The Body Serve

As The Body Serve heads to Paris for the first time, here’s our preview of the 2026 edition of Roland Garros, where Jannik Sinner seeks to make more history and a number of top women find themselves in position to snatch. As usual, we take you through both draws: a surprisingly balanced women’s draw (except for Iga -- sorry, girl) and a men’s draw with not much intrigue, at least on the surface. The players associated with Project Red Eye have staged a work-to-rule labour action, refusing rightsholder interviews and committing only 15 minutes to pre-tournament media activities. Also, the federal judge in the PTPA case couldn’t order Wimbledon and the French to give up those coveted press credentials. I guess they’re stuck buying tickets like everybody else! 1:05 Qualifiers: Sloane through; Plishy & Greg are not :( 4:45 This week: Casper, rest! 7:20 Women’s draw 20:20 Men’s draw 39:55 PTPA credentials drama: judge says it’s petty but what can I do, babes 42:50 Players stage a labour action! 49:05 Stevie Wonder, randomly

Elina Svitolina wins her third Rome title with her most impressive run yet, while Jannik Sinner completes his box set of Masters titles and sets all sorts of records at the tiny age of 24. Daniil Medvedev tried his best to derail Sinner, and Casper went with a similar playbook – we shall see if prevailing through that rough semifinal will fuel Jannik further or give the other guys some hope (or both!). Darderi made a huge breakthrough on home soil, while That Guy crashed out in Tennis Channel’s IG replies (sad). Meanwhile, Carlos is on injury break and they’re still slutting him out in Vanity Fair. See you in Paris! 1:55 Mommy. Mamacita? 13:00 Jannik wins the Career Masters thing 19:25 Daniil, one of the few to shift a wig or two 28:05 Darderi breaks out, That Guy crashes out 34:50 Extras: Big Mama didn’t pay for Coco’s gelato; PTPA begs for a credential 38:35 Clay baby 42:50 We love delusion (respectful) 46:30 Random: trying Malta India from Puerto Rico (gracias, Francisco!)

Jannik Sinner extends his Masters series win streak and his utter dominance over That Guy, while Marta Kostyuk back handsprings through her unbeaten clay season, grabbing her biggest career title over a bereft Mirra Andreeva. Now in Rome, the top players are demanding a fairer prize money split and genuine player consultation with Slams; several top players even endorsed a boycott if they can’t make progress, an utterance that would have been unheard of even a few years ago. We take some forays outside of the week’s news, as usual, chatting about tennis history, Whitney Houston, and the provenance of one of our social media handles. 1:50 Jannik wins 5 Masters in a row 5:10 The Gap™ 13:20 Absolute cinema: the Madrid trophy presentation 26:05 Et ceteras: Prakash and Arthur, the Bezos Gala, Flavio says NO 31:05 Players take aim at RG: prize money/revenue split, player welfare, and consultation are the big issues 41:00 Italian Federation president said “Yes, and” 49:50 Whitney Houston dedicates Arthur Ashe Stadium 57:25 10 years ago: one of tennis’ great unhinged moments

Whether it was bad shrimp or a virus, the outcome – or the output, rather – was the same. Week one of Madrid was rocked by player illness and withdrawals, with Iga retiring for only the second time in her career and Coco getting sick on court before pulling through against Cirstea. We take a scattershot approach to Madrid, highlighting Pliskova, Jodar, and Grant (and a few lowlights). Plus, we take an extended look at electronic line calling on clay, the untrustworthiness of ball marks, and the imperfections and idiosyncrasies of tennis that make the sport sing. We finish up with some offcourt news – including the surprising departure of the WTA’s CEO – plus rapid-fire listener questions. 1:40 Carlos is out of Rome and Roland Garros 4:35 Virus or food poisoning … either way, the players were sick as dogs 11:40 Plisko, Naomi, Tyra Grant, Rafa J 21:05 Alex and Grigor down bad, Stefanos crashing out but actually winning 26:20 Electronic line calling on clay: the ball mark isn’t as clear-cut as you’d think 35:15 Maria Sharapova is in the podcast business 38:15 WTA CEO Portia Archer has resigned 40:35 The Fritz-Riddle breakup 43:55 A few listener questions

Arthur Fils caps his successful comeback to the tour with the Barcelona crown, while official tennis outlets act h-word on main while they trade on his good looks. Ben Shelton wins his first clay title outside of Texas and marks a surprising milestone for US men. Clay queens Coco and Iga are down bad while Elena, Karolina, and Marta soar; and Carlos’ status is questionable for who knows how long. Finally, we talk about the news that interests me most: Marketa Vondrousova has been charged with refusing to give a sample to a doping control officer. Her social media posts about the incident provide interesting context but – as we’ve seen before – could come back to bite. 2:15 Arthur Fils is the truth! 8:55 Rybakina wins Stuttgart again, Muchova exorcises some demons 14:00 Join Elena’s crypto community … 18:35 Ben Shelton, American king of clay? 26:35 Vondrousova’s case 37:40 James talks about books and takes another quiz!

In Monte Carlo, Sinner’s 4th consecutive Master’s title and reclaiming of the #1 ranking adds another wrinkle to the Sincaraz rivalry. We talk about our desire for a little less golden retriever energy from Carlos – or, at least one of us does – but ultimately an unfriendly rivalry is no longer advantageous for today’s player brands. Last week, Pegula defended her Charleston title, 3 Argentines made 3 different finals, and Iga appeared at the Rafa Nadal Academy with her new coach Francisco Roig. We also talk about golf, double bagels, Coco having to defend herself online (again), and an intriguing FMK about three celebrated tennis careers. 1:05 Bestie rivals, a hallmark of this era 13:35 A double bagel to Berrettini, come on man 16:35 I thank myself 20:40 Coco defends her Miu Miu look and her hair from online waste yutes and losers 24:05 Pegula wins the first equalized 500 prize money in Charleston 29:10 Men’s results last week: Tommy Paul, first career titles for Jodar and Navone 33:00 Coaching carousel 36:20 Rory McIlroy defends his Masters title; Caroline still has shooters 39:45 FMK Tennis careers: Sharapova, Hingis, Davenport

Jannik Sinner wins the Sunshine Double without losing a set – a first! – and upends the mini-narrative that said Carlos was running away with the season. Aryna Sabalenka, for her part, snatches back momentum in the Rybakina rivalry and bests bugaboo Coco Gauff in the Miami final. The actual star of Miami turned out to be thirst magnet Arthur Fils, who reached the semis, stunned four-match-point-haver Tommy Paul, and broke containment. We’ve also got: close reading a tweet about the IOC’s new gender policy; the Charleston draw and prize money increase; and the WTA Finals’ departure from Saudi Arabia. 2:30 Sinner’s win reminds the tennis world to chill with the proclamations 9:55 Sabalenka keeps her head on straight for the final 18:35 Coco’s hat: saying nothing was always an option! 26:35 Arthur Fils breaks out in a big way; a thick way, even 33:30 Charleston increases prize money to match the ATP 500 level 37:50 IOC’s announcement on trans athletes and what it has to do with Wertheim and Navratilova 46:00 What is holding you back from buying a yacht? 47:45 Listener question: which tennis player would you go on vacation with?

Sebastian Korda is making like Gloria Estefan and coming out of the dark: in a career interrupted by injuries, Seb follows up his Delray Beach title by sending #1 Carlos Alcaraz out of Miami. Iga Swiatek’s frustration continues as her countrywoman Magda Linette packs her up; shortly after, Iga does the same to coach Wim Fissette. On the docket we’ve also got the Matosevic doping story, Danielle and Corentin (we’re way too old for this), a painful and hopefully temporary Body Serve ban, and an ASMR taste test of Vegemite - sure, a few months late in tennis terms, but whatever, we didn’t have Vegemite then. 2:00 Carlos out of Sunshine swing 5:40 Iga loses her incredible streak of 73 straight opening-round wins 9:40 Let them eat bagels: Arthur Fils is back! 14:30 Sorry, Leylah 18:45 Danielle et Corentin, you’re both doing A LOT right now 23:05 Marinko Matosevic’s brazen doping scandal 31:40 ATP schedule changes, in concert with the Saudi sports fund 35:15 Betting is a scourge and the players suffer 42:15 Our first (and last) ASMR segment

Indian Wells saw two new champs settling old scores – Sabalenka winning her first and upending a worrying finals trend vs. Rybakina, and Sinner flying under the radar to grab the title over the more headline-grabbing Medvedev. Daniil has managed to refashion his game without losing the old antics, including asking for (and getting) a confounding hindrance call – and no, I don’t feel bad for Jack. We talk about Mirra’s crashout, IW misplacing the Venus-Leylah wild card, my certified hater status, and Iga’s trajectory. Plus, James takes another quiz and we give our Letterboxd 4, just like the players did this week. 03:45 Aryna hit the I Will Always Love You drum kick and the rest was gravy 15:20 Jannik overcomes Medvedev in two tiebreaks 21:00 Medvedev had an interesting week, to say the least 26:35 Let’s not make “F*** you all” your new tagline 33:30 They lost Venus and Leylah’s wild card 38:55 Letterboxd 4 46:25 The Oscars 56:20 Not another quiz!

Sports and politics … it turns out they DO mix! A few dozen ATP players and staff are stuck in Dubai as a result of Trump’s attack on Iran, as the Mexican tournaments go forward without a hitch after last week’s unrest. On court, Medvedev wins a second Dubai title, Longhorn Stearns grabs Austin by the horns, Bucsa becomes the Spanish #1, and Darderi and Cobolli win Latin tournaments on two continents. For fun, James takes a tennis geography quiz and we do an extended diatribe (requiem?) on The Traitors. 1:40 ATP players and personnel stuck in Dubai 6:45 This is not a drill!! 9:00 The Ellison data-media-government-tennis empire 15:35 Craig Tiley is coming to America 19:50 Results: Dubai, Acapulco, Merida, Austin 31:10 They didn’t tell Stefanos you’re not supposed to talk about appearance fees 34:35 James takes a tennis geography quiz! 44:55 A Traitors diatribe

A gatekeeper, a consistent threat, not-a-pusher, and the social and political glue behind the scenes: Jessica Pegula has gone from tennis’s rich girl to a key piece of the bloc of players who reliably fight for the biggest titles on the WTA Tour. This week, she’s just won her 4th 1000-level title and has been announced as the chair of the new tour working group: the Tour Architecture Council. Elsewhere, Carlos continues his dominant start, Fils notches a runner-up spot in his third tournament back, Korda impresses in Florida, and Etcheverry plays for six hours in one day to grab his first career title. Plus, Tara Moore is not taking her suspension lying down, as she sues the WTA for failing to warn players about contaminated meat. 0:35 A trip down figure skating memory lane 7:15 Carlos dominates Doha 10:45 Korda’s comeback, Etcheverry’s endurance run through Rio 17:15 Consistency Queen Jessica Pegula wins Dubai 22:40 Qinwen’s Emmy-winning guest appearance on The Player's Box 28:00 Peggy to lead the Tour Architecture Council 32:25 Tara Moore sues the WTA 40:30 Monica and Brandy

Welcome back to regularly scheduled podcasting! The tours have gone to South America, Transylvania, Belgium, Texas, and the UAE -- regional tours ftw, btw -- over the past two weeks. Karolina Muchova finally gets a big title, Mboko notches an incredible run to the Doha final, Zheng announces herself, Felix becomes king of Canada, and most importantly we’re back from Mexico, caught up on sleep and armed with fresh takes. We decide to finally dip our toes in the apparently imminent Serena comeback, whatever it shall be, and how it interacts with her endorsement of GLP-1 drugs (and her family’s vested interest). We’ve also got random takes on Bad Bunny, Brad, Puerto Vallarta, and Destanee Aiava’s eye-opening retirement announcement. 0:30 Catching up with us 12:00 Shelton Does Dallas; Canada’s Indoor King; the ATP’s hottest final 17:05 Muchova finally gets that elusive second title. A big one! 25:30 Zheng, Sakkari, Iga’s d****e b****e 36:00 Red card! 39:50 I guess we should tackle the “comeback” 50:15 Odds and ends: Jack’s gateway haircut, Naomi picks on a podcast (not us, confirmed) 55:20 Destanee Aiava drops a hell of a retirement announcement

The first Slam of the year is in the books, and we’ve got the youngest Career Slam winner in the history of maleness, Novak’s 38th major final, and Rybakina continuing her hot streak and bagging her second Slam. We talk you through the scintillating men’s semifinals that injected the tournament with a much-needed spark. You’ll also hear about the smoking gun pickle juice bottle, That Guy’s tantrum, Coco’s semi-covert racquet smash, and Djokovic religious iconography. We finish up with a few serious matters: Craig Tiley’s future, the investigation into coach Rafael Font de Mora, and the PTPA’s latest proposal for … something. 2:30 Youngest male player: Carlos makes history 6:15 I’m not chasing anyone, let’s start there 13:15 Excuses, excuses 21:30 The 5-set king 26:10 Rybakina: don’t underestimate WTA Finals swagger! 37:30 Women’s semis, Cocosmash; Mertens is Australian Open queen 47:50 WTA launches investigation into WTA coach 51:15 What is the PTPA actually going for? 58:00 Remembering Canadian icon and the world’s mom, Catherine O’Hara

It's not officially a Slam until Jelena Djokovic accuses Naomi Osaka of being so nasty and so rude while Jelena’s husband narrowly avoids a default for something completely of his own making (again). Anyway, how was your first week??? The Australian Open has given us some exciting breakouts (Jovic, Bartunkova, Tien again) and a marquee quarterfinal lineup, with the top 6 men and women through for the first time in the Open Era. Osaka reminded us who she is – and what tennis is missing – with her audacious walk-out jellyfish look. But to be serious for a minute, American players are being asked to speak during this unprecedented and dangerous period in our history, and most are failing miserably. It's time to be brave. 3:45 A historically great quarterfinal lineup 5:45 Highlights of the first week of the men’s draw 11:30 The extreme heat rule: Jannik gets lucky, but it’s not unfair 18:35 Women’s first week: Mboko and Jovic break out; Sabalenka sails; Iga wants a day session, dammit 32:05 The Osaka-Cirstea dustup + a Dramatic Reading 45:25 American players, it’s time to be brave 57:25 It’s fashion! God forbid a girl wants to be a jellyfish! 66:15 Lulu, K-Swiss, New Balance, and a shoulder blade

We had a little time and a lot to cover, so why not jump in for a mid-first round Australian Open episode? First, we cover the upsets, injuries, and highlights of the first few days. It wasn’t a great day two for Canada. Jonathan brings you the in-depth coverage about Venus Williams you’ve come to expect. We also pick up stories on Frances’ gallon-a-day habit and nonfiction reading schedule, Naomi’s break with Evolve, Novak’s split with the PTPA, and the PR moment That Guy couldn’t have scripted better himself. 2:10 Upsets and injuries: Knowing too much about Flavio 8:20 Other highlights from the first few days 15:50 Venus Williams is always learning 27:40 But why nonfiction? 33:15 My people are not sending their strongest soldiers 43:25 Australian Open our favorite TV viewing Slam? 49:40 Tennis Australian settles with the PTPA

Who, if anyone, will challenge Aryna? Will the Alcaraz-Sinner machine make it nine in a row? What's Craig Tiley up to this year? We're dusting off the cobwebs to bring you our Australian Open preview, complete with draw analysis (if you want to call it that), major storylines, and a quick review of the “Opening Week” and the successful 1 Point Slam. Tune in to find out the new hottest man in the ATP and who Jonathan thinks might have a career resurgence this year (there's two). 2:30 Catching up with this week’s results 8:45 The 1 Point Slam: success! 16:50 This year’s (and last year’s) major questions 27:25 Women’s draw: “… or Mboko!” 38:15 Men’s draw: will Novak slice through his section? 54:15 Qualifying intrigue: Nishesh and the choking gesture

We’re back from break with season 12 of The Body Serve! The off-season didn’t let up for a second, with its fair share of surprising breakups: Carlos and Juan Carlos, Naomi and Evolve, and Novak splitting from the players’ organization he co-founded. We also cover Potapova’s copypasta, Venus’ wedding, the ESPN commentary reshuffle, Iga’s viewing habits, and more off-season stuff. We look ahead to the coming season with our usual breakout picks – no ADF this time – plus we recap the opening week Down Under, as Bencic leads her team to the final while Poland snatches their first United Cup. 3:25 Alcaraz and Ferrero split 10:35 Naomi Evolves away from the agency she co-founded 15:10 Djokovic quits the PTPA 22:10 Other off-season stuff: Iga didn’t watch, ATP rolls out safeguarding program, Next Gen Finals, Venus at the altar! 35:30 Looking ahead: our breakout picks for 2026 45:30 Changes to the ESPN commentary lineup 51:50 United Cup highlights: Hubie, Belinda, Zizou 60:00 Titles for Sabalenka, Svitolina, Medvedev, Bublik 65:35 The podcast landscape

For our last episode of 2025, we each wrote our own separate agendas with the plan to just chat and see what happens. There’s some tennis, mostly not -- but we do cover that crass spectacle Evolve has been stumping over on right-wing media. We’ve got quick-fire complaints (It is that deep! Bring back gatekeeping in restaurant criticism!), favorite TV series of 2025, server rants, movie etiquette, and Mariah. Timestamps seemed against the more chaotic spirit of this episode, so just jump in and enjoy. Thanks for a great season - see you in 2026!

At long last, our ATP “hot list,” in our signature TBS style. Our mission: have fun, be sex-positive, not put anyone down, and marvel at how subjective and silly all this is. We talk about the ethics of objectifying men, the male gaze and male gays, and the “structures of looking” from Laura Mulvey on into the 21st century. After that bit of (hopefully interesting) table-setting, we get right into our categories of hotness (brains, aura, and ass are a few key examples). Finally, each of us share our hot lists of both active and retired players. Stay tuned for a few embarrassing crushes and lots of Rafa/Bjorn/Grigor mentions; and remember, with men the ick is always just around the corner. 4:05 Is objectifying men ok? 14:00 The straight male gaze, the straight woman gaze, and the gay gaze 19:20 “The male figure cannot bear the burden of sexual objectification” (Mulvey, 1975) 27:25 So why are we doing this? Well, first of all, it’s fun 32:55 Categories that make up hotness, starting with Aura 38:05 A key category: slutty shorts 56:00 The daddy archetype and faces that belong on a coin 60:15 Our lists 68:40 Embarrassing or disavowed crushes: we all have them 73:30 The retired players who would have made the list

For many, the 2025 ATP season has been about one heated rivalry and, well … not much else. We’re not necessarily here to contradict that narrative. But, there were five first-time Masters 1000 winners, and that’s not nothing! We’ll take you through the year’s highlights, month by month; question some tennis conventional wisdom; and go through your most memorable and funniest moments (math is hard!). Also, find out how our breakout picks fared and which ATP Awards need a rethink. 4:30 How we finished 2024 10:00 Themes of this season: duopoly, futility 15:00 The season’s notable moments in chronological order 35:35 Italy’s Davis Cup threepeat / RIP Nicola Pietrangeli 39:30 How did we do with our 2025 breakout picks? 43:40 ATP Awards: wheel and come again 48:05 Your most memorable moments of the ATP season 60:30 Your funniest moments: leave Jack alone! 65:50 Retirements, comebacks, and first-time titlists