This year, I ranked the top 128 players of the last 100 years. I wrote long-form essays about each one, which I’ve published over the last eleven months. You can see the introduction to the project here, jump into the middle with Helen Jacobs, or skip to the end and read about the greatest player … Continue reading Podcast Episode 116: Tennis 128 Wrap-Up
Jeff McFarland is the proprietor of the analytics site Hidden Game of Tennis, and like me, he has tried his hand at various mathematical approaches to rank the best players of all time, in both tennis and baseball. We start this jumbo episode by talking about Jim Courier–#107 on my Tennis 128 list–a player with … Continue reading Podcast Episode 115: Jeff McFarland on Jim Courier and GOAT Algorithms
Serbian-American writer Ana Mitrić joins me to discuss the latest entry in my Tennis 128, Goran Ivanišević. Ana was a Goran fan even before she took a broader interest in tennis, and she is particularly sensitive to how the breakup of the former Yugoslavia affected players on all sides of the conflict. We talk about … Continue reading Podcast Episode 114: Ana Mitrić on Goran Ivanišević and Tennis in the Former Yugoslavia
In 1973, New York Times reporter Grace Lichtenstein was approached to write a book, A Long Way, Baby, about the fledgling women’s professional tour. It turned out to be a pivotal season in the sport’s history, and the book concludes with an in-person account of the famous Battle of the Sexes match between Billie Jean … Continue reading Podcast Episode 113: Grace Lichtenstein on A Long Way, Baby and Women’s Tennis in 1973
In this episode, Tennis Abstract Podcast veteran Carl Bialik joins me to talk about 1970s women’s tennis. The occasion for the discussion is the 115th player on my Tennis 128 list, Rosie Casals, and we also (sort of) bring back the book club to talk about Grace Lichtenstein’s 1974 book, A Long Way, Baby: Behind … Continue reading Podcast Episode 112: Carl Bialik on Rosie Casals and A Long Way, Baby
Tim Böseler is a senior editor at Germany’s Tennis Magazin, where he writes about all things tennis. Tim joins me for the latest episode of the Tennis Abstract Podcast to talk about Michael Stich, the man ranked 123rd on my Tennis 128 list. We discuss the German tennis scene before Stich arrived, how Stich was … Continue reading Podcast Episode 111: Tim Böseler on Michael Stich and Serve-and-Volley Tennis
Long-time Tennis Abstract Podcast favorite Carl Bialik joins me to discuss player #127 on The Tennis 128, Stan Wawrinka. We consider how Wawrinka improved so late in his career, what role Magnus Norman played in the transformation, how good the backhand really is, how he might have fared in other eras, and much more. It’s … Continue reading Podcast Episode 110: Carl Bialik on Stan Wawrinka
The podcast returns for 2022 from a long layoff to welcome back Joe Posnanski, author of the Baseball 100 and many other wonderful books. Joe covers all sports on Substack, where you can subscribe, even if he doesn’t write about tennis as much as he ought to. We start by talking about all things Australian … Continue reading Podcast Episode 109: Joe Posnanski on the Australian Open and GOAT Lists
My latest episode features Gerry Marzorati, author of the new book Seeing Serena. You might also know him from the pages of The New York and Racquet magazine, as well as his earlier book, Late to the Ball. The book follows Serena Williams throughout the 2019 season as she seeks her first grand slam title … Continue reading Podcast Episode 108: Gerry Marzorati on Serena Williams and Tennis Coverage in the 21st Century
Episode 107 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, is our fourth book club episode, a discussion of Alvaro Enrigue’s novel, Sudden Death. The book is set around the year 1600, and a central feature is a real tennis match between the Italian painter Caravaggio and the Spanish poet … Continue reading Podcast Episode 107: Book Club: Sudden Death, by Alvaro Enrigue
Episode 106 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, is our recap of the Monte Carlo Masters, where Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal bowed out early, and Stefanos Tsitsipas showed us just how good a clay-courter he could be. We have lots of questions, and offer at least a … Continue reading Podcast Episode 106: Monte Carlo Simulations Aren’t As Good As the Real Thing The post Podcast Episode 106: Monte Carlo Simulations Aren’t As Good As the Real Thing appeared first on Heavy Topspin.
Episode 105 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, takes on the third pick of our book club, Arthur Ashe’s 1993 memoir, Days of Grace. The book gives us a chance to get inside the mind of one of the most important figures in tennis history. He was the … Continue reading Podcast Episode 105: Book Club: Days of Grace, by Arthur Ashe The post Podcast Episode 105: Book Club: Days of Grace, by Arthur Ashe appeared first on Heavy Topspin.
Episode 104 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, is our recap of the Miami Open, with a particular focus on the Italian teenager who reached the final there. Jannik Sinner has a relatively weak first serve, but seems to do everything else right. We talk about how to … Continue reading Podcast Episode 104: The Present and Future of Jannik Sinner The post Podcast Episode 104: The Present and Future of Jannik Sinner appeared first on Heavy Topspin.
This week’s episode features Katrina Adams, author of the new book Own the Arena: Getting Ahead, Making a Difference, and Succeeding as the Only One. As a former player, coach, and commentator, and as the first African American to serve as president of the USTA, Katrina has a unique perspective on the world of professional … Continue reading Podcast Episode 103: Katrina Adams on Role Models, Grassroots Development, and Tennis Governance The post Podcast Episode 103: Katrina Adams on Role Models, Grassroots Development, and Tennis Governance appeared first on Heavy Topspin.
Episode 102 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast welcomes back Erik Jonsson (@erktennis), previously heard on Episode 77 of the show in November of 2019. Erik is a longtime Challenger and prospect watcher, and he shares his thoughts on Lorenzo Musetti, Aslan Karatsev, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Sebastian Korda, and more. We talk about how to … Continue reading Podcast Episode 102: Erik Jonsson on the Rising Wave of Stars in Men’s Tennis The post Podcast Episode 102: Erik Jonsson on the Rising Wave of Stars in Men’s Tennis appeared first on Heavy Topspin.
This week’s guest is Larry Olmsted, author of the fascinating new book Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Understanding. Larry is on Twitter as @TravelFoodGuy, and you can find out more about the book at his site. While there’s not much tennis in the book, the topic should be of interest … Continue reading Podcast Episode 101: Author Larry Olmsted on the Benefits of Sports Fandom The post Podcast Episode 101: Author Larry Olmsted on the Benefits of Sports Fandom appeared first on Heavy Topspin.
Episode 100 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, celebrates our milestone 100th episode with a lightning-round mega-mailbag through 100 questions, many of them submitted by our listeners. The questions truly run the gamut of all things tennis, from our favorite players to watch, to the best umpires on … Continue reading Podcast Episode 100: 100 Questions for Episode 100 The post Podcast Episode 100: 100 Questions for Episode 100 appeared first on Heavy Topspin.
This week’s guest is Julie DiCaro, author of the new book Sidelined: Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America, which comes out on Tuesday. I learned a lot from reading her book, and recommend it to anyone who is interested in the problems with sports media and the struggles that women face in every … Continue reading Podcast Episode 99: Author Julie DiCaro on Serena Williams, Women in Sports, and the Limits of Sports Media The post Podcast Episode 99: Author Julie DiCaro on Serena Williams, Women in Sports, and the Limits of Sports Media appeared first on Heavy Topspin.
Episode 98 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik, of the Thirty Love podcast, recaps the second installment of our book club, on Couples, a 1968 novel by John Updike. Even though it came recommended as a “best tennis book,” Couples didn’t turn out to have much tennis in it at all. We talk … Continue reading Podcast Episode 98: Book Club: Couples, by John Updike
This week’s guest is Matt Futterman, reporter for the New York Times and author of Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed and Players: How Sports Became a Business. Matt, who spent 15 days in hotel quarantine so that he could cover the Australian Open, … Continue reading Podcast Episode 97: Matt Futterman on the Australian Open and Sports With Fans