unpredictability

13:30 Vika tries for IW #3, but Badosa takes the next step in her rapidly blossoming career

27:00 More Aussie vaccine news and what it means for Novak. An “inappropriate inquiry?” Be that as it may ...  

35:20 Reilly Opelka has opinions. Not sure if you heard 

42:20 British journalists pen an open letter on ending the “Zoom era” of pressers -- so what should the player-press relationship look like post-pandemic?

51:40 Mailbag question about player scheduling and the decisions that go into it

57:55 Dramatic Reading: Serena Williams on her bestie-frenemy 

61:45 Tennis Hall of Fame nominees: reliably making tennis fans mad year after year

Indian Wells is underway, in autumn, after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, but the big story this week is the ATP’s revelation that they’ve begun an investigation into the abuse allegations against Alexander Zverev. It’s a year or so too late, but it’s a big step nonetheless. That’s the theme of this episode -- steps, mostly in the right direction, as small and plodding as they might be. We also talk about some recent results, persistent vaccine hesitancy among tennis players, the WTA’s race to its new Finals site in Guadalajara, and the ATP’s survey of players on their attitudes toward LGBTQ issues. 

1:30 Cute results: Muguruza wins Chicago; both she and Jabeur get closer to the WTA Finals

9:25 Kim Clijsters’ comeback continues

13:10 Ruud works on his hardcourt bona fides; Sinner wins title #4 in his young career

19:30 Previewing Indian Wells: where have all the top boys gone

26:50 The ATP announces that it has begun an investigation into the Olya Sharypova accusations -- why was Laver Cup not mentioned in the press release? Oh, and that injunction doesn’t mean what AZ thinks it means 

37:00 Mary Carillo’s decision to quit her Laver Cup broadcasting gig -- why we need prominent people to take a stand

44:30 Aryna Sabalenka - positive for COVID, out of Indian Wells

47:10 Will the Australian Open be off-limits for the unvaccinated?

58:30 Remember that gay survey players mentioned at the US Open? Well, it happened!

This week we outsourced the agenda-building to you, our listeners, and you provided a set of fascinating and tough questions. Come take a break from the weekly grind of current tennis events. We’ve got a modest proposal for how to choose new tennis TV commentators, plus we talk about areas of the game we might consider changing and why the age eligibility rule is important. By popular demand, we open with the momentous Williams-Sharapova reunion at the Met Gala and the photos that broke the tennis internet for a day or two.   

01:35 Vee, Ree, and Masha at the Met Gala: WHAT?!

08:05 Laver Cup’s blocking spree as social media strategy

13:20 Is the game missing something without challenges? Did automated line calling sap some drama from matches? 

20:30 Between Serena and Novak, whose legacy is most affected by missing out on the Grand Slam?

26:50 A question on the teen breakthroughs at the US Open and the WTA’s age eligibility rule

34:15 A memorable FMK - Met Gala Baes

44:10 You all had a lot of thoughts and questions about tennis commentators, as usual!

62:55 A perennial question: where are all the gays in men’s tennis? Do they just not exist?

69:10 A question that threatened the peace in our household: the Whitney-Mariah duet

75:00 Happy 24th anniversary to an album that sounds even better with age: Butterfly

Will history see this US Open as a watershed moment? On the women's side, is this just the most extreme example of a years-long trend of youngsters managing the moment and storming to victory? On the men's side, many felt Novak Djokovic was inevitably marching to a Calendar Year Grand Slam. But, whether it was due to fatigue from his long matches, the unfathomable weight of the moment, or Daniil Medvedev's mental and physical fortitude, the Grand Slam remains unfulfilled since 1988 (or 1969). Regardless of its place in history, this year's Open gave us storylines for the ages: the coronation of a longtime hardcourt menace and two young superstars to add to the WTA's already formidable roster.

02:15 Emma Raducanu & Leylah Fernandez stun the world 

09:10 Raducanu’s win -- while unprecedented due to ranking and number of matches won -- is actually the rule rather than the exception on the WTA these past few years. Are the kids just built differently these days?

28:35 It turns out it’s really, really hard to win the Grand Slam

33:45 Daniil Medvedev has been the solid #2 hard court player for a few years, and today he came with a game plan and incredible poise

49:00 Doubles: Stosur wins 8th Slam title; Krawczyk won ¾ of a Grand Slam this year; Salisbury doubles in men’s and mixed 

52:05 Other stories: Zverev story gets more mainstream media attention

58:00 Coaching during matches - it happens, so what should they do about it?

62:50 The Players Lounge: the Racquet magazine-produced roundtable on mental health

It was a first week for the US Open history books, full of entertaining matches and high-profile breakthroughs. Youngsters Fernandez, Raducanu, and Alcaraz notch huge wins, qualifier van de Zandschulp reaches the quarterfinals, and the undeniable stars Tiafoe & Auger-Aliassime face off in a blockbuster fourth round. BathroomGate threatened to overshadow the entire week, as fans and mainstream reporters became gamesmanship detectives and amateur clock-watchers. Oh yeah, and Djokovic is still on the hunt for the Grand Slam. 

0:35 Week one -- well, day one even -- exceeded all expectations

9:20 #HatchingandSnatching update: Fernandez, Alcaraz, Raducanu

17:40 Women’s fourth rounds - plus a tangent on the Krejcikova-Muguruza controversy

26:40 Men’s fourth rounds: the Tiafoe-Auger-Aliassime match was a blast

32:35 Zverev finally has to answer to the Sharypova abuse allegations, he deflects to BathroomGate, and the broadcasters comply

39:30 Accusations of scammery follow Tsitsipas all week, and to be honest they have merit; or, “you can be mad about two things at the same time”

54:05 US Open Pride Day sees various players wear rainbow gear and otherwise show support

58:05 Sloane Stephens was one of the best stories of the first week