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 July 28
Explicit

Episodes300

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Sep 2, 2019 · 1 hr 17 min
D.A.R.E. to Dream
We come to you midway through the US Open after a first week stuffed with feel-good stories and breakout stars on the women's side, and lots of miserable, crabby men (with the exception of Gael Monfils). We chat extensively about Coco Gauff, the powerful people pushing to relax the age eligibility rule, and that complex and emotionally loaded post-match interview with Naomi. You can also hear about the 22nd meeting of Serena-Maria, the breakouts of Townsend and Ahn, that wild men's third quarter, and Medvedev fully embodying the villain archetype. 4:30 Some thoughts on the Serena-Maria match and why everyone is always mad 11:30 Alexis is everyone's petty spouse 14:00 "I don't know who that is" 20:30 Jonathan institutes the Hall of Shame, major disagreements follow 23:50 Two great American stories: Taylor Townsend and Kristie Ahn 30:00 Coco Gauff dominates headlines again, but Naomi Osaka shows why she is #1 35:45 Why is there a "debate" about waiving the age eligibility rule, when it's been shown to work? 42:40 The unprecedented, emotionally charged post-match interview with Coco and Naomi 49:30 Carla Suarez Navarro is the latest victim of the First Round Performance penalty 50:35 Men's draw stuff: Grigor, Shapo-Monfils, Nick says j'accuse 59:20 Daniil Medvedev becomes cartoon villain, actual villain 67:30 WTA Player Council shakeup, more info on Puig-Murray-Stephens triangle, quick women's draw assessment
Aug 24, 2019 · 1 hr 1 min
Brace Yourselves
We're back to preview the US Open, the final major of the year. Can Naomi defend? Will last year's umpire drama dominate the fortnight? Did the summer tell us anything about who's a real contender on the men's side? Plus, we have a bit of fun with the Sachia Vickery tweetstorm and the clout-chasers who decided to stick their noses in (only for them to be chopped off). Finally, check out our essential R&B Spotify playlist! :30 Buckle up, it's gonna be a bumpy 2 weeks 5:05 Women's draw: Naomi Osaka attempts to defend her first major title 10:15 Women's bottom half: Serena-Maria to play at US Open for the first time 22:10 Men's draw: Djokovic and Federer on the same side 28:15 Men's third quarter is the most exciting quarter of both draws 36:45 Kamau Murray leaves Monica Puig on the eve of US Open, reunited with Sloane Stephens 41:20 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas: Sachia Vickery is wondering why would you try her, why would you bother 48:55 The Body Serve's first Spotify playlist!
Aug 20, 2019 · 54 min
From Cincy To Cow Corner
We're back safe and sound in Toronto after covering the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. On episode 169, we put a bow on the event chatting everything from the quarter-finals onward, culminating in Madison Keys and Daniil Medvedev as your champions. On deck: the actual matches, stray observations around the grounds, thanking listeners we met along the way, and finally...DRAMATIC READINGS, back by popular demand. 02:40 Madison Keys wows to win the biggest title of her career 09:26 What more to say about Sveta & QF matches 17:10 Medvedev vs Goffin making us look like fools 19:25 Getting to the bottom of the Cincy crowd & Nole 23:11 Can we stan Medvedev? Should we stan Medvedev? 27:38 Thoughts on players we saw for the first time 35:20 Stray observations around the grounds 40:14 Sloane dumps Sven? Stray observations, and shout outs 44:35 Cow Corner: DRAMATIC READINGS from Cincy
Aug 16, 2019 · 48 min
If It's Not One Scam, It's Another
We're pleased to bring you a chat with 2-time major champ Svetlana Kuznetsova, who was one of our first player interviews back in 2016. She chats with us about the problems with her visa, her beautiful dog Dolce, and her outlook on tennis as a 34-year-old veteran. Also on the docket: stories from Cincinnati, how the draws have shaken out, the surprising runs of Rublev and Kuznetsova, and more. :30 Happenings in Cincinnati - some big upsets but a great women's quarterfinal roster 8:00 Sloane goes in 11:10 Court 10 was lit: Sabalenka-Sakkari, Osaka-Hsieh 18:40 The men's draw kind of fell apart ... but there's still defending champ Djokovic, Medvedev, RBA 24:30 Some very quick thoughts on the latest Kyrgios time-waster 31:15 Kamau Murray talks about the Sloane split and how he started working with Monica Puig 37:30 Our interview with the resurgent Svetlana Kuznetsova, returning to our show after 3 years
Aug 12, 2019 · 54 min
Looks Like We Made It
This weekend we took the deeply boring journey from Toronto to Cincinnati. First, we recap what we saw on the ground at the Rogers Cup, what had happened in the finals, and what we expect to see at the Cincinnati Masters. Then, we've got exclusive audio from Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic regarding ATP politics. Federer and Nadal have recently been elected to the Player Council, while Djokovic remains its president during a particularly tempestuous year. 2:20 Rogers Cup Toronto, as we saw it 6:40 Serena retires to Andreescu in horrible scene 9:00 Bianca Andreescu's run to her hometown title coming back from injury ... damn, what would she be like at 100 percent? 14:20 Coupe Rogers in Montreal: Nadal def. Medvedev 20:00 Nick Kyrgios' magical week in Washington, DC 25:45 The state of the Williams sisters 31:00 To look forward to in Cincinnati: Andy Murray returns to singles! 35:30 Roger Federer speaks to us about his return to the ATP Player Council 41:45 Novak Djokovic, Player Council president, answers a few of our questions about this wild year on Player Council
Jul 31, 2019 · 56 min
Hall of Fame Pettiness
We're back from the Wimbledon wilderness to tackle the results and major tennis stories of the past few weeks. On the docket for this episode: a doping suspension, Hall of Fame inductees, and Sveta's visa woes. We also debut a new segment, "Book Report," before bringing back last episode's smash, "Dramatic Reading," to finish the show. 00:50 We're heading back to Cincy & Love Island 05:15 Catching up on ALL the winners 11:11 Haddad Maia's doping scandal 17:38 Andy Murray, Kyrgipas, and Lendl leaves Zverev 22:43 Where in the world is Svetlana Sandiego?! 29:50 Williams social blitz & Franckie/Leylah beef 34:25 Comebacks & remembering Peter McNamara 37:36 HOF Inductees: Li Na, Mary Pierce, and Kafelnikov 43:05 Book Reports: Prajnesh Gunneswaran & Jil Teichmann 49:15 Dramatic Reading: the pettiest of letters
Jul 16, 2019 · 1 hr 9 min
The Chill Is Gone
Novak Djokovic is your repeat, and now five-time champion at Wimbledon. He was joined by Simona Halep at the Champion's Ball, after the Romanian swept aside Serena Williams in the women's final. We sort through both finals, and the notable matches of Wimbledon's second week, before wading into some of the notable off-court happenings since our last episode. Chief among these: the Konta press conference and Serena addressing the 2018 U.S. Open. 01:00 The much talked about Djokovic-Federer final 16:20 How we got to the men's final 19:40 What in the HELL happened to the younger guys? 23:12 How Simona did THAT 26:54 Where it went wrong for Serena 34:43 The Simona-Tiriac-Nastase nexus as strong & troubling as ever 41:46 How we got to the women's final 45:38 Don't patronize me: the Jo Konta press conference 52:00 Doubles results, Tomic docked, and Muguruza dumps Sumyk 60:01 Serena writes about U.S. Open final, we discuss
Jul 8, 2019 · 1 hr 11 min
Nowhere To Hide
Week one of Wimbledon is in the books and we're back to recap the carnage, the drama, and the surprises. Without question, Coco Gauff was the biggest story through the first three rounds; her win over Venus Williams was part of an onslaught of suffering for some of the biggest names. We talk her magical run, the Nadal-Kyrgios match, the latest ATP Council drama, before taking a look at the remaining 32 players in the men's and women's draws. 02:05 Seeds and such: oh, the carnage 08:34 Segueing into Coco Gauff's dream run 22:42 Nadal-Kyrgios delivered on the court 30:12 Parmentier dances on Maria's grave & Fabio's latest 36:31 Stan's doing the MOST. Why? 37:46 Novak, Gimelstob, and more ATP Council DRAMA 47:55 What we're not being told: reading between the lines 53:41 Andy and Serena headline Mixed Doubles 58:04 Serena caught up in manufactured drama 61:44 Perusing the remaining singles matches
Jun 29, 2019 · 1 hr 1 min
On the Road to Wimbledon
It's a short turnaround and a holiday weekend in Canada, so we're bringing you our Wimbledon preview from the car, driving down I-90 in Upstate New York. We touch on a few of the off-court rumblings from the past few weeks, including the history-repeats-itself row over Wimbledon seeding, Coco Gauff's historic achievement, and Serena's Wheaties debut. We finish with an analysis of the men's and women's draws, armed with the knowledge that our predictions could be moot in a matter of days. 1:50 Let's get the seeding drama out of the way 6:30 Fed Cup gets the Davis Cup treatment - 12-team final in Budapest in April 9:15 Herbert pauses the Mahut bromance to play doubles with Sir Andrew Murray 12:05 Serena on the Wheaties box! 14:35 Coco Gauff becomes youngest Wimbledon qualifier in Open Era, gets Venus Williams in Round 1 19:30 What's on the agenda for ATP Players Council? 23:00 37-year-old Feliciano Lopez wins Queens Club singles and doubles, stays on court for roughly 95 hours over the weekend 26:00 Getting to the draws - who has a shot here? 34:30 Women's draw analysis: I know we've said this before, but the women's top quarter is absolutely, historically stacked 44:20 Men's draw analysis: Rafa and Roger land on same side, Anderson's grass performance does him a huge favor in the seedings
Jun 22, 2019 · 1 hr 8 min
On That Gay Flex Again
As tennis transitions to grass, we're scrambling to catch up on the post-Roland Garros results, beefs, surprises, and clunky, poorly conceived solutions to ongoing problems. Barty is steps away from the no. 1 ranking, Berrettini eases onto the turf, Felix's rise continues unabated. Since it's Pride Month, we're giving a mini-reprise of last year's Pride episode: looking at the difference between genuine allyship and tokenism, how capital subsumes real LGBTQ issues, and what Taylor Swift has to do with it. 2:00 ATP retroactively counting Laver Cup matches in head-to-heads ... huh? 5:50 A thought experiment on alternative ranking systems 16:00 A propos of nothing, the US Open says they want to allow coaching during matches, delighting Patrick Mouratoglous everywhere 24:45 Grass results: Garcia wins, Vekic gets frustrated, Berrettini & Felix take to the grass 31:30 More grass: Venus charms in Birmingham, Barty eases into the grass season, Sir Andrew Murray returns! 36:35 WTA finally acknowledges its LGBTQ fans 42:30 Marco Trungelliti blows the whistle on match fixing, gets trashed by fellw players 46:00 What Jonathan is mad about: Sania Mirza getting blamed for the Pakistani cricket team's loss 51:20 Discussion: how to feel about the proliferation of corporate Pride branding? What is for-profit queerness? Do we risk straight people co-opting and blunting the force of queer politics? You know, really laidback stuff like that.
Jun 11, 2019 · 1 hr 24 min
A Duo Décimation in Paris
What happen-ed at Roland Garros: Rafa Nadal leaves Paris with a TWELFTH title and Ash Barty with her unexpected first. Dominic Thiem made further strides up the ATP mountain, but fell just short to a ruthless Nadal, again. The women's draw saw a stampede of dark horses make the second week, cementing the WTA as a tour ripe with would-be winners. All that plus wind, rain, scheduling mishaps, and Madison Keys hunting down a towel snatcher on this recap episode of the 2019 French Open. 01:59 Ash Barty surprises and delights in her maiden Slam singles run 16:45 The weather causes poor scheduling, yet again 21:39 Konta's resurgence, fatigue in defending the WTA, and defending Jo 32:43 The other decimation that happened in Paris: Nadal's duodécimo 46:41 Fed's ball launch: subjectivity falls in favour of some while it doesn't for others 49:23 In defence of Nole, despite his "I'd like to speak to your supervisor" disposition 53:51 Holding organizers responsible for their shit decisions rather than blaming players 61:49 Double take: Kiki's TIME at world #1 and Thiem's #1 supporter 69:40 Rankings watch: Naomi & Ash top the WTA & a pair of new ATP top 10 entrants 73:29 Madison rectifies, James judges Simona, and G.E.M.S. Life vanishes
Jun 3, 2019 · 1 hr 22 min
Circling the Wagons & Ballmarks
We've made it through the first week of the 2019 French Open, and as you might imagine, there is LOTS to talk about. Before the tournament even began, we were dealt a few high-profile withdrawals that affected the shape of the draws. We discuss those as well as the big upsets in the opening rounds. Nonetheless, both the men's and women's fields are nicely poised heading into Championship Weekend, with breakthrough runs mixed in with some of the usual suspects doing what they do best. As usual, some of the biggest news was made off the court; we cover the latest Serena Williams drama after her third round loss. 02:05 Kicking things off with some notable WTA performances 14:53 Let's talk about Sloane Stephens 21:00 Assessing Serena's three matches & where she's at 28:15 Virgil A-blah & our lukewarm reaction to Serena's kit 33:15 Unnecessary sets, and the top men progressing nicely 36:34 Zverev is still alive and kicking, and condescending 39:37 Tsitsipas' pedigree on full display, so too his gamesmanship 51:21 A not-so-good, pretty bad tournament for the Canadians 59:35 Fandom as a fetish: tennis twitter going off the rails 63:24 The Serena-Thiem affair: the misinformation campaign 78:54 Lucie Safarova, one of the good ones, hangs up her racquet
May 25, 2019 · 1 hr 16 min
What Do We Say to the Gods of Clay? Roland Garros Preview 2019
Roland Garros starts with a cracking schedule on Sunday ... settle in for our draw analysis and wide-ranging conversation about the clay season, the democratization of the men's clay events, and some odds and ends. How will Naomi fare as a first-time no. 1 seed? Will Novak complete Novak Slam 2.0? Will we get another first-time women's Slam winner? 3:00 A Redistribution of wealth in the clay season 6:15 Men's draw: Djokovic gets Thiem, Rafa gets Fed/Tsitsipas 12:00 The unpredictable men's 3rd quarter and Rafa's soft draw 20:30 What it means that Roger is back; and resisting "grace" 24:50 Women's draw: first time no. 1 Osaka gets a wild draw 30:20 What to make of Serena, troll extraordinaire 36:30 3rd quarter: Sloane the star, Venus/Elina, Muguruza, Bertens, Bencic 49:40 4th quarter: will dark horses Vondrousova or Mladenovic take out the consistent Pliskova? 53:35 Nick Kyrgios spends a week "managing expectations," then withdraws 55:30 Sir Andrew Murray expects to play doubles at Wimbledon 58:00 We asked y'all what you were looking forward to 1:05:50 Katie Boulter didn't do anything wrong, for the record ... 1:09:00 Bigging up #KinderGirlWorld Day, props to Madison Keys
May 21, 2019 · 1 hr 28 min
(Sh)it Happen-ed In Rome
We're back from our big trip with a big (way too long) episode. It's not entirely our fault, there were two massive tournaments the past two weeks, and some major off court happenings to cover as well. We begin with a recap of Madrid and the questionable dealings of Ion Tiriac before getting into the action in Rome. While it was a pretty tragic time for us at the Foro Italico, it was the site of a return to glory for Rafael Nadal. We segue into the Nick Kyrgios drama that dominated the tennis news cycle as well as the latest updates from the ATP Board election saga. We couldn't end the episode without a few (disappointed) words about the Game Of Thrones final season and even worse finale. 01:20 Thanks for the well wishes, a few words on our trip 06:04 Ion Tiriac, Madrid, and his war against the WTA 11:37 Where the Madrid women's trophy at?! 14:26 Our dire thoughts on the Rome tournament 25:19 What happen-ed in Rome happen-ed 35:50 A resurgent turn for many of the women in Rome 41:06 A tale of two gay stories: Janowicz and Ferrer 48:41 Nick Kyrgios had a WEEK 59:13 Djokovic and the latest ATP Board developments 76:41 Game of Thrones finale: yes or mess?
May 7, 2019 · 1 hr 1 min
Spring Mailbag: You Asked, We Attempt to Answer
The Body Serve is back, answering your thoughtful and tough questions with -- we hope -- a bit of knowledge and a lot of honesty. Although we recorded this previously, we believe the questions are still topical, relevant, and fascinating. Thanks to all who submitted questions; the below list doesn’t even cover all of them! 2:20 Jonathan asks James a gotcha question! 6:45 What are our 3 favorite pop duets? (or in Jonathan’s case, like 10 (Thuan, @delsarto13) 13:00 Who is the player you most disagree on? Any players one of us is a big fan of, and the other is not? (Stuart Masheter, @topsmmash) 22:15 What is the deal with appearance fees? (Julian, @holdmyracquet) 29:00 Tackling the many questions on the Gimelstob situation 37:45 Which women should the ATP be recruiting to run for its board? (Tyler Green, @TylerGreenBooks) 41:00 Which tournaments would you add, remove, upgrade, or relocate? (Arun, @arknight12) 47:00 Game of Thrones characters as tennis players (Peter, @thaiguy84) 50:55 Do you think any young WTA player (
May 1, 2019 · 1 hr 6 min
Get Them Bodied
Dominic Thiem absolutely bodied the Barcelona field to join Federer as the only two-time titlists on the ATP Tour this season. Petra Kvitova's turn as renaissance woman and most consistent player of the WTA continued in Stuttgart, leaving her oh-so-close to finally ascending to world #1. Of course, we revisit the ongoing Justin Gimelstob saga and get you updated on the latest shenanigans. Oh, and have you heard, Sloane Stephens got engaged! 01:21 Dominic BODIES his way to the Barcelona title 08:53 Petra Kvitova the WTA renaissance woman 12:18 Vika's back? A chat about her comeback 22:30 Rafa makes it CLEAR where he stands on equal pay yet again 31:37 From queer excellence to straight fuckery 33:08 Gimelstob can't stop, won't stop 38:48 Gimelstob's narcissism stays jumping out 48:04 Fiiiiiiinally, folks in tennis are starting to speak up 51:59 Why are we still here? For what? And at what cost? 57:10 #RoadToRome candidates and some juicy petty tidbits 61:40 Andreescu injury, Genie coaching split, and Sloane's big news!
Apr 24, 2019 · 1 hr 1 min
No Contest
This week on The Body Serve, we've got a surprising week in Monte Carlo to recap, an exciting weekend strewn across the globe in Fed Cup, and a resolution to the Justin Gimelstob court case. Fabio Fognini beat Rafael Nadal in the Monte Carlo semis on his way to a maiden Masters 1000 title. Meanwhile, Ash Barty and Sam Stosur headlined the Fed Cup action, leading Australia to its first final in over 25 years! We finish the episode with an expanded discussion on the developments in the Justin Gimelstob case, and what it means for his place in tennis going forward, among other things... 01:01 A surprising loss for Rafa in Monte Carlo? 04:59 The Princes of Clay not up to the task in week one 09:00 Fognini's past and how it frames his present 15:32 Team Australia headlines Fed Cup semifinal weekend 20:46 The reunited Garcia/Mladenovic tandem take out Romania 23:15 Great Britain, despite the drama, advances to World Group II 32:02 Gimelstob pleads no contest to felony assault 35:52 The weak responses from Tennis Channel and the ATP 43:25 Gimelstob begins the process of re-integrating himself into tennis 48:00 What is it about this situation that renders so many mute?
Apr 16, 2019 · 1 hr 18 min
I'm Tired Of F#@*ng Losing!
The clay season is upon us and Sloane Stephens is tired of f#@*ing losing! We recap the last two weeks since we've been away, starting with the action in Charleston where Madison Keys scored an impressive title win on the green clay. Other tidbits: Sveta is back! Muguruza bosses Monterrey, and Anisimova wins her maiden WTA title. We offer an ATP clay season preview, before segueing into a spirited discussion on Patrick Mouratoglou's latest bout of opinions. Also, look out for the return of The Rant at the end of the episode! 01:50 Madison matures on the green clay of Charleston 07:40 WTA roll call: Muguruza, Azarenka, Anisimova, Sveta, Swiatek 12:28 ATP roll call: Paire, Andujar, Garín, and Sandgren's big streak (of losing) 19:54 ATP clay court preview: much of the same but a bit more 23:58 Alexander Zverev in a precarious position 32:32 Mouratoglou has opinions on how to save tennis, and so do we 53:43 The Tsitsipas/Medvedev feud LIVES! 55:24 A golf diversion: Tiger Woods wins The Masters 63:42 The Rant: you'll have to tune in to find out
Apr 2, 2019 · 1 hr 2 min
Barty In The U.S.A.
Ash Barty and Roger Federer closed out the Sunshine Swing with titles at the Miami Open. For Barty, it was the biggest win of her career, and one that catapulted her into the WTA top 10 for the first time. Federer, fresh off a finals loss the week before at Indian Wells, went one further to add trophy #101 to his collection. The Canadian takeover of tennis continued to take hold as Auger-Aliassime made the semifinals before losing to repeat finalist, John Isner. We cap the episode with a discussion on the difficulties of making a living from covering tennis, and why it's vitally important to welcome as many diverse voices to the table as possible. 02:51 Vegemite Queen dripping in power and finesse 08:31 In celebration of the superb, underestimated Hsieh 12:56 The weekly battle for WTA #1 continues 15:35 A whole, grown ass, salty loser: Kerber v Andreescu 24:25 The potpourri of f*^kery surrounding Isner and his "niceness" 28:22 Federer wins #101 in tip top form 33:33 Felix just can't wait to be king 41:29 HOW DARE YOU?! say anything bad about the Miami Open 46:27 A discussion on covering tennis for a living...or not
Mar 20, 2019 · 1 hr 1 min
She The North
Bianca Andreescu's coming out party continued in a big way by winning the Indian Wells title. The breakthrough theme in the "tennis paradise" also featured a first Masters 1000 title for Dominic Thiem, rendering Roger Federer beaten finalist for a second successive year. We recap some of the other notable performances on both sides of the draw before getting into a discussion of how the ATP is failing in its efforts to police the dissemination of its product on social media. Lastly, James takes a quiz about his favourite tournament on the tennis calendar. 03:05 She the north, but where can we watch her? 17:33 Other notable performances from the women at Indian Wells 19:30 Venus vs Petra: to squawk or not to squawk or when to squawk 27:50 Serena's illness & her terrible volleys? 32:08 The harnessing of Dominic Thiem 37:50 Nadal's knee, Nole's loss, and Denis' rapping 46:31 The ATP policing dissemination of its product on social media 50:57 James takes a quiz on his beloved Indian Wells