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.

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In 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.

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This 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 and we're glad you're hear for it (ahem, sorry).

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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 journey making "Ball People", and a bit of tennis in general.

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Note: this episode was recorded prior to the disastrous impact of Hurricane Helene on North Carolina and surrounding areas. Our hearts go out to Scott and his people who are suffering there now. You can donate to relief efforts by going to the Red Cross' Hurricane Helene Relief Fund or a charity of your choice.

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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/

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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 will tennis fix itself (or will it)?", and a million other things.

You can buy Racquet Magazine at select retailers and online at: https://shop.racquetmag.com/collections/issues

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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 of hate over to Nick Kyrgios, who recently did something gross and sexist AGAIN.

Follow us on socials, tell your tennis friends and leave us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

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On 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/

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