The Tennis Tragic

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.

The Tennis Tragic #047 / Both Flesh and Not / David reads from David Foster Wallace's seminal 2006 Federer essay.  Roger reflects on the bitterness and the sweetness.  Matte sheds some tears for tennis royalty.  Alex suggests potential partners for the future doubles world Number One.  We also recap the US Open - a torch passed to Carlos Alcaraz, a promise from Frances Tiafoe, and a change of racquet from Iga Swiatek - and go searching for deep cuts in the dusty bins of the ATP Top 2500.

The Tennis Tragic #046 / Leaning In / Alex, Matte, and David reconvene during the US Open middle weekend to keep things Tragic and lean properly into the podcast vibe.  We reveal the results from the inaugural edition of the Upset Game, look forward to incoming on-court drama, debate the merits of human net cord judges versus malfunctioning robotics, grant Pablo Carreno Busta a well-intentioned nickname, remember a real-life Renee Stubbs encounter... and reflect on Serena Wililams' final match - and epic final game - and the deep imprint she left on the sport we love.  Or will continue to leave, assuming she un-retires for the 2023 Australian Open.

The Tennis Tragic #045 / The Upset Game / David introduces the world to The Upset Game: a fantasy Grand Slam tennis experience where legions of devoted fans select five upsets per draw in the pursuit of glory.  Will Cornet defeat Raducanu in the first?  Will Evans defeat Cilic in the third?  How might Soon Woo Kwon reach the quarterfinals!?  We think it could be more interesting than picking Rafa and Iga to destroy all who stand against them.  We'll find out!  Much as we'll find out how Serena (and Venus?) get along in her (their?) final US Open.  We won't find out how Novak Djokovic gets along, as he's kicking his feet up at home, happily and tragically un-vaxxed.

The Upset Game rules:

Pick 5 potential upsets in each singles draw (men and women).You get one point for each successful upset picked multiplied by the round (1 point for a first round upset, 2 for second... up to 7 points in the final).  There are two types of "upsets" you can pick:

Send your picks to:  tennistragicpod at gmail dot com and we'll give you a shout-out!

The Tennis Tragic #044 / Fatal Consequences / At long last, the Tragic Three received their first letter from a listener!  Despite being threatened with legal action, the gang remain undeterred; committed to offering the choicest fact-based tennis analysis and opinion around.  For this episode, we cut our teeth on the 2022 grass, and dig into the Wimbledon draws.  We pick our desired finalists, devise a format for the baby-pushing Olympics, keep our eye on deep cuts Beatriz Haddad Maia and Tim van Rijthoven, take pleasure in the joy of Serenons (or is it Onserena?), speculate about professional tennis sock puppet accounts on Instagram, and close with a deep dive into Jelena Ostapenko's striking on-court anti-fashion.

The Tennis Tragic #043 / Even With a Numb Foot / Three Tragics talk tennis in summary of the 2022 French Open.  Topics include:  Rafa's foot, Zverev's ankle, Toni's courtside seats, Iga's invincibility, Ruud's reported rage, Rune's graduation, Coco's double dish, Mourtaglou's empire, and Trevisan's expressions.  Matte turns us onto deep internet cuts Foot Doctor Zach and the Tennis Brothers.  We close with a look forward to Wimbledon and reflect on the dangerous power of our incantations and dreams.

The Tennis Tragic #042 / Tsitsipas's Tsadness / Matte and David convene in the thick of the dirt to discuss the events of Roland Garros leading up to the semi-finals.  Topics include:  the dangers of yoga, Amelie Mauresmo's night session faux pas, Iga Swiatek's 33rd consecutive court killing, Coco Gauff's 18 year-old maturity, non-traditional solutions to on-court coaching, the cheating Houston Astros, the choreography of line judges, the theatrical grandeur of Mo Lahyani, Martina Trevisan's rise to glory (again), Jo-Wilfred Tsonga's retirement ceremony, Roger Federer's GOAT claim after he chooses to dominate the doubles tour in his 40s, Cilic's Twitches, Stefanos's Sadness, and surprise of all surprises... Rafa's 12847th victory at the French Open.  

Episode also includes bonus fashion mini-rundown for line judge cardigans and Marin Cilic's Head kit, as well as a Balkan geography quiz.

The Tennis Tragic #041 / Double Dirt Draw, Delayed / Returning from a dirt hiatus, David meets separately with Alex and Matte to dissect another major draw and discuss the events of the day.  Topics include:  who among the women's draw will earn the right to lose to Swiatek in the final, McEnroe vs McEnroe, the Half of Doom, Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune's potential, Winning Time, elder statesman Stefanos Tsitsipas's comments on Carlos Alcaraz, ScoMo's resounding defeat, Exhibition Wimbledon, the over/under on Jordan Thompson's games won against Rafa, who would be the worst player for Roger Federer to lose to in his retirement match, and the delightful possibility of Andrianjafitrimo vs Jeanjean in the second round!  Also, David explains why you can't get Chick-Fil-A on a Sunday.

The Tennis Tragic #039 / No War Please / Matte and David discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine and how it has impacted the world of professional tennis.  We discuss sanctions, protests in Russia, Medvedev at #1, Rublev asking for peace, Svitolina's statement and victory over Potapova, the Yastremska sisters' humanitarian wildcard, Wladimir Klitschko, team competitions, the refugee crisis, nationalism in sport, David's visit to ATP Dallas, Jenson Brooksby, George Bush, Stefan Kozlov lost at sea and subsequent Rafa bloodletting, and Sacha Zverev's most recent expression of Darkness.

We conclude on a lighter note with an examination of style and color in our first Fashion Update of 2022.