We've just returned from the US Open, excited to share some stories from the site. We cover our night session with Venus, the debut of Carlos' buzz cut, Felix vs some fake fans, and the luck of seeing Barbie K's opening match at two consecutive Slams. This has been something of a whiny US Open, though -- kicked off by Medvedev’s calculated tantrum, then followed by Ostapenko’s shameful display against Townsend (which Jonathan witnessed in person!). Later, we chat about the experience of a stretched out schedule, Serena inducting Maria into the Hall of Fame, the draws as they stand now.
1:30 Daniil Medvedev’s desperation
11:10 Stefanos, another pissy baby
15:50 Your primary source for Townsend-Ostapenko
32:00 Victor Barber we are so sorry (this time)
36:20 Night session with Venus Williams!
43:10 An overwhelming sense of ickiness
53:05 Félix and the fake fans
62:50 How the Sunday start impacted the on-site experience
70:20 Inductrination
77:35 The draws at the cusp of week two
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1:33:13
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1:33:13
Why Is It a Crime To Be Locked In? US Open Preview
We're kind of winging it for this US Open preview. It's a bit too late for a Cincy recap, so we're talking about major themes -- like Coco’s coaching overhaul, Iga’s mid-season surge, the guys not named Carlos or Jannik -- and sprinkling in some results. We talk about what worked and what didn't in the mixed doubles exhib-- I mean the prestigious and successful mixed doubles tournament featuring the world's best players. Plus we settle some scores and probably create a few new beefs, but what the hell, this is the last major of 2025 and literally our 43rd Slam preview.
1:00 The major storylines in the women’s draw: I warned you Iga was coming! + Coco drops the GripMD
15:00 Men’s storylines: Djokovic LoseWatch, the also-rans
21:05 The mixed doubles experiment
31:30 Mardy Fish comes for Rajeev Ram out of nowhere
35:50 Not Parks and Vavassori liking fake news homophobic posts on IG
38:45 Women's draw preview
51:25 Men's draw preview
67:10 US Open artwork: Honoring Althea Gibson in death but not in life
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1:15:43
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1:15:43
I Think I've Done Enough
The Canadian Open (finally) ends, and with a shocker: Burlington, Ontario’s Victoria Mboko snatches her first WTA title after starting the year outside the top 300, and Ben Shelton wins his first Masters event. Honestly, the longer format, the withdrawals of the top men, and the Cincinnati overlap all really hurt this tournament (the second-longest running in tennis history, btw!). We didn’t want to contribute to this Naomi speech discourse, but I guess we do in a small way. Plus: Stefano Vukov’s suspension has been overturned, That Guy is delulu (but in a very intentional PR type of way), and we take a question or two from the mailbag.
0:40 Burlington’s Very Own
13:50 The Naomi Discourse - not doing it again! (well, a little)
25:00 Performance, Bye
29:20 The longer format is sucking the life out of the Canadian Open
39:45 Shelton wins his first Masters 1000, electronic line calling loses (again)
48:00 Stefano Vukov’s ban by the WTA has been overturned in arbitration
59:50 A few questions from the mailbag
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1:06:18
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1:06:18
The Mubadala Citi Destiny's Child Open
Starting off hot with two updates in doping cases: first, Jannik Sinner has rehired one of the men responsible for the clostebol contamination. In Tara Moore’s case, CAS ruled that the actual beef was legitimate, but the figurative beef with the ITIA, sadly, was not. The DC tournament had outsized buzz this year, thanks to Venus Williams’ wild card and surprising performance, owner Mark Ein’s boosterism for DC-area tennis, Fernandez’s impressive run, and de Minaur’s late-stage heroics. Later, we touch on the Canadian Open, coaching drama, some big local retirements, and answer a few fun listener questions.
01:30 Sinner rehires fitness coach Ferrara after a year in timeout
10:35 Tara Moore’s case concludes with a 4-year ban
14:20 She’s still The Venus Williams
30:25 de Minaur wins a heartbreaker against ADF
33:55 Leylah Fernandez wins biggest career title (+ scheduling complaint in Montreal)
39:50 Canadians in the Canadian Open: retirements, withdrawals, but at least Mboko remains standing!
46:30 Coaching changes: two “supercoaches” constantly putting themselves in the talk
51:30 Listener questions: Toronto recs
57:50 Tournament essentials
62:25 An FMK like no other
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1:06:24
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1:06:24
TBS x Courtney Part II
Presenting part two of our interview with Courtney Nguyen, tennis podcaster, blogger, and former Senior Writer, WTA Insider! This time around, we chat about tennis commentary, the various ways the ATP encroaches upon the WTA, and Courtney's evolving approach to podcasting while also working for the tour. We had to ask about Courtney's favorite players to cover while at the WTA (and the most challenging), her favorite commentators, and the inevitable(?) day when opinion-havers like the three of us simply run out of opinions.
Colombia