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

Newest first

Aug 14, 2023 · 1 hr 2 min
Is She A Karen, Or Is She Iconic?
Tennis returned to Canada as weather wreaked bedlam on the women's draw in Montréal. Jessie Pegula won her second 1000 title and scored a great win over #1 Iga Swiatek, but we need to talk about some horrendous scheduling decisions that impacted Rybakina and runner-up Samsonova. Jannik Sinner wins his first Masters title on the men's side, while de Minaur and Paul record massive wins of their own. We've also got Casper Ruud's tour of Canadian Content, the weird rules revelation in the Raonic-Tiafoe match, and the strange persistence of American high school line dance standard "Cotton Eye Joe." Most importantly, we ask you all to decide once and for all: is Danielle Collins a Karen or an icon? 01:04 : Cincy FOMO and our initial forays into Toronto tennis this year 07:20 Recapping the men's action in TO amidst intermittent weather 13:41 Casper Ruud's many many looks off the court 19:51 The women's tournament is rocked and wrecked by rain 27:38 The Notebook: an Iga hate story 31:52 Where did you come from, where did you go? 33:59 Is she a Karen or is she iconic? 38:23 Caro's back and the reviews are mixed 41:46 A net is not a net, when there's no doubles players there 45:49 Coco's revival and Brad's involvement 51:38 Now, why is Dasha in it? Kyrgios is unthinking, unserious, and unsavory
Jul 30, 2023 · 54 min
Mikael Me Maybe
Welcome to the brief, post-Wimbledon grass-clay-hardcourt-Euro-American-Hopman Cup season, with players fighting for money and points across various countries on all surfaces. We start with the news of Mikael Ymer’s 18-month suspension for missing doping tests (the ITF didn’t like the first ruling so they went back to the well). Then we move on to the news that Alexander Zverev’s ex-partner has pressed criminal charges for bodily harm, which are currently winding their way through German courts. We talk newcomers Akugue and Michelsen, Ruud’s bagels, and what’s next for the summer hard court swing. 1:00 Mikael Ymer banned for missing doping tests after the ITF appealed his innocent verdict 8:35 New criminal charges filed against Zverev for intimate partner violence, Berlin prosecutor applies for penalty order 17:10 The Zhang/Toth incident in Budapest - Toth was wrong but the reaction swung wildly out of proportion 25:50 Kei Nishikori is back! 28:05 Breakthroughs for Noma Noha Akugue, Clervie Ngounoue and Queenwen! 34:20 ATP updates: Mannarino at home on grass, plus Alex Michelsen, Fils, Ruud, and Stanley 43:05 Canadian Open ticket prices, my word! 47:20 RIP Sinéad
Jul 18, 2023 · 55 min
The Audacity Of It All: Wimbledon Wrap
Well well well, what has Wimbledon wrought?! Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova are your singles champions, defeating Novak Djokovic and Ons Jabeur respectively. We try to get to the bottom of how both results happened, while touching on some of the other happenings from the final stretch of the tournament. Many congratulations to Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty on the births of their babies, and a closing rant by James on Novak hagiography 01:12 Carlos Alcaraz did WHAT? 14:00 Does this shift the best men's player narrative? 17:00 Will Alcaraz’s win signal that the field has a chance? No 25:16 Put some respect on Vondrousova's name 35:10 Jabeur disappointment and moving forward 40:48 WTA consistency: Svitolina, Swiatek & Pegula 44:24 Rounding out the Wimbledon champions 47:48 Babies Osaka and Barty have arrived! 49:25 Jennifer Brady is back & one final rant from James on Novak hagiography
Jul 9, 2023 · 1 hr 10 min
Policing the Panties: Wimbledon Week One
Wimbledon’s first week is in the books (almost), dominated by talk of rain, curfews, scheduling, and the queue. We highlight the big stories and top performers of the week – Svitolina, Eubanks, Berrettini, Vondrousova, etc. – and a few of the stumbles, including ADF’s shocking mental wobble against Rune and an unnamed reporter’s gaffe toward an unflappable Paula Badosa. We spend a good chunk of time on Wimbledon’s stubborn peculiarities and finish with a quick rant on Cirstea’s odious presence on social media. 0:35 Big stories in the first few days: Venus, Elina, Eubanks, Berrettini 14:35 “Congratulations on your win” … “I lost” 21:10 The round of 16 lineup and how we got there 33:20 Tradition! Queues, debentures, and pineapples 45:15 It’s not the curfew, it’s the scheduling 52:10 Kontaveit and Chardy retire, Brooksby catches a case for missing three doping tests 58:00 Tsitsidosa s*x dreams?! 63:10 Cirstea clarifies who she is - thanks for saving us the time!
Jul 1, 2023 · 1 hr 23 min
The Rothesay Wimbledon Classic: SW19 Preview
We’re back from Europe just in time to recap the brief grass season, share our experiences at the bett1open in Berlin, preview the Wimbledon draw, give our takes on Break Point part two, chat about the ATP/WTA overtures to Saudi Arabia … anything else?! Buckle up because we’re covering a lot of ground – get it? 'Cuz it’s on grass – on this episode. Feel free to join our Wimbledon bracket challenge on the TNNS app using the code laver-ace-9494. 0:30 Our experience at the German Open in Berlin! 18:20 The other grass results: Frances & Carlos, Penko, Babs K, and Venus’ return 27:35 Break Point actually gets better: Ajla’s story pays off 41:00 Trying to avoid a LIV-style disaster, tennis goes straight to the source: the Saudi Public Investment Fund 44:45 WTA announces new calendar and a “pathway to equal prize money” 48:10 A few retirements and one huge unretirement: Wozniacki to return, gets US Open wild card 54:45 Men’s draw: who is stopping Novak? (no one) 68:20 Women’s draw: Yes, it is lopsided
Jun 20, 2023 · 1 hr 27 min
TBS Mailbag: Tethered to Nothingness
We’re on the road, so we have a mailbag episode to tide you over until we get back on our thrones up North. So much tennis stuff has happened already since we’ve been away, and we’ll be back next time to recap all of that alongside our Wimbledon preview. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy our yappa yappa yappa on a whole host of subjects as we dive into as many of your questions as possible. Here are some of the major questions and themes: 1:30 Does the LIV-PGA merger have an impact on tennis? (Is that thing still happening?) 15:45 Which tennis player would be the best travel companion? 26:30 Which player is most likely to have a burner social media account? And who could you convincingly imitate on social media? 33:55 Create your own tournament: surface, location, dress, mascot … 38:35 Lots of questions about the likeliest next first-time Slam winner 48:38 If women played best of 5, who would gain/lose the most? 55:05 WTA girl group! 68:20 Are certain players just better at tiebreaks? How much stock do you put into the tiebreak records vs match-ups and other factors? 79:20 Plan a dinner party with 6-8 tennis people, alive or dead
Jun 13, 2023 · 1 hr 14 min
The Next (De)Generation: Roland Garros Wrap
Roland Garros 2023 is in the books, as Iga Swiatek extends her dominance and Novak Djokovic beats a field that offered very little resistance to the new major singles title leader. All respect and admiration goes to Karolina Muchová, so far the toughest challenger to Iga in a Slam final. We talk the science of cramping and answer listener questions about Sabalenka's approach to press and what we expect of athletes speaking on politics. Finally we tackle the doubles default controversy -- a strict rule that should be strict -- and praise the wheelchair winners and everyone's favorite doubles pairing (or ours, at least): Taylor Townsend and Leylah Fernandez. 0:35 Men’s draw: Dedicated hateration 13:25 Cramping: what’s the science? Well, it’s not entirely clear … 24:50 Women’s final: Karolina Muchová gives Iga a scare 33:55 The Sabalenka handshake controversy leads into a few questions from listeners about what we expect from athletes 54:40 The default of Miyu Kato 60:50 Doubles results: Hsieh is back + Fernandez-Townsend, Ivan Dodig schools the French Federation in public 65:00 Wheelchair singles: de Groot wins her 10th straight major(!!!) + Oda becomes the youngest male Slam champ in history
Jun 4, 2023 · 1 hr 15 min
The Placebo Effect
We're halfway through Roland Garros -- most of the favorites are still around plus a few clay sensations on the bottom halves of both the men's and women's draws. We're talking Sloane, Svitolina, Muchova, Iga, Carlos, Jannik, Meddy and more. We were reminded that politics and sport are, in fact, intertwined and inextricable with Djokovic's commentary on Kosovo and Sabalenka's response to questions about Lukashenko. Last week we asked for updates on Seyboth Wild's case and we got more than we bargained for. Plus, the RG crowd, our favorite looks, and a Rafa update. 2:30 Starting with the men … Frances, why??? 15:00 Where we are in the draw: the bottom half lacks a few seeds but shouldn't be a surprise 18:00 Iga’s bakery: Iga says don’t be disrespectful 21:00 Plenty of upsets but were they actually surprising? 27:45 Sloane Stephens is tailor made for this tournament 37:35 Aryna Sabalenka vs. the press 47:50 Novak’s politics 55:10 Nanotechnology to the rescue 58:15 The elusive Thiago Seyboth Wild: abuse allegations, journalist intimidation, and … N*zis? Wtf? 66:05 Et ceteras: Taylor Fritz shushes the obnoxious crowd; Gasquet crypto captain? 70:45 The looks: Grigor is Lacoste
May 27, 2023 · 1 hr 5 min
Come Hell or High Pasta: Roland Garros Preview
Roland Garros will begin without Rafael Nadal in the draw, for the first time since 2004. In his stead, Alcaraz and Djokovic are favorites, but Medvedev’s Rome win and Rune’s consistency might complicate things. On the women’s side, the fabled “new big 3” have kept up their sides of the bargain through the clay season and it’s made for a fairly balanced draw. Iga remains the favorite but Rybakina, Sabalenka, Jabeur, Krejcikova, or Ostapenko could snatch (among others). Join us for our draw analysis and recap of the clay season so far! 2:20 Who are the WTA contenders apart from Iga? WTA clay so far: the “new Big 3” is still winning 13:00 WTA draw analysis 20:20 Come hell or high pasta: some outrageous early match-ups in the women’s bottom half 32:55 Rafa’s absence looms large + the men’s clay winners this year 41:20 Men’s draw analysis: ultimate troll Medvedev engineers a potential Djokovic-Alcaraz semi 48:00 Bottom half: the Rune-Ruud rematch we deserve? 57:00 Join our league on TNNS Live and fill out your bracket 58:35 Et ceteras: more from Simona + Break Point part two announcement
May 22, 2023 · 50 min
Rome in Ruins
Another clay Masters, another disastrous finale. They couldn’t help the rain, but between the weird scheduling and the fumbled women’s singles trophy presentation, Rome left a bad taste in our mouths after this expanded clay experiment. Rybakina and Medvedev prevailed: Rybakina recording her third straight win over Iga Swiatek and Medvedev shakes up Roland Garros predictions with his first clay title. We dive into the proposal to move the Western & Southern Open to Charlotte, NC, plus a segment on the latest Simona Halep anti-doping news and Hugo Gaston’s shocking behavior and fine. 1:00 Rafa pulls out of RG, gives career update 3:05 Another fortnight, another Master disaster 9:55 Rybakina emerges from the Rome ruins 13:20 Daniil Medvedev did WHAT?! 18:10 Djoko smashed, new Iga allegations & Aryna’s deft touch 26:05 Cincinnati moving to Charlotte? More public money for what … 31:55 RG withdrawals: Thiem didn’t get a wild card but it didn’t matter 35:00 Gaston unsportsmanlike conducts his way to one of the largest fines in history 36:45 More bad anti-doping news for Simona Halep: what is an athlete biological passport? 39:40 Simona & Patrick accuse the ITIA of “harassment”
May 9, 2023 · 51 min
The Gender Cake Gap
Episode 301 takes us crashing back to Earth in the wake of genuine concerns over the Madrid Open’s treatment of women players. The overlong, overcooked tournament ended in a flurry of bad press, which started with some symbolically loaded cakes and ended with a tournament terrified of letting women speak at all. Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz continue fine seasons, each winning their second titles here. To wrap up, we cover some depressing injury news, Murray-Stephens Challenger wins, and an addendum to “SERENA” which features *your* favorite Serena moments. 3:35 Madrid experiments with a longer format, and honestly let’s leave it in 2023 7:50 The model ball women: the culottes are worse than the crime? 9:45 Ceci n’est pas un cake 19:45 The women’s doubles finalists are literally silenced 28:15 Imagine, the original controversy of Madrid was Genie Bouchard’s possibly defamatory tweet about dopers 30:15 Onto actual tennis! Sabalenka d. Swiatek as this rivalry really heats up 33:15 Alcaraz title #10, Struff’s clay serve and volley, Zhang’s breakthrough 37:40 “Hola a todos” should come with a warning 41:00 Anisimova to take a break from tennis to take care of her mental health 44:40 Your favorite Serena moments: oh, he’s still … ?
May 2, 2023 · 2 hr 5 min
SERENA
Episode 300 of The Body Serve is our meditation on the career of Serena Williams - an episode we’d put off, partly out of denial and partly because we wanted so badly to do it justice. In 1999, just before beating Steffi Graf at Indian Wells, Serena said: “I’m tired of losing to people I should beat. Whatever my potential is, I want to reach it. Now.” She did just that for over two decades, amassing 23 major singles titles, 14 major doubles titles with Venus, international fame and cultural influence, and hundreds of Open Era tennis records. The hardest thing about covering Serena is to take her out of the realm of metaphor: she is (rightfully) an icon, someone who means even more than what she did on court, but how do you take a measure of the woman herself? What follows is not a full biography. We look at distinct eras in Serena’s career and weave in themes of misogynoir, body shaming, integrity, sisterhood, shade, and finally, a celebration of Serena’s legendary kits and press conference moments. 3:00 Let’s look at the receipts: the resume and the records 7:25 The early years: a “perfect bond of union” and Serena’s first WTA match 20:45 You can’t tell the story of Serena without Venus 27:20 Domination Part One (2002-2003): Serena Slam and prophecy fulfilled 32:00 The desert (2004-2006): acceptance is conditional; the Great White Hope 40:40 The Chris Evert letter 50:50 Getting back to #1 (2007-2010) 57:00 The myths of 2012 lead to one of the greatest stretches in tennis history (2012-2017) 1:02:25 Returning to Indian Wells, 2015 1:10:45 Twilight (2018- ) 1:14:50 Misogynoir 1:23:10 Controversy: why is it always the US Open? 1:36:10 Serena in press: there is truly nothing like it 1:45:25 Serena dropped a massive bombshell while we were recording, and it gave us closure 1:49:10 Legacy 1:58:20 The legendary fits: Cameroon, catsuits, and Puma supremacy
Apr 21, 2023 · 1 hr 4 min
Man in the Mirror
Episode 299 (almost there!) brings us to Andrey Rublev's first Masters title with his win over young menace Holger Rune. Medvedev & Zverev fire a few shots at each other, culminating in Daniil's clear 'we are not friends and keep my wife's name out of your mouth' moment. We talk about the WTA's decision to suspend their boycott and return to China, despite the Chinese government failing to meet the WTA's demands. Plus, a very depressing injury update, a few more thoughts on 'fairness' and what trans exclusion means for cis women, and celebrating the trans excellence of Sasha Colby, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race season 15. 1:15 Ruby wins his first Masters title! 10:20 The testy exchanges between that guy and Medvedev: “Look at yourself in the mirror” 17:45 Grigor and Andrey besties ❤️ 22:45 Stuttgart so far: the fourth straight Krejcikova-Sabalenka match, Badosa rising, and an impromptu QUIZ! 33:00 WTA decides to return to China: they took a big swing on the boycott but didn’t get much solidarity 42:55 Blue Check Novak Djokovic playing in the Djokovic-owned Srpska Open but he is not enjoying the conditions 45:15 Quick bites: Conchita-Garbiñe split, horrible injury news followed by encouraging injury news 51:00 The Zendaya-Guadagnino tennis film is guaranteed to be wild 52:30 An addendum to last episode’s segment on trans inclusion: the trap of ‘fairness’ 59:40 Sasha Colby wins Drag Race, rightfully!
Apr 11, 2023 · 58 min
Betwixt, Betrayed, and Betweener-ed
Rain across the Southern US nearly derailed a few tennis tournaments this weekend, but Ons Jabeur and Frances Tiafoe held on to win Charleston and Houston, respectively. We chat about the early clay season, Naomi's post-baby goals, and some updates on Wimbledon, Carlos, and Iga. For a good chunk of the episode, we take on Martina Navratilova's escalating takes on trans athletes, and more broadly, trans women. How did this expand past trans women's participation in sport to a more generally exclusionary worldview? What will it take for the tennis establishment to say something? 0:35 Don’t count out Ons Jabeur just yet! 7:55 Frances Tiafoe makes it through the rain, wins career title #2 12:25 Other first-week clay events: Casper, Tatjana Maria, Dominic Thiem 16:20 Naomi Osaka’s recent interview on Japanese TV had everything; injury updates 21:10 Plus: updates from Wimbledon on their policy change on Russian and Belarusian players; a few huhs(?) and a surprise from Del Potro Trigger warning: this is tough subject matter and there is some coarse language to follow 28:10 Martina’s history and evolution on the subject of trans women: the infamous 2019 op-ed, the apology, the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group, and their misleading “facts vs feelings” rhetoric 37:05 It’s become about much more than “protecting women’s sport” - what type of womanhood is authentic? 45:50 “LGB” is a lie 49:20 It’s been time for tennis to say something
Apr 4, 2023 · 54 min
Petrafied
Our Miami champs – Kvitova and Medvedev – underscore how tough it is to win the Sunshine Double. Petra Kvitova completes one of her most unexpected tournament runs by winning her 30th WTA title and ninth at the 1000 level. On the men’s side, Daniil Medvedev caps an astonishing run of tournaments with title #4, and Alcaraz and Sinner’s electrifying semifinal gets widespread attention. We've also got Eubanks, Gauff/Pegula, a decision from Wimbledon, and Pouille's openness about mental health. 01:35 So much rain, so much discourse 05:25 Petra wins title #30! 16:15 Barbie K says WTA Big 3 is fake news! 18:55 Yes, Sinner vs. Alcaraz is becoming a really good rivalry 27:35 Medvedev turns his whole trajectory around these past few months: 4 titles in 5 tries 30:50 Chris Eubanks makes his career-best run and enters the top 100 34:45 Between Gauff, Pegula, and Townsend (and more!), American women’s doubles is lit 38:20 Wimbledon will allow Russian & Belarusian players who sign neutrality declarations 42:20 When is Rafa returning? 44:20 Lucas Pouille opens up about depression, substance use, and learning humility
Mar 25, 2023 · 1 hr
Pocketful of Sunshine (Double)
We’re coming to you mid-Sunshine Double, which at this point is more like Sunshine Month? Sunshine Quarter? Anyway, pack your SPF. We’re seeing storylines emerge for the year: is there a WTA Big 3 emerging? Who else will join that top tier? Is Carlos poised to dominate? Will the racquet talk? Beyond the tennis being played, we’re covering two continuing stories: the attempts by the WTA to protect players from abuse and exploitation, and the CVC/WTA deal and what that means for revenue. We also have a discussion on one of our favorite topics: the state of tennis journalism and its many challenges. 0:35 Hashtag tyranny 4:55 Rybakina beats Iga & Aryna to win Indian Wells - a new “big 3?” 14:20 Carlos comprehensively picks apart the draw in IW 19:00 Miami so far: is Bianca “back?” Taro Daniel bagels AZ, the world cheers 24:30 Iga debuts a new clothing sponsor 29:40 Continuing story: new developments with the WTA’s efforts to combat abuse 37:45 More on the CVC deal: finding new revenue opportunities based on the social (and real) value of equal prize money 43:50 The conundrum of tennis, or any sport, having a diligent, critical, and *paid* press corps 55:10 Listener questions: Scream 6 and Daddy Pedro Pascal
Mar 14, 2023 · 52 min
Say Something
It’s a little bit of everything this week -- first, some thoughts on the first week of Indian Wells, whose courts are slower than Daniil Medvedev’s bathroom breaks (his words). We chat about Murray, Medvedev, Raducanu, Muchová, and the undeniable Ben Shelton. In business news, we talk about the WTA’s official partnership with CVC Capital Partners, a private equity firm that has just promised a $150m in new and better revenue streams for women’s tennis. Plus, Denis Shapovalov goes all in on gender pay equity, Netflix’s Break Point announces a season two, and Rafa’s all-time top 10 record is lost. 0:30 Some housekeeping and a thank you 3:10 Indian Wells week one: Daniil says it’s not a hardcourt (and is he really wrong?) plus some chatter about the women’s draw 10:00 Jonathan’s new fave Ben Shelton 12:50 Private equity firm CVC invests $150m in WTA Ventures, a new commercial subsidiary 17:50 The Tsurenko-Steve Simon story - where is the reporting? 23:00 You got nothing to say now? Holger Rune gives himself the rare Double L 26:40 Denis Shapovalov honors his mom and says equal pay for equal work NOW! 38:25 Big up Sloane Stephens Foundation! 39:40 We’re getting a Break Point season two whether we like it or not 45:10 Rafa’s record for consecutive weeks in the top 10 will end at 912 46:25 Injury updates: Kontaveit plus where is Jen Brady?
Mar 7, 2023 · 57 min
Fly Like A Bird
It’s been a rough week in the Body Serve household, as we said goodbye to our beautiful 16-year-old beagle Vince. He’s felt like a third co-host over the years, a presence who was always just off-mic (and sometimes on it when he snored). In tennis, Barbora Krejcikova did the thing – taking out #1-2-3, saving match points, serving and getting served bagels, and pummeling Iga’s second serve to win Dubai. On the men’s side, Medvedev won three titles in three weeks, getting back into the top 10 and stopping Novak’s dominance of their head-to-head. Andy and Ruby have great weeks, plus Chaka comes for Mariah and Joe Biden catches strays over the literally endless Novak vaccine drama. 0:30 Vince
Feb 22, 2023 · 56 min
We Need a Preposition
February in tennis: four continents, three Iga bagels, two male US Open champs winning titles, and one white woman wearing racially inappropriate hairstyles. This month is nothing if not eclectic. We also chat about Hsieh dropping in then dropping out of Dubai, what the hell is going with Schwartzman and Muguruza, and the breakout star who will change tennis in his country forever. 0:45 Iga generously doles out bagels; Sakkari Semifinal Segment 13:45 Wu Yibing becomes first Chinese man to win a title, also gets people to watch an Isner match 20:10 Carlos is back; plus a rankings factoid 22:50 Finance pro Matija Pecotić leaves work early to beat wild card king Jack Sock 25:45 What’s going on with Diego Schwartzman and Garbiñe Muguruza? 28:45 The disingenuous comparison of men’s records to women’s 31:50 Counting inches: Novak, the Sunshine Double, and the “proof” that nobody needs 36:15 Hsieh resurfaces, Ostapenko’s appropriation, and Eubanks’ near miss 44:40 Things we like/dislike: withholding stars, oats, and beans
Feb 10, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
Same As It Ever Was
Post-Australian Open tennis continues around the world, but this week we’re mostly talking about the seeming conclusions of the ATP’s two highest profile domestic violence cases (but not their only cases, btw). The ATP quietly dropped a new release shortly after the AO that the Zverev investigation had concluded and that the results were, well, inconclusive. Days later, Nick Kyrgios pled guilty to common assault against his ex-girlfriend but the charges were dismissed. A lot of tennis talkers and front-office folks will likely be relieved, but where does this leave us? Are we any closer to tennis organizations handling DV with care and responsibility? Also, more about the business side of tennis: the spectacular collapse of the Davis Cup-Kosmos deal, billionaire “disruptors,” and looking at PTPA financing and its latest presentation. 01:55 Results: Parks, Zhu, Stanley! 05:40 ATP quietly drops the news of the Zverev investigation 17:40 Nick Kyrgios pleads guilty to common assault, court drops the charges 23:50 Lots of concern about the consequences to the perpetrator 26:00 What will the ATP do? …. Bueller? Bueller? 30:10 US says COVID is over, we’re not paying for your shit anymore (and also Novak is coming) 32:40 ITF ends its Davis Cup contract with Kosmos a mere TWENTY years early 37:05 Money in tennis: the “disruptors” 40:30 What are the PTPA’s goals? Looking at their recent presentation 51:20 Lepchenko ban reduced … these supplements get ‘em every time 53:45 The Grammys do it again!