The Tennis Tragic

The Tennis Tragic #057 / Astonishing / David and Matte stage an Upset Game trophy ceremony, before diving into the most astonishing topics and personalities of the day with Alex, such as Lulu Sun, T20 World Cup Cricket, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Roger Federer's commencement speech, Djokovic's tiny violin, Alex de Minaur's injury on match point, Hubie Hurkacz retiring from a match on match point, Emma Raducanu not playing a particular match, and the differences between jam, jelly, jello, and marmalade. Also, David preps for surgery - will he be able to recover in time for the Olympics??

The Tennis Tragic #056 / The Guy Who Got the Walkover / The Roland Garros semi-final lineups have been established, and the Tragic Three turn their cybernetic camera eyes towards all (or most) of the action and drama. We share Jannik Sinner's enthusiasm at becoming World No. 1 while discussing the unlikelihood of Paolini's rise, Alex (and "Paul") de Minaur's devastating defeat to Zverev, Stef getting owned by Carlitos, optimism about Ons, chair umpires wearing camera headpieces, and the value of surround sound home theater setups. Matte and Alex also discuss the Luca Guadagnino film 'Challengers.' Bum-bum-buh-ba-duh-ba-duh-duh... allez!

The Tennis Tragic #055 / Carota Boys and the River Styx / At long last! The fifty-fifth Tragic episode! All three tragics are together again, to discuss the first few days of the 2024 French Open and related topics. Was the draw not rigged - setting up a disappointing Rafa finale versus Zverev - only in order to ensure future rigging? Should the Laver Cup be reconsidered as an event on a new surface, with a more existential purpose? How are the Carota Boys a perfect representation of late-stage capitalist machinery? How do we feel about carrots as vegetables? Are herbs vegetables or are they something else? What is the role of color in a dish, and how does it affect our feelings about the meal?

The Tennis Tragic #054 / Hang-Up / Coco dials up her first major trophy, Ben Shelton calls into his first major semi-final, Novak rudely hangs up on Ben, Matte calls for action on climate change (without gluing ones' self to level 4 of Arthur Ashe Stadium), and we get a busy signal when trying to find out what ever happened to Hyeon Chung. David and Matte also touch on the pleasures of legal coaching and male players with beautiful smiles, while looking ahead to the Men's Final between Disruptor Daniil and an increasingly genuine Djokovic.

The Tennis Tragic #053 / It Ain't Happening / It's happening! The Tragic Three have returned from a luxurious and restful break with a Double Slam Episode. We look back at Wimbledon and forward to the US Open. Does anything matter in light of the Novak-Carlos rivalry? Should we believe that Ons will eventually get to the mountaintop? Will we stop forgetting that Marketa Vondrousova exists?

Other topics include Marco Trungelliti and Nao Hibino updates, Cleveland's perception in the culture, Brad Gilbert and Coco Gauff's fearhand, the Tennis Knobs, Universal Tennis Rankings, the Eubanks Run, the Baez-Lehecka final in Winston-Salem, the returns of Wozniacki, Raonic, and Kei Nishikori, the excellence of the Cincinnati Men's Final, Jimmy Butler's all-court game, Jannik Sinner, Tatiana Maria, Jessica Pegula, Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe, Davidovich Fokina, and the return of the Upset Game.

Tragic on three... one, two, three...

The Tennis Tragic #052 / Ley Tay Hsieh and Wang / David and Matte unite to review Roland Garros 2023. Matte falls asleep, Alcaraz falls apart, and Novak’s date with destiny is rewarded with a special Spider Man jacket! Miyu Kato turns that frown upside down, and Muchova’s all-court game impresses David. What could Bianca Andreescu and Michael call their mixed team? Bianca Venusa? Andre-enus?  Vivi? Can players from Ukraine and Russia shake hands for peace? And is Tsitsidosa a heartwarming story of validation and acceptance, or a vomit-inducing social media entity? Sadly these are the questions that keep us up at night.

The Tennis Tragic #051 / The Multitude / The Tragic Three reconvene after a lengthy hiatus to dip our toes back into the great wide pool of tennis, in anticipation of the 2023 French Open. We belatedly discuss a range of topics - Rafa's sad absence from Roland Garros, Netflix's middling tennis docu-series "Break Point", justice for Simona and discipline for Alexander, the budding rivalry of Rune-Ruud, Andreescu's horrible injury and return, Gael and Elina's return to the court, Matte's Rafa-like legal record, Arthur Fils, Leolia Jeanjean, Marco Cecchinato, Martina Trevisan, Nicolas Jarry... and more! We also feature our first guest baby appearance, and spend a little time getting tragic about the NBA playoffs.

The Tennis Tragic #050 / Curses Are Real / Are curses real?  Can a curse truly affect the course of our lives?  What form does a curse take at the “Cyber Slam” (aka Australian Open 2023)?  How might curses manifest at the highest levels of sport?  What does a curse sound like?  What do the sounds of professional tennis sound like?  What curses might we wish to see in the future?

Answers to all of these questions may or may not be found in The Tennis Tragic’s 50th Golden Anniversary Episode, along with discussions on the following:  labor theory, Shakespeare, Jelena Ostapenko’s anti-style, ghosts going down waterslides, the aesthetics of quiet, presence, habitus, punk rock, Netflix, cheering on double-faults, and sex. 

The Tennis Tragic #049 / Upset Game II / Matte and David convene to discuss the results of the second historically significant edition of the Upset Game, where David is still in the running for a new World Record!  We discuss the results of the first four days of the 2023 Australian Open, no-lose gambling strategies, the progress of young stars Leylah Fernandez, Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu, impressive American men, Roommate Matt’s opinion that Kyrigos is good for the game, and the loveliness of AO Radio’s production featuring Steve Pearce and Candy Reid.  We also look forward to our 50th episode and Matte’s visit to Melbourne, which will require cake.

The Tennis Tragic #048 / Lucky Lucky / Matte and David engage in an indulgent pre-AO chat, as David makes his Tragic Return to Melbourne.  Follow along in real-time as Richard Gasquet wins a title in Auckland, Lucky Loser Leolia Jeanjean gains entry to the main draw, and Matte and David casually saunter through the AO2023 singles draws, projecting outcomes with head and with heart.  We also discuss attending (and paying for) quallies, the Netflix series, Osaka's withdrawal, being a Niemeier Admirer, Ons Jabeur winning or not-winning the US Open, two pairs of Cinnamon Babka Sisters, Jason Kubler's unnecessary wildcard, naming a new doubles team, Monica Bellucci's children, and the value and meaning of the fauxpology.