The Body Serve

The Body Serve Tennis Podcast

Tennis podcast featuring casual, semi-respectable conversations about the ATP & WTA.

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300 episodes
Updated Tuesday
Explicit

Episodes300

Newest first

Tuesday · 1 hr 8 min
This Is Not a Test
The WTA recently announced that it will require all athletes who wish to compete to undergo a genetic cheek swab test to “prove” they are indeed a woman. This follows the IOC’s policy announcement from earlier this year, which itself followed a Trump executive order ahead of the 2028 Olympics. It exists within the larger context of anti-trans legislation and the inescapable language of “protection.” We spend the first half of the episode trying to understand the policy and what has prompted it; the historic context; the broader movement to bar trans women from women’s sport and, in some cases, to delegitimize trans identity altogether; and what the current science tells us. Later, we attempt to decipher the barely-followable PTPA infighting and who’s fighting for what. We also touch on some tennis results, wedding season, a doping story and a match fixing story, and finally the recently announced US Open mixed doubles pairings. 02:00 The WTA’s newest “Women’s Eligibility Policy” 08:45 What happens when someone’s gender becomes a matter of public speculation 24:30 What the current science tells us 31:00 Will the real PTPA please stand up? 39:10 A lesbian wedding! 46:05 Facundo Bagnis: before he speaks his vitamins bespoke 50:25 Speeding through recent results 56:25 US Open mixed doubles teams: subject to change (hopefully)
July 14 · 51 min
Listen, Linda
Linda Noskova is your Wimbledon champion, the 3rd Czech woman in 4 years! Her imposing power, resilience, and capable hands pushed her past Karolina Muchova, who managed to save 5 championship points in the second set but couldn’t stem the tide. Jannik Sinner defends his title, rarely summoning his best but doing enough to beat an inspired That Guy and prevent what would have been a cursed and vexatious Channel Slam. In doubles, Patten takes aim at the ATP in his victory speech, Ostapenko gets blamed for something she didn’t do (for once), and Guo/Mladenovic knock out the top seeds and eventually win the title. We also chat about Czech tennis history and the everlasting effort to identify why they’re so good, plus the decades-long saga of the All England Club’s plans to expand its site and what still stands in the way. 0:40 Linda Noskova wins Wimbledon at 21 7:45 My ex-friend 10:15 Other notes from women’s second week: Gauff-Muchova and more 16:55 What’s the deal with Czech tennis? 23:00 Jannik Sinner averts disaster, but the Monster has already been created 34:35 What’s next for Novak? 38:35 Henry Patten takes on the ATP + other doubles results 44:45 Wimbledon expansion: locals say Not On My Church Road
July 7 · 1 hr 2 min
Who's the Dumb B*tch Now?
Checking in as we face week two of Wimbledon: 6 of the top 8 women are out, including the #1 and last year’s finalists, but we’re left with a surging Coco Gauff, a Linda Noskova ready to break out (again), a healthy Karolina Muchova, and a Naomi Osaka who’s trying to shed the hard court specialist mantle. On the men’s side, Sinner and Djokovic are on a crash course, our faves Felix and Alejandro are beefing (hopefully briefly), and Grisha breaks our hearts. We spend some time on Serena’s comeback, which has, predictably, opened old wounds and reawakened old trolls. Overall, what do we make of her performance, and what do we hope for her presumed next stop? Spare a thought for Auntie Venus, who just wants to play some doubles. 2:05 The quarterfinal match-ups 7:25 Grass is an outlier 13:50 Notes on the women’s draw: Naomi stuns Aryna 22:30 Coco wins under the buzzer 28:30 Serena’s comeback 42:00 Men’s tournament: don’t trust the Sinner flop allegations; a “pretty match” 48:40 Our faves were fighting 54:50 Zeynep Sonmez’s loophole 58:10 Player protest starts then stops
June 27 · 48 min
Who Will Fill It?
The 2026 Wimbledon tournament kicks off Monday, and along with it comes the disorienting experience of seeing the name Serena Williams in a singles draw again. Expectations are all over the place as she opens against the Australian Maya Joint. More broadly, the women’s draw is anyone’s guess, as the top players come in with less than optimal preparation but plenty of experience. On the men’s side, former world #4 Jack Draper breaks out of the injury asylum only to see Taylor Fritz in the first round. Sinner looks to be the prohibitive favorite with a very small second tier – Djokovic, Fritz, Shelton, and? – fighting for a shot. 1:45 This week’s results: Draper is back, Naomi in her first grass final 5:15 Notable qualifiers and not-qualifiers 7:30 Women’s draw: “tough draws” fall apart all the time (solace for Iga fans?) 23:05 Men’s draw: Sinnerstan 39:15 The most random et ceteras and one big lie
June 23 · 56 min
Guess Who's Back
Grass season is about halfway done, and I don’t know what’s going on with the WTA (wishing them luck). Big results for Noskova – who just debuted in the top 10 – plus Robin Montgomery, Ben Shelton, Donna Vekic, and the Frans! The news that Serena Williams received the remaining Wimbledon singles wild card trumped everything this week, while her husband hung out at Trump’s UFC abomination. Recent Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova was given a 4-year suspension for refusing a doping test in December, a decision that will almost certainly be appealed. Lastly, we give some final thoughts on the Knicks and go down the Stevie rabbit hole again. 1:00 Yep, that singles wild card was for #thismama 14:10 Berlin bagel + it was a good week to be a Fran 24:30 Previous week’s results: s-’Hertogenbosch, Stuttgart, Queen’s 27:30 Diving into Marketa Vondrousova’s 4-year suspension 36:30 Alexis, your presence wasn’t actually required 40:50 Corentin Moutet gives up his prize money for what, exactly? 43:00 Catching up with the Knicks and Victor Wembanyama 48:20 Remembering Peabo and igniting the Stevie discussion again
June 14 · 1 hr
S.W.V.
It’s been impossible to keep up with tennis news lately, with Serena’s return, the grass season starting, and the top players continuing to pressure the Slams on prize money and consultation. We had too much on our Roland Garros wrap agenda, so here’s the twin to episode 425. We talk about Serena’s long-simmering “comeback,” the product tie-ins with Ro and Zepbound, and her successful doubles match with Canadian star Victoria Mboko. We also check in with the ongoing player response to prize money increases (as a proportion of tournament revenue) and what could come next. Finally, we give our unorganized thoughts on the Rafa doc, check in with a kind Reddit user, and give you a Knicks segment that is now -- thankfully -- a time capsule of life before Jalen Brunson was an MVP and NBA champion! 1:30 The "wildfire" … was warranted 11:30 Serena and Vicky ace their first (and only) test 23:10 Is this comeback meant to be a proof of concept for GLP-1 use? 33:10 Wimbledon prize money -- will the increase be enough for “Project Red Eye?” 40:00 Netflix’s Rafa documentary was a somewhat harrowing experience 49:30 Admitting I was wrong is important! 52:40 A quick Knicks segment (now a time capsule)
June 13 · 50 min
Not In My World
Yes, we’re finally back to recap the second week of Roland Garros. That thing we were all dreading has happened, and now we can move on with our lives. First, let’s celebrate 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva for expertly managing this unfamiliar moment and bagging her first major; and the qualifier Maja Chwalinska, for reaching her first Slam final and storming into the top 25! As for the men, Madison Keys really clocked their tea when she said the men’s anxiety over this opportunity was seeping into everyone’s lives. A lot of the late-’90s generation allowed a huge opportunity to slip by, and we kind of felt bad for them. The uncomfortable truth is that That Guy is now a major champion – of a decimated field, to be sure – but a champion nonetheless, and broadcasters, tennis organizations, and sponsors might now have an even easier time avoiding and ignoring the credible domestic violence allegations against him. But try as he (and they) might, the attention isn’t going away anytime soon. 4:00 Women’s wrap: Maja, Maja 11:00 Things not to do on Bluesky 14:20 Mirra Andreeva joins the top tier 21:45 A lot of guys saw a massive opportunity slip by 27:15 So That Guy won. Now what 36:10 Journalists keeping that man uncomfortable 42:30 Good news! Siniakova/Townsend three-quarters of the way to a Team Career Slam
June 1 · 1 hr 34 min
She's Already Dead, Stop!
Back from our first trip to Roland-Garros, here is part 2 of our RG mid-tournament wrap, this one focusing on the tennis we saw, the happenings on-site, and how the chaotic first week played out more broadly. What’s it like to watch a tournament unfold in person while it’s already being branded online as chaotic and/or horrible? Well, sometimes your priority is just your next water refill. We’ll tell you about players we sought out (Swiatek, Rybakina, Medvedev, Vacherot, Jodar, Tiafoe, and more). We’ll take you through the experience of watching Naomi Osaka’s walkout and the surreal collapse of Jannik Sinner as it unfolded on Chatrier. As we always do, we’ll dip into the messier moments, like the Korpatsch-Wang dust-up, the monumental PR stumbles of Rafa Jodar, and Vallejo’s misogynistic bag-fumbling. What a week in Paris; it promises to get weirder before the fortnight is out. 1:00 Nothing new under the sun: Wang pulls a Hingis ’99 7:10 She’s taking it! Oh – actually, no, sorry 15:25 Iga Swiatek out to Kostyuk 23:10 Telling stories about players and matches we saw: Vacherot, Rybakina, Keys, and more 38:35 Rafa Jodar exonerated, sort of 46:50 Naomi’s debut on Lenglen 50:40 James, are you happy to be in Paris? 62:35 Being in Chatrier for the Sinner upset 73:10 Are we all amateur geneticists now? 80:45 These f—ing tarpaulins and Lacoste bollards! 85:25 Wrapping up the draw as it stands
May 31 · 1 hr 2 min
Paris Is Burning
We’ve just returned home from our first trip to Roland-Garros! We’re bringing you two mid-tournament episodes, this one to cover our experience at the tournament and in Paris overall, while the next will focus on the tennis itself. Hear about the RG dining and beverage experience (hello, galette-sausicce and the falafel hummus flatbread), our pilgrimage to the Rafa statue, the idyllic setting of Court Simonne-Mathieu, how to get on the side courts, the unique personality of the Roland Garros grounds, and much more! 1:35 Setting the scene: getting to Paris 7:50 To be in Paris: cafes with tiny tables, boeuf bourguignon, rolling up on Jannik 15:50 Getting to the site 23:10 On the Roland Garros grounds: the stadiums, getting on the smaller courts, the availability of water (!) 43:30 The food: impressive 47:00 The low-key chill-out areas near Simonne-Mathieu 51:35 Overall impression of what it’s like to be a fan at Roland Garros
May 22 · 56 min
Fifteen Minutes to Save the Tour
As The Body Serve heads to Paris for the first time, here’s our preview of the 2026 edition of Roland Garros, where Jannik Sinner seeks to make more history and a number of top women find themselves in position to snatch. As usual, we take you through both draws: a surprisingly balanced women’s draw (except for Iga -- sorry, girl) and a men’s draw with not much intrigue, at least on the surface. The players associated with Project Red Eye have staged a work-to-rule labour action, refusing rightsholder interviews and committing only 15 minutes to pre-tournament media activities. Also, the federal judge in the PTPA case couldn’t order Wimbledon and the French to give up those coveted press credentials. I guess they’re stuck buying tickets like everybody else! 1:05 Qualifiers: Sloane through; Plishy & Greg are not :( 4:45 This week: Casper, rest! 7:20 Women’s draw 20:20 Men’s draw 39:55 PTPA credentials drama: judge says it’s petty but what can I do, babes 42:50 Players stage a labour action! 49:05 Stevie Wonder, randomly
May 18 · 55 min
Big Mama
Elina Svitolina wins her third Rome title with her most impressive run yet, while Jannik Sinner completes his box set of Masters titles and sets all sorts of records at the tiny age of 24. Daniil Medvedev tried his best to derail Sinner, and Casper went with a similar playbook – we shall see if prevailing through that rough semifinal will fuel Jannik further or give the other guys some hope (or both!). Darderi made a huge breakthrough on home soil, while That Guy crashed out in Tennis Channel’s IG replies (sad). Meanwhile, Carlos is on injury break and they’re still slutting him out in Vanity Fair. See you in Paris! 1:55 Mommy. Mamacita? 13:00 Jannik wins the Career Masters thing 19:25 Daniil, one of the few to shift a wig or two 28:05 Darderi breaks out, That Guy crashes out 34:50 Extras: Big Mama didn’t pay for Coco’s gelato; PTPA begs for a credential 38:35 Clay baby 42:50 We love delusion (respectful) 46:30 Random: trying Malta India from Puerto Rico (gracias, Francisco!)
May 8 · 1 hr 1 min
Get In Loser, We're Going On Strike
Jannik Sinner extends his Masters series win streak and his utter dominance over That Guy, while Marta Kostyuk back handsprings through her unbeaten clay season, grabbing her biggest career title over a bereft Mirra Andreeva. Now in Rome, the top players are demanding a fairer prize money split and genuine player consultation with Slams; several top players even endorsed a boycott if they can’t make progress, an utterance that would have been unheard of even a few years ago. We take some forays outside of the week’s news, as usual, chatting about tennis history, Whitney Houston, and the provenance of one of our social media handles. 1:50 Jannik wins 5 Masters in a row 5:10 The Gap™ 13:20 Absolute cinema: the Madrid trophy presentation 26:05 Et ceteras: Prakash and Arthur, the Bezos Gala, Flavio says NO 31:05 Players take aim at RG: prize money/revenue split, player welfare, and consultation are the big issues 41:00 Italian Federation president said “Yes, and” 49:50 Whitney Houston dedicates Arthur Ashe Stadium 57:25 10 years ago: one of tennis’ great unhinged moments
April 28 · 52 min
Good Riddance to Bad Shrimp
Whether it was bad shrimp or a virus, the outcome – or the output, rather – was the same. Week one of Madrid was rocked by player illness and withdrawals, with Iga retiring for only the second time in her career and Coco getting sick on court before pulling through against Cirstea. We take a scattershot approach to Madrid, highlighting Pliskova, Jodar, and Grant (and a few lowlights). Plus, we take an extended look at electronic line calling on clay, the untrustworthiness of ball marks, and the imperfections and idiosyncrasies of tennis that make the sport sing. We finish up with some offcourt news – including the surprising departure of the WTA’s CEO – plus rapid-fire listener questions. 1:40 Carlos is out of Rome and Roland Garros <sob> 4:35 Virus or food poisoning … either way, the players were sick as dogs 11:40 Plisko, Naomi, Tyra Grant, Rafa J 21:05 Alex and Grigor down bad, Stefanos crashing out but actually winning 26:20 Electronic line calling on clay: the ball mark isn’t as clear-cut as you’d think 35:15 Maria Sharapova is in the podcast business 38:15 WTA CEO Portia Archer has resigned 40:35 The Fritz-Riddle breakup 43:55 A few listener questions
April 21 · 49 min
Decades of Destitution
Arthur Fils caps his successful comeback to the tour with the Barcelona crown, while official tennis outlets act h-word on main while they trade on his good looks. Ben Shelton wins his first clay title outside of Texas and marks a surprising milestone for US men. Clay queens Coco and Iga are down bad while Elena, Karolina, and Marta soar; and Carlos’ status is questionable for who knows how long. Finally, we talk about the news that interests me most: Marketa Vondrousova has been charged with refusing to give a sample to a doping control officer. Her social media posts about the incident provide interesting context but – as we’ve seen before – could come back to bite. 2:15 Arthur Fils is the truth! 8:55 Rybakina wins Stuttgart again, Muchova exorcises some demons 14:00 Join Elena’s crypto community … 18:35 Ben Shelton, American king of clay? 26:35 Vondrousova’s case 37:40 James talks about books and takes another quiz!
April 14 · 51 min
How Can We Be Rivals If We Can't Be Friends?
In Monte Carlo, Sinner’s 4th consecutive Master’s title and reclaiming of the #1 ranking adds another wrinkle to the Sincaraz rivalry. We talk about our desire for a little less golden retriever energy from Carlos – or, at least one of us does – but ultimately an unfriendly rivalry is no longer advantageous for today’s player brands. Last week, Pegula defended her Charleston title, 3 Argentines made 3 different finals, and Iga appeared at the Rafa Nadal Academy with her new coach Francisco Roig. We also talk about golf, double bagels, Coco having to defend herself online (again), and an intriguing FMK about three celebrated tennis careers. 1:05 Bestie rivals, a hallmark of this era 13:35 A double bagel to Berrettini, come on man 16:35 I thank myself 20:40 Coco defends her Miu Miu look and her hair from online waste yutes and losers 24:05 Pegula wins the first equalized 500 prize money in Charleston 29:10 Men’s results last week: Tommy Paul, first career titles for Jodar and Navone 33:00 Coaching carousel 36:20 Rory McIlroy defends his Masters title; Caroline still has shooters 39:45 FMK Tennis careers: Sharapova, Hingis, Davenport
April 1 · 55 min
Whack Him Again
Jannik Sinner wins the Sunshine Double without losing a set – a first! – and upends the mini-narrative that said Carlos was running away with the season. Aryna Sabalenka, for her part, snatches back momentum in the Rybakina rivalry and bests bugaboo Coco Gauff in the Miami final. The actual star of Miami turned out to be thirst magnet Arthur Fils, who reached the semis, stunned four-match-point-haver Tommy Paul, and broke containment. We’ve also got: close reading a tweet about the IOC’s new gender policy; the Charleston draw and prize money increase; and the WTA Finals’ departure from Saudi Arabia. 2:30 Sinner’s win reminds the tennis world to chill with the proclamations 9:55 Sabalenka keeps her head on straight for the final 18:35 Coco’s hat: saying nothing was always an option! 26:35 Arthur Fils breaks out in a big way; a thick way, even 33:30 Charleston increases prize money to match the ATP 500 level 37:50 IOC’s announcement on trans athletes and what it has to do with Wertheim and Navratilova 46:00 What is holding you back from buying a yacht? 47:45 Listener question: which tennis player would you go on vacation with?
March 24 · 50 min
A Dark Hole
Sebastian Korda is making like Gloria Estefan and coming out of the dark: in a career interrupted by injuries, Seb follows up his Delray Beach title by sending #1 Carlos Alcaraz out of Miami. Iga Swiatek’s frustration continues as her countrywoman Magda Linette packs her up; shortly after, Iga does the same to coach Wim Fissette. On the docket we’ve also got the Matosevic doping story, Danielle and Corentin (we’re way too old for this), a painful and hopefully temporary Body Serve ban, and an ASMR taste test of Vegemite - sure, a few months late in tennis terms, but whatever, we didn’t have Vegemite then. 2:00 Carlos out of Sunshine swing 5:40 Iga loses her incredible streak of 73 straight opening-round wins 9:40 Let them eat bagels: Arthur Fils is back! 14:30 Sorry, Leylah 18:45 Danielle et Corentin, you’re both doing A LOT right now 23:05 Marinko Matosevic’s brazen doping scandal 31:40 ATP schedule changes, in concert with the Saudi sports fund 35:15 Betting is a scourge and the players suffer 42:15 Our first (and last) ASMR segment
March 17 · 1 hr 3 min
Mar-a-Lago West
Indian Wells saw two new champs settling old scores – Sabalenka winning her first and upending a worrying finals trend vs. Rybakina, and Sinner flying under the radar to grab the title over the more headline-grabbing Medvedev. Daniil has managed to refashion his game without losing the old antics, including asking for (and getting) a confounding hindrance call – and no, I don’t feel bad for Jack. We talk about Mirra’s crashout, IW misplacing the Venus-Leylah wild card, my certified hater status, and Iga’s trajectory. Plus, James takes another quiz and we give our Letterboxd 4, just like the players did this week. 03:45 Aryna hit the I Will Always Love You drum kick and the rest was gravy 15:20 Jannik overcomes Medvedev in two tiebreaks 21:00 Medvedev had an interesting week, to say the least 26:35 Let’s not make “F*** you all” your new tagline 33:30 They lost Venus and Leylah’s wild card 38:55 Letterboxd 4 46:25 The Oscars 56:20 Not another quiz!
March 3 · 56 min
20/20
Sports and politics … it turns out they DO mix! A few dozen ATP players and staff are stuck in Dubai as a result of Trump’s attack on Iran, as the Mexican tournaments go forward without a hitch after last week’s unrest. On court, Medvedev wins a second Dubai title, Longhorn Stearns grabs Austin by the horns, Bucsa becomes the Spanish #1, and Darderi and Cobolli win Latin tournaments on two continents. For fun, James takes a tennis geography quiz and we do an extended diatribe (requiem?) on The Traitors. 1:40 ATP players and personnel stuck in Dubai 6:45 This is not a drill!! 9:00 The Ellison data-media-government-tennis empire 15:35 Craig Tiley is coming to America 19:50 Results: Dubai, Acapulco, Merida, Austin 31:10 They didn’t tell Stefanos you’re not supposed to talk about appearance fees 34:35 James takes a tennis geography quiz! 44:55 A Traitors diatribe
February 24 · 49 min
The Glue
A gatekeeper, a consistent threat, not-a-pusher, and the social and political glue behind the scenes: Jessica Pegula has gone from tennis’s rich girl to a key piece of the bloc of players who reliably fight for the biggest titles on the WTA Tour. This week, she’s just won her 4th 1000-level title and has been announced as the chair of the new tour working group: the Tour Architecture Council. Elsewhere, Carlos continues his dominant start, Fils notches a runner-up spot in his third tournament back, Korda impresses in Florida, and Etcheverry plays for six hours in one day to grab his first career title. Plus, Tara Moore is not taking her suspension lying down, as she sues the WTA for failing to warn players about contaminated meat. 0:35 A trip down figure skating memory lane 7:15 Carlos dominates Doha 10:45 Korda’s comeback, Etcheverry’s endurance run through Rio 17:15 Consistency Queen Jessica Pegula wins Dubai 22:40 Qinwen’s Emmy-winning guest appearance on The Player's Box 28:00 Peggy to lead the Tour Architecture Council 32:25 Tara Moore sues the WTA 40:30 Monica and Brandy