The Tennis Tragic

The Tennis Tragic #067 / Bidi Labubu Badu / Matte and David meet to talk about the style selections on show at the 2025 US Open. First, Ian collects his plate graciously, while Adi slides into his World Number One ranking with a US Open trophy and an impassioned Rublev defense. Then, we break out the slide projector and chat Naomi's kit, Andre Swagassi, the Y3 "blur tool" design, Alcaraz as "happy Buddha", Magdalena Frech's Bidi Badu dress, Kostyuk's popped Wilson collar, and all of Venus's glory. David confesses to the superiority of Test Cricket, while Matte explains the difference between a tie and a draw and shares his experience at a silent meditation retreat.

The Tennis Tragic #066 / The Tribunal of Tennis Etiquette / Matte and David begin the hard work of establishing a committee for regulating behavior on a tennis court (and in the stands). Given their recent statements and actions, as well as their consistent efforts to model proper behavior for others, we feel that Jelena Ostapenko, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Daniil Medvedev should be on the board. Who better to correct us gently and kindly during our missteps?

We also give Taylor Townsend her flowers, take a call from Adi about the Upset Game's impact on his fandom, look forward to Coco vs Naomi, talk about tennis redheads, express excitement about Venus and Leylah playing doubles, and channel Charlton Heston receiving the Ten Commandments from God.

The Tennis Tragic #065 / Return to Doubles Alley / The US Open spotlight shines brightest on the Mixed Doubles exhibition (tournament).  Matte and David re-visit the dark and mysterious zone between the tram lines, while glancing back at the US hardcourt summer and peeking forward towards the upcoming major (a little).  We get into the depths of the upset game, discuss radical-but-unlikely future rule changes, express confusion about the identity of our podcast, learn some Australian taxi-based idioms, and revisit Matte's encounter with Australian doubles star Ellen Perez on line at an event merchandise store.  In a rank?  On line?  Finally, Matte foreshadows some upcoming spells.

The Tennis Tragic #064 / Goran's Knee / Must we suffer for our art?  Have we been coddled, and can we triumph in spite of our soft hearts?  

The great ship Wimbledon finds itself mid-stream.  Matt finds the random button, and we all discover August Holmgren as a result.  Players get more serious about the Upset Game.  Marin Cilic pauses and we flashback to the Match That Time Forgot.  Arthur Rinderknech stops the darkness, while Laura Siegemund practices the dark arts.  A fishing trip organized by Craig Boynton is described.  Goran Ivanisevic dishes out some tough love (on one leg).  Trinity Rodman gazes lovingly at Ben Shelton.  Matte and David consider a lateral career move and re-imagine the Tennis Tragic as a Tennis Podcast Podcast.

The Tennis Tragic #063 / What's in the Trophy? / Coco Gauff triumphs in Paris and discovers that the Coupes des Mousquetaires has a lid. David and Matte battle difficult conditions - the same as every other podcaster - to cover the outstanding women's final, Lois Boisson's delightful run, Amelie Mauresmo and Gilles Moretton's handling of the schedule, and the looming threat of a Carlos/Jannik duopoly on the men's side. We also find time to touch on podium architecture, courtside paintings, and commisioning Christopher Clarey to pen the biography of Upset Game World Number 1 and French Open Champion, Ian Macnider. Might as well get started now!

The Tennis Tragic #062 / Best Story of Roland Garros (So Far) / Darkness descends upon Paris, and lightning strikes! Matte and David meander through the topics of the day - the draw, the Upset Game, Gasquet, Djokovic's 100th title, Maya Joint's chances vs Jasmine Paolini, Hubie "The Retirement Plan" Hurkacz, McEnroe and the New York Knicks, Adi's victory speeches for his Upset Game dirty double, and the holy power of the new Pope blessing Jannik Sinner.

The Tennis Tragic #038 / The Kid Stopped Dreaming / Rafa and Ash concluded the 2022 Australian Open with two perfect days of tennis, but defeated Daniil's childhood dream may have died in the process.  David and Matte discuss the Special K's, the theoretical value of tennis etiquette, coaching from the box, string tension, Daniil's somber press conference, whether one would rather win a 250 or defeat Roger Federer in the first round, Mark Shorter's painting of Ash Barty's fist, David's feelings about Rafa's aesthetic, and our loss of credibility following Episode 037's audacious predictions.

The Tennis Tragic #040 / Paradise Lost / The Tragic Three are stunned by Ash Barty's unexpected retirement as David reflects on the experience of awaiting entry to Tennis Paradise.  We also rate our satisfaction from watching Tommy Paul take down Zverev (average score: 9.5/10), discuss Naomi Osaka's response to a heckler, continue to express our complicated fascination with Nadal, dissect the new unified Grand Slam final set rules, try to talk ourselves onto Team Alcaraz, and imagine Taylor Fritz as a fifties-era All-American high school football team captain.

The Tennis Tragic #061 / Hey Ump! Got a Light? / From Dubai to Acapulco, from Indian Wells to Miami, from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro... David and Matte travel the world in their imagination, recapping and reliving recent events.

Matte pays tribute to Richard Gasquet in advance of his final Roland Garros. David updates the world on the Upset Game "Race to Milan." Francisco Comesana beats back the darkness with a smoke. Niche tennis cosplay ideas are shared. Wayne Ferreira's revenge tour continues. Joao Fonseca is passionately anointed. Mirra Andreeva thanks herself; we thank Conchita Martinez.

Join us for the Upset Game next week in Madrid! upsetgame.com

The Tennis Tragic #60 / Sunset Diarrhea / Matte and David forget to celebrate their diamond anniversary episode, instead choosing to focus a critical eye on the fashion of the 2025 Australian Open. Needless to say, we came away a bit disappointed.

We also talk about Madison Keys' thrilling triumph, fake corporate fans, get tragic updates from the "experts" on the Juniors and Doubles events, and hand out some hardware for the first ever live running of the Upset Game (congrats to Hit Em High for taking home the trophy!).

Finally, we touch on the possibility of a new age of darkness (mercifully averted after the episode was recorded).