Perfect Match?

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.

The US Open can no longer be trusted to police ticket scalpers. Within minutes of the 2025 US Open tickets going on sale, only reseller tickets were available at over double the face value. We've had enough!Luckily there is a bill working its way through the NY State Legislature that would ban this kind of naked profiteering off of event tickets. If you live in New York State, please contact your state Senator and tell them to support Senate Bill S8221, which would ban profits of over 25% on all event ticket resales. The NY State Senate website allows you to easily look up your state Senator and contact them directly. Rise up!Also:Soccer riots in ParisFrench Open highlightsSam Querry's (we know, who?) campaign to become a tennis commentatorMcEnroe brothers hate on BlueskyDavid Beckham and Matt Damon's stupid pickleball adAs 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.

Just prior to the French Open kicking off, the US Open announced a big plan to "reimagine" Arthur Ashe Stadium for the 21st Century. In a highly self-congratulatory post, the USTA laid out its plans to double the space for Courtside and Suite ticket holders ($$$) by removing seats from everybody else. But hey, they are adding a couple of bathrooms for the cheap seats. Does this align with their mission and the legacy of Billie Jean King for whom the Tennis Center is named? No, it does not. We gripe about this.AlsoHow to watch the French Open on TV (it's complicated, but doable)YouGov's poll of the most known and popular tennis players among AmericansSome American players' very provincial and hilarious takes on traveling in EuropeIf you are around this Saturday, May 31st, we are hosting a French Open Watch Party in Manhattan! Introduce yourself by leaving feedback at perfectmatchpodcast.com and come by!As 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.

The French Open is almost here, so we dug up our conversation with Katya Rogers, Executive Producer of WNYC's On The Media about the classic cinéma vérité movie The French. The conversation tackles the tough questions around the 1981 French Open, the 80s in general, athletes who smoked, and perhaps inappropriate girl crushes on much older men.Enjoy!Also, if you are in New York on May 31st, we are hosting our first ever Perfect Match? event at 30 Love in Manhattan. There will be food, a cash bar and lots of TVs showing the 3rd Round of the French Open. If you'd like to stop by, introduce yourself by leaving feedback at perfectmatchpodcast.com. See you there!As 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.

Common throughout Spain and the Middle East, sometimes a bunch of snacks constitutes dinner. Similarly, in podcasting you can throw together a bunch of loosely related tidbits and you have an episode. Particularly when your original topic kind of falls apart an hour before you want to start recording!We cover the new tennis-loving Pope, pay disparity at the Italian Open, formerly Russian player Daria Kasatkina gets some love from Ukrainians, Jim Courier is fed up with the Russian flag ban (bad take), Tsitsipas nonsense, and Michele's trip to Florida.Snack until you're full.-----Note: we are having a little French Open watch party on Saturday, May 31 from noon-4pm at 30 Love, the tennis-themed bar in Manhattan. Send us feedback at perfectmatchpodcast.com for more info.---------As 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.

We are still grieving our late, beloved cat Dusty, so we looked at how grief has affected professional tennis players at different moments in their careers. From Iga's recent loss of her grandfather tanking her run at the Madrid Open to Barbora Krejčíková's 2021 French Open title in tribute to her deceased coach Jana Novotna, death affects us all...and keeps affecting us.We are fully in the clay season ("playing in the dirt", as Jim Courier would put it), and certain players have taken their disputes over line calls to Instagram. This is kind of a problem! Also, Jannik Sinner is back in Rome, but at his request, he's been provided with a private locker room because some other players have said mean things about him. We don't think this will help!------As 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.

We are back to Alcaraz, specifically his (now fully released) 3-part DocuSeries about his grappling with the expectations around him versus his human need to enjoy life. Surprisingly personal and unexpectedly profound, My Way asks the big questions: How much do we owe those around us and what do we owe ourselves? Where do we set boundaries with those who are most invested in us? And so on...Also, T2 is bad and Bryan applies to be a ball person at the US Open.-----------------This episode is dedicated to Dusty, my beloved cat of 18 years who passed away last Wednesday. Michele and I will never forget you Dusty, and may you be fed whenever you want wherever you are...-----------------As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, 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.