The Body Serve

We're here to wrap the 2019 Australian Open: crowning a new WTA number 1 and watching Novak make history with his 15th major. Petra Kvitova came close to her first major off grass, Rafa Nadal stunned until he didn't, and the ATP Next Gen inched forward; while one member of the WTA Next Gen won 2 straight majors and took over the sport entirely. Stick around for a critique of "race science," the minefield of Naomi's racial identity, and why the locker room needs to remain private (oh hi, John McEnroe). 

02:30 Naomi Osaka becoming the woman to beat

10:30 Petra! Don't call it a comeback!

17:00 The other women's late-stage women's matches: Pliskova's improved movement, Serena's loss 

22:45 Why do y'all want us to drag Danielle Collins?

30:00 Men's final: Novak raises his level to neutralize Nadal's strengths

41:45 Other happenings on the men's side: Tsitsipas stared into the abyss and doesn't like what he sees

44:00 Stosur & Zhang win doubles title - Zhang's first major and Stosur's first Aussie

46:20 When what happens in the locker room doesn't stay in the locker room

49:00 Talking about black athletes with race pseudoscience

57:30 John McEnroe's naked obsession with Rafa's naked body ... wtf?

63:00 Men's tennis manspreading into women's tennis -- how microaggressions become a 50-year pattern

71:05 Naomi Osaka's fraught and contested racial identity

We're checking in midway through this Australian Open, marked by a few welcome breakouts but high quality match-ups on the horizon. This episode's title borrows from Frances Tiafoe's impromptu description of Amanda Anisimova's decimation of Aryna Sabalenka. We recap the matches, the controversies, the fashion, and the issue that won't die: mid-match coaching.   

1:00 Andy Murray says goodbye ... for now ... maybe

It's not easy to say goodbye to Andrew Murray -- and we're not saying goodbye yet. But, we begin our Australian Open preview with a tribute to the authentic, generous, straight-to-the-point Scot who has changed our sport forever. It's not all doom and gloom: we also talk through this week's results and the Australian Open Heat Stress Scale, followed by an analysis of both the men's and women's draws. We conclude with an update on the ever-tempestuous ATP leadership battles; this time, the Board will vote on Kermode's future, and what a Board it is.

1:00 Appreciating Andy Murray: present tense only

18:00 Results from this week: Kvitova and Barty beat a boatload of AO contenders between them

21:45 The new Australian Open heat protocol: you down with AOHSS?

26:40 Women's draw - "dangerous floaters" and the Simona-Serena-Venus quarter of death

38:15 Women's bottom half - we disagree on whether the women's draw is lopsided

43:40 A diversion on Sloane Stephens and star power - the mainstream press isn't sure what to do with her

52:15 Men's draw: who could possibly stop Novak from getting to the final?

1:01:00 Men's bottom half is crowded af

1:03:30 ATP Board set to vote on Kermode's contract ... digging into the almighty mess that is men's tennis governance

Welcome to our Season FIVE opener. Our brief offseason is over and week one of the 2019 season caught us off guard with SO MUCH action right off the bat. We recap the seven titlists who emerged from the first week of play before tackling some of the offseason happenings while we were away. We have a message for the fandoms, a few things we're keeping our eyes on for the season, as well as a few predictions. The episode wraps with a dip into our listener mailbag as we attempt to tackle your questions with a bit of (hopefully) levity.

02:59 Week one results: 7 champions crowned

22:45: #SaveHopmanCup and its unique place in the tennis landscape

29:40: Injury updates & Sveta's Insta prowess

32:37 AO super tiebreak rule change

36:50 To the left, to the left: Venus cleans house

39:23 This is who they are: ATP elects Stakhovsky AGAIN

41:08 Calling all fandoms: let Naomi be, sit there & eat your food

47:45 A few things we'll be keeping our eyes on in 2019

53:23 Our 2019 year-end top 10 picks & breakout/comeback candidates

60:46 Listener mailbag: thanks for all your submissions!

As our fourth cycle comes to a close, we recap the men's tour with its continued Big 3 dominance, Djokovic's herculean comeback, and NextGen banging on the door (well, more like politely ringing the doorbell). We look at the latest Gimelstob debacle as a mess that tennis governing bodies made for themselves, one that echoes MeToo stories across every industry, and which the sport continued to ignore and pave over until things blew up spectacularly. Finally, we finish with some levity: our TBSMoments awards, including feel-good moments, WTF moments, and most bizarre off-season story.

01:00 Who won the big titles this year? Is the Big 3 still a thing? Yep.

We consider a WTA season that was by turns tumultuous and gratifying, full of tedious controversies and long-awaited breakouts. This episode takes on the major themes of 2018, the title winners, the comebacks and retirements, a few surprising events that almost faded from memory, and our #TBSMoments. Oh, and as if 2018 wasn't annoying enough, take our WTA Quiz alongside James.

02:00 Who won what? Parity was the name of the game

13:10 How'd we do on predictions? Well, there's a reason we don't usually make them

17:00 Moving on up (and down)

23:45 Matches that stood out ... most of them feature Simona

27:40 #RememberTheTime

35:55 Moments that had people mad this year: Miami crowd, Pliskova lumberjack, the endless Serena controversies, Peng gets snitched upon

51:15 Your favorite comebacks of the year, and a few farewells

56:30 Quick update on WTA streaming and Tennis Channel

58:05 James takes a quiz on the WTA season!

68:00 Our #TBSMoments: first up, funniest moment of the year

72:00 WTF Moment: the Plisko-chop

75:10 The You DID THAT Moment and Feel-Good Moment

Y'all know by now we're a pair of Mariah stans, and we are HERE for her new album. We chat briefly about her tightly spun new effort at the top of the show, before segueing into the tennis action. Zverev and Tsitsipas won the ATP & Next Gen Finals respectively, two banner results for the future of the ATP. The meat and potatoes of this episode is a convo about conflicts of interests in tennis, precipitated by an interview given by Julien Benneteau. We finish with a new segment called, "Yes or MESS," before bidding adieu to Aga Radwanska and Lucie Safarova.  

03:15 Going the distance: Zverev wins ATP Finals

13:47 Proceed with caution: On-court advertising boards

16:14 Thank you, next (gen): Tsitsipas runs the board in Milan

18:26 A No No: Federer & conflicts of interest

29:05 GTFO: We ain't buying it, Craig Tiley

40:00 Giving Me Life: Yes or MESS (New Segment!)

50:50 (No longer) With You: Coaching carousel continues

53:46 Portrait of a career: Farewell, Aga & Lucie

It seems like we've been talking about the next generation of ATP players a lot recently, and Karen Khachanov keeps that trend going with a massive first Masters 1000 title in Paris. Elsewhere, the WTA officially ends its season with Ash Barty hoisting the trophy in Zhuhai. Although he was unable to keep his win streak going, Djokovic leaves Paris with the #1 ranking secured into 2019. We talk a bit about the upcoming ATP & #NextGen Finals, before finishing the episode with more news in the ongoing tennis culture crisis of ballkid abuse.

00:32 Khachanov rides momentum to dream week in Paris

04:09 Federer shows up and shows out vs Nole

08:01 Hats off to Ash Barty and her beautiful game

20:33 Luksika Kumkhum winning out loud

24:57 Rafa shuts it down, has ankle surgery?

27:42 Nole secures year-end #1 for a 5th time

31:55 What next for the Saudi exhibition?

34:28 James goes to bat for Isner at ATP finals

37:48 The #NextGenFinals sowing some good seeds

50:04 Yet again: THESE ARE CHILDREN!

Elina Svitolina ran the table in Singapore to secure the biggest title of her career. Meanwhile, Sloane Stephens has shown -- to us and herself -- that her standing in the game cannot be denied. Other topics on offer this episode: Wozniacki reveals her arthritis diagnosis, Grigor's alarming hairline, the absurd Sampras "boring" debate, and the growing calls for Rafole to abandon their Saudi exhibition. Thanks as always for listening!

03:10 Svitolina reverses course, goes undefeated to win Singapore

09:55 Sloane makes herself undeniable

13:12 What next for Svitolina & the Year End Championships

20:05 9s across the board for Federer & other ATP results

29:01 Wozniacki's big, worrying news in Singapore  

31:50 Long story very short: Grisha, where your follicles at?!

35:44 To play or not to play: A Saudi saga

47:41 The boring Sampras debate and considering him as tragic figure

53:08 Tennis Jesus shows Verdasco how to apologize

58:42 How NOT to do a Naomi Osaka costume: NO BLACKFACE

The 2018 tennis season is getting ready to pull into its final station, and we've got tales from a few of its last few stops. Nole's purple patch and Borna's full package headline the action in Shanghai. We also assess the state of the ATP's burgeoning #NextGen stars and posit who is poised to emerge as the real deals. It was a very successful Asian swing for some of the game's top Asian players; perhaps we are seeing tennis' heavy investment in Asia pay some dividends? Finally, enjoy a few TV recommendations and brace yourself for Jonathan's almighty rant on something he reaaaally dislikes.

00:32 Nole extends his purple patch in Shanghai

07:20 A circular, probably not-so-fair take on Zverev

14:55 Who of the #NextGen is MOST ready?

23:16 But, back to Borna Coric....he's got all of the packages

24:46 So, who's been doing the winning the last two weeks?

34:54 Where were you when I needed you?

37:37 The Asian players came to play during the Asian Swing

40:34 Etcs: Fighter girl Simona, Aga's apartments & poor Delpo

48:38 Things we like & one thing Jonathan REALLY dislikes