This GoFundMe helps us travel to tennis tournaments around the world, keep up-to-date on equipment and subscriptions, and simply acts as a 'tip jar' for folks who like what we do and want us to keep doing it. The Body Serve was born in 2015 out of our shared love and frustration with tennis. It started mid-Serena Slam 2.0 as a passion project we could do together from our kitchen table, where we could talk about the stuff they usually weren’t talking about on TV. It’s been eight years of learning and unlearning, making mistakes, fighting, making jokes at the expense of tennis’ worst men, and checking our biases. We’ve got 'em (everyone does) and we’re honest about them.
We’re proud to have remained independent after all these years. We have no sponsorships and no partnerships, specifically so we can talk about the topics we find interesting and stay true to the founding ethos of the show. Our only sponsors are you. We think that part of the reason people listen to The Body Serve is because we tackle challenging topics and we don’t tiptoe around them to avoid losing contracts or offending important guests. This sport is overflowing with conflicts of interest and we don’t want to exacerbate the problem by being part of them. That said, this podcast is work. Work that we love, but work nonetheless! We devote tons of time, effort, energy, and money to making The Body Serve. Just this September, your support helped us travel to the US Open for 10 days. It helps us buy new equipment and travel to tournaments, and it allows us to remain fully independent and accountable to you, our listeners. We have some treats and tokens of our appreciation that start at $75 (signed postcard and bookmark from us)! Donate $150+ and we'll send you your choice of Body Serve swag (like a notebook, mug, coin purse, coasters, etc). Check it out here! The Body Serve GoFundMe
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NEW PODCAST: 278 - "It Doesn't Even Matter"
And just like that, another GOAT says goodbye. This time, it’s Roger Federer at Laver Cup, giving tennis and his fans one last glimpse at his greatness. Confession: we haven’t always been the biggest FedFans, but we’re still paying respect to the man and his genius, offering some of our most enduring Federer memories. Along the way, we chime in on Laver Cup itself, the tender Fedal moments, where the event worked, and where it falls short for us. ‘Til next time, Roger!
Of course, Federer's retirement matters. What doesn't -- at least to the players, it seems -- are the petty fan rivalries that have come to dominate the Big 3/4 era. 0:30 Federer retires: regret over letting stan wars cloud our appreciation 14:35 Federer’s imperial period: if you know, you know 17:05 Our favorite Roger memories 21:10 A non-recap of Laver Cup 29:40 The racist abuse leveled at Frances Tiafoe; fans now trying to find their next prop to prove they’re not racist 37:40 The touching retirement punctuated by truly absurdist theatre 41:20 Rafa & Roger’s unique and genuine bond - men showing affection! 52:20 Big Three or Big Four? Yes, we want to go there, just for a minute 55:10 What exactly is Federer’s legacy? What did he bring to tennis that no one had before? (thanks @seasaltandrum for the question!)
275 - Looks Like We Made It: #USOpen Preview
26 Aug 2022
We're piecing together a preview for the US Open on precarious hotel wifi, but the show must go on! After all, this is Serena's final Slam. Jonathan is in NY taking in the action, while James holds down the TBS fort (i.e. Vince) in Toronto. Hear Jonathan's initial thoughts on TBS’s first trip to a Slam, plus we're talking about Novak’s eleventh hour withdrawal, this year’s version of the bathroom break distraction, and of course the just released US Open draws, seemingly some of the most balanced draws in recent memory.
276 - Very Good, Serena Williams: #USOpen Week One 5 Sept 2022
Well folks, that was quite the first week of the US Open, wasn't it? Jonathan is back from his trip to Flushing Meadows, and we are back to talk about Serena's last dance (or at least our first stab at it). There's a lot to unpack from the first week of the season's last major, so grab a honey deuce and join us for the ride.
277 - Barely Bleating: #USOpen Wrap 12 Sept 2022
The final Slam of the season sees Iga Swiatek troubleshoot and learn now to extend her dominance, and the coronation of the (not very) long awaited Carlos Alcaraz as a major winner and youngest male #1 in history. As always, we try to be skeptical of hype and take a fresh look at the results and what they might mean for the near future. Also at this US Open: the shambolic choice to have Supreme Court Justice Patrick McEnroe helm the women's doubles presentation, profiteering off Serena's name, and more awful revelations about sexual abuse in women’s tennis.
270: The S#&% Show Must Go On: #Wimbledon Preview
11 July 2022 Let's start with the good news: Elena Rybakina powered her way to a major title, and Ons Jabeur reached another career milestone while winning hearts and eyeballs around the world. The men's side was, uh, less appealing. Nick Kyrgios reached his first major final on the heels of an assault accusation (that's 4 ATP players currently accused of domestic violence if you're keeping count); a cursed bromance emerges; Rafa pulls out with an abdominal tear; and the younger generations fail again to capitalize on legends who weren't even close to their best tennis.
269: In Perfect DisHarmony: Wimbledon Week One 2 July 2022 Wimbledon week one saw a GOAT come and go, her sister light up the doubles court, the two male legends anchor their sides of the draw, and the loquacious Cornet end Swiatek's 37-match win streak. Saturday lit up the tournament for reasons good and bad; after Anisimova notched an impressive win over Gauff, Kyrgios and Tsitsipas gave an absolute shit show of code violations, toxic behavior, and occasionally compelling tennis. All the while, COVID reared its ugly head despite the tournament's determination to ignore it. 268: You Just Gotta Be Ready: Wimbledon Preview 25 June 2022 2022 Wimbledon prep had been dominated by the ban of Russian and Belarusian players, and then Serena Williams stopped the world by announcing her return to competitive tennis, first in Eastbourne doubles (OnsRena 4ever) and ultimately the Wimbledon singles draw. She joins a crowded field with no clear favorite, with Iga, Ons, Angie, Coco, a few Karolinas, and Petra all in with a shot. The men’s side sees Rafa and Djokovic on opposite sides, with Rafa attempting to continue his 14-match Slam win streak and Djokovic trying to upend the year’s narrative and further complicate the best-ever conversation. All episodes of The Body Serve are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, podbean.com, and your favorite podcast apps.
"Thoughts and Prayers: Roland Garros Preview" - May 21, 2022
Not more than four short months ago, we were reveling in Rafa and Ash’s Australian Open glory. Now that we’ve been abandoned by Ash, and Rafa’s foot has set alarm bells ringing, we enter the year’s second Slam with that familiar feeling of dread. Iga has taken the baton from Ash and sped through the Spring season; who can catch her? On the men’s side, things are a bit more focused…on one very concentrated half of the draw. Join us for our 2022 Roland Garros preview where we parse through the draws, give updates on the latest Wimbledon mess, and finish with the glowing debut of Drag Race All-Stars 7!
Mid-tournament: "If Is a Dangerous Word" - May 30, 2022
The Roland Garros quarterfinals are set, and despite a brief scare, Iga Swiatek continues her stunning win streak as the lone remaining top 10 seed in the women’s draw. But fear not, the quarterfinal match-ups are cracker (RIP Derry Girls). On the men’s side, we still have the promised Djokovic-Nadal quarterfinal, Alcaraz is still winning, and the once-presumptive finalist Tsitsipas has crashed out. We get serious about an issu important to us: Martina’s appearance on Piers Morgan’s show, the ongoing fight against trans women in women's sport, and what we're not talking about when we talk about this issue.
Roland Garros Wrap: "Je Ne Comprends Pas" - June 6, 2022
Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal are joint winners at Roland Garros for the second time, with Iga extending her dominance over women’s tennis and Rafa entering truly uncharted territory as a 14-time RG winner and extending his lead in the all-time Grand Slam count. In keeping with the episode title, we’re trying to understand how Nadal did that in the face of a tough draw, poor preparation, and a career-threatening foot condition. Twenty-one-year-old Iga, on the other hand, is making it look easy. We take you through the major moments of week two, making plenty of time for the Battle of Scandinavia, Mauresmo's unfortunate comments, doubles results, and Rafole #59. All episodes of The Body Serve are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, podbean.com, and your favorite podcast apps.
SEASON 8 PREMIERE: "Party Like It's 1999"
Many of us look back at 1999 as the dawning of the modern golden age of women’s tennis, a season that saw four different Slam champs, the abrupt exit of one GOAT, and the breakthrough of a new one. Lindsay, Martina, Venus, Serena, and Steffi battled for the biggest titles and crafted historic, enduring storylines at every major event of the year. There was a changing of the guard, sure, but the shift from one era to the next is never quite as cut-and-dry as it seems. Plus, of course, the memes -- or, in this era before memes -- the off-court controversies and clownery that we still talk about: BeadGate, the formal education argument; and more darkly, the homophobic insults thrown at Amelie Mauresmo and the persistent, racialized "muscles vs. brains" narrative. Let’s take a walk down memory lane and discuss a season of women’s tennis that quite literally changed the sport forever. 03:10 Setting the scene: What is happening in women’s tennis and the culture at the fin de siècle? What does the teen pop explosion and Y2K have to do with tennis? 08:10 The WTA’s struggles with investors and why anonymous “analysts” doubted the marketability of women’s tennis 19:30 So what makes the ‘99 season so special? 22:55 Themes of the season: the Williams sisters are coming, and not everybody’s happy about it 29:55 Martina is #1, but the dominance is slipping 37:40 Australian Open: Hingis three-peats, Mauresmo comes out, and we endure BeadGate 55:25 Roland Garros: Graf wins final major in an almighty mess of a final 62:50 Wimbledon: Lindsay ain’t just a hardcourt wonder 69:45 Steffi calls time on one of the greatest careers in tennis history 72:25 US Open: Serena bags the first Williams singles Slam, beating a befuddled Hingis in the final; plus, why the ‘formal education’ dust-up is even more instructive than we remembered 83:50 The year-end rankings, some fun facts about the Slam season, and the signs of what’s to come #WTA #Tennis #SerenaWilliams #VenusWilliams #SteffiGraf #MartinaHingis #LindsayDavenport All episodes of The Body Serve are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, podbean.com, and your favorite podcast apps
Episode 250: "Playing In Our Faces"
The Australia v. Djokovic saga has dominated new cycles for the past week in and outside of the tennis world; it highlighted many of the anxieties and political squabbles of the COVID-19 pandemic, spurred infighting between various levels of Australian government, and most importantly, was completely avoidable. There is plenty of blame to go around here: to Djokovic, to his family’s increasingly bizarre statements, to the Prime Minister's cynical political maneuvers, and to the head of Tennis Australia, who committed an astonishing number of unforced errors. We give you a timeline and the cast of characters as we attempt to contextualize this debacle as best we can. 00:30 Setting the scene, and why we don’t do emergency episodes 12:40 Jan 4-6: Today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption per-.... oop 22:30 Jan 8: The zero-sum game resulting from the positive PCR test 29:30 Jan 10: The hearing none of us understood 37:05 The dramatis personae: starting with Craig Tiley and Tennis Australia 40:20 The Victoria Government (and why state governments shouldn’t get immigration advice from a sporting organization) 45:00 Prime Minister Scott Morrison scoring political points, or; “rules are rules” 49:25 Learning about Australia’s refugee crisis and draconian immigration policies 58:00 Hubris, extremism, and strange bedfellows
All episodes of The Body Serve are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, podbean.com, and your favorite podcast apps.
Episode 240: "Hatched and Snatched: US Open Wrap"
Will history see this US Open as a watershed moment? On the women's side, is this just the most extreme example of a years-long trend of youngsters managing the moment and storming to victory? On the men's side, many felt Novak Djokovic was inevitably marching to a Calendar Year Grand Slam. But, whether it was due to fatigue from his long matches, the unfathomable weight of the moment, or Daniil Medvedev's mental and physical fortitude, the Grand Slam remains unfulfilled since 1988 (or 1969). Regardless of its place in history, this year's Open gave us storylines for the ages: the coronation of a longtime hardcourt menace and two young superstars to add to the WTA's already formidable roster. 02:15 Emma Raducanu & Leylah Fernandez stun the world 09:10 Raducanu’s win -- while unprecedented due to ranking and number of matches won -- is actually the rule rather than the exception on the WTA these past few years. Are the kids just built differently these days? 28:35 It turns out it’s really, really hard to win the Grand Slam 33:45 Daniil Medvedev has been the solid #2 hard court player for a few years, and today he came with a game plan and incredible poise 49:00 Doubles: Stosur wins 8th Slam title; Krawczyk won ¾ of a Grand Slam this year; Salisbury doubles in men’s and mixed 52:05 Other stories: Zverev story gets more mainstream media attention 58:00 Coaching during matches - it happens, so what should they do about it? 62:50 The Players Lounge: the Racquet magazine-produced roundtable on mental health
Episode 239: "Oh Yeah, They're All Scammers"
It was a first week for the US Open history books, full of entertaining matches and high-profile breakthroughs. Youngsters Fernandez, Raducanu, and Alcaraz notch huge wins, qualifier van de Zandschulp reaches the quarterfinals, and the undeniable stars Tiafoe & Auger-Aliassime face off in a blockbuster fourth round. BathroomGate threatened to overshadow the entire week, as fans and mainstream reporters became gamesmanship detectives and amateur clock-watchers. Oh yeah, and Djokovic is still on the hunt for the Grand Slam. 0:35 Week one -- well, day one even -- exceeded all expectations 9:20 #HatchingandSnatching update: Fernandez, Alcaraz, Raducanu 17:40 Women’s fourth rounds - plus a tangent on the Krejcikova-Muguruza controversy 26:40 Men’s fourth rounds: the Tiafoe-Auger-Aliassime match was a blast 32:35 Zverev finally has to answer to the Sharypova abuse allegations, he deflects to BathroomGate, and the broadcasters comply 39:30 Accusations of scammery follow Tsitsipas all week, and to be honest they have merit; or, “you can be mad about two things at the same time” 54:05 US Open Pride Day sees various players wear rainbow gear and otherwise show support 58:05 Sloane Stephens was one of the best stories of the first week
Episode 238: "Withdrawal Symptoms: US Open Preview"
The year's final Grand Slam is upon us, and for the first time since the 90s, we won't see a Williams sister, Nadal, or Federer at the US Open. In two weeks, we'll know if Djokovic has completed the historic Calendar Year Grand Slam against a group of young challengers (Novak and the Seven Trees?). We also discuss the recent publication of part two of the Olya Sharypova story and why the ATP and tennis broadcasters will have a harder time ignoring it this time around. Plus: Barty surging in time for NY, Stef's laughably bad vaccine stance, and some lucky loser drama in Winston-Salem. 1:15 Reflections on Cincinnati FOMO 7:00 Wrapping up the Canada results: Giorgi stuns the field and Medvedev beats Opelka 10:50 Cincinnati: Barty allows no doubt about who’s #1 21:30 Also happening last week: *that* Naomi presser, Yastremska gets called something mean, Lepchenko popped for a doping violation 33:00 Cincinnati men’s draw: the less said the better 38:20 The Tsitsipas Family’s wild and reckless vaccine takes 44:35 A lucky loser fracas at Winston-Salem 47:15 Draw analysis: starting with the women. So … how about that third quarter? 70:55 Men’s draw: is there anyone here who will beat Novak in best-of-five? 85:10 Part two of Ben Rothenberg’s story on the Zverev allegations -- why he said/she said is a dog whistle and why tennis might finally be forced to reckon with this 98:30 Another historic week in women’s sprinting! From your faithful tennis / Jamaican track correspondents All episodes of The Body Serve are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, podbean.com, and your favorite podcast apps.
Episode 207: "Drip It Like It's Hot"
Roland Garros 2020 is upon us, en automne, barely two weeks after the US Open and perhaps against better judgment. But what happen-ed happen-ed and here we are in Paris. The cool, damp conditions will likely produce grinding and unpredictable tennis, which has made predictions futile. The best predictor is how players have fared so far during the restarted season. In addition to the draw preview, we've got a few Covid updates, several messes to check in on, and a Dramatic Reading full of Canadian Content. 0:30 Against all odds, Roland Garros is happening 4:50 Men's draw preview: who will benefit from these tough conditions? Rafa gets Thiem, Djoko gets Tsitsipas/Meddy/Berrettini 19:00 We both failed probability but no, Virginia, the draw's not rigged 28:20 Women's draw preview: for the first time in a while, there's a clear favorite (but her road's not easy) 37:20 Women's bottom half - what to expect of Pliskova's health? Will someone other than Simona win her third Slam here? 42:15 Covid updates: spectator limit reduced to 1000 per day; Paire is in, but Verdasco is out 47:10 Buckle up for lots of commentator talk about weather and new balls 52:50 An enduring, recurring mess by Boris Becker 55:35 Dramatic Reading, a tribute to the trap king of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada #RolandGarros #FrenchOpen #NovakDjokovic #RafaelNadal #SimonaHalep #WTA #ATP All episodes of The Body Serve are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, podbean.com, and your favorite podcast apps.
Episode 206: "Bubble Wrap: Women Save the Day"
It wasn’t that long ago that we didn’t think we would -- or should -- have any tennis for the rest of 2020. Now, here we are recapping the final week of a fanless U.S. Open. Naomi Osaka and Dominic Thiem are your champions, a third Slam triumph for Naomi and a first at last for someone not named Federer, Djokovic, or Nadal. We cover the matches of week two leading up to the finals, as well as so much of the commentary and discourse surrounding the tournament. Sadly, and maddeningly, the commentariat simply did not meet the moment. All this and more on our Bubble Wrap! 02:02 Mariah saves the day: Jonathan has a word for the haters 10:20 The road to the women's final 20:38 Naomi Osaka wins her 3rd Slam title, against a reborn Vika 30:27 Naomi starts a conversation, the commentators have no clue how to talk about it 46:08 The sloppy path to the men's final? 52:07 The "low quality" of the men's matches doesn't exist in a vacuum 59:54 What to make of the men's final 65:18 Moments that made us cringe 78:14 Moments of levity: things we enjoyed from the fortnight 81:59 Dramatic Reading: Serena (out of nowhere) shades tf out of ______. #USOpen #NaomiOsaka #DominicThiem #Azarenka #Zverev #WTA #ATP All episodes of The Body Serve are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, podbean.com, and your favorite podcast apps.
Episode 205: "Double Bubble, Toil, and Trouble"
We knew it would be an unusual first week of the US Open. It started with Benoit Paire's positive test, and continued with the double bubble regulations and warring health departments. We got non-stop drama surrounding Kiki Mladenovic's singles loss and last-minute ejection from the doubles draw. But no one was prepared for the default of the undefeated #1 seed Novak Djokovic after hitting a line judge with a ball. Nostalgic for five-set collapses and parent-coach-player psychodramas? Oh, we still have those too. 0:30 Djokovic defaulted in the 4th round 9:15 Highlights of the men's first week: Felix grows up, Tsitsipas melts down 18:00 Three Canadian men in the second week of a Slam, a first! 26:00 Women's side: Rogers and Brady stun, Pironkova parachutes in to torture your faves, and Vika gets that Vika mojo back 41:20 Some thoughts on Sloane-Serena 49:45 Benoit and the original 10 - a double bubble and a not-quite-double bubble 53:40 Kiki does not love the US Open 59:10 Inconsistency, jurisdiction issues, and a lack of transparency 70:10 Thoughts on Djokovic's statement #USOpen #Djokovic #Serena #USTA #WTA #ATP All episodes of The Body Serve are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, podbean.com, and your favorite podcast apps.
Episode 204: "Be Careful Who You Association With"
This week saw many major stories come and go until one stuck: the breaking away of Novak Djokovic and others from the ATP Player Council to start a separate player association (not a union btw). Before that, we saw Naomi Osaka's solitary act of resistance stop the tennis world in its tracks; a strange and troubling end to Sakkari-Serena; the rebirth of Victoria Azarenka; and the rebranding of Milos Raonic as widely beloved. Oh yeah, and the US Open preview. 2:30 American sports react to the shooting of Jacob Blake 9:15 Naomi Osaka announces that she won't play her Cincinnati semifinal to draw attention to BLM 16:30 "Shut up and dribble" doesn't work in tennis, especially women's tennis 20:50 Meanwhile, the Western & Southern Open is happening under strange circumstances - Vika's resurgence 24:45 Milos Raonic: new hair, new thighs, new me 28:20 The bizarre end to Serena Williams-Maria Sakkari 33:50 The girl who cried wolf 39:15 Friday night news dump: Djokovic and others break away from the ATP Player Council to form the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) 53:30 Federer, Nadal, et al send a letter with some ... concerns (and some very good questions) 63:20 So what about women tennis players? #TennisUnited am I right 71:00 Oh, the US Open is happening in like two days?
It's been a minute since we posted here, but we've been staying active during this pandemic with live Zoom sessions, pop culture episodes, advice segments, and tennis updates.
Episodes 195-197 of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, podbean.com, and your favorite podcast apps. Episode 195: "TBS Live!"
This week, we attempted our very first live show on Zoom. We recorded a live TBS episode covering the bizarre news of the past week or so (think vaccines, mergers, missteps), and followed that up with some games and live Q&A. Thanks to the folks who joined in, contributed to the live chat, and submitted questions. If you weren't able to make it, here's the entire session along with a quick intro.
0:30 Intro - the fandoms had quite a week, huh? 8:30 TBS Live: starting with Roger Federer's bombshell tweet on ATP/WTA merger 18:30 Billie Jean weighs in: "The WTA on its own was always Plan B" 26:05 Novak's no good very bad week 37:00 ND clarified: I said what I said 40:00 Tennis powers announce a $6 million player support fund 49:15 A live F-Marry-Kill from @SholzTalks10s 53:00 Name the Tennis Player 55:20 A live mailbag from the Zoom live chat - starting with best player social media accounts 59:30 Who benefits the most and least from the suspension of tennis? 75:30 Flukiest Slam champ of the century?
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 | Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. In The Body Serve Diary, Jonathan and James write conversationally about the various happenings in the wild world of tennis. |
Women's final
Jonathan: We’re underway in the women’s final. Sveta looked eager to get things started: first to shake the hands of the folks at net for the photo op, and first to get in position for the photo op itself. Accordingly, she got out to the early lead by breaking Madison in the first game. Right now, she’s up 4-2 after holding a long service game in which she saved two break points. Sveta has yet to reach 100 mph on her serve through three service games; instead she’s relying on her veteran wiles and creative instincts on court. To escape that last service game, she upped the topspin quotient on her groundies to draw errors from Madison who couldn’t resist going “hog wild,” as Venus termed it earlier this week.
James: Sveta is such a smart player. She has so many tools to work with, alternately using looping topspin, not-quite-moonballs, low slices, drop shots, everything. She’s seen it all out here and understands Madison’s weaknesses. Now this is not to say that Madison won’t turn it around and start clubbing the ball. Interestingly, though, Kuznetsova has never beaten -- or even won a set against -- Keys in their three meetings, all on hard courts.
Jonathan: Well look at you speaking things into existence! Madison breaks Sveta as she attempted to serve out the first set, held serve easily for 6-5, then broke again to close out the first set 7-5. It’s wild how quickly the tenor of this match has changed. Madison is exercising incredible patience out there and seems to be in total control.
Don’t look now, but Sveta has taken an early break to go up 2-1 in the second set. She called her coach down after the end of the first set, and being the veteran that she is, seems to have regrouped rather quickly. She finds herself in the exact same spot as the first set, serving for it at 5-4; let’s see how it goes this time.
James: And again, broken while serving for the set. Although it hasn’t seemed it this week, Sveta is not match tough, and it’s not crazy for her to blink in these tough moments. At the same time, Keys has managed to clean up her ground game in crucial moments. Madison’s mental game has been impressive during this match, as she has refused to panic after falling down breaks in both sets. By the way, I’ve just read that the on-court temperature is approaching the 120s Fahrenheit.
Jonathan: Ouch to the heat, and ouch to Sveta being broken while serving for the second set like she did when serving for the first. Luckily for her, it wasn’t a carbon copy of the first, in that she was able to hold serve at 5-6 and send the set into a tiebreak. Unluckily for her, Madison wins the tiebreak and the match 7-5 7-6(5).
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Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. In The Body Serve Diary, Jonathan and James write conversationally about the various happenings in the wild world of tennis.
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Svetlana Kuznetsova raises her arms to the crowd after beating #1 Barty to reach the finals in Cincinnati
Jonathan: Did you ever imagine we’d be talking about Svetlana Kuznetsova this far into the tournament? Her run this week in Cincy has been magical. She’s beaten four of the top 11 seeds: Sevastova, Stephens, Pliskova, and now top-seeded Barty in a comfortable, straight set affair in the semi-finals. We’ve said and written so many superlatives about her this week that I wonder what else there is to say.
James: Luckily she’s always giving us more. Svetlana has said that nothing surprises her anymore, she’s seen it all in tennis. Surely there’s something just a tad surprising about this week? At 34, this is the first time she’s beaten three top 10 players in one tournament. She dismantled the #1 seeded Barty in the semis, dictating play throughout the match. Kuznetsova looked at Barty’s variety and said, “I can do that.” It was an utterly comprehensive match from Sveta, even if Barty was not at her best. Ash didn’t have a great day on serve (and an abysmal one on return), batting slightly over .500 on first and second serve points won; lots of that can be credited to Kuznetsova’s elite return game. Ash was sure to heap praise on the “legend” Kuznetsova in press, saying that there wasn’t much she could do when Svetlana was dominating like that.
Jonathan: We’ve got a bit of a lull in the day as we sit here overlooking the first men’s semifinal and waiting for Sveta’s press conference. Goffin just took the first set from Gasquet 6-3, never really looking bothered at all. Back to Sveta, she will play the winner of the Keys-Kenin second semi-final. Who do you think would be a preferred matchup for her?
James: I have no idea. I know who my preferred winner is: Madison Keys. Sveta has hung with big hitters her entire career (I mean, she’s no slouch in that department either). She certainly wouldn’t be cowed by either the moment or Madison’s massive ground game. However, if Madison is hitting off both wings like she did last night, good luck to literally anyone in her path. The big “if” with Madison is accuracy. As far as Kenin, if I’m being completely honest, I’ve watched very little of her so far. But her run over the past two weeks is one of those that sometimes presages a massive career. Two wins over two different world no. 1s in less than two weeks.
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Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. In The Body Serve Diary, Jonathan and James write conversationally about the various happenings in the wild world of tennis.
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James: We’re fresh off the Grandstand, watching Svetlana Kuznetsova gut out yet another 3-set win in terrible midday heat. Today, her victim was #3 Karolina Pliskova, who was to my mind as good a bet as anyone to win this tournament. She’s had a great year, having won three titles already. She was also the 2016 champ here in Cincinnati. But the conditions, coupled with Kuznetsova’s relentlessness, proved too much for Pliskova, and she went out rather meekly in the third set. Sveta’s moment is on point this week; she’s scrambling around the baseline, sliding, and twisting in all directions to reach balls. Not only that, she hit 30 winners today and broke Karolina three times.
After the second-set tiebreak -- which Kuznetsova bossed or Pliskova threw away, depending on your perspective -- the heat rule allowed the players to take a much needed 10-minute break. The temperatures are only going to get worse this weekend. This is expected in Cincinnati in August, but unlike the past few years, there have been very little clouds and rain as a respite from the heat. Jonathan, what did you make of that match, and how to explain Kuznetsova’s remarkable tournament so far?
Jonathan: Since we didn’t have a #TBSDiary for yesterday’s play, I feel compelled to mention that Sveta came into this match on the heels of totally dismantling Sloane Stephens 6-1 6-2. I asked her afterward if she was surprised by how easily she was able to get by Sloane given how competitive her previous two matches were. Her response: no. LOL. For Sveta, she’s seen it all at this point and she just cahhhhhn’t be surprised by anything on a tennis court anymore.
That said, I was a bit surprised by the result today, especially after Sveta got off to such a slow start. Pliskova was blitzing her through five games, and it looked like it could be over in a flash. But, like she did against Yastremska, Kuznetsova eventually got used to the pace and started to dictate play more and more. It was a wily, veteran performance. There may be a bit of magic for Sveta here in Cincy this week. She gets to play Ash Barty for the first time in the semis.
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 | Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. In The Body Serve Diary, Jonathan and James write conversationally about the various happenings in the wild world of tennis.to edit. |
James: The heat finally hit us in earnest today, and Next Gen said “I'm good, luv. Enjoy.” Upsets abounded -- although not all of these were technically upsets based on the rankings -- with Sharapova falling to #2 Barty, and Azarenka going out to the rising Donna Vekic. Even Shapovalov losing to Pouille wasn’t technically an upset, despite the always ample news coverage of Shapo making it seem like his fortunes should be trending higher. One Next Gen-er who did prevail was Andrey Rublev, who is emerging from a wicked slump and beat Stan Wawrinka today.
Alexander Zverev kept intact his winless record in Cincinnati, losing to Serbian teenager Miomir Kecmanovic in 3 sets. (To be fair, Kecmanovic was an Indian Wells quarterfinalist this year, and is coming off a great win against Felix Auger-Aliassime this week.) Zverev’s terrible record here becomes more surprising the more you think about it, especially knowing that he’s won titles in humid Montreal and Washington, D.C.
Jonathan: I was COOKED today. I spent so much time in the direct sun on Court 10, my happy place. I was determined to get a tan, and it’s my absolute favourite court; hopefully the sun screen I applied will leave me in good shape come tomorrow. But, wow, the CARNAGE! I started with a very wild Azarenka on Court 10 vs Donna Vekic. I had high hopes of a rematch of Auckland with Venus Williams, but alas it’s not to be. Vika looks to be in great shape, but she’s been suffering from a serious case of overhitting in the last few months. To Vekic’s credit, she was solid from the jump. I was super impressed with her first serve and how she was able to place it wherever she wanted.
As it stands now, we will get Venus vs Vekic tomorrow (not before 1pm) on Center Court. They’ve played once before, three years ago at Wimbledon, with Venus winning in three sets. Where did you start your day?
James: I too started with Azarenka-Vekic, though after waiting outside the court through a seven-deuce game I was tempted to bolt. Vekic was simply too solid and too strong on serve for Azarenka. Vika is back with Wim Fissette, but I have to wonder what level we can expect from her going forward.
I bounced around all day, checking out Kuznetsova and Ostapenko’s practices, a few games of Wawrinka losing to Rublev, and a bit of Barty-Sharapova. I quite enjoyed the first set of Osaka-Sasnovich, which was on my favourite Cincinnati court: the Grandstand. It’s not fancy; it’s utilitarian, it’s usually easy to find a seat, and there are a lot of short corner rows that allow you to sit alone (lol). Naomi was scratchy in that first set, looking alternately brilliant and wildly inaccurate. She and Sasnovich both hit some beautiful serves, and also hit plenty of groundstrokes that flew out by feet rather than inches. Sasnovich was close to snatching the first, did take the second, and managed to stretch the new world #1 to over 2 hours in the heat.
Osaka watches as she is passed at net by Sasnovich.
Now there’s one marathon match in particular I know we both want to talk about … any ideas, Jonathan?
Jonathan: Ahhhhhh!!!! Svetlana Kuznetsova, visa in tow, has beaten Vekic (last week in Toronto), Sevastova, and now Yastremska since being given her wings to fly again on the WTA Tour. I’ve seen Sveta play so many times on Court 10 over the years, and it’s almost always something really good. Today was no different. It was also my first live viewing of Dayana Yastremska, who has oodles of power. It was the first time Sveta played her, and she looked to be thrown off and on the back foot by the Ukrainian’s power game in the first set. Sveta being Sveta, she saved two match points in the second set, eventually prevailing over a hobbled Yastremska in the end. By the latter stages of the third set, Sveta was ripping winners all over the place, and it was a sight for sore and sun-drunk eyes. We hope to maaaaaybe interview her tomorrow, which would be a full circle kind of moment, as she was one of the very first guests on The Body Serve way back when.
Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. In The Body Serve Diary, Jonathan and James write conversationally about the various happenings in the wild world of tennis.
Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. In The Body Serve Diary, Jonathan and James write conversationally about the various happenings in the wild world of tennis.
James: We were all ready to finish this evening watching Serena’s opener, but we’ve just received the news of her withdrawal, basically at the same time as the rest of the world. The skies then immediately opened and poured down a near-whiteout, interrupting Roger Federer’s opener with Juan Ignacio Londero. Western New York homegirl Jessica Pegula will take Serena’s spot and face Zarina Diyas in tonight’s second match. I can’t say Serena’s withdrawal is a shock, but we were all optimistic once we saw her practicing on-site this morning.
The fortunes of the elder Williams sister, however, have suddenly turned brighter. Venus had been struggling mightily throughout the past few months, losing in the first round in her last three tournaments. (In the last two, the caliber of her vanquishers rang alarm bells, especially Bethanie Mattek-Sands in her return to singles after many months). Today, Venus was crisp, clever, and strong in taking out Cincinnati defending champ Kiki Bertens. Jonathan, you’ve written a piece on Venus tonight -- would you care to add a bit of color?
Jonathan: The tennis Venus displayed in the first set should put all those fears to rest. I can’t recall the last time Venus looked that good on a tennis court. Dare I say I saw shades of 2017 Venus during today’s match against the defending champion? Even when she fell behind 0-4 in the second set, she immediately got both breaks back and threatened to get things done in straight sets. However, Bertens showed her class and didn’t make things easy for Venus. What was really cool to witness was the crowd throwing everything behind Venus, willing her to the finish line. We KNOW the fraught history of the Williamses playing on home soil in the past, so this is always lovely to see. Anyway, you can read my piece here.
THE BODY SERVE: It appeared that many aspects of your game were working well today. Is there something in particular you were pleased about?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I just tried not to go too big, because I can go so big and I have a lot of power, and it’s not always easy to control. So I’m trying to play smart instead of going … hog wild. Which is extremely easy to do.
Venus was the highlight of our day, but we got things started on the Grandstand with Frances Tiafoe (surprisingly?) taking out Monfils in straight sets. What made it even more surprising was the fact he was able to do it after falling behind 1-4 in the first set while being completely outplayed.
James: Frances’ first few games were atrocious; he could barely find the court. As the set progressed, though, his volleys suddenly started landing, his groundstrokes started touching lines, and frankly, his opponent choked a few times. Monfils held four set points in the tiebreak, but Tiafoe found a way to gut it out. A question you asked in press elicited an interesting response from Frances; his volleys clearly weren’t working early in the match, but he decided to keep returning to the well because he knew it was the right play. Eventually, it worked, and his entire game seemed to follow.
THE BODY SERVE. You seemed to struggle a little bit with your short game at the beginning of the first set, missing some balls at the net. But then you persisted and that was probably, looked to me, one of the reasons why you were able to pull that first set back in your favor.
FRANCES TIAFOE: Yeah.
THE BODY SERVE. Was that something you have been working on, giving you the confidence to keep doing it when it's not going so well?
FRANCES TIAFOE: It was tough. Just not easy, especially when you get passed a couple times when you came forward off some good approaches. Yeah, I dumped some volleys early. It was a game plan. You've got to stick to it. You can live and die by it. At least you know it's the right play.
Yeah, it was tough. I mean, just trying to be a little too fancy there in the beginning rather than just kind of being boring and taking care of the volley. Yeah, I was able to do that throughout the match better and better.
By Jonathan Newman
MASON, Ohio -- Venus Williams was the first woman into the third round at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati when she defeated the defending champion, Kiki Bertens, 6-3 3-6 7-6 on Tuesday afternoon. For the seven-time Slam champion, the win was just her second over a top-10 ranked opponent all season, and signaled that the American was rounding into form at the right time ahead of the U.S. Open.
Still, Williams was hesitant to place too much importance on the win, even though she entered Cincinnati having lost three consecutive first round matches.
“It was just a second round, though,” Williams said. “For me, it's just round by round. I have a third round to play. To be honest, every player I play plays amazing. She was no less than that.”
Her opponent, world no. 5 Kiki Bertens, was the defending champion at the Western and Southern Open. The two had played two prior matches, both eventually decided in three sets. Today was no different. Williams raced to an early lead, playing as good a set of tennis as she has all year to secure the first set 6-3. Bertens, for her part, found a groove at the start of the second, sprinting to a 4-0 lead before Williams recouped both breaks to get back on serve at 3-4. The pair was destined to play another three-set match, as Bertens broke back immediately before taking the set 6-3.
Venus Williams on the run during her 2nd round win over Kiki Bertens
Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. In The Body Serve Diary, Jonathan and James write conversationally about the various happenings in the wild world of tennis.
Jonathan: Wow, we've been so negligent in keeping TBS Diary alive in the past year, but we are BACK from Cincinnati to regale you with some of our initial observations from the tournament. What is the thing that has stuck out most for you so far, James?
James: Aside from the loss of Piada, one of the only healthy options is the food court? The return of Andy Murray to singles, brief though it was, captured a lot of attention in the first day or two. On a smaller scale, 2-time major champ and 2017 Cincinnati semifinalist Svetlana Kuznetsova has gotten her visa issues sorted, and has returned to singles after a long layoff. She's looked great against Anastasia Sevastova. At the risk of objectifying her, Sveta looks to be in excellent shape; plus, her finesse and touch haven't deserted her. You love to see it.
Jonathan: What I DON'T love to see, James, is you not following directions: I asked for the ONE thing that has stuck out for you so far! But, I take your point about Svetlana; we are both currently on Court 3 as we write this piece in Google Docs, and, for how little tennis she's played this year, Kuznetsova looks great. Unfortunately for Andy Murray, he was unable to get by Richard Gasquet today, losing in straight sets. But, considering where Andy was at the Australian Open this year, that he was able to give a good account of himself in his singles return, AND remain pain free, is a massive victory in and of itself. He didn't look too bad on Court either!
James: I think Andy will see any singles play this summer as a positive. He was moving fairly well, fighting for breaks -- not really getting them -- but the match was encouraging, because he says he's playing pain-free.
At the US Open, he has decided not to play singles, but will play doubles and mixed doubles. Any guesses who he'll play mixed with?
Jonathan: I feel like you're baiting me into saying SerAndy, and honestly, Serena would have to be the frontrunner UNLESS Venus puts her foot down and requires her to double up with her instead.
Speaking of the elder Williams, Venus turned in arguably her best performance of the summer today, besting Lauren Davis in straight sets. Venus hadn't won a match since mid-June when she lost in the quarterfinals in Birmingham, subsequently losing three consecutive first round matches to Coco Gauf, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and Carla Suarez Navarro. But today, against an opponent she was 3-0 H2H, Venus served up more aces than double faults, was consistently in the 110 mph range on the first serve, and even reached 118 mph at one point.
James: Aside from the loss of Piada, one of the only healthy options is the food court? The return of Andy Murray to singles, brief though it was, captured a lot of attention in the first day or two. On a smaller scale, 2-time major champ and 2017 Cincinnati semifinalist Svetlana Kuznetsova has gotten her visa issues sorted, and has returned to singles after a long layoff. She's looked great against Anastasia Sevastova. At the risk of objectifying her, Sveta looks to be in excellent shape; plus, her finesse and touch haven't deserted her. You love to see it.
Jonathan: What I DON'T love to see, James, is you not following directions: I asked for the ONE thing that has stuck out for you so far! But, I take your point about Svetlana; we are both currently on Court 3 as we write this piece in Google Docs, and, for how little tennis she's played this year, Kuznetsova looks great. Unfortunately for Andy Murray, he was unable to get by Richard Gasquet today, losing in straight sets. But, considering where Andy was at the Australian Open this year, that he was able to give a good account of himself in his singles return, AND remain pain free, is a massive victory in and of itself. He didn't look too bad on Court either!
James: I think Andy will see any singles play this summer as a positive. He was moving fairly well, fighting for breaks -- not really getting them -- but the match was encouraging, because he says he's playing pain-free.
At the US Open, he has decided not to play singles, but will play doubles and mixed doubles. Any guesses who he'll play mixed with?
Jonathan: I feel like you're baiting me into saying SerAndy, and honestly, Serena would have to be the frontrunner UNLESS Venus puts her foot down and requires her to double up with her instead.
Speaking of the elder Williams, Venus turned in arguably her best performance of the summer today, besting Lauren Davis in straight sets. Venus hadn't won a match since mid-June when she lost in the quarterfinals in Birmingham, subsequently losing three consecutive first round matches to Coco Gauf, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and Carla Suarez Navarro. But today, against an opponent she was 3-0 H2H, Venus served up more aces than double faults, was consistently in the 110 mph range on the first serve, and even reached 118 mph at one point.
Venus Williams practicing at the Aviva Center in Toronto last week.
Episode 135 of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast: available on iTunes, podbean.com, and all podcast apps
#135: The Good, the Bad, and the Tragic: US Open Preview f/ David Taylor and Kamau Murray
We sat down with the coaches of last year's US Open finalists, David Taylor (Keys) and Kamau Murray (Stephens). These very different coaches share their thoughts on navigating player personalities and what they see as the most important roles of a tennis coach. But first, we analyze the US Open draws: the stacked women's first quarter, which could see a Venus-Serena third round and a Simona-Serena fourth, but with much uncertainty for all. On the men's side, Nadal gets an easy-ish one, while Djokovic looms for Federer (or vice versa) in the quarters. We also take on FFT President Giudicelli's comments on Serena's catsuit, and why boycotting is not top of mind for us.
2:10 The tragic: the women's first quarter, which features 5 current or former no. 1s plus Kuznetsova
12:45 The good: Madison Keys' draw
21:15 Also good: defending champ Nadal gets a soft draw to the semis
32:50 The bad (depending on your position): Djokovic and Federer drawn to play in the quarters
38:10 Peng Shuai gets dinged by the Tennis Integrity Unit, Lendl joins the Zverev camp
42:50 French Federation president Giudicelli bans Serena's catsuit: the cultural battleground that is the black female body
51:30 Is this the least wide-open women's draw in a while?
56:20 Our interviews with David Taylor and Kamau Murray, coaches of last year's US Open finalists Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens
1:04:40 Kamau Murray's radical honesty
We sat down with the coaches of last year's US Open finalists, David Taylor (Keys) and Kamau Murray (Stephens). These very different coaches share their thoughts on navigating player personalities and what they see as the most important roles of a tennis coach. But first, we analyze the US Open draws: the stacked women's first quarter, which could see a Venus-Serena third round and a Simona-Serena fourth, but with much uncertainty for all. On the men's side, Nadal gets an easy-ish one, while Djokovic looms for Federer (or vice versa) in the quarters. We also take on FFT President Giudicelli's comments on Serena's catsuit, and why boycotting is not top of mind for us.
2:10 The tragic: the women's first quarter, which features 5 current or former no. 1s plus Kuznetsova
12:45 The good: Madison Keys' draw
21:15 Also good: defending champ Nadal gets a soft draw to the semis
32:50 The bad (depending on your position): Djokovic and Federer drawn to play in the quarters
38:10 Peng Shuai gets dinged by the Tennis Integrity Unit, Lendl joins the Zverev camp
42:50 French Federation president Giudicelli bans Serena's catsuit: the cultural battleground that is the black female body
51:30 Is this the least wide-open women's draw in a while?
56:20 Our interviews with David Taylor and Kamau Murray, coaches of last year's US Open finalists Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens
1:04:40 Kamau Murray's radical honesty
Episodes 132, 133, and 134 of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast: available on iTunes, podbean.com, and all podcast apps
#132: Rogers Cup Wrap, Sascha Bajin Chat
Here in Cincinnati, we had the chance to sit down with Sascha Bajin, Naomi Osaka's coach and the former long-time hitting partner of Serena Williams. Sascha talks about his playful relationship with Naomi, his approach to coaching, and his recent social media tribulations. We're also recapping the Rogers Cup, which was highlighted by an incredible giant-killing run by Stefanos Tsitsipas and a superb women's final between Simona Halep and Sloane Stephens.
2:00 Catching up with Rogers Cup results: all about Stefanos
7:30 Denis & Sascha Z ruffle a few feathers - we attempt to move past the knee-jerk reaction
17:00 Rafa's run to the Rogers Cup title
19:30 Simona and Sloane put on a great show in Montreal women's final
26:00 Anything to say about the shot clock? Not really
29:00 Our conversation with Sascha Bajin, coach of Naomi Osaka
37:00 Sascha's trials and tribulations on social media: "I've been getting in so much trouble on Twitter"
Here in Cincinnati, we had the chance to sit down with Sascha Bajin, Naomi Osaka's coach and the former long-time hitting partner of Serena Williams. Sascha talks about his playful relationship with Naomi, his approach to coaching, and his recent social media tribulations. We're also recapping the Rogers Cup, which was highlighted by an incredible giant-killing run by Stefanos Tsitsipas and a superb women's final between Simona Halep and Sloane Stephens.
2:00 Catching up with Rogers Cup results: all about Stefanos
7:30 Denis & Sascha Z ruffle a few feathers - we attempt to move past the knee-jerk reaction
17:00 Rafa's run to the Rogers Cup title
19:30 Simona and Sloane put on a great show in Montreal women's final
26:00 Anything to say about the shot clock? Not really
29:00 Our conversation with Sascha Bajin, coach of Naomi Osaka
37:00 Sascha's trials and tribulations on social media: "I've been getting in so much trouble on Twitter"
#133: Getting the Conversation Started: Creating a Safe Space to Come Out in Men’s Tennis
You might have read what Roger Federer had to say about why there hasn't been an openly gay male tennis player in on the ATP Tour. Now, hear his words, along with those of Kevin Anderson, as both speak on what can be a tricky and challenging issue. Plus, our chat with Nick McCarvel about the upcoming event he's hosting (in partnership with No Challenges Remaining) to kick-start the conversation of "being queer and out in pro tennis," featuring the out retired player Brian Vahaly.
1:00 Talking about LGBTQ issues in tennis - why now?
6:25 Roger Federer speaks on the possibility of a male player coming out on the ATP Tour
14:20 Kevin Anderson expands on his previously stated support for LGBT athletes, and why he was compelled to speak in the first place
18:00 What are some of the barriers for an ATP player coming out?
24:50 Our chat with Nick McCarvel, host of the upcoming Open Playbook event with Brian Vahaly in NYC
Open Playbook: Being Queer and Out in Pro Tennis - at Housing Works Bookstore, Soho, NY on August 23
Event benefits Housing Works and New York Junior Tennis & Learning
#134: Kiki-ing Down the Door in Cincy
The bad news: our time in Cincinnati has come to an end. The good news: we're back with another episode to recap an event that produced a stellar title run by Kiki Bertens and a full-circle performance from Novak Djokovic. After recapping the finals, we rehash some of the notable matches we saw over the past week and regale you with some stories/observations from around the grounds. We also pondered a few questions: is Stan back? Is Milos being usurped and replaced in Canadian media? Do fans really care about Nick Kyrgios' "antics?"
2:30 Kiki Bertens takes out four top 10 players to win Cincinnati
11:30 Simona Halep and Darren Cahill audio: looking at Simona's evolution as a player and Darren's as a coach
17:00 Serena-Petra in Round 2 ... the tantalizing rivalry that never really was
24:00 Djokovic beats Federer to complete his Masters set: MasterBlaster
31:35 Other men's matches: Stanley vs. Roger, battle of Canadian no. 1s, Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov
36:45 The undeniable star power of Nick Kyrgios
41:55 Thanks to USTA Midwest for the USTA Pride Event at the Western & Southern Open
44:00 Stories from around the grounds: ball thievery, Alexis Ohanian flying under the radar, watching Coric & Fuscovics
52:35 Marin Cilic provides your moment of zen
Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. In the The Body Serve Diary, Jonathan and James write conversationally about the various happenings in the wild world of tennis.
JONATHAN: I don’t know about you, but I thought for sure I’d get at least a couple of days after returning from Cincinnati before jumping back into the tennis fray. Nope, no such luck: the tennis news and off-the-court stuff just kept on coming today! Let’s start with Stefanos Tsitsipas and the now deleted Nick Kyrgios tweet.
JAMES: Nicholas. We just talked about how he covers up his sensitivity with anger and aggression, but this was just straight up high school bullying. Jock vs. nerd is my least favorite dynamic. Stefanos tweeted a characteristically whimsical, earnest tweet about New York City, and Nick quoted it with “da fuq.” He deleted it quickly. Nick snapping at reporters and being generally surly is one thing; picking on younger players for absolutely no reason is just ugly.
JAMES: Nicholas. We just talked about how he covers up his sensitivity with anger and aggression, but this was just straight up high school bullying. Jock vs. nerd is my least favorite dynamic. Stefanos tweeted a characteristically whimsical, earnest tweet about New York City, and Nick quoted it with “da fuq.” He deleted it quickly. Nick snapping at reporters and being generally surly is one thing; picking on younger players for absolutely no reason is just ugly.
JN: He could have been joking. Perhaps we are just too far out of touch with how “the kids” use social media these days. Regardless, this is something to keep an eye on; Stefanos seems to march to the beat of his own drum, and perhaps some of the other young #NextGen folks don’t really know what to make of him just yet. As you said, it reeks of high school nonsense.
We also learned today that Serena will be bumped up from her #26 ranking to the 17 seed at the U.S. Open. Sounds about right, no?
JR: The USTA watched the wreckage of the seeding debates at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and said, “Not today, Satan.” Partly due to circumstance and partly due to good PR, they were able to stay above the fray, announcing back in June that they would alter their seeding policy so as not to penalize women returning from maternity leave. This pre-emptive strike was a public relations slam dunk: it allowed them to assert their moral high ground by championing social justice and squelch any debate that could dominate the pre-US Open news cycle, as it did before the French and Wimbledon.
As far as the actual seeding, I think they made a smart choice. This time around, the tournament benefits from the fact that Serena is already ranked within the top 32, so seeding her won't displace another player. Giving her a top 16 seed would have guaranteed Serena not to face a top 16 player before the fourth round. At #17, she will face a 9-16 seed in the third round. I would like to see her higher, because I think she can beat many in the top 16, but for now let’s all just move on and stop talking about it.
We also learned today that Serena will be bumped up from her #26 ranking to the 17 seed at the U.S. Open. Sounds about right, no?
JR: The USTA watched the wreckage of the seeding debates at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and said, “Not today, Satan.” Partly due to circumstance and partly due to good PR, they were able to stay above the fray, announcing back in June that they would alter their seeding policy so as not to penalize women returning from maternity leave. This pre-emptive strike was a public relations slam dunk: it allowed them to assert their moral high ground by championing social justice and squelch any debate that could dominate the pre-US Open news cycle, as it did before the French and Wimbledon.
As far as the actual seeding, I think they made a smart choice. This time around, the tournament benefits from the fact that Serena is already ranked within the top 32, so seeding her won't displace another player. Giving her a top 16 seed would have guaranteed Serena not to face a top 16 player before the fourth round. At #17, she will face a 9-16 seed in the third round. I would like to see her higher, because I think she can beat many in the top 16, but for now let’s all just move on and stop talking about it.
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