Wimbledon ends with maybe not the champions we chose but the ones we were given. Iga Swiatek honed her grass game and unleashed an almighty tempest to beat Amanda Anisimova with the loss of zero games. Jannik Sinner snapped his 5-match skid against chief rival Carlos Alcaraz by pounding his way to the title. We cover the very human and predictable limitations of electronic line calling, Sally Jenkins’ (warranted) hit piece on John McEnroe, and our lasting impressions of London. You can also expect us to discuss the embarrassing display of billionaire worship that occurred when “activist investor” Bill Ackman got an undeserved wild card to the Hall of Fame Open.
2:10 Dorothea Lambert Chambers thought her record was safe; Iga thought otherwise
16:10 Amanda’s journey to the Wimbledon final
21:05 Dimitrov and Djokovic injuries ease Sinner’s path
26:15 What happened, Carlitos?
35:15 Jonathan’s addendum on Swiatek’s season so far
38:50 Electronic line calling is fallible after all!
45:15 Ackman at the Newport Casino as we enter a new and dark Gilded Age
52:20 Sally Jenkins says what fans have been saying for years: fire McEnroe
58:20 Last notes from London
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1:07:25
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1:07:25
Strawberries and WHAT?!
We’re back from our first ever trip to Wimbledon with lots of stories from the grounds and our impressions of the whole British Empire of it all (it's intoxicating at the same time). We were there for the hottest opening day in Wimbledon’s history, and the heat seemed to wreak havoc on the draw, with 36 seeds out by the end of round two. We’ll take you through the draws and some notable matches we saw -- Fritz-Mpetshi Perricard, Krejcikova-Eala, Sabelanka-Branstine, plus Mboko, Baptiste, and ‘Cos’ Giron. Plus, if you’re curious about the various ways to get Wimbledon tickets, we’ve got you (even though it’s still not easy).
2:00 What it was like being at Wimbledon: Let’s start with the food
10:05 Around the grounds: ivy, flowers, Henman Hill, Hailey the Baptist
30:30 How does one get tickets to Wimbledon?
39:30 It was really hot and a bunch of seeds fell
47:00 Women’s draw: #2-6 are out but Andreeva and Swiatek remain in the bottom half …
57:30 Men’s draw: Fritz hanging on, Alcaraz playing entirely too many sets
Theme music courtesy of Oleg Fedak from Pixabay
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1:11:34
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1:11:34
TBS x Courtney Part I
Presenting the first part of our interview with Courtney Nguyen, tennis blogger, podcaster, and journalist, and until recently the Senior Writer at WTA Insider. First, we chat about Courtney's exit from the WTA and what's next. You'll hear about the first time we met back in 2015 at the dearly missed Mason Applebee's. We also asked Courtney for her thoughts on the state of AI and tech in tennis, some misconceptions about the WTA, and our mutual love of mess -- not just drama, which is fun, but the deeply human imperfection of this sport, how it's played, and how it's governed.
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1:02:41
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1:02:41
Rawdogging to Wimbledon
The Body Serve lands in London for the very first time! For our Wimbledon preview, we'll take you through some news from qualifying, discuss the players who rallied in the last week before Wimbledon, and outline the top stories of the draw. How long will the Alcaraz-Sinner duopoly last? Is Aryna the favorite or will a grass court demon snatch the title? Will Marketa send the draws crashing down? Will Fritz beat that guy for the 6th consecutive time?
2:55 Qualifying news: Canadian Branstine stuck playing #1s everywhere she goes
5:55 Major stories: the Sinner-Alcaraz chokehold and at least a dozen contenders for the women’s title
10:30 This week’s results: Peggy, Iga, Eala, Fritz and more
14:45 Men’s draw offers Djokovic a chance, throws Draper a curve ball
25:50 Women’s draw preview: Sabalenka’s rough go
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44:06
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44:06
Fan Fics and Side Chicks
The tours have begun their brief stop on grass, and here’s what we know: Marketa has risen, Bublik is dangerous, Carlos won’t stop winning, and the WTA hasn’t yet figured out Tatjana Maria’s spins. Outside of the results, we cover the end of Kyrgios’ stint with the BBC and its possible causes. Plus: Sinner and Bocelli’s camp collaboration and the US Open’s mixed doubles pairings, which appear to have been drafted by agents and some very online fans.
03:50 Grass results: Tatjana Maria stuns the big hitters at Queen’s
11:05 Marketa has awoken, Bublik wins second Halle title
18:50 Kyrgios won’t be broadcasting this year (now why is Chris Eubanks in it?)
26:30 Too late to Kei-pologize?
29:15 Sinner & Bocelli Grammy when?
32:10 A Slam title for fan-fic?!
38:00 A listener question
42:35 Et ceteras: coaching changes, Petra’s imminent retirement, Mariah’s new single
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