The Body Serve

It’s been impossible to keep up with tennis news lately, with Serena’s return, the grass season starting, and the top players continuing to pressure the Slams on prize money and consultation. We had too much on our Roland Garros wrap agenda, so here’s the twin to episode 425. We talk about Serena’s long-simmering “comeback,” the product tie-ins with Ro and Zepbound, and her successful doubles match with Canadian star Victoria Mboko. We also check in with the ongoing player response to prize money increases (as a proportion of tournament revenue) and what could come next. Finally, we give our unorganized thoughts on the Rafa doc, check in with a kind Reddit user, and give you a Knicks segment that is now -- thankfully -- a time capsule of life before Jalen Brunson was an MVP and NBA champion!

1:30 The "wildfire" … was warranted 

11:30 Serena and Vicky ace their first (and only) test

23:10 Is this comeback meant to be a proof of concept for GLP-1 use?

33:10 Wimbledon prize money -- will the increase be enough for “Project Red Eye?”

40:00 Netflix’s Rafa documentary was a somewhat harrowing experience

49:30 Admitting I was wrong is important!

52:40 A quick Knicks segment (now a time capsule)

Yes, we’re finally back to recap the second week of Roland Garros. That thing we were all dreading has happened, and now we can move on with our lives. First, let’s celebrate 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva for expertly managing this unfamiliar moment and bagging her first major; and the qualifier Maja Chwalinska, for reaching her first Slam final and storming into the top 25! As for the men, Madison Keys really clocked their tea when she said the men’s anxiety over this opportunity was seeping into everyone’s lives. A lot of the late-’90s generation allowed a huge opportunity to slip by, and we kind of felt bad for them. The uncomfortable truth is that That Guy is now a major champion – of a decimated field, to be sure – but a champion nonetheless, and broadcasters, tennis organizations, and sponsors might now have an even easier time avoiding and ignoring the credible domestic violence allegations against him. But try as he (and they) might, the attention isn’t going away anytime soon.

4:00 Women’s wrap: Maja, Maja 

11:00 Things not to do on Bluesky

14:20 Mirra Andreeva joins the top tier  

21:45 A lot of guys saw a massive opportunity slip by

27:15 So That Guy won. Now what 

36:10 Journalists keeping that man uncomfortable

42:30 Good news! Siniakova/Townsend three-quarters of the way to a Team Career Slam

Back from our first trip to Roland-Garros, here is part 2 of our RG mid-tournament wrap, this one focusing on the tennis we saw, the happenings on-site, and how the chaotic first week played out more broadly. What’s it like to watch a tournament unfold in person while it’s already being branded online as chaotic and/or horrible? Well, sometimes your priority is just your next water refill. We’ll tell you about players we sought out (Swiatek, Rybakina, Medvedev, Vacherot, Jodar, Tiafoe, and more). We’ll take you through the experience of watching Naomi Osaka’s walkout and the surreal collapse of Jannik Sinner as it unfolded on Chatrier. As we always do, we’ll dip into the messier moments, like the Korpatsch-Wang dust-up, the monumental PR stumbles of Rafa Jodar, and Vallejo’s misogynistic bag-fumbling. What a week in Paris; it promises to get weirder before the fortnight is out.     

1:00 Nothing new under the sun: Wang pulls a Hingis ’99

7:10 She’s taking it! Oh – actually, no, sorry

15:25 Iga Swiatek out to Kostyuk

23:10 Telling stories about players and matches we saw: Vacherot, Rybakina, Keys, and more 

38:35 Rafa Jodar exonerated, sort of

46:50 Naomi’s debut on Lenglen

50:40 James, are you happy to be in Paris? 

62:35 Being in Chatrier for the Sinner upset 

73:10 Are we all amateur geneticists now? 

80:45 These f—ing tarpaulins and Lacoste bollards!

85:25 Wrapping up the draw as it stands

We’ve just returned home from our first trip to Roland-Garros! We’re bringing you two mid-tournament episodes, this one to cover our experience at the tournament and in Paris overall, while the next will focus on the tennis itself. Hear about the RG dining and beverage experience (hello, galette-sausicce and the falafel hummus flatbread), our pilgrimage to the Rafa statue, the idyllic setting of Court Simonne-Mathieu, how to get on the side courts, the unique personality of the Roland Garros grounds, and much more!

1:35 Setting the scene: getting to Paris

7:50 To be in Paris: cafes with tiny tables, boeuf bourguignon, rolling up on Jannik

15:50 Getting to the site

23:10 On the Roland Garros grounds: the stadiums, getting on the smaller courts, the availability of water (!)   

43:30 The food: impressive 

47:00 The low-key chill-out areas near Simonne-Mathieu

51:35 Overall impression of what it’s like to be a fan at Roland Garros

As The Body Serve heads to Paris for the first time, here’s our preview of the 2026 edition of Roland Garros, where Jannik Sinner seeks to make more history and a number of top women find themselves in position to snatch. As usual, we take you through both draws: a surprisingly balanced women’s draw (except for Iga -- sorry, girl) and a men’s draw with not much intrigue, at least on the surface. The players associated with Project Red Eye have staged a work-to-rule labour action, refusing rightsholder interviews and committing only 15 minutes to pre-tournament media activities. Also, the federal judge in the PTPA case couldn’t order Wimbledon and the French to give up those coveted press credentials. I guess they’re stuck buying tickets like everybody else!  

1:05 Qualifiers: Sloane through; Plishy & Greg are not :( 

4:45 This week: Casper, rest!

7:20 Women’s draw 

20:20 Men’s draw 

39:55 PTPA credentials drama: judge says it’s petty but what can I do, babes

42:50 Players stage a labour action!

49:05 Stevie Wonder, randomly