Cheeky Volley

Kabir Mehta & Alexander Levine

Cheeky Volley is a tennis and culture podcast.

Cheeky Volley is hosted and produced by Kabir Mehta and Alexander Levine, who met playing tennis in college.

Kabir's intimate knowledge of the sport is filtered through his childhood in Miami, where each year he ball-boyed for the world’s top-ranked men and women at the Miami Open—Federer, Serena, Roddick, Agassi to name a few.

Alex will dive deep into the recesses of Kabir's extensive tennis knowledge and offer a few opinions of his own developed during a lifetime of playing and watching tennis.

*Sponsor references are purely cheeky satire.

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20 episodes
Updated Dec 24, 2024

Episodes20

Newest first

Dec 24, 2024 · 49 min
Episode 33: 2024 Festivus Special
In this annual kick serve of grievances, we lob our frustrations on the state of men's tennis fashion, discuss how tennis is becoming a victim of its own mainstream success, and consider whether adding scarcity to the ATP calendar could save the sport.
Jul 17, 2023 · 35 min
Episode 32: 2023 Wimbledon Men's Final Recap
Ahead of the US market open and an over subscribed order book for NYSE: CVOL, we recap a brilliant performance from Carlitos Alcaraz, who overcame a copious amount of dark energy to win his first Wimbledon. We also discuss what this victory means for both Cheeky Charlie and Novak and look ahead to the North American hard court swing.
Jul 13, 2023 · 50 min
Episode 31: 2023 Wimbledon Men's Semifinal Preview
Cheeky cheeky... live from DC, London, & Houston, we breakdown the matchups of the big 4, discuss Sinner's grass court game, and offer an alternative way of assessing ATP performance and prospects. The tier system© is a probability-based ranking system that more accurately demonstrates the odds of player success in meaningful tournaments. Unlike the ATP points system, the tier approach© buckets players by who we expect to win, who we are not shocked by when they do win, and who require low likelihood outcomes to lift big trophies.
Feb 6, 2023 · 35 min
Episode 30, Part 2: The Year Ahead
Brad Gilbert comes on for part two – totally kidding, but that would be chill #WinningUgly In the aftermath of the Aussie Open, there is more to discuss than just Novak’s dominance. What did this tournament mean for Rafa’s future? The rebirth of American Tennis? Is it time to sell stock of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz? Listen, like, share, and hit that underarm serve.
Jan 29, 2023 · 47 min
Episode 30, Part 1: 2023 Australian Open Men's Recap
22 and counting. Novak wins his 10th Australian Open in a historically dominant grand slam run, dropping one set, and wiping the court with the likes of Andrey Rublev, Alex de Minaur and, finally, Stefanos Tsitsipas. This episode dives deep into the historical context of Novak’s victory and whether or not he is the GOAT. We discuss what type of statistical model could determine true GOAT status, moving away from emotion and oral histories to something more objective and rigorous. Listen, like, share, and stay cheeky m8s.
Jan 15, 2023 · 1 hr 17 min
Episode 29: 2023 Australian Open Men's Preview
Sam Bankman-Fried's last chance to save himself is by an all-in NFT/Crypto Web3 play on Carlos Alcaraz to win the Australian Open 2023 in straight sets. Oh snap Sam – Carlitos is hurt, he tore the same semimembranosus muscle you thought you felt for that one moment whilst playing kickball in Palo Alto as a tween. There is still an even safer play for you my friend. Novak is back and Cheeky Volley will share with you and our multinational following AO ATP predictions, first round matchups to watch, value bets, and what the outlook is for the ATP tour in 2023. Stats, analysis, banter, and even a guest appearance by Novak Djokovic’s father graces this episode. You know the drill. Go in peace my friends.
Jul 12, 2021 · 22 min
Episode 28: 2021 Wimbledon Men's Final Recap
Tune in for a cheeky recap of the Wimbledon Men's Final, where a pasta fuelled Berrettini was no match for a gluten free Djokovic! Bonus: what's next for Federer? Back to Basel for a life of skiing and chocolate, or to NYC for one final shot at the US Open?
Jun 13, 2021 · 33 min
Episode 27: 2021 Roland Garros Men's Final Preview
Cheeky Volley is back with Episode 27! Kabir and Asher break down Djokovic vs. Nadal, which was one of the greatest and most consequential matches in tennis history, and then preview the men's final. Will Novak be uninterrupted in his quest for GOAT status, or will Tsitsipas finally usher in the ATP Tour's next gen? Tune in to find out m888s!
Feb 20, 2021 · 31 min
Robbie Koenig 2021 Australian Open Men’s Finals Preview: The Cheeky Mongoose
Daniil Medvedev is unfazed by this moment — he does not care what anyone thinks, and he feels pretty “ehh” about Cheeky Volley — even if they feature the Shakespeare of Tennis commentating — the legendary Robbie Koenig! Somewhere between an epiphany during a car ride in upstate New York with his coach/trainer Gilles Cervara, and his pursuit of applied economics and commerce at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Medvedev has cladded himself with cold blood and an unapologetic will to win. Will Novak achieve his 18th Grand Slam title? Or, will the wiry and aloof Moscovite establish that the new guard has finally arrived? Tune in to hear more from Cheeky Volley and to experience Koenig’s unparalleled enthusiasm for the sport of tennis.
Feb 8, 2021 · 1 hr 19 min
Episode 25: 2021 Australian Open Men's Preview
After weeks of winter training for the ATP Challenger Tour in Monte Carlo, Kabir, Brett and Asher return to the Cheeky Volley Notting Hill Studio for Episode 25. They call up Tom Perfrement to discuss the state of Aussie tennis, Tom's cheeky junior match against Nick Kyrgios, Kyrgios' municipal bond portfolio and the men's draw. Should Brett switch from Yonex to Tecnifibre...? Cheers m8s!
Oct 10, 2020 · 32 min
Episode 24: Roland Garros Men's Final Preview
What can we say, it has been a cheeky year. The French Open is occurring during the Parisian fall, at limited capacity. Yet still, nothing’s really changed — it’s Rafa, it’s Novak, it’s not Zverev, and it’s not Jannik Sinner... not yet at least. The same sitcom is playing this year — Kramer bursts in to mooch some cereal from Jerry, just like Novak performing a near split to stretch for a backhand in a long physical rally with a trophy and a grand slam purse on the line. You have come to expect it, haven’t you? This episode is quick and dirty, like red clay spraying up as Rafa slides and finishes a buggy-whip. Cheers m8s, - m88888s
Sep 11, 2020 · 44 min
Episode 23: 2020 US Open
After their summer on the ATP Challenger Tour, Kabir and Asher call up Brett and discuss (i) this year’s court speed; (ii) winners and losers thus far; (iii) the men’s semi-finals; (iv) the women’s final; (v) Djokovic’s series of unfortunate events and (vi) Mike Levine’s new Yonex racquet.
Feb 4, 2020 · 31 min
Episode 22: 2020 Australian Open Recap
In Episode 22, we (i) analyze Djokovic v. Thiem, (ii) review the performance of Kyrgios, Zverev, and Federer, and (iii) revisit the GOAT discussion...
Jan 19, 2020 · 37 min
Episode 21: 2020 Australian Open Preview
2020 Australian Open Preview
Dec 30, 2019 · 39 min
Episode 20: Cheeky Reminiscing - the 2010s
Roger Federer has how many titles? 20. Cheeky Volley has how many episodes? 20! As the ATP Tour enters a new decade — the 2020s — we highlight major storylines of the 2010s and recap the last half of 2019. As we reminisce on the major plot threads of the last decade, we consider: Novak’s dominance, the resurgence of Roger, the Next Gen’s struggle to change the guard, the rise of Uniqlo and much more! Tune in for dynamic coverage of ten years of magical tennis and even some cheeky tennis trivia. Seinfeld episode in focus: The Yada Yada. If you know where Brett is, please email us at cheekyvolley@gmail.com
Aug 28, 2019 · 44 min
Episode 16: Requiem for a Bojic
In our first interview, we call up Stefan Bojic, who is renowned across the tennis world for his improvisations on the court. By creatively choreographing free style manipulations of the tennis ball and trick shots, Stefan has gained respect from the best players in the world, including Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Damir Džumhur, and many others. His approach to practicing and spreading the sport moves away from the traditional mechanistic teaching of stroke production, to a wholistic feel based method. The ingenuity of these ideas should not be lost amidst the humour and entertainment that his videos provide!
Aug 26, 2019 · 40 min
Episode 15: US Open Preview
Cheeky Volley turns 1-year old as we look forward to US Open 2019. The air is a bit colder this time around, a stark change from last summer’s oppressive heat and the infamous small black fan; do the impending fall breezes suggest a changing of the guard? Indeed, Medvedev has ruthlessly cut down ATP giants all summer long. However, time and again the big three let us know they are more relevant than ever — Novak is poised as could be to continue his tear that began in mid-2018. Asher and Kabir sit down to preview the US Open, relevant ATP storylines, and discuss their bets this time around.
Jul 23, 2019 · 1 min
Episode 14: "A letter to my son, Novak"
The following audio monologue was sent from Srđan Djokovic to his son after the 2019 Wimbledon Final. This content is obviously a satire.
Jul 16, 2019 · 1 hr 17 min
Episode 13: Federer-Djokovic Wimbledon Final Recap: 13-12 in the 5th set / Embrace the Darkness
This episode is comprised of the following segments: Part 1: Set-by-set recap (1:42) Part 2: Interview with a mate who attended the match! (26:18) Part 3: Regarding all-time greatest matches, where does this stack up? (51:43) Part 4: A post-match letter from Novak’s father (Srđan Djokovic) to Novak, titled “A Letter to My Son” (1:15:09)
Jul 13, 2019 · 49 min
Episode 12: Wimbledon Men's Semifinal Recap and Finals Preview
The Wimbledon final is set, and Kabir has already made sure his strawberries are ripe and his cream is whipped. Alex, Asher, Kabir, and special guest Dave Pratt recap the 40th edition of Federer vs. Nadal, and preview Djokovic vs. Roberto “Robbie Batts / Bobby Bacala” Bautista Agut. We look back at the road to the semis and finals for the big three and make our picks for the finals. Bonuses: thoughts on Kyrgios vs. Nadal; Dave discusses David Foster Wallace's 2006 profile of Federer; Alex’s tennis shoe crisis, and Asher breaks down the great India-Pak Mango Debate.