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NEW PODCASTS: Olympics/Canada + Mailbag

8/23/2024

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#351: Daddy Lessons

Since we last spoke, the entire Olympic tennis tournament and the Canadian Open came and went. Our coverage isn’t comprehensive but more of a riff on the most interesting bits to us. We devote a good chunk of time to the tennis world’s incursions into the “gender controversy” involving Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif, including ugly, often defamatory statements by tennis legends and one current player (the latter being the only one to retract). We bounce over to Canada for some disjointed thoughts on the National Bank Open and finally touch on the end of an era, the dissolution of the stormy Stefanos-Apostolos working relationship.   
​

01:15 The Jamaican Olympic tragedy
11:00 Tennis at the Olympics: Novak, Zheng, Nadalcaraz 
23:00 The myth of the badly behaved American trio (it's not a trio)
33:25 Andy Murray’s last dance
34:54 Tennis covers itself in shame during the Imane Khelif “gender controversy”
51:35 Policing women’s bodies is not liberation, it’s more of the same
56:25 Random Canadian Open thoughts 
67:30 Shapovalov defaulted
​70:35 Stef and Dad break up
​

#352: Pon De Replay - Mailbag

We asked for questions and you sent us so many great ones, many of which cover some of the major topics o’ the day, including the recent rule enforcement controversies and the groundswell of support for video replay. (Basically, video replay needs to happen and it will happen, but it won’t fix everything!) Beyond just the topical, we've got Olympics memories, favorite cake, a few great Coco questions, and the contradiction of having fewer and fewer opinions in a hot take-driven medium. Let’s have some fun before the US Open gets underway next week!

01:30 Which non-Slam event would you have liked to attend? 
06:30 Jamaican sprinting and our all-time dream 4x100 relay team
12:20 “What is the most objectively polarizing tennis topic that you have zero opinion on?”
20:25 Video replay: yes, we need it but it won’t fix everything
28:20 The FAA-Draper incident that launched a thousand opinions
38:40 Cleansing the palate from the above question … Favorite cake and favorite episodes (of our own)
42:00 The WTA matching ATP’s prize money: a moving target?
48:00 Toronto vs Cincinnati
52:00 “Coco crisis” or just alarmism?
62:05 WAGs and HABs
​67:00 Favorite Olympics moments
​

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NEW PODCAST EPISODES: US OPEN WRAP PARTS I & II

9/19/2023

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#315: "Miss Gauff"

Coco Gauff -- a child prodigy who built her career step by step -- grabs her first major title at 19 to cap a stunning turnaround this summer. She slays every question, embraces gratitude, thanks her haters, and will leave New York a superstar. Aryna Sabalenka ascends to world no. 1 for the first time, reaching the semifinals in every Slam this year, but couldn't stop Gauff in the final. The US Open leaves women's tennis in a truly exciting place, with a clear top tier and a number of women with diverse playing styles always a threat to win. We're also talking about the WTA Finals announcement, the second annual ball controversy, doubles, and Pegula's rich girl confidence.

0:30 Cori Dionne Gauff is the US Open champion!
7:15 The final: fighting back from a first set blowout 
25:45 How we talk about male coaches in women’s tennis
31:15 Aryna’s disarming honesty 
40:05 Madison zones for 70 minutes but comes up short against Sabalenka
48: Other notes from the second week: Ostapenko’s fitness should not be in doubt
53:20 Doubles: Dabrowski/Routliffe win the title and Townsend lit up the courts all week
59:35 The WTA Finals are where?
63:35 What is up with the US Open balls?
​71:30 Speaking of haters


​#316: "Not Gon' Cry"

Welcome to Part II of our US Open wrap, this time focusing on the men’s draw. Djokovic wins #24 and the challengers (aside from Alcaraz) have gotten no closer to cracking him mentally or physically … they’ve perhaps gotten even farther away. We talk about the semis, including the straight boy shade fest over PhoneGate and Medvedev’s 12 out of 10 performance against Alcaraz. The other major story of the week is Simona Halep’s 4-year ban for doping, handed down by an independent tribunal. It doesn’t look good, folks. We finish up with the Williams-Ohanian tweets, some trophy size comparison, the WaPo match fixing story, and a few more odds and ends. ​

0:30 ND24: sharing a throne with Margaret Court (and if you don’t like it you’ll be told to “cry more”)
6:00 Stubborn Medvedev against serve and volleying Djokovic
16:45 My country, my tax shelter + more semiotics!
30:30 Djokovic-Shelton: the phone thing and banking on Shelton’s overall appeal to the youths
45:30 Doubles: Ram/Salisbury threepeat, Bopanna runner-up at 43
51:45 The Spectrum-Disney stalemate blacks out US Open tennis for millions
55:20 Simona Halep’s 4-year ban: first, the news
62:15 The Halep fallout: Patrick, Serena, Genie
77:35 US Open trophies: if size doesn’t matter then why … nevermind
83:40 Reporting from the Washington Post on the largest match fixing ring in tennis history

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WIMBLEDON 2023 PODCASTS: Week 1 & Tournament Wrap

7/18/2023

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#309: "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

308: "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!
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NEW EPISODE: WIMBLEDON PREVIEW 2023

7/1/2023

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#307: "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. 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

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CONTRIBUTE TO THE BODY SERVE FUNDRAISING DRIVE!

12/20/2022

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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.

alt: an illustration of Venus Williams serving a devastating body serve straight at Jo Konta amidst a rainbow backdrop. credit Tom Humberstone
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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ROGER FEDERER SAYS GOODBYE TO TENNIS

9/27/2022

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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!)
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PODCAST: US OPEN TRILOGY

9/13/2022

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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.
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PODCAST: WIMBLEDON TRILOGY

7/12/2022

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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.
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PODCAST EPISODES: ROLAND GARROS TRIPTYCH

6/7/2022

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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. 
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NEW PODCAST: OUR LOOK BACK AT THE HISTORIC 1999 WTA SEASON

1/11/2022

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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


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NEW PODCAST: EPISODE 250 on AUSTRALIA V. DJOKOVIC

1/11/2022

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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
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US OPEN 2021 PODCAST TRILOGY

9/13/2021

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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

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PODCAST: 2020 ROLAND GARROS PREVIEW

9/26/2020

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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


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PODCAST: 2020 US OPEN BUBBLE WRAP

9/15/2020

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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


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PODCAST: DJOKOVIC DEFAULT AND MID-US OPEN CHAT

9/7/2020

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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


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PODCAST UPDATE: PLAYER ASSOCIATION & 2020 US OPEN PREVIEW

8/30/2020

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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? 
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PODCAST UPDATES: ZOOM SESSIONS & QUARANTAINMENT

5/25/2020

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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.
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​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. 
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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? 


​Episode 196: "For the Quarantainment"

The Body Serve is back with a tennis-free episode meant to entertain you during these trying times. We've broken this rather long episode into three parts: 1) trending topics, in which we take up a few non-COVID-related topics that have grabbed our interest recently; 2) TV talk, which is just us having fun talking about the long list of TV series we've been watching; and finally, 3) Body Serve and Soul, our first crack at an audio advice column, answering five questions submitted by listeners. Sending everyone our best wishes and strength while we all do our best to make it through this mess.

Part One: Trending Topics
2:45 Do you remember how messed up Tyra's shows were? Twitter does
10:20 A conversation about "cancel culture," how powerful it is, and who actually deserves it
22:30 Verzuz battles: who would we pick?
29:15 What is going on with Karens and Chads across America?!

Part Two: TV Talk - *Warning: spoilers ahead for Hollywood and How to Get Away With Murder (the other series are mostly safe from spoilers)
35:00 Hollywood on Netflix
40:00 Shows we enjoy: We're Here, Normal People, Little Fires Everywhere
51:20 Real Housewives of Atlanta does its first online reunion
55:40 Insecure looks at a friendship in decline
61:40 RuPaul's Drag Race
67:00 The Good Fight, Upload, Never Have I Ever, and the finale of How To Get Away With Murder
​

Part Three: Body Serve and Soul, our advice column 
79:40 We answer listener questions on relationships, love, social media, and quarantine issues
​


​Episode 197: "TBS Live: The Remix"

Welcome to our second ever Zoom session - The Remix, where we take listener questions, talk about Dominic Thiem's unfortunate comments and clarifications on those comments, and the larger inequities built into professional tennis. There's not much actual tennis news to talk about, so kick back and enjoy a much more relaxed Body Serve chat.
​

2:15 Catching up with player social media exploits: Venus, Naomi & Stef, Nick & Andy
7:25 The Dominic Thiem controversy - how to support lower-ranked players and how to answer this question better
11:15 The Ines Ibbou video response sheds light on the inequalities built into international tennis
18:30 This is bigger than Dominic! Bootstraps individualism and tennis' flawed governance
29:15 The WTA/ATP have announced how they will distribute player relief money
33:55 Merger updates
46:40 Please indulge us while we play a "newlywed game," guessing each other's favorite stuff & more
64:00 Live questions - which results would you reverse? Will tennis resume before a vaccine is available? 
​

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GOFUNDME: THE BODY SERVE

11/24/2019

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GoFundMe: THE BODY SERVE TENNIS PODCAST


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WTA SEASON WRAP PODCAST: BUT WOW, WHAT A MOMENT

11/24/2019

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Episode 179 of The Body Serve is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, podbean.com, and your favorite podcast apps.
Follow the podcast on Twitter here. Follow James and Jonathan on Twitter. You can also find us on Instagram @thebodyserve.
#179: WTA Wrap 2019: But Wow, What A Moment

​Our penultimate episode of 2019 is exciting for 2 reasons: we get to wrap this hugely entertaining WTA season and launch our first ever crowdfunding campaign. We're asking our loyal listeners to consider throwing a few coins our way to help us expand on our already 5(!) seasons of podcasting. 
 
But back to tennis -- we daresay that top tier of the WTA is shaping up a bit more clearly this year. Between stone-cold killers like Andreescu, a consistent no. 1 in Barty, up-and-comers like Gauff and Anisimova, and multi-Slam winners in Halep and Osaka, the WTA is in a great place. With help from our listeners, we chat about the most surprising, funniest, feel-good, and favorite moments of the WTA season. After that, cap off your WTA season by taking our quiz alongside Jonathan (and tell us how you did).
 
0:30  Announcing our first ever crowdfunding campaign  - #GoFundTBS - here's why we're asking and how we'll invest in the podcast
6:00  Assessing the themes of the WTA season: parity but the hierarchies are becoming clearer
10:00  The winners of the WTA's 14 big titles - Barty & Andreescu with 3 each
21:10 Our listeners' favorite moments of the WTA season: Murrena, Townsend, Su-Wei everything, Bianca-Angelique Drama Queen-Gate, Strycova's Wimbledon, and more
31:30  You Did That: Coco Gauff 
34:00  Feel Good Moments: Bianca comforts Serena in Toronto, Barty's entire season, Kristie Ahn's US Open
39:15  Most surprising moments: Konta's clay run, Barty/Halep/Andreescu's Slam wins, Serena-Pliskova at AO, Clijsters' comeback announcement
48:10  Funniest Moments: "If it's not one scam" ... you know the rest
55:00  Keeping ourselves honest - how did we do on our January predictions for the year-end top 10 and breakout players?
60:30  Checking in on the #HatchingandSnatching crowd
62:20  Comebacks, retirements, breakups, makeups
65:30  WTA Year-end Quiz - She said WHAT?
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TBS Diary: Cincy Finale

8/18/2019

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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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Women's final
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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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TBS Diary: Semis In Cincy

8/17/2019

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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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TBS Diary: Older Millennials Are Still Out Here, OK?

8/16/2019

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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.

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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TBS Diary: Melting In Cincy

8/14/2019

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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.


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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. 
​

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TBS Diary: Jam-Packed Tuesday In Cincy

8/13/2019

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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. ​​​​


​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. 

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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. 
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​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. 

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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.

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Venus Williams Rounding Into Form In Cincinnati

8/13/2019

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​​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. 

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Venus Williams on the run during her 2nd round win over Kiki Bertens

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