Doing The Most

Explicit content warning

04/07/22 • 55 min

It's been barely two weeks since Ash Barty's retirement and already Iga Swiatek is answering our questions about what's next for the WTA. Riding a 17-match win streak, she knocks out fellow heiress apparent Naomi Osaka to win her third straight WTA 1000 title. Carlos Alcaraz generated a truly astonishing level of buzz on the men's side with his Miami title -- and while we always caution against too much hype, tennis is truly in a fascinating spot right now.

1:15 Iga fills in the blanks after Ash’s retirement

8:35 Let’s enjoy the present: on the WTA especially, it’s not Next Gen, it’s Now Gen

20:25 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga announces his imminent retirement from tennis

23:35 Carlos Alcaraz wins Miami, generates well-earned excitement; but let’s cool it with the hype, ok?

33:40 Injuries, absences, instability among the ATP top guys have created a perfect void for a young gun to swoop in

37:00 A few more racquet throws in Miami and the ATP finally says enough! (well, we think)

41:40 Et ceteras: Clay baes Thiem & Wawrinka make their return in Andalucia; rumors swirl about a Russian ‘ban’ from Wimbledon but what’s actually going on?

45:00 IMG snags Frances Tiafoe and purchases the Mutua Madrid Open

52:10 The Oscars - and no, we’re not talking about that

1:15 Iga fills in the blanks after Ash’s retirement

8:35 Let’s enjoy the present: on the WTA especially, it’s not Next Gen, it’s Now Gen

20:25 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga announces his imminent retirement from tennis

23:35 Carlos Alcaraz wins Miami, generates well-earned excitement; but let’s cool it with the hype, ok?

33:40 Injuries, absences, instability among the ATP top guys have created a perfect void for a young gun to swoop in

37:00 A few more racquet throws in Miami and the ATP finally says enough! (well, we think)

41:40 Et ceteras: Clay baes Thiem & Wawrinka make their return in Andalucia; rumors swirl about a Russian ‘ban’ from Wimbledon but what’s actually going on?

45:00 IMG snags Frances Tiafoe and purchases the Mutua Madrid Open

52:10 The Oscars - and no, we’re not talking about that

Previous Episode

Bye Bye Barty

Ash Barty shocked the tennis world this week by announcing her departure from the game as a 25-year-old dominant #1. After the shock wore off, though, it started to make sense based on what we know about Ash, as a player who’s planned her career intentionally and who was upfront about how she approached the sport. What were her greatest moments? What does Ash’s retirement teach us? What is her legacy?

0:40 Getting over the initial shock

8:30 Ash’s early career and first break from tennis

14:00 Ash returns to tennis in 2016 and steadily builds a world-beating resume; post-COVID dominance

27:00 Career achievements: those weeks at #1 and talking about her successor

31:20 The retirement announcement

36:25 What did we learn from Ash’s retirement? What's the precedent for this?

39:00 Rethinking work and setting boundaries after a pandemic and the myriad disruptions of millennial and Gen Z life

48:30 Reframing authenticity

54:40 Our favorite Ash Barty memories

Next Episode

Making The Ban

Thank you all for your patience while we’ve been away! We’re back to recap all the tournaments we’ve missed – almost three weeks of them. Iga Swiatek wins her 23rd straight match by beating repeat runner-up Sabalenka in Stuttgart, while Carlos Alcaraz wins his 23rd match of the year, taking the Barcelona title from PCB. The biggest off-court story has been Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players, and the fallout from players, the WTA and ATP, and the larger political stakeholders.

2:55 Wimbledon acts unilaterally (shocking, I know!) and bans players from Russia and Belarus

22:20 Pam Shriver opens up about problematic and abusive relationships on tour

25:50 Not another wild card drama. I don't have it in me

33:00 Alcaraz falls into the lap of the ATP

40:30 Putting the comparisons between Carlos & Iga into context

46:55 All she does is win: 1ga still soaring

57:10 The core of Stefanos’ problem

61:25 Results carousel: Marrakech, Houston, Charleston, Bogota

65:30 Etceteras: WTA Finals, Gail Falkenberg; Kim & Tommy retire

68:40 Serena unfollows Patrick on IG & a word on Willow Pill