Episode 32 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, scrupulously skips the Serena-Ramos controversy and goes straight for the tennis. We look at the resurgence of Novak Djokovic and his US Open final victory over Juan Martin del Potro, consider what the future holds for women’s champion Naomi Osaka and how it compares to a few other rising WTA stars, and outline some difficult choices on the horizon for doubles prodigy Jack Sock.
Thanks for listening!
(Note: this week’s episode is about 60 minutes long; in some browsers the audio player may display a different length. Sorry about that!)
Episode 31 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, features all the stars: Federer’s upset, Sharapova’s loss to the beautiful backhand of Carla Suarez Navarro, Nadal’s upcoming quarter-final against Dominic Thiem, and Djokovic’s chances of racing through the bottom half and winning the title.
We also delve into the current crop of ATP (near-) teenagers, including last week’s hero Alex de Minaur, and speculate wildly about their futures. As always, thank you for listening!
(Note: this week’s episode is about 60 minutes long; in some browsers the audio player may display a different length. Sorry about that!)
Episode 30 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, is all about week one of the US Open. We talk about the results so far and focus on the slew of high-profile third-round matches coming up, like Serena-Venus and Federer-Kyrgios. We also discuss how slams should deal with the heat, whether tennis should allow more on-court coaching, and the ways the USTA has improved the fan experience.
Thanks for listening!
(Note: this week’s episode is about 65 minutes long; in some browsers the audio player may display a different length. Sorry about that!)
In Episode 29 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, we spend so much time talking about the Davis Cup reforms, if ITF head David Haggerty were to listen, he’d immediately try to change our format to something shorter. While we recorded the episode before yesterday’s finals in Cincinnati, we also touch on several other topics: the impressiveness of Novak Djokovic’s career record at all the Masters, the players who–like Sloane Stephens–have powerful groundstrokes that they save for special occasions, and Simona Halep’s aggressive scheduling.
Thanks for listening!
(Note: this week’s episode is about 66 minutes long; in some browsers the audio player may display a different length. Sorry about that!)
Episode 28 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, is our triumphant (re-) return to podcasting. We cover all the highlights from last week’s Rogers Cup, especially the breakout week from Stefanos Tsitsipas, the strong showing from Sloane Stephens, and the quiet dominance of Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep.
We also cover tennis’s new serve clock, which has entered the game surprisingly smoothly … but without much effect on the pace of play. Thanks for listening!
(Note: this week’s episode is about 63 minutes long; in some browsers the audio player may display a different length. Sorry about that!)
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!)
Episode 26 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, starts with the superlative performances of Elina Svitolina, Maria Sharapova, Alexander Zverev, and Novak Djokovic in Rome, and considers how they cause us to revise our estimates of those players. For Djokovic, Sharapova, and Serena Williams, we compare their current Elo ratings–including penalties for time off–to our perceptions of their current levels.
We also talk about the pros and cons of transitioning to a “weak era,” as well as the potential role of fatigue when tomorrow’s opponents don’t get the same amount of rest today. Thanks for listening!
(Note: this week’s episode is about 62 minutes long; in some browsers the audio player may display a different length. Sorry about that!)
Episode 25 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, recaps the week’s events in Madrid, and starts with a dissection of the top clay-court contenders in the women’s game. We consider what it means for Simona Halep to be a “weak” No. 1, compare the present era to other periods in WTA, and evaluate the promise of some of Halep’s main competition, including Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova.
On the men’s side, we look at the latest triumph for Alexander Zverev, the continuing clay-court prowess of Dominic Thiem (and a couple of other guys with one-handed backhands), and issue another set of optimistic forecasts for Juan Martin del Potro and Fabio Fognini.
Thanks for listening!
(Note: this week’s episode is about 1 hour, 12 minutes long; in some browsers the audio player may display a different length. Sorry about that!)
Episode 24 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, is all about clay. We use last week’s results as a starting point, talking up the runs of Frances Tiafoe, Alexander Zverev, Hyeon Chung, Elise Mertens, and Mihaela Buzarnescu, and discuss the various factors–from teenage training to split-second anticipation–that translate into better results on dirt.
Thanks for listening!
(Note: this week’s episode is about 1 hour, 13 minutes long; in some browsers the audio player may display a different length. Sorry about that!)
Episode 23 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, with Carl Bialik of the Thirty Love podcast, starts with the greatness of Rafael Nadal, moves on to a broader discussion of the rest of the men’s clay court season, and some talk about return aggression, and concludes with our thoughts on the shot clock, which will be implemented at this year’s US Open.