Perfect Match?

Love, 15, 30, 40: Music to tennis fans' ears and seemingly more complicated than A.P. Calculus to non-tennis people. This week, we attempt to explain how to explain tennis scoring. Bryan takes particular joy in this exercise as a man who loves to explain things (they should have a word for that!). Can tennis scoring be explained, or must it be lived?Also,Elf and Polymarket are running the latest annoying Tennis Channel adsThe history and possible future of the tiebreak in tennisSend us your hot takes at [email protected] 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michele is out of town this week, which happens to also be Bisexual Awareness Week. I kept myself occupied by recording this short, (I believe) thoughtful essay on bisexuality. For all our bisexual listeners, you are awesome 💜Send us your hot takes at [email protected] 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Sunday, we had a Brodown: (Total Bro) Ben Shelton battled (Toxic Bro) Alexander Zverev, not for the title of Top Bro but for the adjacent title of 2026 US Open Men's Champion. This week we break down Bros in Tennis: the Total Bro, Partial Bro, Nouveau Bro, Not a Bro and Toxic Bro. We feel that these entirely made up categories of bro-dom are a useful framing device for Men's Tennis in 2026. Or are they?Also:Sabalenka is a sore loser at the US Open FinalTwo out gay male players compete in a final in a Challengers match for the first time 🏳️‍🌈And other stuff...Send us your hot takes at [email protected] 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this extended episode we talk about the emerging Gay Sports Romance genre and nerd out on behind-the-scenes library stuff with New York Public Library Senior Librarian and Cataloger Julia Lubey! How do books get tagged as Queer Fiction vs. Bisexual vs. Young Adult? What about The Open Era, which is perhaps all of the above?Also:Alcaraz' nipple slip shirt 👀Djokovic's mysterious long-COVID-like condition 🤢The USTA's decision to make the Open unaffordable 💰💰And more!Send us your hot takes at [email protected] 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US Open Fan Week: loud, crowded, disorganized, chaotic! But we got a chance to see Serena and Carlos play doubles as well as the return of the one and only Roger Federer. Michele refrained from putting them on the glass for Roger, and Bryan remained relatively sober despite spending ~$200 on booze. Only at the Open!Also,The Arthur Ashe stadium renovation that reflects the disappearing middle classZohran Mamdami shames the US Open into providing some more affordable ticketsThe book talk for Finding Renee Richards, the new autobiography of the only trans pro tennis player in history by Julie KliegmanSend us your hot takes at [email protected] 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.