Episode 27 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, will help get you ready for the 2018 French Open. We talk through the men’s and women’s draws, with a focus on the unpredictability of the women’s field, the towering presence of Rafael Nadal in the men’s, and the big-name floaters lurking in both brackets.
We also touch on Mike Bryan’s new doubles partner, Serena/Venus in the women’s doubles, and the long-delayed suspension of Nicolas Kicker for match fixing. Thanks for listening!
(Note: this week’s episode is about 48 minutes long; in some browsers the audio player may display a different length. Sorry about that!)
Click to listen, subscribe on iTunes, or use our feed to get updates on your favorite podcast software.
Update: Episode index with links, thanks to FBITennis:
| Roland Garros Women’s Draw (and Serena v Sharapova) | 1:08 |
| How much do head-to-head records matter? | 5:09 |
| Top Quarter Analysis: Simona Halep as a weak favorite | 8:39 |
| Second Quarter Analysis: Muguruza, Sleeper? | 12:21 |
| Third Quarter Analysis: Potential Ostapenko v Svitolina Quarterfinal | 13:51 |
| Fourth Quarter Analysis: Kvitova favorite, but Jeff has a “Super Dark Horse” | 15:36 |
| Jeff’s and Carl’s Picks on the Women’s Side | 17:40 |
| Roland Garros Men’s Draw: Nadal’s Tournament to Win | 19:57 |
| Do you take Kyle Edmund for your Fantasy Tennis Team? | 24:56 |
| Or Lucas Pouille? | 27:44 |
| Third Quarter Analysis: Djokovic’s quarter | 29:22 |
| Fourth Quarter Analysis: Zverev over Thiem, and can Wawrinka or Nishikori surprise? | 31:55 |
| Draw Luck on the Men’s Side | 34:58 |
| Men’s Doubles: Bryan/Bryan Streak Broken | 37:19 |
| Women’s Doubles: Williams Sisters | 39:17 |
| Kicker Kicked to the Curb; Match Fixing | 40:48 |
| On Demand Video of Roland Garros Qualies | 45:38 |