Shows
Perfect Match?Special Guest: Eva Warren Talks Design and Tennis, And There's a Quiz!Today, we are thrilled to have designer extraordinaire Eva Warren on the pod! We were lucky to have her take us through a full rebrand of Perfect Match?, and the result is what you’re seeing across our channels. She’s one of our most reliable listeners, although she doesn’t follow tennis closely. We wanted to have her on to discuss her branding work, and to probe the mind of the non-tennis fan/tennis podcast listener. And there will be a quiz!Also:Holger Rune slides into Veronika Kudermertova's DMs without checking to see if she...2025-08-0631 min
Perfect Match?Replay the Point: Monogamy vs. Polyamory in Tennis FandomIt's summer and we are off doing summer things, so here's a favorite episode of ours all about the different ways we tennis fans love our players.-----------------------------------Monogamy vs. Polygamy: these days it’s more of a choice than a default; a discussion rather than an assumption. But how does this new openness relate to tennis and who we root for? Does the true fan root for only one player or is it better to dip our toes into different waters?This week we reveal our tennis fandom polycules an...2025-07-2830 minPerfect Match?Post Wimbledon Blues and the Hardcourt SeasonWe're back after an unplanned week off (Bryan went to the beach) with thoughts about Wimbledon, hardcourt season, Venus Williams, Genie Bouchard and a bunch of other random tennis shit.It's summertime and the livin' is easy. Enjoy the show!As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2025-07-2226 minPerfect Match?Wimbledon Wars! Neighbors Fight the Tournament's Planned ExpansionAs Wimbledon plans to add 39 more courts and 8,000 more annual visitors, residents of the surrounding London hamlet sue to prevent the tournament's expansion. How do we balance the needs of a world famous sporting event with long time residents' needs? And what to do with recent transplants who both love the tournament and also want it to always stay exactly as it is today? (We ignore them.)Also:ESPN coverage of Wimbledon seems staleJohn McEnroe won't bother pronouncing anyone's name correctlyStefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa break upTsitsipas' coach tells the media Tsitsipas needs to get...2025-07-0831 minPerfect Match?Wimbledon: "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"Michele describes Wimbledon the way some people describe Christmas: "the most wonderful time of the year". She's not entirely wrong! This week we run down some Wimbledon updates, some controversies and random thoughts about why Brits don't believe in room fans.Also:Bryan goes to Pride and his battery runs out at the after partyWhy Fahrenheit is a better way to measure air temperature than CelsiusA Wimbledon Final watch party under the Brooklyn BridgeAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https...2025-07-0129 min
Perfect Match?Who Was Brian Watkins and Why Are NYC's East River Courts Named for Him?On September 2, 1990, after attending the US Open, Brian Watkins and his family got on the subway at 53rd St. and 7th to go to dinner in the West Village. While waiting for the train, 8 teenagers allegedly attacked Watkins’ father with a boxcutter and kicked and attacked his mother. Brian intervened and was then stabbed in the chest by one of the teens. Brian died in the ambulance on his way to St. Vincent’s hospital, over 40 blocks away. Eight years later, the Giuliani administration settled with the family to the tune of $300,000 and the naming of the E...2025-06-2331 minPerfect Match?Grass Season: The Weird, Confusing Road to WimbledonGrass Season: players slipping and sliding! serve and volley winning matches! five weeks and then the Most Important Slam in Tennis (Wimbledon)!This time, Michele explains to Bryan some things! The grass surface, some grass history, the schedule and what it means for Wimbledon 2025.Also:Stefanos Tsitsipas' dumb newsletterThe Williams Sisters' dubious podcasting platformAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or...2025-06-1830 minPerfect Match?Carlos and Coco: Magic PeopleOur dreams came true: Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open Men's Final and Coco Gauff won the Women's. But more than just winning, they demonstrated the intrinsic magic in how they move through the world. They bring joy wherever they go, they are on hero journeys and they uplift us all.Also, this is our first full episode we recorded on video! Bryan had Covid this week, so we had to record remotely, so why not put up an annoying video podcast with the bold letter captions and the rest of it?The...2025-06-1138 minPerfect Match?Ban Ticket Profiteering!The US Open can no longer be trusted to police ticket scalpers. Within minutes of the 2025 US Open tickets going on sale, only reseller tickets were available at over double the face value. We've had enough!Luckily there is a bill working its way through the NY State Legislature that would ban this kind of naked profiteering off of event tickets. If you live in New York State, please contact your state Senator and tell them to support Senate Bill S8221, which would ban profits of over 25% on all event ticket resales. The NY State Senate...2025-06-0333 minPerfect Match?Whom Does the US Open Serve?Just prior to the French Open kicking off, the US Open announced a big plan to "reimagine" Arthur Ashe Stadium for the 21st Century. In a highly self-congratulatory post, the USTA laid out its plans to double the space for Courtside and Suite ticket holders ($$$) by removing seats from everybody else. But hey, they are adding a couple of bathrooms for the cheap seats. Does this align with their mission and the legacy of Billie Jean King for whom the Tennis Center is named? No, it does not. We gripe about this.AlsoHow to...2025-05-2834 minPerfect Match?Replay the Point: "The French" with Katya Rogers from On The MediaThe French Open is almost here, so we dug up our conversation with Katya Rogers, Executive Producer of WNYC's On The Media about the classic cinéma vérité movie The French. The conversation tackles the tough questions around the 1981 French Open, the 80s in general, athletes who smoked, and perhaps inappropriate girl crushes on much older men.Enjoy!Also, if you are in New York on May 31st, we are hosting our first ever Perfect Match? event at 30 Love in Manhattan. There will be food, a cash bar and lots of TVs sho...2025-05-2033 minPerfect Match?Tennis TapasCommon throughout Spain and the Middle East, sometimes a bunch of snacks constitutes dinner. Similarly, in podcasting you can throw together a bunch of loosely related tidbits and you have an episode. Particularly when your original topic kind of falls apart an hour before you want to start recording!We cover the new tennis-loving Pope, pay disparity at the Italian Open, formerly Russian player Daria Kasatkina gets some love from Ukrainians, Jim Courier is fed up with the Russian flag ban (bad take), Tsitsipas nonsense, and Michele's trip to Florida.Snack until you're...2025-05-1332 minPerfect Match?On Grief and ResilienceWe are still grieving our late, beloved cat Dusty, so we looked at how grief has affected professional tennis players at different moments in their careers. From Iga's recent loss of her grandfather tanking her run at the Madrid Open to Barbora Krejčíková's 2021 French Open title in tribute to her deceased coach Jana Novotna, death affects us all...and keeps affecting us.We are fully in the clay season ("playing in the dirt", as Jim Courier would put it), and certain players have taken their disputes over line calls to Instagram. This is kind of...2025-05-0732 min
Perfect Match?"Carlos Alcaraz: My Way": The Tennis Doc We NeedWe are back to Alcaraz, specifically his (now fully released) 3-part DocuSeries about his grappling with the expectations around him versus his human need to enjoy life. Surprisingly personal and unexpectedly profound, My Way asks the big questions: How much do we owe those around us and what do we owe ourselves? Where do we set boundaries with those who are most invested in us? And so on...Also, T2 is bad and Bryan applies to be a ball person at the US Open.-----------------This episode is dedicated to...2025-04-3032 minPerfect Match?Tennis Fandom: Monogamy or Polyamory?Monogamy vs. Polygamy: these days it’s more of a choice than a default; a discussion rather than an assumption. But how does this new openness relate to tennis and who we root for? Does the true fan root for only one player or is it better to dip our toes into different waters?This week we reveal our tennis fandom polycules and their organizing principles. Michele also reminisces about her time as Roger Federer's cuckquean fan, and how she had to move on to a hierarchical polycule with Carlos Alcaraz as her primary. Bryan discovers th...2025-04-2230 minPerfect Match?Carlos Alcaraz: Champion of Work/Life Balance?We've all heard about the importance of "work/life balance". We definitely advocate for the "life" side of that balance, but if you're one of the world's top tennis players, is there room for having a life?In the forthcoming Netflix documentary "Carlos Alcaraz: My Way", Carlos makes it clear that he's interested in more than just winning as much as possible. We see him vacationing with family, eating his mother's cooking and hanging out in his (small) childhood bedroom where he keeps his trophies. He goes as far as to say, “I’d like to be t...2025-04-1538 minPerfect Match?Field Trip to 30 Love, A Tennis Themed Bar in Manhattan!Ostensibly an outing to poke fun at an NYU dorm-adjacent tennis-themed bar/restaurant, we came away from this experience questioning our cynicism, close-mindedness and life choices. Sometimes it's best to just enjoy the martinis and happy hour wings and leave your skepticism at the door.Thanks to the staff at 30 Love for their hospitality! This is not a sponsored post!As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com...2025-04-0915 minPerfect Match?Miami Open: It's a Weird One!The Miami Open has always been an unusual tournament: the second half of the "Sunshine Double" (Indian Wells being part one), it used to be held not in Miami at all. Now they've moved it to Miami's Hardrock Stadium and its surrounding parking lot. This feels a bit trashy!And with the ground shifting underneath the dynamic of the players (particularly on the Men's side), this year saw a number of upsets, a deep run by an unknown and a surprise defeat of Novak Djokovic by one Jakub Mensik, who exactly no one had on their...2025-04-0130 minPerfect Match?Players' Politics: No One Wants to Talk About It!Okay, we know. Politics! There is too much of it, and it is a complete bummer. However! When we root for a player, we are rooting for more than their playing style; we are also invested in the player as a person. When they say and do political things, it matters. Today, we deliver verdicts on a number of top players (with sound effects). Spoiler alert: Djokovic: no, Draper: no, Gauff: yes, Osaka: yes, etc. Enjoy!As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/...2025-03-2738 minPerfect Match?On Zen and ChangeIn which we try (and kind of fail) to be Zen about the rapid change in professional tennis and the world. Next-Gen is out; Next-Next-Gen is on a rampage. With wins from 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and relative newcomer Jack Draper at Indian Wells, we dissect the coming wave of players, and what it means for Alcaraz, Sinner, Swiatek and Sabalenka. Is it a blip on the radar or something more permanent? Either way, the only constant is change.As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/2025-03-1827 minPerfect Match?Postcard from Indian WellsWe braved connecting flights, "gate checked" bags and a literal desert storm to bring you this postcard from our trip to "Tennis Paradise", the 2025 Indian Wells Open in California's Coachella Valley. Follow us to the bars, the tournament, the condo and the jacuzzi, as we recap our annual trip, warts and all!---------------As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak, Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at @perfectmatchpodcast...2025-03-1319 minPerfect Match?Off to Indian Wells!The Indian Wells BNP Paribas Masters 1000 is the largest and most important tennis tournament that's not a Grand Slam. All the tennis stars will be there, as will we!But before we hop on the plane, we wanted to talk about Coachella Valley's settler colonialist history, as well as the Ignominious Incident in 2001 involving the Williams sisters, old white people and racism that led to Venus and Serena boycotting the tournament for 14 years. It was bad!As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/2025-03-0528 minPerfect Match?Quiet Please...Why Again?Non-tennis people are often shocked when they discover that tennis requires fans to be quiet (like silent) once or twice a minute in a stadium full of fans. It is kind of weird!This prompt takes from the origins of "court tennis" in the 16th Century to the 80's trash comedy "Blame It on Rio". Enjoy!As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak, Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at...2025-02-2533 minPerfect Match?Tennis Tacky: Bad Taste Creeping Into Our Sporttack·y/ˈtakē/adjective informaladjective: tacky; comparative adjective: tackier; superlative adjective: tackiestshowing poor taste and quality.Tennis has never been immune from tackiness (although we like to think, smugly, that tennis is a more elevated sport), but lately there's been some tacky shit going on. From the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders doing a routine at the Dallas Open, to On's candy-colored kits they are foisting on their players, to even the weird rituals tennis has developed involving random children, it's all in poor taste!Today, w...2025-02-1831 minPerfect Match?Tennis Rizz: Does It Matter Whether Players Are Likeable?Professional tennis is an epic tale of heroes and villains, but there are a number of players who just play really good tennis. Is it their job to entertain us? Is it our job to care about them if they don't?In this one, we praise the Alcarazes and the Federers, disparage the Krygioses and the Collinses, and ponder the impact of the boring ones at the top.Is it a crisis for professional tennis that some of the current top players (Fritz, Sinner, Swiatek and Rybakina) are kind of boring?2025-02-1037 minPerfect Match?Players on the Couch: Therapy in Professional TennisIn which we unpack various tennis players' thoughts about and experiences with therapy, whether it be "sports therapy" or just plain old therapy therapy. Bryan brings a unique perspective as someone who has been on and off the couch (mostly on) for the last 30 years or so, and Michele, a therapy virgin, threatens Bryan with couples therapy. All very healthy, respectful and empathetic.And you, listener, can read between the lines and send us your diagnosis through the feedback form on our website.You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com...2025-02-0333 minPerfect Match?Aussie Open: A Triumph, A Retirement, A Call for JusticeThere was magic at the Australian Open this year, with American Madison Keys winning her first Grand Slam after 15 years on tour, powering through Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka (Nos. 2 and 1, respectively). Wow!Also, another unnecessary Novak Djokovic controversy (he's basically right this time but still annoying?) and Alexander Zverev gets heckled before his runner-up speech for those abuse allegations we were all supposed to have forgotten about by now.All this and and a new improved audio setup for your earbuds to enjoy.As always tell your friends, rate th...2025-01-2833 minPerfect Match?False Narratives and Memory HolesDuring this Australian Open/Sunset of Democracy, we are being bombarded with false narratives and memory erasing. In tennis, we are currently getting "Madison Keys is playing better because she's married now", and "Novak Djokovic was treated so unfairly when he tried to enter Australia" (under false pretenses). And regarding our perennial (dis)favorite Danielle Collins, the story is "Danielle's gonna Danielle! Gotta love it!"Fight for the truth!As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow...2025-01-2235 minPerfect Match?The 1st Out Gay Male Player, Rybakina's Weird Coach Drama, and AO PicksIt's 2025! 🤮 But a Brazilian player inadvertently became the first male player on tour to come out as gay, so there's that! Also, we talk grievance nonsense from Kyrgios and Djokovic about the supposed doping "scandal". Also, Elena Rybakina's disturbing drama with her former/current(?) possibly problematic coach? He's currently banned from all WTA matches because of an investigation into their dynamic, so we dig into that as well.And it's the Australian Open! We discuss who we like to win, best ways to watch and all that.We're all headed into this terrifying yea...2025-01-1435 minPerfect Match?When Private Conversations Go PublicOh, Jon Wertheim, 60 Minutes Correspondent, former Sports Illustrated Executive Editor, former(?) Tennis Channel Commentator, what have you done? Oh, you got caught on a hot mic during a live broadcast of the WTA Final saying something untoward about a top female player's looks? This sounds bad. Like, very bad.But it raises questions about how we all navigate our private vs. public realms. We see people on TV and we talk about how they look. We mirror and we judge. We don't necessarily feel great about it, but it's human nature, probably.In...2024-11-2033 minPerfect Match?🎃 Scary Things: What We Fear For Tennis and the United States 👻With All Hallows' Eve upon us, we dig into our fears: specifically our greatest fears for the world of tennis (and one about the future of this country, ahem). Prepare yourself for the prospect of the servebots taking over tennis 😱 Novak Djokovic winning another slam 👻, Danielle Collins winning her first slam 😈, and Donald Trump becoming president again 🤡😳🤮.Rather than follow us on socials and all that bliz blaz, go out and vote for Kamala Harris for President 🌊God help us all.-----------------Note: as the tennis season winds down, so is our podca...2024-10-3031 minPerfect Match?Again with Saudi Arabia and Dan-YELL Collins!In light of Saudi Arabia's recent "Six Kings Slam" tournament for men and the WTA Finals in Riyadh coming up, along with Danielle Collin's announcement that she's not actually retiring (surprise, surprise!), we decided to rebroadcast an episode from April, in which we decry the Saudi influence in tennis and question Danielle Collins' good faith.As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Threads at @perfectmatchpodcast, Instagram at @perfectmatchpodcast, YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast and X at @perfectmatchq....2024-10-2229 minPerfect Match?The Handshake: Everything Counts In Large AmountsIn which we address The Handshake: that perfunctory, sometimes awkward moment at the net when the players pretend to be aligned on the outcome of the match. You win, you are overcome by joy, you feign empathy with your opponent. Or sometimes, you don't!Today, we will explore some of the lowlights: the sarcastic digs, the bitchy rejoinders and the handshakes that didn’t happen – and why what happens at the net matters so much.As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/2024-10-1634 minPerfect Match?Serving Grunt: The Controversial Sounds Players Make on CourtThis time we consider the Tennis Grunt: the sometimes loud (and often unpleasant) noises that male and female players make when hitting the ball. The Grunt is much more problematized on the women's side than on the men's (and Michele has THOUGHTS about this), but it can't be denied that players make more noise than they used to!We go into the history of the Grunt, it's appearance in an old Curb Your Enthusiasm episode, and a recent integration into the notification system in the "gay dating app" Grindr.Today we're Serving Grunt...2024-10-0925 minPerfect Match?Special Guest: Scott Lazer, Director of "Ball People"!This time we are very happy to welcome Scott Lazer, the director of the beautiful short film “Ball People”, about the young and not-so-young people who tried out for the 2022 US Open Ball Crew. Scott is an award-winning filmmaker and creative director who has directed multiple documentaries, dramas and commissions, including “West by God” which won a Special Jury Award in 2022 at SXSW, and “Commute” which won Best of the Year at the 2021 Vimeo Festival & Awards.We talk about "ball kids" generally, the unique inclusion of adults in the Ball Crew at the US Open, Scott's winding jour...2024-10-0238 minPerfect Match?Couples Therapy: We Dive into the Question Mark in "Perfect Match?"Although we may seem like the "Perfect Match", there is a question mark in the name of this podcast. This time we dive into...OUR RELATIONSHIP, specifically around competition between us in tennis and cards. As usual, Michele comes off as very reasonable, measured and self-assured, and Bryan...struggles a bit.Tell us who is right and who is wrong at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/As always, tell your friends, rate the podcast in your app, and follow us on socials.As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your...2024-09-2427 minPerfect Match?Special Guest: Caitlin Thompson from Racquet!This week we are thrilled to have on Caitlin Thompson. She is a journalist, podcaster, blogger, editor and the founder of Racquet Magazine. Racquet is a quarterly magazine that celebrates the art, ideas, style and culture that surround tennis. It combines high design and photography with thoughtful essays and is a beacon of tennis print journalism.We had a bunch of questions for Caitlin, but the conversation became more interesting than the questions. We ended up weaving through "who is Andre Agassi to us now?", "why getting on fights on the internet is maybe bad", "how...2024-09-1757 minPerfect Match?Billionaires Who Play Tennis "For a Living"With the US Open now behind us, we reflect on a few of the American players who made deep runs, not about their tennis but rather a detail that isn't discussed much in the tennis commentariat: their exorbitant wealth. We break down the family money of Jessie Pegula, Emma Navarro and Taylor Fritz as well as some of the utterly clueless things they've said about their wealth. It's exasperating!Also, we recount a tennis-related argument Bryan recently got into with a 70-something woman in a pub (note: she came at me!), and we throw a bit...2024-09-1039 minPerfect Match?2nd Serve: The Coming Out Story of Billie Jean KingOn this bonus episode, we continue examining the awesome legacy of Billie Jean King. This portion of the story looks at her complicated coming out story, involving an affair with her assistant, a palimony lawsuit, and ultimately the acceptance of openly gay players in professional tennis.As always, follow us on socials, rate us in your podcast app, tell your friends (!), and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/2024-08-3117 minPerfect Match?The Brilliance of Billie Jean KingAs the US Open kicks off at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Queens, NY, we discuss the Billie Jean King story. From her role in founding the first professional tennis tour for women, to the founding of the Women's Tennis Association and beyond, King has established herself as the Godmother of Tennis. To this day, she towers over the sport and sets the tone for debate on various issues affecting the sport.As always, follow us on socials and leave us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/As always tell your friends...2024-08-2739 minPerfect Match?The US Open on a BudgetThe US Open is almost upon us, and we frequently hear from people who are thinking of going but don't know when to go or what kind of tickets to buy. So we set out to answer these questions and discuss pretty much everything else you may need to know about attending the Tournament. We talk tickets, transportation, stadia, events, food, drink and rules of the event (you technically can't bring that thermos of Bloody Marys, but...).Since the Open can be a take-out-a-second-mortgage investment, we focus on the free and the cheap. It is, in...2024-08-1844 minPerfect Match?Postcard from MontrealBonjour from Montreal! Michele and Bryan ate and drank their way through a visit to the this delightful city for the Banque Nationale Open tennis tournament, which featured the men this year. These poor players had to put up with endless rain delays resulting in a chaotic schedule, meaning a number of players had to play two full matches the same day. Quel drame!Come with us as we explore the city, eat (and eat and eat), ponder the idiosyncrasies of our "old school" AirBnB, and sneak stuff into the Tournament.2024-08-1322 minPerfect Match?Tennis Pros’ Musical StylingsWith the tennis now complete at the Olympics, we’ve been spending some time investigating a strange, sometimes embarrassing phenomenon in the world of tennis: the players’ pet music projects. Some of these players take their music very seriously, some not so much. None of these releases (with the possible exception of an Argentinian player's) can be considered legitimate music. The quality varies from, say, your co-worker’s SoundCloud page to Euro Vision stylings to promotional sports rap to, just, what the fuck were they thinking?We take a ride on the streaming platforms and offer the be...2024-08-0630 minPerfect Match?2nd Serve: The USA's Messy Olympics ExitAs the Olympics come to a close, the USA is fading in the tennis category...and not without some Real Housewives-style drama! While it is guaranteed that the US will take home one medal in Men's Doubles Tennis, a couple of the non-medal competitors decided to burn the place down on the way out the door. Both Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro had (unfortunate) choice words for their opponents after they lost, for reasons only they can know. It was pretty tacky!As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback...2024-08-0219 minPerfect Match?Rating Olympics Players: Yea, Nay or MehWith the Olympics underway with all of its nationalist fervor, we find ourselves rooting for players from around the world, regardless of which country they represent. We started thinking about why we like some players over others. It's highly subjective, sometimes irrational and (admittedly) often based on looks.Today we run through a wide swath of tennis players competing in the Singles category and give each one a Yea, Nay or Meh (with buzzer sound effects of course). As we try to explain why we feel the way we do, it gets a bit uncomfortable!2024-07-3036 minPerfect Match?2nd Serve: Tennis Channel Ads - Poop, B.O. and BeyondThe Tennis Channel shows a lot of ads: ads that are cheap, crass and representative of the dark reality of American life. We dissect a few lowlights in the genre, from a "poop shy" woman who discovers direct to consumer supplements to a recently clear-skinned dad horrifying his teenage daughter in his brand new Speedo! These ads deliver the goods..and the cringe.As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or...2024-07-2618 minPerfect Match?Renée Richards: Tennis' First and Only Transgender ProAs part of our Social Justice Series, we take a deep dive into the life and pro tennis career of Renée Richards, a trans woman who successfully sued the US Open in the 1970s for the right to play on the women's side. We will also discuss current takes on trans athletes in tennis (some better than others!) from several tennis luminaries.For background, we watched the excellent ESPN documentary "Renée" (part of their "30 for 30" series, available on ESPN+), as well as the better-than-it-needed-to-be 1980s TV biopic "Second Serve", starring Vanessa Redgrave as both th...2024-07-2339 minPerfect Match?Midweek Mini: "In the Arena: Serena Williams" - It's Interesting!In this Midweek Mini, we talk about the ESPN+ series "In the Arena: Serena Williams". Say that 10 times fast! The first two episodes that are available now are an interesting look at the early careers of both Serena and Venus Williams. It includes some excellent rare footage of them playing in the storied Compton public courts, as well as some great moments of them playing on the pro circuit, mostly against one another.We talk about the weird consensus throughout most of their careers that their matches were kind of boring and possibly fixed. What were...2024-07-1917 minPerfect Match?Good 🇪🇸 Prevails at Wimbledon, Djokovic Has a Weird Relationship With the FansIn which we discuss Serena Williams calling out Harrison Butker, Stefanos Tsitsipas' new controlling/abusive video, and the Wimbledon Champions. Barbora Krejčíková's unexpected win and Carlos Alcaraz' much needed defeat of aggrieved weirdo Novak Djokovic. We weigh in on whether it's okay for a player to mimic sad violin playing at the crowd (after he's won the match!) and then gaslight everyone by saying he did it for his adorable daughter. Hard to say!As always, follow us on Threads, X/Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube! Whatever brainrot you prefer.As always tel...2024-07-1634 minPerfect Match?Midweek Mini: Men's Hair In Tennis - The Good, The Bad & the UglyIn our new Midweek Mini episode, we dive into men's hair in tennis, the gym, the subway, and how it relates to "homosocial" definitions of what's okay for straight/cis presenting men to do with their hair and clothes. It's all very weird!As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2024-07-1116 minPerfect Match?Wimbledon Whites: Why Are They Required? In Defense of John McEnroeHere we talk about the origin of the requirement that players at Wimbledon wear all white. How did this come about? Are its origins unsavory (they are)? Also, John McEnroe has been calling big tennis matches for ages. People wonder if he still should. We wage a defense of Johnny Mac...a measured one. As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on...2024-07-0935 minPerfect Match?Tsitispas' "Tradwife" Insta Story With Special Guest Kathleen LubeyWe are joined by Kathleen Lubey, St. John's professor and author of the book "What Pornography Knows: Sex and Social Protest Since the Eighteenth Century" to discuss Wimbledon, sexuality, and Stefanos Tsitsipas' recent #tradwife Instagram Story - it's cringe! Plus, Tennis Tidbits, Michele and Kathy's TWO in-person experiences at Wimbledon, and how to watch the Tournament this time.As always, please rate this podcast in your app and follow us on social media. Links at http://perfectmatchpodcast.com. Enjoy!As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback...2024-06-2649 minPerfect Match?FU Margaret Court: Why Is This Racist Homophobe Still Part of the Conversation?We kickoff our Social Justice Series with a discussion about Margaret Court, the racist, homophobic pre-open era player who the tennis world can't stop talking about. She played in an era when most of her peers were off playing other tournaments, trying to form a professional women's tennis league, yet people still compare her record to that of Serena Williams. It must stop!Also, tennis tidbits about Naomi Osaka, Rafa, Alcaraz and Serena.As always, follow us on Insta @perfectmatchpodcast and on Twitter @perfectmatchq. Send feedback at http://perfectmatchpodcast.com and give us 5...2024-06-1933 minPerfect Match?Good 🇪🇸 Prevails at the French Open, Evil (Ticketmaster) is Winning at the US OpenGood vs. Evil: Carlos Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev to win the French Open. This is good! Meanwhile, as US Open tickets go on sale, Ticketmaster successfully makes it as miserable as possible to buy tickets. It's as if it's a monopoly!Also, we discuss our love for the Showtime/Paramount+ show "Couples Therapy", why we probably can't get therapy from the host, and why we are fine with NBC losing the rights to the French Open for the next 10 years. Because they fucked it up!As always, stars and reviews and telling your...2024-06-1131 minPerfect Match?Special Guest: Katya Rogers from On The Media! We Discuss the Movie "The French"We welcome our friend and radio/podcast goddess Katya Rogers, producer of WNYC's "On the Media" to discuss the recently reissued 1981 movie "The French", which is more about France In 1981 than the French Open that year. We also touch upon Rafa Nadal's "will he, won't he retire?" posture and what it means. Trigger warning for Rafa fans: we will question whether Rafa should still be playing, but in the nicest way. Also, we got a real studio this time, so the sound quality is much, much better. Bon Voyage!Also: if you like this podcast, please...2024-06-0343 minPerfect Match?Why Was Serena Williams on Trump's "Close Contacts" List? Also, Zverev is on a Roll, So Let's Unpack the Abuse Allegations!Today we discuss last week’s revelation from Donald Trump’s porn star/hush money trial that among the many ghastly people on the former president’s “close contact” list was none other than Serena Williams, whom Trump apparently spoke to “often” during his presidency. So yeah.Also, we dive deep into Alexander Zverev, the top German player who just won the Italian Open and could likely win the French Open. He’s on a roll right now, but the tennis world has largely ignored his history of abuse allegations from former girlfriends (plural). The ATP has basically wa...2024-05-2131 minPerfect Match?Tennis Couples: Can They Work? Also, "Happy Wife, Happy Life": Is This Okay?Today, Michele and Bryan venture into the treacherous world of coupledom in professional tennis. Can these couples ever work out when both partners want to be number one? Also, we deeply dissect Tennis Channel commentator Jim Courier's recent usage of the adage "happy wife, happy life". What does this mean? Should it be retired? (Yes)As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted...2024-05-1428 min
Perfect Match?We Went to a "Challengers" Style Event! Why Should Players Play For a Country and Its Flag?Michele and Bryan recap their trip down to Florida to visit Michele's parents in their tennis-focused community and watch a tennis event like the one in the movie "Challengers". Was it fun or repulsive? Also, why do these professional tennis players play for various countries' flags when they all basically "live" in South Florida or Monte Carlo? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2024-05-0727 minPerfect Match?CHALLENGERS: Zendaya's "Devil's Threesome" Tennis Movie vs. "Wimbledon", the 2004 Kirsten Dunst Vehicle (One Is Much Better!)Michele and Bryan dissect the new white-hot Zendaya movie about tennis...and MMF threesomes? We also spend some time dismissing the horrific "Wimbledon", the 2004 Kirsten Dunst vehicle in which top players in the second week of a Grand Slam spend their time drinking, staying up all night and falling in a 2004 movie version of love.As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted...2024-04-3025 minPerfect Match?WTA Final Will Be In Saudi ☹️, Why Are There No Out Gay Male Players?This time, Michele takes the driver's seat as we lament the now signed deal between the Women's Tour and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Is this "progress"? Also, we consider why there are not and have never been any openly gay male players in professional tennis. We know they're out there!As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast...2024-04-2323 minPerfect Match?Sinner Fans’ Orange Wigs: Is This Okay?, Automated Line Calling: How Tennis Learned to Love Its Robot OverlordsToday, we tread lightly (or gingerly?) on the topic of Jannik Sinner and his fans, who often show up wearing bright orange wigs and carrot costumes, presumably to show support for Sinner and his bright red hair. But is this okay? We also tackle automatic line calling and how the tennis world came to embrace the robot line judge. What does this say about our relationship to artificial intelligence and how quickly we learn to trust machines over humans? Yeah.As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://w...2024-04-1628 minPerfect Match?The WTA's Saudi Problem, Dan-YELL Collins Strikes Back, and Bad Behavior in PickleballMichele and Bryan decry the Women's Tennis Association's decision to hold the WTA Finals in...Saudi Arabia (of all places), Danielle Collins tells us to "stay bothered", so we do, and is the problem with Pickleball the "sport" itself or the people who play it? As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2024-04-0825 minPerfect Match?Nick Kyrgios' Problematic "Good Trouble" Show, Gendered Interview Questions?, Men's Shorts LengthIn this episode, we discuss the problematic appropriation of the Civil Rights concept of "Good Trouble" by tennis badboy Nick Kyrgios, Danielle Collin's recent objection to an interview question she considered gender-biased (but was it?), and whether male tennis players (and men in general) are wearing the right length shorts and being sexy enough for Michele. Enjoy!As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast2024-04-0427 minPerfect Match?Nazis? In Tennis?In this episode, we ponder why men seem to always commentate on all tennis finals (whether men or women are playing), how to pronounce Thiago Seyboth Wild (it's not how you think!), whether Wild's family were Nazis, and whether certain players should retire at a certain age. Enjoy!As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...2024-03-2526 minPerfect Match?Perfect Match? "Why?"Indian Wells, Djokovic hissy fit, Jim Courier...Why?, Coco Vandeweghe as a commentatorAs always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2024-03-1623 minPerfect Match?Perfect Match?In this episode, we talk about Rublev's anger, Bublik's chin beard and and the Saudi threat 😱As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2024-03-0619 min