The Body Serve

We never knew how much we’d miss “hola a todos” until it turned into an adiós. Rafael Nadal Parera ended his tennis career at this year’s Davis Cup, leaving with with 22 major singles titles, a Career Golden Slam, every clay record you can think of, and a litany of quotable moments. We’ve been Rafa fans since the early days, when they said he was a dirtballer whose body would force him into retirement in his 30s. But it turned out Rafa was nothing if not adaptable -- a rational thinker whose love for the game made him a global superstar and helped build two of the sport’s most enduring rivalries. In this episode, we’re less interested in a chronological retelling of his career than complicating some of the cliches about him and talking about our favorite moments, Rafa’s inimitable Rafa-isms, and what made Nadal an athlete like no other.     1:55 How we became fans 4:45 It’s not about stats, but here are some stats 10:00 Adaptability: the key to understanding Rafa as an athlete? 12:55 A quick career recap - the notable eras 32:35 Rafa as sufferer  37:30 Fedal & Rafole: the cliches eventually fell away 43:45 Rafa as sex symbol  52:05 (Not) talking about the GOAT conversation 62:25 Our favorite Rafa moments: the 2022 Australian Open was a gift 65:40 Rafa-isms : if if if …

Finally our 2024 season is coming to a close! Although bonus December content is coming soon, we finish regular coverage by wrapping the ATP season: it was basically the proof that Jannik Sinner’s late-2023 rise was for real, and that he and Carlos have taken the reins of the (mostly) post-Big 4 ATP. Just like the women’s wrap, we’ll take you through the events of the 2024 season, evaluate our picks for 2024 breakout players, and choose our ATP Award winners. We finish up with your memorable/funny/enraging moments (“do you want to change the lady?,” Indian Wells bee attack) and the many players saying goodbye to the sport.  GoFundMe   3:10 Where were we at the beginning of 2024? 10:30 Starting in Australia: Sinner risen 16:30 Clay: Rafa’s brief return, Watergate, and Carlos’ apology-fist pump-championship pipeline 22:20 Channel Slam and Novak’s white whale 29:20 Rafa’s retirement at Davis Cup 37:55 Off-court “drama”  41:55 Our 2024 breakout players + thoughts on the ATP Awards 50:00 What will you remember? Bees. 53:25 Moments that pissed you off / made you laugh (sometimes both) 57:55 A ton of retirements this year, even beyond the big names

We were soooo close to wrapping this season, but we’ll always change the schedule for a doping story. The news of Iga Swiatek testing positive for a banned substance provoked shock, confusion, and even resignation among tennis watchers who are, by the day, becoming more versed on the fine details of doping cases. Our immediate questions were: Is the story plausible? Why is the suspension broken into pieces? When should news like this be made public? As always, we like to dive into the report itself, making sure we’ve got the facts straight before offering any hot takes. Later, we try to answer a few of our own questions, touching on player reactions and the danger of comparing one case to another.  1:35 GoFundMe Update 3:25 Iga Swiatek tests positive for trimetazidine in Cincinnati, gets a 1-month non-consecutive suspension 9:05 A timeline to make sense of things 13:10 Iga’s team sends a boatload of evidence to the ITIA 17:30 What’s the difference between No Fault or Negligence and No Significant Fault of Negligence? 31:30 Public disclosure: balancing a player’s privacy with building transparency and trust  36:05 Tara Moore has a more legitimate beef than most  42:30 Simona said this case is identical to hers (it is not)  

This year in women’s tennis, the top tier took further steps to entrench themselves but the WTA retained its signature depth. Sabalenka, Swiatek, and surprise – Krejcikova – added majors to their hauls; Paolini and Zheng broke out in a big way; and Gauff managed to rewrite her season in the fall. We’ll take you through the highlights, the comebacks, the ‘remember whens,’ and moments both infuriating and hilarious. As usual, we also choose our WTA Award winners and do a self-assessment on our 2024 WTA breakout picks. Thanks for a great WTA season! 0:55 Launching our crowdfunding campaign! 3:00 The season’s major themes: Steadiness at the top (+ Babs!), the Zheng and Paolini breakthroughs, Coco’s two seasons, and many comebacks of varying success 12:20 Picture it: Australia, January 2024 17:20 Danielle makes a career-best run, Iga dominates clay 26:25 Babs snatches Wimbledon, Zheng ascendant 33:20 Aryna bookends her year at the US Open 38:30 Our choices for the 2024 WTA Awards 44:10 How did our 2024 breakout picks do? 47:55 Your most memorable moments: our listeners love Jasmine 50:55 Moments that pissed you off and moments that made you laugh: Babs and Qinwen keeping the girlies entertained   64:35 Farewells and farewells for now

Coco writes a new story to end her year -- beating the bad season allegations, as she said -- by taking out Swiatek, Sabalenka, and finally Zheng Qinwen to win the WTA Finals. (Barbie K tried to shake the table, as usual.) In Turin, Jannik Sinner showed that anything you can do, he can do better. He won his first year-end title and notched a 70-win season, the first since 2016. After that, we talk about the retirement of legendary umpire Carlos Bernardes, Frances Tiafoe’s big fine, Jon Wertheim’s hot mic incident, and more. 0:30 Housekeeping: a transition to BlueSky? 6:40 Coco beats the bad season allegations! 19:55 Barbora Krejcikova will f*** it up if you invite her (respectfully) 24:45 ATP Finals: starting with the group photo 29:55 Nice job, Taylor! But Sinner does it better 41:35 #NameTheTennisPlayer is back! 45:15 Umpire Carlos Bernardes retires from tennis 48:00 Wertheim’s hot mic moment  53:15 Tiafoe fined $120,000 for tirade 

The top women descend upon Riyadh, the photoshoot is a smash, and #1 Sabalenka sails into the semis. There are still questions around this business decision, and players have varying success in answering them. Paris, as always, suffers from late-season malaise, and the ATP Finals qualifiers start to firm up (almost), but we wonder about the value of grinding it out this late in the season. Plus, lot of et ceteras, including: Dev Patel is the next Zendaya(!), and off-court coaching is no longer a trial but still a tribulation (heh).  0:30 And another thing about Sinner 2:55 Some meta-commentary on the show and getting older and less stan-oriented  8:15 The WTA Finals looks: great job everybody! 16:10 Players answer inevitable questions on Saudi Arabia, some better than others 26:35 If a tree falls in Paris 38:10 ATP Finals qualifications: not many scenarios are left 44:55 WTA results: Shnaider wins #4 of the year and Somnez enters the top 100  47:05 Sloane on protecting your peace 52:20 Et ceteras: Diego Forlan to play pro tennis, the incomparable Dev Patel to make a tennis movie 57:20 Off-court coaching is now the law

These October episodes are always all over the place. The tours are sputtering toward a finish as players are vying for the final spots in the year-end tournaments or securing their ranking for next season. We talk about the Six Kings Slam, its strange and corny happenings, and the Saudi efforts to diversify their economy with sports and entertainment. We go through some recent results -- Dasha back in the top 10! -- plus we discuss the Hall of Fame vote that inducted Sharapova, peruse the slightly confusing WTA ranking rules, and honor Dominic Thiem’s great career.  1:00 Does Saudi Arabia even need to sportswash at this point?  12:20 Results: Stan isn't going, Dasha back at #9, second titles for Draper and Mpetshi  18:35 What’s left this season, and who’s in the running for an ATP Finals spot? 25:15 Danielle Collins is in fact not retiring this year 31:20 Sharapova inducted into the Hall of Fame: a test for voters  42:45 Dominic Thiem retires 48:10 Aryna back at #1: arguments over ranking math

Autumn is supposed to be relatively quiet in tennis, no? Well, in the past week or so, Rafa announced his retirement, CAS released the full decision on Simona Halep's doping case, WADA appealed Jannik Sinner’s No Fault or Negligence ruling to CAS, and one of the most successful coaching pairings of the decade ended. We’ll take you through some key points of the Halep case, including how and why her suspension was so drastically reduced, and some learnings that might help us better understand the Sinner case. We cover the wave of cranky baby behavior in Shanghai, including Frances’ outburst and how it reads in comparison to similar behavior from his colleagues. Plus, Sabalenka nears no. 1 again, Coco resets, and why the continued whispers about Zheng’s personality aren’t sitting right with us. 2:05 Rafa says ‘Adiós a todos’ 8:20 CAS finally releases the full decision on the Halep case 23:05 WADA appeals the Sinner decision - what have we learned from the Halep case and others? 32:15 It’s pissy cranky season 40:50 A few WTA players play stupid games, win stupid prizes  43:55 Why is Qinwen becoming public enemy no. 1?  52:30 Coco said “what crisis?” 55:25 Iga splits with Wiktorowski

Welcome to part two of our mailbag! We’re kicking things off with our review of Serena in the Arena (at long last). We can’t help but compare some of the things we’ve said about Serena’s career over the years with how Serena described those events in her own words. Like you all, we noticed a few notable omissions from the series, and a few things that were conveniently glossed over. Spoiler: we enjoyed it. We spend the rest of the episodes sifting through the remainder of your submissions. Hope y’all enjoy!  00:52 Serena in the Arena, at last  22:54 How would we schedule the tennis calendar?     35:02 James grinds his Madrid axe, goes to bat for USO Series 40:25 Giving some grace to non-English speakers in pressers 45:47 The tennis opinion we disagree on most 52:51 Ramblings on the where we see the sport in the next few years 59:30 The prerequisite update on our Bravo TV watching habits

Tennis is a famously exclusive sport. So which forces and institutions determine who gets access? Who’s guarding the gates, and what’s the criteria for entry? In this episode, which is co-produced by Sheriece Matias Dick, we start to explore the barriers to entering tennis, the various paths into the sport, and how the gatekeeping institutions of tennis have jockeyed for power through the profound economic and cultural changes of the past 140 years. After exploring a few players’ journeys into pro tennis, we look into the founding ethos of the sport -- “gentlemanly amateurism” -- and how that obsession with status permeated the sport even as it became more accessible to working class people. Finally, we land in the present day, where the seat of power has shifted from aristocratic patrons to the corporate sponsor, with their own standards of conduct, inclusion, and ‘class.’ 0:30 What is gatekeeping and how does it relate to tennis? 9:40 Various routes to becoming a pro tennis player 12:25 Comparing Tiafoe and Fritz 23:05 Tennis’ “working class champions”: various paths to the pro level 30:20 The financial barriers for kids entering tennis 36:50 Tennis as an activity for the leisure class 41:45 Code of etiquette: a surprisingly durable way to police the gate and perform class status  48:30 The Open Era democratizes tennis, sort of 51:45 The new tennis economy: broadcasting rights, sponsorships, and the invention of the branded tennis celebrity 57:35 Connors, McEnroe, and their very American “class struggle” 65:00 From patron to sponsor

It’s the first day of fall, the players are burnt out, and instead of following Laver Cup we’re doing a mailbag. Your questions gave us enough to yap about over two separate episodes, which we’ll release over the next few weeks in addition to something else we’ve been cooking. We talk about Naomi’s surprising coaching changeup; trying to find joy in a sport after it’s presented you a tough ethical dilemma; Coco and Brad’s split; our favorite players who never really jumped off; and a lot more. 01:55 Naomi's coaching change 08:40 ‘Coco crisis’ or out of control expectations? 14:30 How would you conduct your social media profiles if you were a famous tennis player? 20:30 Facing an ethical dilemma in following men’s tennis 35:05 Vee as coach? 41:45 Our walk-out music  44:50 Who are some players late in their careers who you thought would break into the top but never really did? Who were you excited to follow but they didn’t reach their full potential?

The final major of the year is over and the champions are the same as in January: Aryna Sabalenka stakes her claim as hardcourt queen while Jannik Sinner dominates mere days after being cleared in an anti-doping case. We recap some of our highlights from week two, which had a ton of potential but didn’t deliver many (any?) classics. We dig into why disliking billionaires is actually totally fine; conflicts of interest and their sometimes humorous results; online mean girl/mean boy behavior from some famous commentators; and more observations from the site. We finish up with a look at commentator Nick Kyrgios and the complacency that led broadcasters, journalists, and commentators to excuse his misogyny; plus the ongoing lawsuit over Ben Rothenberg’s reporting on the Zverev abuse allegations.       0:35 Not the most brilliant three weeks of tennis in history but OK! 3:00 The women’s final was fun! Aryna Sabalenka bookends her year with hardcourt Slams 7:35 Billionaires, they’re just like us! 14:45 Notable week two matches: Navarro d. Badosa; Zheng d. Vekic; Aryna evolving into the most consistent Slam player on tour 19:00 Rennae cooks coach/commentator Brad Gilbert on air, and why that’s totally fine  26:55 An unseasoned final  30:50 The American narrative + Frances Tiafoe getting so close again 44:50 Penko a first-time Slam doubles winner; Taylor/Katka, Mladenovic/Zhang, D. Young 52:10 “Little grim reapers” and a few more observations from the grounds 63:40 ESPN commentators discover player name pronunciations and immediately get mean about it 71:10 Nick Kyrgios, misogyny, and the insider hypocrisy that protects him 79:45 Ben Rothenberg appeals a lawsuit from Alexander Zverev + its broader implications for journalism

Jonathan is back from New York after attending the first three days of the US Open. James quizzes him on the record crowds, the heat, where to find the frozen Honey Deuce, the tennis, and his advice for navigating the grounds. We chat about Naomi’s divisive kit, Adidas’ misstep, and of course the cornrow epidemic. Right, and there was tennis being played, too – Novak & Carlos crash out, the men’s draw could see a real breakthrough (or not), and Paolini and Gauff win for Slam consistency this year.    1:50 The crowds: eased by free movement during matches 11:10 Experiences from the grounds: the heat, Taylor Townsend, Ngounoue/Tien 19:55 Searching for the frozen Honey Deuce 28:55 A Manhattan girlie now  30:55 It’s called fashion: Ruffles and bows 39:50 The screaming follicles 42:50 First week highlights: Tiafoe d. Shelton, Muchova reminds everyone what she can do 54:30 Alcaraz and Djokovic both out before the second week 60:20 Women’s draw chugs along as top seeds remain 72:37 Men’s draw: even with the upheaval, the title could still go to the world #1

The US Open is around the corner, but you know what we really want to talk about: the news of Jannik Sinner’s positive doping tests, the lifted suspensions, and the hearing that cleared his name five months later, all before we heard a single peep on the subject. We take you through the facts of the case, the questions around transparency and the perception of fairness, and the privilege of having the means to mount a case and a spokesperson like Darren Cahill on your side. We end with our US Open draw previews: Sabalenka in great position, OsakaPenko, a soft landing for Novak, a tricky quarter for Carlos and a test for Iga. 2:25 But first, the Cincy results 4:10 Yevgeny, calm down 7:05 Frances’ middle finger 11:05 Sinner v. ITIA: the facts 23:10 What does No Fault or Negligence mean? 33:30 “One-billionth of a gram” + the privilege of great PR 47:50 Women’s draw preview: a quartet of cursed women’s 1st rounds 59:25 Men’s draw preview: Jannik, Carlos, and Daniil will have to battle it out on the top half

We asked for questions and you sent us so many great ones, many of which cover some of the major topics o’ the day, including the recent rule enforcement controversies and the groundswell of support for video replay. (Basically, video replay needs to happen and it will happen, but it won’t fix everything!) Beyond just the topical, we've got Olympics memories, favorite cake, a few great Coco questions, and the contradiction of having fewer and fewer opinions in a hot take-driven medium. Let’s have some fun before the US Open gets underway next week! 01:30 Which non-Slam event would you have liked to attend?  06:30 Jamaican sprinting and our all-time dream 4x100 relay team 12:20 “What is the most objectively polarizing tennis topic that you have zero opinion on?” 20:25 Video replay: yes, we need it but it won’t fix everything 28:20 The FAA-Draper incident that launched a thousand opinions 38:40 Cleansing the palate from the above question … Favorite cake and favorite episodes (of our own) 42:00 The WTA matching ATP’s prize money: a moving target? 48:00 Toronto vs Cincinnati 52:00 “Coco crisis” or just alarmism? 62:05 WAGs and HABs 67:00 Favorite Olympics moments

Since we last spoke, the entire Olympic tennis tournament and the Canadian Open came and went. Our coverage isn’t comprehensive but more of a riff on the most interesting bits to us. We devote a good chunk of time to the tennis world’s incursions into the “gender controversy” involving Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif, including ugly, often defamatory statements by tennis legends and one current player (the latter being the only one to retract). We bounce over to Canada for some disjointed thoughts on the National Bank Open and finally touch on the end of an era, the dissolution of the stormy Stefanos-Apostolos working relationship.    01:15 The Jamaican Olympic tragedy 11:00 Tennis at the Olympics: Novak, Zheng, Nadalcaraz  23:00 The myth of the badly behaved American trio (it's not a trio) 33:25 Andy Murray’s last dance 34:54 Tennis covers itself in shame during the Imane Khelif “gender controversy” 51:35 Policing women’s bodies is not liberation, it’s more of the same 56:25 Random Canadian Open thoughts  67:30 Shapovalov defaulted 70:35 Stef and Dad break up

We’re celebrating our 350th episode - thanks to all of you for sticking around and pushing us forward for all these years! On this episode, we’re sharing thoughts on the Olympics opening ceremony and the spotlight on tennis royalty; the Olympics tennis draws, rocked by withdrawals and the unique Olympic qualification rules; and the post-Wimbledon clay/grass season. Rafa reached the Bastad final plus, in Hamburg, Arthur Fils matched That Guy’s energy, saved 21/22 break points, and snatched the title in front of a hostile crowd (and opponent). 0:30 A milestone! 3:15 Back on clay: Shnaider’s very good year, Rafa plays a few epics in Bastad 9:40 Newport and the ATP’s hygiene problem 19:10 Hamburg: underarm serves and the tears of a clown 26:50 Tennis Channel debuts a Zverev brother podcast … because why wouldn’t they 28:55 Update from Halep, but where is the CAS report? 31:30 Olympics opening ceremony: Booty siblings together again! 45:00 Olympic tennis: retirement fatigue + late withdrawals are wreaking havoc on the already weird draws

So rarely does a championship weekend feel this great. The widely adored Babs Krejcikova has done it again, this time winning the Wimbledon title amidst an injury-plagued year. It’s her 12th major title across all disciplines. Carlos Alcaraz is now the youngest male Channel Slam winner, sweeping past 7-time champion Djokovic in a rematch of last year’s final. In more good news, Taylor Townsend claims her first major title and Sinikova and Hsieh add to their impressive resumes. Plus, we chat about some extraneous stuff, as usual, like Medvedev’s near-default, Djokovic’s lecture to the crowd, and the “4 the girls” controversy.  2:55 This time, the tougher roads resulted in titles 7:40 Babs is a big match player 24:00 The men’s tournament: where’s the rest of the field? 26:50 Men’s final: all Carlos 37:25 Fritz, Riddle, and That Guy: 4 the girls? 44:55 I know all the tricks 53:15 Medvedev narrowly avoids a default in the semis 56:50 Doubles: Townsend is now a Slam winner! Siniakova & Hsieh add to their historic hauls

We made it to Middle Sunday at Wimbledon! (Well, not all of us.) The bottom half of the women’s draw is guaranteed to see a surprising finalist; in the top half, slightly more order prevails, even after the dismissals of Swiatek and Jabeur. The men’s draw is proceeding mostly as expected on the top half, while the bottom has seen the rapid rise of Perricard, the precarious state of Djokovic's repaired knee, and a slightly spicy beef between Taylor Fritz and Arthur Rinderknech. We also witnessed the last of Andy Murray at Wimbledon, featuring a moving tribute, a singles withdrawal, and mother Judy getting into a self-inflicted internet scrape. 1:00 Early upsets set up a very interesting and unexpected women’s bottom half 10:10 Navarro knocks out Gauff  18:55 Iga and Ons out within 20 minutes of each other  29:50 The return of Caroline Wozniacki, Esq. 35:50 Andy Murray’s last dance at Wimbledon 41:10 AstonishGate 47:25 Stefanos was just here for the *filmmaking*, not the tradwife content 50:40 Have a nice flight home  53:25 Men’s results: top half going to form, bottom's a little messy

The year's third major is upon us as we face the first Williams-less Wimbledon in 28 years <sob>. Novak is back from knee surgery and sheltered from world #1 Sinner and defending champion Alcaraz, who share a balanced but tricky top half. Iga’s draw has done her no favors, but some of the grass stalwarts are questionable, including Rybakina, Vondrousova, and the injured Sabalenka. And buckle up, because early on we’ll be treated to the Your Behavior Is Terrible classic, featuring Steve Carell and Lil’ Wayne’s favorite tennis player. 0:35 The end of the Williams Wimbledon Era 3:20 This week’s results: Dasha, Shnaider, Tabilo, T. Fritz 9:20 Injury updates: Andy Murray intent on playing, Sabalenka dealing with shoulder problem 20:00 Men’s draw: Sinner’s tough draw, a potential Paul Rudd matchup  32:15 Men’s bottom half: Djokovic, Hubert, de Minaur + a messy third quarter  39:35 Women's draw: Iga in peril or does the draw not matter?  50:15 Women’s bottom half hinges on Sabalenka’s health