Category: Podcast

In the Episode 12 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, Carl Bialik and I get excited about grass season, both for the glories of the surface itself and for the great players it has brought back, including Roger Federer and Victoria Azarenka. We talk Fed’s surprise loss, the arcane (but worthwhile) Wimbledon seeding formula, the returning WTA stars who will threaten on grass, David Goffin’s injury, and the debut Challenger title for 16-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime.

We had a lot of fun recording this one. Hope you enjoy it as well!

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In the Episode 11 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, Carl Bialik and I celebrate the 2017 Roland Garros with a lot to say about the perils of forecasting. Could we have seen Rafa’s resurgence coming? What are the career prospects for Latvian sensation Jelena Ostapenko and women’s runner-up Simona Halep? And what on earth are we supposed to conclude about Andy Murray right now?

It’s a super-sized episode, clocking in just under 80 minutes … and we still couldn’t fit everything in. Enjoy!

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In the Episode 8 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, Carl Bialik and I survey the men’s and women’s fields in Rome and consider what last week’s top-tier events have to tell us about Roland Garros. We touch on Alexander Zverev’s maiden Masters title, the mixed signals of Dominic Thiem’s and Novak Djokovic’s tournaments, the rise of Elina Svitolina, and the continued relevance of Venus Williams.

We also have even more to say about wild cards (not Sharapova’s, I promise!) and dive into the potential of the best-of-five, first-to-four-games format set to debut at the NextGen ATP event in November.

Thanks for listening!

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In the Episode 7 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, Carl Bialik and I cover a lot of ground, from Simona Halep’s Madrid title and Kristina Mladenovic’s recent outspokenness, to Rafael Nadal’s unbeaten streak and Dominic Thiem’s rising status as a clay-court contender, along with the inevitability that someone born in the 1990s will eventually win a big ATP title.

Thanks for listening!

Click to listen, subscribe on iTunes, find us on Stitcher, or use our feed to get updates on your favorite podcast software.

In the Episode 6 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, Carl Bialik and I discuss Novak Djokovic’s new coaching situation, consider the prospects of last week’s title winners (Marin Cilic and Alexander Zverev among them), and continue to watch Maria Sharapova in her return to tour. We also lament Wimbledon’s decision to charge admission for qualies and rejoice in an American or two who can play on clay.

Thanks for listening!

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In the Episode 5 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, Carl Bialik and I talk Sharapova, Grand Slam wild cards, Laura Siegemund, drop shot tactics, Nadal’s second Decima, and a couple of interesting doubles storylines.

Thanks for listening!

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In the Episode 4 of the Tennis Abstract Podcast, Carl Bialik and I desperately try to cover everything going on in tennis right now. We start with Rafael Nadal’s Decima of Monte Carlo titles, along with the bizarre underperformance of the rest of the ATP elites.

From there, we touch on various highlights from the weekend’s Fed Cup action, including our perspective on Ilie Nastase and the Romania-Great Britain tie he so shamefully overshadowed. Finally, we compare predictions for Sharapova’s comeback–for this week, the clay season as a whole, and the season in general. With Serena out and Maria (and soon Vika and Petra) back in, the WTA field leaves us with even more uncertainty than usual.

Listen here, subscribe on iTunes, or use our feed to get updates on your favorite podcast software.