This Sport Is Brutal

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

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. 

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 

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 

Roland Garros closes with Coco Gauff’s second major title and a true classic of a men’s final, with Carlos Alcaraz defending his title after weathering three championship points and over five hours of punishing tennis from Jannik Sinner. Of course you’ll get our thoughts on Aryna Sabalenka’s less than pleasant commentary after the match, plus notes on Iga, Novak, and Musetti’s ill-conceived kick. Stay tuned for our fashion segment (Lululemon FTW this time), our impression of TNT’s coverage, and the scheduling nightmare that got even worse.  3:30 Coco Gauff is a two-time major champ! 12:10 Aryna talks shit, gets whacked by fans and locals alike 20:15 Other notes about the women’s draw 29:30 Men’s final: a true classique 39:00 Semi and quarter notes: Musetti’s kick and That Guy’s futility  48:50 Reviewing the kits: Nike, go home; Wilson and Lulu, you can stay 58:00 TNT’s coverage created some real energy

All Round of 16 matches are set at the 2025 Roland Garros, after a number of top men crashed out early (though none of the true favorites) and most of the women’s contenders remain on a crash course toward some fiery week two matchups. We look at what’s to come and discuss our week one highlights – including Svitolina-Pera, Keys-Kenin, Draper-Monfils, and Mboko’s run. The episode’s title comes from the tournament’s refusal to schedule women during its flawed night session concept and the ensuing controversy, with a fight led by Ons Jabeur and much of the tennis press. Plus, a review of the Rafa Nadal tribute (a job well done!).   1:25 RG does the Rafa tribute right 8:05 Upsets galore on the men’s side 13:45 The men’s draw as it stands 24:25 Our women’s draw highlights 38:45 RG night session scheduling is a fight worth fighting  52:50 Et ceteras: Jasmine “Solomon” Paolini, Ivanisevic joins Team Tsitsipas Theme music courtesy of Oleg Fedak from Pixabay

Roland Garros is here, and it’s the first edition since Rafael Nadal’s retirement. We start with a few recollections of our favorite Nadal RG moments, then head straight into draw previews. Is Aryna the favorite? What to make of Iga’s tough draw? Will Novak take advantage and make one more stand in Paris? Is Carlos King? After talking through the draws, we recap some investigative reporting into Muller’s OnlyFans, plus we update you on some imminent retirements, the latest very typical happenings in Camila Giorgi’s life, and That Guy’s 37 trips to -- well, you can just listen. 0:45 Our favorite Rafa Roland Garros moments 3:25 Women’s draw preview  17:45 Mboko makes it in, Bianca doesn’t qualify, Errani retires from singles  24:45 Men’s draw preview 39:00  Prayers up for that guy’s esophagus 40:15 Assorted mess: An OnlyFans scammer, Giorgi does reality TV

At the Italian Open, Jasmine Paolini wins in singles and doubles while Carlos Alcaraz puts on his thinking cap to stop Jannik Sinner at the finish line. We take a beat to compare Sinner’s triumphal return from a doping suspension to that of Sharapova in 2017 (for one thing, she didn’t get to meet the pope). Plus, Djokovic breaks with Murray, Barbie is back, the US Open announces a construction project, and the surprising fallibility of something called Gorillalpha Yeti Juice.   01:45 Welcoming Jannik back from a <checks notes> unexplained absence 12:30 When a delusional era lasts forever 15:45 A note about Lorenzo 20:00 Paolini brings the title back to Italy 31:15 Barbie K is back 33:30 Kicking off Roland Garros qualifying 35:50 Contamination cases have a Gorilla grip on tennis 39:50 US Open announces updates to its site – whether it’s an upgrade remains to be seen

Madrid ends with Aryna Sabalenka further extending her lead as number one, Casper Ruud grabbing his first Masters, and a lot of discourse around Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Naomi Osaka. We’ve got updates on: Jannik Sinner’s hero's welcome in Rome, Bianca Andreescu, Anastasija Sevastova, Tyra Grant, and more. We do a quick review of the strange but sometimes interesting Alcaraz Netflix documentary before wrapping the episode with a dive into the Max Purcell doping suspension, which is way more fascinating than he first let on.  Theme music courtesy of Oleg Fedak from Pixabay 01:45 Penko being Penko 5:05 Madrid: the Iga discourse  9:45 Sabalenka d. Gauff to win Madrid, joins the 11,000 points club  13:40 Casper wins his first Masters 1000 20:20 Osaka drops a level and wins!  23:15 Jannik, the ironic vir triumphalis, returns to Rome 26:15 Updates on Andreescu, Sevastova 30:20 The perplexing Alcaraz Netflix doc 40:00 Is Venus quiet quitting (or did she already)? 43:05 The Max Purcell doping case gets a lot more interesting

Clay season is underway, and we’ve seen a Runeaissance, a re-Alcarization, a Penkopalypse even. Stuttgart -- always reliable -- brought a stunning quarterfinal lineup and a surprise winner, while Holger reminded the class that there’s still tons of time to fulfill his promise. There’s much tennis business to talk about, including the first hearing in the PTPA antitrust suit and Opelka’s testimony; Lesia Tsurenko’s lawsuit against the WTA and Steve Simon; and a somewhat voyeuristic ITIA press release. Plus, Dart’s out of left field comment, Shelly Ann clearing the field, and wondering what happened in that Met Gala bathroom meeting. Theme music courtesy of Oleg Fedak from Pixabay 0:40 Housekeeping: catching a case, getting postcards out 4:50 Holger’s back; Alcaraz wins Monte Carlo, returns briefly to #2 15:45 Stuttgart moves like a 1000-level bitch  22:15 Another spectator calls out That Guy, this time in Germany 26:50 PTPA gets their first hearing, Opelka testifies 35:00 Harriet why?!   37:00 Serena on Jannik and … Maria? 42:20 I always feel like somebody’s watching me  45:35 Lesia Tsurenko sues the WTA 56:25 Our other sporting interests: Shelly Ann & Rory