The Tennis Tragic

The Tennis Tragic #072 / The King of Balls / David and Matte finally reconvene to discuss Marco Trungelliti's triumphant rise to glory (and fall to Jodar). Roger draws a three-card Tennis Tarot spread. Who is the real King of Balls? Which Rising Star will arrive too soon? And in a world where the Upset Game exists, will The Upset be the defining characteristic of the 2026 Roland Garros narrative? We discuss Sinner's blessings, Alcaraz's curse, and Goffin's farewell, as well as progress on Tragic Tennis, and the Knicks juggernaut on the doorstep of glory.

The Tennis Tragic #061 / Hey Ump! Got a Light? / From Dubai to Acapulco, from Indian Wells to Miami, from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro... David and Matte travel the world in their imagination, recapping and reliving recent events. Matte pays tribute to Richard Gasquet in advance of his final Roland Garros. David updates the world on the Upset Game "Race to Milan." Francisco Comesana beats back the darkness with a smoke. Niche tennis cosplay ideas are shared. Wayne Ferreira's revenge tour continues. Joao Fonseca is passionately anointed. Mirra Andreeva thanks herself; we thank Conchita Martinez.Join us for the Upset Game next week in Madrid! upsetgame.com

The Tennis Tragic #059 / L'ouef-Fifteen (A Beginner's Guide) / In this episode, David and Matte welcome all newcomers into the wonderful world of tennis, because tennis is cool, and everyone should l'ouef it passionately, as we do. We roll out a comprehensive "Beginner's Guide" to the Australian Open. If you don't know where you are, or what you are doing ... go no further! We clearly and comprehensively break down tennis etiquette, the scoring system, and provide a framework for maximum enjoyment during your first live Grand Slam experience. We also discuss bits and bobs of the AO25 draw through the lens of our Upset Game players' picks. This episode is dedicated to our most engaged listener to date (next to Holger Rune's mother), Ian Macnider. Thanks for listening, and for playing the Upset Game, Ian! Like an unseeded doubles partnership languishing in obscurity, we are both delighted and mystified at the thought that anybody is aware of our existence.

The Tennis Tragic #057 / Astonishing / David and Matte stage an Upset Game trophy ceremony, before diving into the most astonishing topics and personalities of the day with Alex, such as Lulu Sun, T20 World Cup Cricket, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Roger Federer's commencement speech, Djokovic's tiny violin, Alex de Minaur's injury on match point, Hubie Hurkacz retiring from a match on match point, Emma Raducanu not playing a particular match, and the differences between jam, jelly, jello, and marmalade. Also, David preps for surgery - will he be able to recover in time for the Olympics??

The Tennis Tragic #055 / Carota Boys and the River Styx / At long last! The fifty-fifth Tragic episode! All three tragics are together again, to discuss the first few days of the 2024 French Open and related topics. Was the draw not rigged - setting up a disappointing Rafa finale versus Zverev - only in order to ensure future rigging? Should the Laver Cup be reconsidered as an event on a new surface, with a more existential purpose? How are the Carota Boys a perfect representation of late-stage capitalist machinery? How do we feel about carrots as vegetables? Are herbs vegetables or are they something else? What is the role of color in a dish, and how does it affect our feelings about the meal?

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 Vondrousova exists? Other topics include Marco Trungelliti and Nao Hibino updates, Cleveland's perception in the culture, Brad Gilbert and Coco Gauff's fearhand, the Tennis Knobs, Universal Tennis Rankings, the Eubanks Run, the Baez-Lehecka final in Winston-Salem, the returns of Wozniacki, Raonic, and Kei Nishikori, the excellence of the Cincinnati Men's Final, Jimmy Butler's all-court game, Jannik Sinner, Tatiana Maria, Jessica Pegula, Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe, Davidovich Fokina, and the return of the Upset Game. Tragic on three... one, two, three...

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 Alexander, the budding rivalry of Rune-Ruud, Andreescu's horrible injury and return, Gael and Elina's return to the court, Matte's Rafa-like legal record, Arthur Fils, Leolia Jeanjean, Marco Cecchinato, Martina Trevisan, Nicolas Jarry... and more! We also feature our first guest baby appearance, and spend a little time getting tragic about the NBA playoffs.