Perfect Match?

It’s spooooooky season, and for our final episode of the year we are summoning the ghouls and goblins of tennis and counting down the scariest trends we are seeing. What evil lurks on the tennis courts of the world? In the stadia and tennis villages, from the hard courts of Melbourne to the grass courts of Wimbledon and beyond?👹 Higher ticket prices?👻 Novak Djokovic hangs around?👿 A Saudi Slam?😨 Coco Gauff's Serve Woes Continue?And more!Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we dive into the 2nd edition of the Six Kings Slam. On the same day that millions of people rallied around the world in the No Kings protests to defy Trump and defend democracy, the final match of the tennis exhibition “The Six Kings Slam” was played in Saudi Arabia between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Was the exhibition tacky and tone deaf? Yes. Was it entertaining? No. Was it good for tennis? Absolutely not.Also:A Portuguese player gets busted for crystal methNick Kyrgios is de-bro'd by Andy MurraySend us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one we recorded in March when we were all fairly new to this political reality. Since then, we've see politics become a taboo subject, and supporting any form of liberalism feels almost risky. But fuck it, we have to talk about politics and take a stand. This is our take on several current and former top players.Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Proper sleep impacts every aspect of one's life. For tennis players – and athletes in general – it’s a relatively new insight. Only in the last 20 years have experts and players realized just how much sleep can affect performance. Even the smallest adjustment can help a player reach peak performance. This week, we dig into the details of top players and their sleep habits. Roger Federer: 12 hours a night! Pete Sampras needs freshly pressed sheets. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz get a LOT of sleep.Also:The Court Speed Conspiracy Theory, hatched by...Roger Federer?The Asian swing is running out of gasMichele's perfect sleeping habits and Bryan's highly disordered routineSend us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cocaine, Coke, Booger Sugar, Bolivian Marching Powder. Whatever you call it, the worlds of professional tennis and all night coke binges once overlapped.The talk of the tennis town this week is the new Bjorn Borg memoir “Heartbeats", in which he admits to using cocaine, saying it almost ruined his life many times after he quit the tour. But was his drug use really confined to his post-playing years? It was the ‘70s after all. And who else on tour has dabbled with “non-performance enhancing” drugs.This week we dive into a pile of (metaphorical) white powder and break down who has used, who has denied and who has danced around the issue (they did coke too).Enjoy!Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we have all heard, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended at the behest of the Trump administration, then reinstated after an enormous public outcry. What is less discussed is the influence of the two main networks that own many of the local ABC affiliate stations, Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group, the latter of which owns…The Tennis Channel. Prior to ABC’s blanket suspension of the show, both networks were blocking Jimmy Kimmel Live! on their local stations, because they are right-wing, Pro-Trump organizations.What's a tennis fan to do? Cancel your Tennis Channel account? Boycott their advertisers? There aren't a lot of good options here, but we can and must keep speaking out. As Jamelle Bouie put it, "Stand up...and say no."Also:Carlos Alcaraz doesn't know what "Meta Glasses" areTaylor Townsend screwed up on social mediaAnti-Asian racism in tennis isn't all that uncommonIt's a dark time. Keep the faith.Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Serena Willams' recent announcement that she takes a GLP-1 (and that she is the global spokeswoman for the online drug compounder Ro), these drugs are more visible and talked about than ever before. While they are a miracle for some, Michele has questions. Bryan mostly stays out of the way but then reveals his own journey losing, gaining and maintaining his weight.Also:2025 US Open TV ratings were impressiveSaudi Arabia is showering money on top male players again this year for their "Six Kings Slam" eventNovak Djokovic is displeased with Serbia and moving to GreeceNick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka will play in the Naomi Osaka-produced "Battle of the Sexes Redux" (is this necessary? no)Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year, has concluded. While always outsize among slams in its sheer lunacy, this is 2025, and boy did the US Open deliver! Today we countdown the worst people and the best people the last 3 weeks has presented us. God help us all.Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comThe outro music this time is the brilliant "You're Gonna Win" by Lady Wray. Pre-order here: https://ladywray.bandcamp.com/album/cover-girlSend us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's not easy putting together a tennis podcast episode when something completely bonkers is happening at the US Open every day. Oh, you thought Medvedev's mimicking a blowjob on national TV was bad? Haha, welcome to 2025. Is it New York and all its weed that makes this tournament crazy? Is it this particularly special moment in American politics? Or is it just the American Berserk?You can send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comSend us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are talking US Open: Medvedev's (homophobic) breakdown, Alcaraz' interesting new haircut, Casper Ruud thinks New York smells like weed, and much more.Also:Are Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova really BFFs now?Hot takes from listeners!To send us your hot take, record a Voice Memo and send it to us at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.com.Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time, we report back from the new controversial US Open Mixed Doubles event, in which Singles stars who don't necessarily know how to play doubles flounder their way to a $1 million prize! (Spoiler alert, the actual Doubles team wins.)We drink and talk our way through monsoon weather and noisy 20-something girls to bring you this day in tennis history. Enjoy!Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we read Timothy Gallwey's classic 70s self-help tome "The Inner Game of Tennis", because why not? Part of the wave of spiritual self-help books of the era, "Inner Game" has a lot to say about the way our conscious, judgmental self gets in the way of the more intuitive, subconscious self, on or off the court.When Self 1 tells you you suck, just ignore it and let Self 2 lead the way!Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we are thrilled to have designer extraordinaire Eva Warren on the pod! We were lucky to have her take us through a full rebrand of Perfect Match?, and the result is what you’re seeing across our channels. She’s one of our most reliable listeners, although she doesn’t follow tennis closely. We wanted to have her on to discuss her branding work, and to probe the mind of the non-tennis fan/tennis podcast listener. And there will be a quiz!Also:Holger Rune slides into Veronika Kudermertova's DMs without checking to see if she's married"Point, Set, Matchmaker", the US Open's new YouTube dating reality series, is coming like it or not!You can find Eva at https://evamarie.studio and on Instagram @eva___marieSend us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's summer and we are off doing summer things, so here's a favorite episode of ours all about the different ways we tennis fans love our players.-----------------------------------Monogamy vs. Polygamy: these days it’s more of a choice than a default; a discussion rather than an assumption. But how does this new openness relate to tennis and who we root for? Does the true fan root for only one player or is it better to dip our toes into different waters?This week we reveal our tennis fandom polycules and their organizing principles. Michele also reminisces about her time as Roger Federer's cuckquean fan, and how she had to move on to a hierarchical polycule with Carlos Alcaraz as her primary. Bryan discovers that his men's fandom polycule is almost identical to Michele's, and he discusses his non-hierarchical fandom polycule on the women's side.Also, a Brit accuses a French player of smelling bad, Tennis Channel app woes, and the genius of Jelena Ostapenko.Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back after an unplanned week off (Bryan went to the beach) with thoughts about Wimbledon, hardcourt season, Venus Williams, Genie Bouchard and a bunch of other random tennis shit.It's summertime and the livin' is easy. Enjoy the show!Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Wimbledon plans to add 39 more courts and 8,000 more annual visitors, residents of the surrounding London hamlet sue to prevent the tournament's expansion. How do we balance the needs of a world famous sporting event with long time residents' needs? And what to do with recent transplants who both love the tournament and also want it to always stay exactly as it is today? (We ignore them.)Also:ESPN coverage of Wimbledon seems staleJohn McEnroe won't bother pronouncing anyone's name correctlyStefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa break upTsitsipas' coach tells the media Tsitsipas needs to get his shit togetherGrigor Dmitrov's tragic injury retirement against Sinner ☹️Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michele describes Wimbledon the way some people describe Christmas: "the most wonderful time of the year". She's not entirely wrong! This week we run down some Wimbledon updates, some controversies and random thoughts about why Brits don't believe in room fans.Also:Bryan goes to Pride and his battery runs out at the after partyWhy Fahrenheit is a better way to measure air temperature than CelsiusA Wimbledon Final watch party under the Brooklyn BridgeSend us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On September 2, 1990, after attending the US Open, Brian Watkins and his family got on the subway at 53rd St. and 7th to go to dinner in the West Village. While waiting for the train, 8 teenagers allegedly attacked Watkins’ father with a boxcutter and kicked and attacked his mother. Brian intervened and was then stabbed in the chest by one of the teens. Brian died in the ambulance on his way to St. Vincent’s hospital, over 40 blocks away. Eight years later, the Giuliani administration settled with the family to the tune of $300,000 and the naming of the East River Park tennis facility for Brian. Life was cheap in 1990s New York.As the city chooses its next mayor, we reflect on that turbulent era, voters' grievances today, and how fear might lead us into the dark embrace of a Mayor Andrew Cuomo 😱Also,Jannik Sinner's bizarro new "single" with opera singer Andrea BocelliSakkari/Putinseva catfightAlexander Bublik tearing up the grass (and frightening other seeded players at Wimbledon)Marketa Vondrousova's weird tattooSend us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grass Season: players slipping and sliding! serve and volley winning matches! five weeks and then the Most Important Slam in Tennis (Wimbledon)!This time, Michele explains to Bryan some things! The grass surface, some grass history, the schedule and what it means for Wimbledon 2025.Also:Stefanos Tsitsipas' dumb newsletterThe Williams Sisters' dubious podcasting platformAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcastSend us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our dreams came true: Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open Men's Final and Coco Gauff won the Women's. But more than just winning, they demonstrated the intrinsic magic in how they move through the world. They bring joy wherever they go, they are on hero journeys and they uplift us all.Also, this is our first full episode we recorded on video! Bryan had Covid this week, so we had to record remotely, so why not put up an annoying video podcast with the bold letter captions and the rest of it?The video can be watched here: https://youtu.be/v-aYLGG_zXIAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak, Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at @perfectmatchpodcastSend us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.comAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.