The Tennis Tragic

The Tennis Tragic #054 / Hang-Up / Coco dials up her first major trophy, Ben Shelton calls into his first major semi-final, Novak rudely hangs up on Ben, Matte calls for action on climate change (without gluing ones' self to level 4 of Arthur Ashe Stadium), and we get a busy signal when trying to find out what ever happened to Hyeon Chung. David and Matte also touch on the plea

The Tennis Tragic #053 / It Ain't Happening / It's happening! The Tragic Three have returned from a luxurious and restful break with a Double Slam Episode. We look back at Wimbledon and forward to the US Open. Does anything matter in light of the Novak-Carlos rivalry? Should we believe that Ons will eventually get to the mountaintop? Will we stop forgetting that Marketa Von

The Tennis Tragic #052 / Ley Tay Hsieh and Wang / David and Matte unite to review Roland Garros 2023. Matte falls asleep, Alcaraz falls apart, and Novak’s date with destiny is rewarded with a special Spider Man jacket! Miyu Kato turns that frown upside down, and Muchova’s all-court game impresses David. What could Bianca Andreescu and Michael call their mixed team? Bianca Venus

The Tennis Tragic #051 / The Multitude / The Tragic Three reconvene after a lengthy hiatus to dip our toes back into the great wide pool of tennis, in anticipation of the 2023 French Open. We belatedly discuss a range of topics - Rafa's sad absence from Roland Garros, Netflix's middling tennis docu-series "Break Point", justice for Simona and discipline for Alexan

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 migh

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

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 h

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

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

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