The Tennis Tragic

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.

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: 1.  Any time a lower-ranked player beats a higher-ranked seeded player.  If you're picking beyond the first round, you have to pick both players. 2.  An unseeded player reaching the quarter-finals or better. 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 #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 #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.

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 #037 / Toil and Trouble / If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly... The tragedy of Novak casts a long shadow...  but the Australian Open 2022 Draw hath been released, and here, upon this bank and shoal of time, we imagine the many-fork'd road ahead.  Who might win or lose?  How might the swirling chaos and high-level professional competition conspire to delight and disappoint us during the coming fortnight?  We patiently pick our way through the branches of the draw, discuss various injustices perpetrated by the Australian government, make an impassioned argument in favor of player-based tennis merchandise, and conclude by selecting two radically unlikely future champions.

The Tennis Tragic #036 / Signs of True Tragedy / The gang reconvene after a humane period of rest to try and recall events of the past year.  We reflect on Novak's triumph and heartbreak, Emma Raducanu's future, Krejickova's double, the Andreescu roller-coaster, missing Rafa, the coming Age of Darkness, Medvedev's occasional edge, and exchange Tennis Tragic parenting tips in anticipation of Alex's future Slam champion and World Number One.

The Tennis Tragic #028 / God / In this special, "lost" episode, spiritual consultant Callie Collins joins the pod for a special conversation about sport and religion.  Callie and David discuss Dan Evan's Crown of Thorns tattoo, suffering, sacrifice, surrender, the spiritual lives of the Big Three, Roger Federer at confession, self-awareness, performative religion and ritual, Serena, Senna, and our Lord and Savior Mickey Mouse. Also: Matte and David are moved to poetry by springtime events in Munich and Davy Gravy asks Callie if it is possible for artificial intelligence to possess an immortal soul.