In Episode 53, we're sharing our experiences from the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio; Jonathan as press and James as fan. Listen to Jonathan's impressions of tennis reporting, and James' stories about the food, the practice sessions, and a few brushes with fame. But the real centerpiece of this episode is Jonathan's sit-down with the engaging, thoughtful Sania Mirza, doubles no. 1 and recent Cincinnati champion.

2:00 James talks about his time in Cincinnati: rain, mud, and calzones 
6:30 Osaka-Gavrilova 
13:30 James' encounters with famous people 
16:00 Jonathan's experience as press in Cincinnati 
24:30 Applebee's changes their hours .... late night in Mason, Ohio 
33:45 Pliskova def. Kerber, salvages Serena's no. 1 ranking 
39:45 Women's doubles final - Mirza/Strycova def. Hingis/Vandeweghe 
45:25 Interview with doubles no. 1 Sania Mirza

Volume 33 of #ThisWeekInTennis recaps the fortunes of ATP and WTA players in Cincinnati last week. Below you will be able to catch up on anything you might have missed through player tweets, press, articles, rankings, and podcasts. 

RUNDOWN
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• Marin Cilic returns to the ATP top 10 after winning his first Masters 1000 title. The Croat's win in Cincinnati will also guarantee him a top 8 seed at the U.S. Open with the absences of Roger Federer and Tomas Berdych.
• Karolina Pliskova won the WTA title in Cincinnati, beating Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-1. Pliskova also beat Muguruza 6-1 6-3 in the semifinals en route to the biggest title of her career. 
• Angelique Kerber came within one win of supplanting Serena Williams as WTA #1. Needing to get past Karolina Pliskova in the final, Kerber mustered only four games.
• Sania Mirza's first tournament apart from Martina Hingis ended with her hoisting the winner's trophy alongside Barbora Strycova. With the title, Mirza retains her #1 ranking while Martina Hingis falls one spot to #2.
• Grigor Dimitrov twice led by a break in the third set of his semifinal against Marin Cilic. Although the Bulgarian was unable to get the job done, his strong showing in Cincinnati boosts him 10 spots in the rankings to #24. 
• Milos Raonic was one win away from assuming the #3 ATP ranking. With his straight sets loss to Murray in the semifinals, Raonic stays put at #6. 
• Tomas Berdych announced his withdrawal from the U.S. Open, citing appendicitis. 
• Vera Zvonareva and Nicole Vaidisova talked about what's been going on with them lately. 
• As of September 1, an amendment to the tennis anti-doping program will now make provisional suspensions public with immediate effect. 

​Svetlana Kuznetsova sat down with The Body Serve Tennis Podcast after her third round win at the 2016 Western and Southern Open in Mason, Ohio. The two-time Grand Slam champion was fresh off wins over Alison Riske and Timea Bacsinszky. Kuznetsova would go on to lose to eventual champion, Karolina Pliskova, in the quarterfinals. 

Topics Kuznetsova touches on:
 

• Her thoughts on being in control of her career
• Whether she's obsessive about the rankings
• On playing Serena and their relationship
• Playing a sport where losing is such a big part of life on tour
• Changes she'd make to tennis if she were Tennis Commissioner
• Which tennis player she'd pull out of retirement
• Her favourite TV to watch
• Which music diva best encapsulates her #TennisDivas

Earlier this week, Sania Mirza sat down with The Body Serve Tennis Podcast to reflect on some big changes in her career, Olympic disappointment, the influence of her parents, and some other odds and ends. Mirza went on to win the doubles title alongside her new partner, Barbora Strycova. Mirza will also maintain her position as top ranked doubles player, one she previously held jointly with Martina Hingis. By beating Hingis in the Cincinnati final, Mirza now occupies the WTA penthouse by herself.

Here are a few snippets of the interview, with the full audio available on the next episode of The Body Serve. In the meantime, listen to our interview with  Svetlana Kuznetsova. 

​On her split with Martina Hingis:

On how her current partnership with Barbora Strycova came to be: 

On her activism:

On the influence of her parents in shaping how she views the world: 

On being named to the TIME 100 most influential list in 2016: 

Mason, OH -- Rafael Nadal says injury was not to blame for his lopsided loss to Borna Coric at the Western and Southern Open yesterday. Nadal lost in the round of 16 for the second consecutive year, after bowing out to Feliciano Lopez in three sets 12 months ago. This time, the world #5 managed only four games in 72 minutes against the 19-year-old from Croatia.

​After losing the opening set 6-1, Nadal called for the trainer. He explained after the match that his arm was tired and he felt discomfort in his elbow and shoulder. But, Nadal insisted the distress he felt was a natural result of playing so much tennis since the Rio Olympics, particularly after an extended period of inactivity.

"You know, two months and a half without competing, and especially without practicing, and then do what I did in the Olympics, come here, different balls, too much," he said. "I came here; I tried. I tried to do the right things to be ready, but obvious that I was not ready today."

Nadal went on to explain that the arm trouble he experienced against Coric was not related to the bothersome wrist that forced his withdrawal from Roland Garros mid-tournament. Nadal was also unambiguous about the current state of his wrist.

"The wrist is still the same. I said too many times already, spoke too many times about the wrist. The wrist is still bothering me but is a process that I need to pass and a process that I need to go through," he explained. 

Nadal pushed back against the idea he needed rest in order for his wrist to fully heal. He told reporters that "with more rest the wrist will not go better. The wrist needs to adapt again to the game, needs to adapt again to hit the ball." 

As for why he was unable to challenge Coric on the scoreboard, Nadal praised the play of his opponent.

​"Coric didn't give me many chances. He was playing his serve huge, and from the baseline he didn't miss a lot. So I need to be in better shape to compete against this kind of match. Was not the day to do that. Even like this I tried to the end."

In the second set, Coric served for a 6-1 5-0 lead over the 14-time Grand Slam champion, before Nadal rallied to win three games. In the end, Nadal says his body paid the price for the mileage put on it by playing so much tennis at the Olympics. He simply had run out of gas. 

​Nadal did not know his immediate plans after the early loss in Cincinnati. He said he would decide with his team whether to stay in Mason for a few days or fly to New York, site of the U.S. Open beginning August 29th. 
​
When asked whether he would be taking a few days off from practice, Nadal said "probably, yes. I think I need to recover emotionally, physically, and especially I need to give some rest to the wrist, the arm, to everything, no?"
​

Mason, OH -- Fresh off a gold medal winning performance at the Rio Olympics, Rafael Nadal arrived in Cincinnati  a bit fatigued, but ready to give his best effort. 

"Even if I am not arriving here with the best possibilities because I played 23 hours in seven days . . . I am here to try my best and I am here to play at the highest level that I could," said Nadal. 

After not playing any tennis for almost six weeks with an immobilized wrist, Nadal's participation at the Olympics was in doubt up to the last minute. But, Nadal is confident that his wrist has withstood the pressure of the Olympic grind.

"Looks like after a marathon for me in Olympics that the wrist resisted, so that's a great news for me." 

Having just returned from serious injury and then playing so many hours on court in Rio, Nadal's decision to play in Cincinnati came as a surprise. But, according to the Spaniard, playing Cincinnati was always part of his schedule, the health of his wrist permitting. Still, Nadal acknowledges that his task in Cincinnati will be a difficult one. 

"Cincinnati is Masters 1000. It's a big event . . . I am not arriving here with the best possibilities because I played 23 hours in seven days and my body is a little bit tired, it's obvious that's going to be tough."

The world #5 begins his quest for a second Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati (2013) in good spirits, still thrilled about the Olympic gold medal he won alongside Marc Lopez in doubles last week. 

"The gold in doubles was amazing.  Win a medal is always very, very special, but especially doing with one of my best friends is even more special, no?"

When asked if there was any advice he would give his younger self to prepare for the career he would go on to have, Nadal offered "you need to accept that if you are not lucky you're going to have injuries, and you need to be prepared for that." 

Nadal is not looking for a strong result in Cincinnati to build confidence; he is happy with the current state of his game.

"I know I was ready this year to have a strong results in Grand Slams.  I get injury.  I was unlucky," he said. "But I feel competitive again.  I feel with the right motivation.  I don't have anymore the feelings I had last year.  It's something that don't worries me much, no?" 

The 14-time Grand Slam champion has reached a point in his career where results don't matter as much as the journey. For Nadal, the most important thing for him in tennis right now is to "enjoy" and be happy with what he's doing. But, Nadal is not resigned to a tennis life without winning Grand Slams.

"I believe that I going to keep having chances to win Grand Slams in the future if I am healthy.  I have the right confidence that that can happen." 

Rafael Nadal begins his Cincinnati campaign Wednesday evening against Pablo Cuevas in the second round, with Nick Kyrgios his potential opponent in the third round. 

Tennis at the Olympic Games got off to a rocky start when several top players withdrew before the first ball was struck. With the quality of competition a focal point, the players on site still managed a series of golden moments, creating lasting memories from the event. Andy Murray added a second Olympic singles gold medal to his trophy case, beating the resurgent Juan Martin del Potro in the final; Monica Puig delivered the first ever gold medal for Puerto Rico, and Rafael Nadal returned from injury to win doubles gold. The Spaniard, who confirmed his participation only at the last minute, also reached the singles semifinals. 

Volume 32 of #ThisWeekInTennis looks back at Olympic tennis from Rio de Janeiro, recapping the happenings through player tweets, press, articles, rankings, and podcasts. 

RUNDOWN

• Monica Puig turned in the performance(s) of her career, stringing together a series of upsets on her way to Olympic singles gold in Rio. Puig's gold medal was the first ever for Puerto Rico at the Olympics.
• Andy Murray won a second consecutive Olympic gold medal, beating Juan Martin del Potro in a four-hour final in Rio. He also had a quick response for John Inverdale when the BBC presenter said Murray was the first tennis player with two Olympic gold medals. 
• Juan Martin del Potro scripted one of the feel good stories of 2016, turning his opening round upset of Novak Djokovic into a silver medal. The former world #4 previously won a bronze medal at the London Games in 2012.
• Rafael Nadal began his Rio campaign amidst uncertainty as to whether he would be fit enough (wrist) to compete. The Spaniard won doubles gold alongside Marc Lopez, and reached the semifinals in singles, losing to del Potro and then to Nishikori in the bronze medal match. 
• Venus Williams earned a record 5th Olympic medal in tennis when she won a silver medal alongside Rajeev Ram in mixed doubles. The pair were twice a point from losing their first match, but rallied to reach the final against Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock.  
• Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova won the women's doubles gold medal. The Russian team, winners the previous week in Montreal, beat Martina Hingis and Timea Bacsinszky in the final. 
• At the Hall of Fame Championships in mid-July, Ivo Karlovic became the oldest ATP singles champion since 1979.  The 37-year-old scored another title last week in Los Cabos. 
• Sania Mirza issued a statement regarding her split with Martina Hingis. The top ranked doubles player clarified rumours of a rift between the two and stated they will compete together at the WTA Finals in Singapore.
• Police are investigating whether British tennis player, Gabriella Taylor, was poisoned with rat urine at Wimbledon. 

CINCINNATI -- Notorious for an unrelenting schedule, Dominic Thiem admits that playing too many tournaments led to the hip injury that has plagued him in recent weeks. Thiem retired during his opening match in Toronto against Kevin Anderson, citing the injury, and then withdrew from the inaugural tournament in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Thiem concedes, "it was a matter of fatigue and also a little bit of wrong planning by myself and some wrong decisions especially after Roland Garros."

The back-to-back grass events right after the French Open -- in Stuttgart and Halle -- are the ones Thiem pinpoints as potential errors in his schedule. 

"After Paris, I could have pulled out of at least one grass court tournament and maybe it would be better," he said. 

Despite winning Stuttgart and making the semifinal in Halle, Thiem could only manage a second round showing at Wimbledon. He would go on to lose his first match at his next two appearances, at home in Austria, and then in Toronto. 

Still, Thiem has scripted an impressive season in 2016: he is 4-1 in ATP Tour finals and has made at least the quarterfinals in 10 events. In early June, he cracked the ATP top 10 for the first time in his career. For his part, the current world #9 knows the heft of the achievement.

"I want to keep my spot in the top 10, very tough to get there and I think also very very tough to stay there, so now my goal is to stay as long as possible in the top 10." 

As for whether reaching the top 10 has changed anything for Thiem on or off the court, he said, "I'm the same person and I will always be the same person. I won't change only because I am top 10. I mean, it's nice and it was a big goal but still I'm still the same person like a couple years ago."

Thiem did note one difference since reaching the upper echelon of the men's game: "Maybe a little bit more interest in my person, but from myself nothing changed." 

Thiem, the #8 seed in Cincinnati, gets a bye in the first round before playing either Malek Jaziri or John Millman in the second. Thiem is 0-2 in two prior appearances at the Western and Southern Open.

Nick Kyrgios, Irina-Camelia Begu, and Ying Ying Duan won titles on the ATP and WTA tours last week. The trio of events took place against the backdrop of Olympic tennis getting underway in Rio de Janeiro. By week's end, the tournament saw a host of top seeds in singles and doubles make early exits: Venus Williams, Radwanska, Bacsinszky, Jamie and Andy Murray, Mladenovic/Garcia, and Mahut/Herbert. However, the biggest upset of them all was Juan Martin del Potro's first round defeat of top seed Novak Djokovic. 

​Volume 31 of #ThisWeekInTennis will take a look back at the big winners and losers in tennis last week and get you primed for week two of Olympic tennis. 


RUNDOWN

• Top seeds upset at the Olympics: Djokovic, V. Williams, Muguruza, Tsonga, Bacsinszky, Radwanska.
• High profile doubles teams losing early: Williams/Williams, Mahut/Herbert, Garcia/Mladenovic, Murray/Murray.
• Novak Djokovic suffered a shock first round loss to Juan Martin del Potro at the Olympics. When the match was over, the two shared an emotional embrace at net, with both players shedding tears before leaving the court. 
• Nick Kyrgios made the most of his decision to skip the Rio Olympics by winning the title in Atlanta last week. Kyrgios dethroned three-time defending champion John Isner in the final. 
• Irina-Camelia Begu won her third WTA title, beating Timea Babos in the  Florianópolis final. 
• Ying Ying Duan scored the first WTA title of her career, overcoming a set and a break deficit to beat Vania King in the Nanchang final.
• John Isner, who opted to try for a four-peat in Atlanta instead of the Olympic Games, reached the finals before losing to Nick Kyrgios in two tiebreak sets. 
• Reilly Opelka jumps 442 spots in the latest ATP rankings after reaching the semifinals in Atlanta. He defeated Kevin Anderson and Donald Young before losing to Isner.
• Denis Shapovalov followed up his second round showing at the Rogers Cup with a quarterfinal run at the Challenger event in Granby. The young Canadian also announced he will no longer play junior events.
• Frances Tiafoe won the Challenger event in Granby, Canada. The title was Tiafoe's first Challenger win of his career; the young American jumps 26 spots in the rankings to #123. 
• Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza have called time on their doubles partnership. 
• Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic lost their opening round doubles match. The pair had to scramble at the last minute to comply with tournament rules stating both players must wear the same colours. Garcia took to Twitter afterward to voice her displeasure with the French Federation for failing to alert the pair of the rules beforehand.
• Rafael Nadal says his wrist is still not fully healed, but he has entered all three events at the Rio Olympics. 
• Venus Williams suffered first round losses in both singles and doubles. The 36-year-old American will partner Rajeev Ram in the Mixed Doubles event. 

​CLICK BELOW: Rio Olympic Tennis Draws

Celebrate our 50th episode with us! This one is jam packed - catching up with the past few weeks of tennis, telling you about our adventures at Rogers Cup Toronto, reviewing the Serena doc, performing a dramatic reading, and taking a tennis quiz!

​:30 Hey! It's Episode 50!
4:00 Big news: Huge announcements from Vika and Roger
9:00 Recent winners: Konta, Karlovic, Monfils, Deliciano, etc.
12:30 Talking about being on-site at Toronto - where's all the free stuff?
17:00 Up and coming Canadians
22:30 Dimitrov on the right track?
25:45 We saw a LOT of Gael Monfils
36:45 Checking in on the women, in Montreal - Halep, Keys, Kerber, Sveta, etc.
43:30 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas: Nicole Gibbs draws Coco's ire
49:15 Let's talk about Serena, the documentary - BJK, the Conga, USO heartbreak, Venus has jokes, and much more
1:08:00 Dramatic Reading: Favorite lines from the Serena documentary
1:10:00 James takes the Fast Quiz

Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep are the 2016 Rogers Cup champions, with the ATP #1 winning in Toronto and Halep inMontreal. Djokovic was able to secure one of the few titles that eluded him in 2015, while Halep made up for having to retire in last year's final in Toronto against Belinda Bencic. Tennis in Canada was overshadowed by the news of Roger Federer missing the rest of the 2016 season to continue rehabilitation on his surgically repaired knee. 

​Volume 30 of #ThisWeekInTennis recaps the 2016 Rogers Cup, presenting player tweets, press quotes, ranking movers, tennis writing, and podcasts from Toronto and Montreal.

​Let's get started!

RUNDOWN
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• Novak Djokovic won his fourth Rogers Cup title and 30th Masters 1000 title of his career. Playing for the first time since his third round loss to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon, Djokovic improved to 51-4 in 2016 and won his seventh title of the year.  
• After retiring in last year's final in Toronto, Simona Halep went the distance this time around, defeating Madison Keys in straight sets. Her path to the title included wins over Gavrilova, Pliskova, Kuznetsova, Kerber, and Keys. 
• Madison Keys re-enters the WTA top 10 after making her third final of 2016. She previously won Birmingham and lost in the Rome final to Serena Williams. 
• Kei Nishikori made the third Masters 1000 final of his career and second of 2016 last week in Toronto. As was the case in Miami, Nishikori lost in straight sets to Novak Djokovic. 
• Gael Monfils followed his title in Washington, D.C. with a run to the semifinals in Toronto, losing in straight sets to eventual champion, Novak Djokovic. The result bumps the Frenchman three spots in the ATP rankings to #11. 
• Roger Federer is out for the rest of the year. The 17-time Grand Slam champion will rehabilitate the knee on which he had surgery after the 2016 Australian Open. 
• Stan Wawrinka made the semifinals in Toronto, losing in straight sets to Kei Nishikori. He also announced his withdrawal from the Olympics. 
• Denis Shapovalov, 2016 Wimbledon junior champion, scored the upset of the tournament in Toronto when he beat Nick Kyrgios in the first round. The 17-year-old cracks the ATP top 300 for the first time in his career at #291. 
• Bob and Mike Bryan, defending Olympic doubles champions, have also withdrawn from the upcoming Rio Olympics. 
• Vasek Pospisil announced a split with his coach. Meanwhile, longtime doubles partner Jack Sock announced he will be paring back the amount of doubles he plays to focus on his singles career.