The Body Serve

Rafael Nadal continued his clay dominance with a second El Undécimo, this time in Barelona. We begin episode 121 with a look at some of the stats within his streak of 46 consecutive sets won on clay. Our #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas features Grigor Dimitrov's "as a man" moment in Barcelona, and we highlight (if you can call it that) some of the coaches who chimed in on social media last week. The episode wraps with a look at Serena's profile in the New York Times, and a Riverdale Daddy FMK.

00:35 46 problems but a set ain't one

04:39 Tsitsipas on the come up and disappointing Domi

10:27 Pliskova halts Vandeclay's Stuttgart surge

18:00 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas: Grigor as a power top?

25:42 Coaches chiming in all over the place

29:02 Simona, THOSE Romanian men, and the responsibility of #1

35:02 Townsend and Eubanks doing big things

37:15 Taking stock of Maria, 12 months back from suspension

47:04 Serena's profile in the NYT

56:02 FMK: Riverdale Daddy Edition

Rafael Nadal continued his clay dominance with a second El Undécimo, this time in Barelona. We begin episode 121 with a look at some of the stats within his streak of 46 consecutive sets won on clay. Our #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas features Grigor Dimitrov's "as a man" moment in Barcelona, and we highlight (if you can call it that) some of the coaches who chimed in on social media last week. The episode wraps with a look at Serena's profile in the New York Times, and a Riverdale Daddy FMK.

00:35 46 problems but a set ain't one

04:39 Tsitsipas on the come up and disappointing Domi

10:27 Pliskova halts Vandeclay's Stuttgart surge

18:00 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas: Grigor as a power top?

25:42 Coaches chiming in all over the place

29:02 Simona, THOSE Romanian men, and the responsibility of #1

35:02 Townsend and Eubanks doing big things

37:15 Taking stock of Maria, 12 months back from suspension

47:04 Serena's profile in the NYT

56:02 FMK: Riverdale Daddy Edition

After an injury-riddled start to 2018, Rafael Nadal returned to his best in Monte Carlo. The King Of Clay won the tournament for the 11th time, while Novak Djokovic made signs of progress in an encouraging three match stretch. Some tennis folks have gone "a step too far" and we give our takes on Jared Donaldson, the continued disregard for player safety, and Caroline Wozniacki's foot-in-mouth syndrome. We finish the episode with a typical pop culture diversion via a Grown-ish/Riverdale FMK.

03:53 Rafa masters Monte Carlo for the 11th time

10:56 Clay Kei is back and we're here for it

12:02 Other Monte Carlo assessments

17:24 The "inevitability" of Rafa on clay & not getting his due

23:06 A step too far: Jared Donaldson loses control

30:39 When tournaments give zero fucks about player safety

37:28 Fed Cup: Sloane secures the bag...and the tie

44:34 Many steps too far: Who are you, Darko Grncarov?!

48:08 Wozniacki still (rightfully) mad about Miami, steps in it

60:44 FMK - Grown-ish and Riverdale edition

@Hypotemuse wrote a piece on John Isner and why it's OK to push back on his politics. Give it a read!

Before the clay season kicks into gear, we're bringing you a mixed bag of topics: Madison Brengle alleging mistreatment at the hands of the WTA and anti-doping authorities; the controversy over the Davis Cup proposal seems to be heating up; Aussie favorite Casey Dellacqua retires from tennis; and we discuss the ways players create branded images and connect with fans outside of the traditional press. Stay tuned for our new segment on divas, the first of which celebrates our fave Mariah Carey.

4:15 Players' self-presentation through social media - how the relationship with traditional media has changed

Jonathan is back in Toronto after his trip to Charleston for the Volvo Car Open, and reunites with James to bring you #118. On deck for this episode: the WTA's uphill battle for equal footing with the ATP, a reflection on Naomi Osaka and her openness, Cornet's conundrum, the Davis Cup echo chamber, and #ThingsWeLike.

01:26 Tying up some Charleston odds and ends

05:37 The WTA's constant struggle for a piece of the pie

11:05 Naomi's sense of wonder and vulnerability

24:30 Bertens wins in Charleston, Muguruza secures her bag

28:01 Strike three: Cornet's whereabouts

34:36 Davis Cup weekend and James' misstep

39:52 The entrenched opinions surrounding proposed DC changes

48:01 Capital Tennis' out-of-nowhere statement on Tennys Sandgren

54:13 Shoutout to Carol, TBS listener Jonathan met in Charleston!

56:30 Things we like: Jesus Christ Superstar and Love, Simon

Episode 117 comes to you again from Charleston and Toronto. This time, Bri (@4thetennis) joins the show from the Volvo Car Open to "set the record straight" on all things Sloane and offer her insights on a potpourri of tennis topics. You will also hear from a handful of WTA players in a segment featuring audio from the players' All Access Hour in Charleston, before James makes his appearance to close the show with part two of our listener mailbag. This episode is a bit unorthodox, but we hope you enjoy! 

1:00 Welcome our guest, General of the #SloaneHive, Bri! (@4thetennis)

Episode 116 features two distinct halves: James & Jonathan tackle two listener suggestions at the top of the episode, then Chad (@ccsmooth13) returns to the show alongside Jonathan in Charleston to chat about some of the things he saw in Miami last week. 

:45 James getting his airtime before Jonathan left for Charleston

We begin episode 115 with a breakdown of Serena's return to professional tennis and her 3rd round loss to Venus, before segueing into a  celebration of Naomi Osaka's star-making performance to take the title. Juan Martín del Potro is your men's champion; he defeats Federer in the final to solidify his position as nemesis of the world #1. Among the other topics on offer: Sharapova's current dilemma, more McEnroe mess, the Miami wild card debate, and we wade into new mothers returning to the WTA Tour. We then finish with a few thoughts on 9-1-1, RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars, and Black Panther.

03:14 Serena is back! We take stock of where her game is at

12:33 Um, her name is Naomi Osaka...YA HEARD?!

21:02 Kasatkina put in one hell of a week

24:41 Asking the right questions: Venus in press

31:47 Nole makes an unsteady return

37:34 Contextualizing Pissy Federer

44:55 Sharapova's burden to validate pre-meldonium career

47:30 These f*@%ing McEnroe brothers

55:20 Wading into the Miami wild card drama

58:56 Discussing a WTA maternity leave policy

63:06 The wild 9-1-1, fraudulent RPDR All Stars, & smart Black Panther

We begin episode 115 with a breakdown of Serena's return to professional tennis and her 3rd round loss to Venus, before segueing into a  celebration of Naomi Osaka's star-making performance to take the title. Juan Martín del Potro is your men's champion; he defeats Federer in the final to solidify his position as nemesis of the world #1. Among the other topics on offer: Sharapova's current dilemma, more McEnroe mess, the Miami wild card debate, and we wade into new mothers returning to the WTA Tour. We then finish with a few thoughts on 9-1-1, RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars, and Black Panther.

03:14 Serena is back! We take stock of where her game is at

12:33 Um, her name is Naomi Osaka...YA HEARD?!

21:02 Kasatkina put in one hell of a week

24:41 Asking the right questions: Venus in press

31:47 Nole makes an unsteady return

37:34 Contextualizing Pissy Federer

44:55 Sharapova's burden to validate pre-meldonium career

47:30 These f*@%ing McEnroe brothers

55:20 Wading into the Miami wild card drama

58:56 Discussing a WTA maternity leave policy

63:06 The wild 9-1-1, fraudulent RPDR All Stars, & smart Black Panther

At long last, we come to you with our long-promised pop culture episode. After Sunday night's Oscars, now seems like a good time to burden you with our thoughts on three of the most nominated films: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, The Shape of Water, and Call Me By Your Name. We segue into TV and tackle a couple of the medium's latest trends, before talking your ears off about some of the shows we absolutely love, some we think are woefully underrated, and (tragically) a handful that we think are overrated. Thank you for indulging us with this diversion from the tennis, but be assured we will be back to our regular programming for episode 115!

02:35 Three Billboards: a lack of specificity, relatability, and context

12:45 The Shape of Water: an unexpected delight

15:40 CMBYN: a tale of (gay) first love, loss, and subtext

32:07 Relishing the myriad voices telling their stories on TV these days

37:28 Nostalgia and the remake phenomenon

42:26 Where the Golden Girls remake at?! More older folks on TV, plz!

47:24 Some of our fav shows this year

54:49 Riverdale: Is this show horrible or amazing?

60:11 In appreciation of The (Trailblazing) Fosters

63:06 A few overrated and underrated shows...in our opinions