The Body Serve

We're back from our big trip with a big (way too long) episode. It's not entirely our fault, there were two massive tournaments the past two weeks, and some major off court happenings to cover as well. We begin with a recap of Madrid and the questionable dealings of Ion Tiriac before getting into the action in Rome. While it was a pretty tragic time for us at the Foro Italico, it was the site of a return to glory for Rafael Nadal. We segue into the Nick Kyrgios drama that dominated the tennis news cycle as well as the latest updates from the ATP Board election saga. We couldn't end the episode without a few (disappointed) words about the Game Of Thrones final season and even worse finale.

01:20 Thanks for the well wishes, a few words on our trip

06:04 Ion Tiriac, Madrid, and his war against the WTA

11:37 Where the Madrid women's trophy at?!

14:26 Our dire thoughts on the Rome tournament

25:19 What happen-ed in Rome happen-ed

35:50 A resurgent turn for many of the women in Rome

41:06 A tale of two gay stories: Janowicz and Ferrer

48:41 Nick Kyrgios had a WEEK

59:13 Djokovic and the latest ATP Board developments

76:41 Game of Thrones finale: yes or mess?

The Body Serve is back, answering your thoughtful and tough questions with -- we hope -- a bit of knowledge and a lot of honesty. Although we recorded this previously, we believe the questions are still topical, relevant, and fascinating. Thanks to all who submitted questions; the below list doesn’t even cover all of them!

2:20 Jonathan asks James a gotcha question!

6:45 What are our 3 favorite pop duets? (or in Jonathan’s case, like 10 (Thuan, @delsarto13)

13:00 Who is the player you most disagree on? Any players one of us is a big fan of, and the other is not? (Stuart Masheter, @topsmmash)

22:15 What is the deal with appearance fees? (Julian, @holdmyracquet)

29:00 Tackling the many questions on the Gimelstob situation

37:45 Which women should the ATP be recruiting to run for its board? (Tyler Green, @TylerGreenBooks)

41:00 Which tournaments would you add, remove, upgrade, or relocate? (Arun, @arknight12)

47:00 Game of Thrones characters as tennis players (Peter, @thaiguy84)

50:55 Do you think any young WTA player (

Dominic Thiem absolutely bodied the Barcelona field to join Federer as the only two-time titlists on the ATP Tour this season. Petra Kvitova's turn as renaissance woman and most consistent player of the WTA continued in Stuttgart, leaving her oh-so-close to finally ascending to world #1. Of course, we revisit the ongoing Justin Gimelstob saga and get you updated on the latest shenanigans. Oh, and have you heard, Sloane Stephens got engaged!

01:21 Dominic BODIES his way to the Barcelona title

08:53 Petra Kvitova the WTA renaissance woman

12:18 Vika's back? A chat about her comeback

22:30 Rafa makes it CLEAR where he stands on equal pay yet again

31:37 From queer excellence to straight fuckery

33:08 Gimelstob can't stop, won't stop

38:48 Gimelstob's narcissism stays jumping out

48:04 Fiiiiiiinally, folks in tennis are starting to speak up

51:59 Why are we still here? For what? And at what cost?

57:10 #RoadToRome candidates and some juicy petty tidbits

61:40 Andreescu injury, Genie coaching split, and Sloane's big news!

This week on The Body Serve, we've got a surprising week in Monte Carlo to recap, an exciting weekend strewn across the globe in Fed Cup, and a resolution to the Justin Gimelstob court case. Fabio Fognini beat Rafael Nadal in the Monte Carlo semis on his way to a maiden Masters 1000 title. Meanwhile, Ash Barty and Sam Stosur headlined the Fed Cup action, leading Australia to its first final in over 25 years! We finish the episode with an expanded discussion on the developments in the Justin Gimelstob case, and what it means for his place in tennis going forward, among other things...

01:01 A surprising loss for Rafa in Monte Carlo?

04:59 The Princes of Clay not up to the task in week one

09:00 Fognini's past and how it frames his present

15:32 Team Australia headlines Fed Cup semifinal weekend

20:46 The reunited Garcia/Mladenovic tandem take out Romania

23:15 Great Britain, despite the drama, advances to World Group II

32:02 Gimelstob pleads no contest to felony assault

35:52 The weak responses from Tennis Channel and the ATP

43:25 Gimelstob begins the process of re-integrating himself into tennis

48:00 What is it about this situation that renders so many mute?

The clay season is upon us and Sloane Stephens is tired of f#@*ing losing! We recap the last two weeks since we've been away, starting with the action in Charleston where Madison Keys scored an impressive title win on the green clay. Other tidbits: Sveta is back! Muguruza bosses Monterrey, and Anisimova wins her maiden WTA title. We offer an ATP clay season preview, before segueing into a spirited discussion on Patrick Mouratoglou's latest bout of opinions. Also, look out for the return of The Rant at the end of the episode!

01:50 Madison matures on the green clay of Charleston

07:40 WTA roll call: Muguruza, Azarenka, Anisimova, Sveta, Swiatek

12:28 ATP roll call: Paire, Andujar, Garín, and Sandgren's big streak (of losing)

19:54 ATP clay court preview: much of the same but a bit more

23:58 Alexander Zverev in a precarious position

32:32 Mouratoglou has opinions on how to save tennis, and so do we

53:43 The Tsitsipas/Medvedev feud LIVES!

55:24 A golf diversion: Tiger Woods wins The Masters

63:42 The Rant: you'll have to tune in to find out

Ash Barty and Roger Federer closed out the Sunshine Swing with titles at the Miami Open. For Barty, it was the biggest win of her career, and one that catapulted her into the WTA top 10 for the first time. Federer, fresh off a finals loss the week before at Indian Wells, went one further to add trophy #101 to his collection. The Canadian takeover of tennis continued to take hold as Auger-Aliassime made the semifinals before losing to repeat finalist, John Isner. We cap the episode with a discussion on the difficulties of making a living from covering tennis, and why it's vitally important to welcome as many diverse voices to the table as possible.

02:51 Vegemite Queen dripping in power and finesse

08:31 In celebration of the superb, underestimated Hsieh

12:56 The weekly battle for WTA #1 continues

15:35 A whole, grown ass, salty loser: Kerber v Andreescu

24:25 The potpourri of f*^kery surrounding Isner and his "niceness"

28:22 Federer wins #101 in tip top form

33:33 Felix just can't wait to be king

41:29 HOW DARE YOU?! say anything bad about the Miami Open

46:27 A discussion on covering tennis for a living...or not

Bianca Andreescu's coming out party continued in a big way by winning the Indian Wells title. The breakthrough theme in the "tennis paradise" also featured a first Masters 1000 title for Dominic Thiem, rendering Roger Federer beaten finalist for a second successive year. We recap some of the other notable performances on both sides of the draw before getting into a discussion of how the ATP is failing in its efforts to police the dissemination of its product on social media. Lastly, James takes a quiz about his favourite tournament on the tennis calendar.

03:05 She the north, but where can we watch her?

17:33 Other notable performances from the women at Indian Wells

19:30 Venus vs Petra: to squawk or not to squawk or when to squawk

27:50 Serena's illness & her terrible volleys?

32:08 The harnessing of Dominic Thiem

37:50 Nadal's knee, Nole's loss, and Denis' rapping

46:31 The ATP policing dissemination of its product on social media

50:57 James takes a quiz on his beloved Indian Wells

The calendar is ratcheting up - March brings the Sunshine Double, with all its excesses, star power, and crackling match-ups. Our IW ambivalence aside, this week has already given us the Vika-Serena reunion, Petra & Venus, and Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime achieving yet another first. We also cover the ATP governance drama, Martina's wheel-and-come-again on the trans athlete argument, and Osaka's strikingly perceptive words in The Undefeated.

2:30 The star power of Nick Kyrgios, when he wants it

14:20 Roger Federer joins the 100 club! Jimmy Connors is shaking

18:00 Naomi Osaka names Jermaine Jenkins head coach

21:30 Serena & Vika reignite their rivalry, and it doesn't disappoint

31:15 Felix Auger-Aliassime quietly, methodically gets his first top 10 win

37:30 An update on the ATP governance shake-up: Kermode is out, but who is in?

50:45 Martina Navratilova is back with another essay on trans women in sport ... but is it better? Taking on the straw man argument.

60:10 Genie Bouchard moves into film production - a rom-com classic is coming

64:10 Will Smith to play Richard Williams on screen

67:00 The fascinating, thoughtful Osaka interview from The Undefeated - her place in things

On the occasion of our Sesquicentennial, we thank all our listeners, both old and now, who have been along for the ride. We recap all the tennis news from the past two weeks and the winners on both tours: Bencic, Monfils, Opelka, Mertens, Cecchinato, Albot, Djere, Tstitsipas, and Van Uytvanck. We chat about the Osaka-Tsitsipas social media mess, as well as Naomi's words on her split with Sascha Bajin. Finally, we try to grapple with the mess that Martina Navratilova has gotten herself into.  

03:26 Recapping a long list of winners the last fortnight

06:25 The dire Long Island Open gets a lift

13:52 Bend it like Bencic in Dubai, if you can!

20:14 Our Québécois fav busts out in Rio

27:44 Tsonga to miss Indian Wells due to Sickle Cell Trait

31:29 What in the hell was Stefanos thinking?!

36:47 Osaka talks Bajin breakup

45:18 Martina Navratilova and her controversial op-ed

68:55 Sometimes you need to call something by its name

February can be a moment for tennis to catch its breath. But Fed Cup brought us some cracking match-ups, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga re-entered the top 200, and everyone's favorite maybe-catfish started and suspended a GoFundMe. Naomi Osaka stopped the world (momentarily) when she announced that her winning partnership with Sascha Bajin has ended. Plus, we finally catch up with the shakeups and infighting in the ATP Players' Council and Board of Directors.

1:20 Tsonga is back and he's spectacular (or; I will be your father figure)

5:45 Fed Cup blockbusters: Czech team loses at home, Ash-stralia takes out USA

13:30 The Darko saga continues - stop snitching and enjoy the drama, folks

21:45 Serena re-enters the top 10

23:35 Naomi Osaka shocks the tennis world by announcing split with Sascha Bajin 

27:00 Maybe there's not actually any "there" there

40:00 Catching up with the ATP governance shakeup

54:45 Questions to consider moving forward: does the anti-Kermode wing reflect the views of most players? Is there a push for unionization among the rank and file?

57:00 Things we dislike (we disagree on that) and things we like (Netflix's One Day at a Time)