The Tennis Tragic

The Tennis Tragic #050 / Curses Are Real / Are curses real?  Can a curse truly affect the course of our lives?  What form does a curse take at the “Cyber Slam” (aka Australian Open 2023)?  How might curses manifest at the highest levels of sport?  What does a curse sound like?  What do the sounds of professional tennis sound like?  What curses might we wish to see in...

The Tennis Tragic #049 / Upset Game II / Matte and David convene to discuss the results of the second historically significant edition of the Upset Game, where David is still in the running for a new World Record!  We discuss the results of the first four days of the 2023 Australian Open, no-lose gambling strategies, the progress of young stars Leylah Fernandez, Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu,...

The Tennis Tragic #048 / Lucky Lucky / Matte and David engage in an indulgent pre-AO chat, as David makes his Tragic Return to Melbourne.  Follow along in real-time as Richard Gasquet wins a title in Auckland, Lucky Loser Leolia Jeanjean gains entry to the main draw, and Matte and David casually saunter through the AO2023 singles draws, projecting outcomes with head and with heart.  We a...

The Tennis Tragic #047 / Both Flesh and Not / David reads from David Foster Wallace's seminal 2006 Federer essay.  Roger reflects on the bitterness and the sweetness.  Matte sheds some tears for tennis royalty.  Alex suggests potential partners for the future doubles world Number One.  We also recap the US Open - a torch passed to Carlos Alcaraz, a promise from Frances Tiafoe,...

The Tennis Tragic #046 / Leaning In / Alex, Matte, and David reconvene during the US Open middle weekend to keep things Tragic and lean properly into the podcast vibe.  We reveal the results from the inaugural edition of the Upset Game, look forward to incoming on-court drama, debate the merits of human net cord judges versus malfunctioning robotics, grant Pablo Carreno Busta a well-intention...

The Tennis Tragic #045 / The Upset Game / David introduces the world to The Upset Game: a fantasy Grand Slam tennis experience where legions of devoted fans select five upsets per draw in the pursuit of glory.  Will Cornet defeat Raducanu in the first?  Will Evans defeat Cilic in the third?  How might Soon Woo Kwon reach the quarterfinals!?  We think it could be more interestin...

The Tennis Tragic #044 / Fatal Consequences / At long last, the Tragic Three received their first letter from a listener!  Despite being threatened with legal action, the gang remain undeterred; committed to offering the choicest fact-based tennis analysis and opinion around.  For this episode, we cut our teeth on the 2022 grass, and dig into the Wimbledon draws.  We pick our desire...

The Tennis Tragic #043 / Even With a Numb Foot / Three Tragics talk tennis in summary of the 2022 French Open.  Topics include:  Rafa's foot, Zverev's ankle, Toni's courtside seats, Iga's invincibility, Ruud's reported rage, Rune's graduation, Coco's double dish, Mourtaglou's empire, and Trevisan's expressions.  Matte turns us onto deep internet cuts Foot Doctor Zach and the Tennis...

The Tennis Tragic #042 / Tsitsipas's Tsadness / Matte and David convene in the thick of the dirt to discuss the events of Roland Garros leading up to the semi-finals.  Topics include:  the dangers of yoga, Amelie Mauresmo's night session faux pas, Iga Swiatek's 33rd consecutive court killing, Coco Gauff's 18 year-old maturity, non-traditional solutions to on-court coaching, the cheating...

The Tennis Tragic #041 / Double Dirt Draw, Delayed / Returning from a dirt hiatus, David meets separately with Alex and Matte to dissect another major draw and discuss the events of the day.  Topics include:  who among the women's draw will earn the right to lose to Swiatek in the final, McEnroe vs McEnroe, the Half of Doom, Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune's potential, Winning Time, elder stat...

The Tennis Tragic #039 / No War Please / Matte and David discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine and how it has impacted the world of professional tennis.  We discuss sanctions, protests in Russia, Medvedev at #1, Rublev asking for peace, Svitolina's statement and victory over Potapova, the Yastremska sisters' humanitarian wildcard, Wladimir Klitschko, team competitions, the refugee crisis, nati...

The Tennis Tragic #037 / Toil and Trouble / If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly... The tragedy of Novak casts a long shadow...  but the Australian Open 2022 Draw hath been released, and here, upon this bank and shoal of time, we imagine the many-fork'd road ahead.  Who might win or lose?  How might the swirling chaos and high-level professional comp...

The Tennis Tragic #036 / Signs of True Tragedy / The gang reconvene after a humane period of rest to try and recall events of the past year.  We reflect on Novak's triumph and heartbreak, Emma Raducanu's future, Krejickova's double, the Andreescu roller-coaster, missing Rafa, the coming Age of Darkness, Medvedev's occasional edge, and exchange Tennis Tragic parenting tips in anticipation of A...

The Tennis Tragic #028 / God / In this special, "lost" episode, spiritual consultant Callie Collins joins the pod for a special conversation about sport and religion.  Callie and David discuss Dan Evan's Crown of Thorns tattoo, suffering, sacrifice, surrender, the spiritual lives of the Big Three, Roger Federer at confession, self-awareness, performative religion and ritual, Serena, Senna, an...

The Tennis Tragic #035 / Wall Street and the Dead Fish / The 2021 US Open has swept through like a hurricane, unearthing a bounty of priceless dramatic treasure.   The Tragic Three examine nuggets of intrigue under the microscope - from the player's bathroom to the trophy grandstand and everywhere in-between.  Gems include: Daniil's victory celebration, Raducanu's unsettling perfect...

The Tennis Tragic #034 / Zverev's First Age of Darkness / The Tragic Three convene to discuss ill omens and dark premonitions, and also the US Open 2021 Draw.  Many greats have fallen into the pit of despair; will the tainted Alexander Zverev begin a reign of terror?  Or will other, more enjoyable villains emerge from the ruins?  We also discuss human nature and pre-class society, d...

The Tennis Tragic #033 / Wonderful Wimbledon / The Tragic Three gather to revel in the glory and pageantry of the inspiring 2021 Wimbledon Championships.  Ash Barty realizes her childhood dreams, the Duke of Kent is taken out of cold storage for a final time, Tom Cruise makes a case for inclusion in the royal family, and Novak Djokovic eats the grass (again).  Also: Matte and David take...

The Tennis Tragic #032 / It's Alive!! / The living surface claims blood and souls at Wimbledon.  We reflect on many that have been taken - Serena Williams, Sara Sorribes-Tormo, Sofia Kenin, Bianca Andreescu - while pondering the fate of those who remain unscathed.  Will Novak Djokovic's Wolf Energy result in him eating the grass once more?  Or will the grass instead eat Novak? &nbsp...

The Tennis Tragic #031 / Common Standards of Decency / The 2021 Wimbledon Dress Code is revealed!  And also:  the 2021 Wimbledon Draw!  Matte and David go a layer deep and discuss classism, pageantry, aging bodies, scalloped dresses, austerity measures, lessons from modern dance, middle names, Carla Suarez Navarro, Ricardis Berankis, and Rendy Lu.

The Tennis Tragic #030 / The Soiled and the Clean / Novak savors victory, Barbora doubles down, Roger takes time for a towel, Stefanos feels so much of everything, Lorenzo gets a lesson in sporting behavior, and Davy Gravy calculates the statistical probability of unlikely events at Roland Garros.

The Tennis Tragic #029 / To Play a Few Good Points (against Nadal in the Second Round) / It's time for another Draw Show!  We visit every quarter and sub-quarter of the 2021 Roland-Garros tournament brackets for Women and Men alike.  Naomi Osaka ducks out of the press room, chair umpires get dunked, tie-dyed ogres hit the festival circuit, Carla Suarez-Navarro returns, and we wonder: who strikes a...

The Tennis Tragic #027 / Going to the Dirt Shop / The gang professes its love for clay court tennis (of various colors); scrappy Dan Evans gets the royal treatment in Monte Carlo; Alex recaps Rublev and Rafa's rumble; we engage in our regularly scheduled debate about whether or not Hawkeye should be adopted on clay; Matte imagines socialist utopian tennis clubs; Davy Gravy reveals his favorite blu...

The Tennis Tragic #026 / Avocado or Pear? / The Tragic Three reconvene to discuss the events of Acapulco, Doha, and Miami.  Talking points include:  fruit-shaped trophies, muscle locations, players who may have sold their souls to the Devil, Roger Federer's beautiful serve, whether the post-match lie-down celebration is appropriate, how to procure clay for your court, player unions, and...

The Tennis Tragic #025 / The King of Hard / Novak reigns.. but what are his powers?  Jayne Hrdlicka works the crowd.  Protestors disrupt the match.  Predictions fail to manifest.  The impact of athlete endorsements is considered. Please send all high dollar value marketing opportunities to tennistragicpod at gmail dot com.  We await your call.

Tennis Tragic #024 / Bit of a Legend / Reflections on herbal tea, birdsong, service motions, Naomi Osaka, Jen Brady, and doubles (doubles!)