93: Kalamazoo, Cincy Chaos & the Ultimate Pronunciation Challenge | EP 93
In this week's Friday episode, John, Sam and Steve take a nostalgic trip down memory lane, reminiscing about the legendary Kalamazoo boys' tennis tournament and its significance in the junior tennis world.
The boys share stories about their enjoyable (and sometimes chaotic) times at the Cincinnati Open and dive into the Major Mailbag to answer your questions, including revealing who are the worst practice partners on Tour...
And finally after months of embarrassing himself with the worst attempts at pronouncing professional tennis player names, Sam is put in the hot seat, with a list of names chosen by our listeners.
00:00 Sponsor Message
01:25 Intro
03:56 Cincinnati Memories
10:14 Kalamazoo Tournament Recap
17:11 Fan Questions: Analytics in Tennis
20:19 Cincy Ball Kids and Personal Experiences
22:13 Practice Partners and Arrangements
23:24 Challenges with Practice Partners
25:47 American Players in Masters 1000
26:21 Hypothetical Matchup: College Steve Johnson vs. Ben Shelton
27:17 Life Advice: Parenthood, yes or no?
29:41 The Ultimate Pronunciation Challenge
34:31 Goodbye!
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92: Shelton’s Toronto Triumph, Mboko’s Breakthrough & Who Got Robbed by the Big 4? | EP 92
John, Sam, and Steve kick off your week “live” from Cincinnati, running down the biggest headlines in tennis, including Ben Shelton’s maiden Masters 1000 title in Toronto and teenage Canadian sensation Victoria Mboko capturing her first title and rising to Canadian No. 1.
The crew breaks down Shelton’s explosive athleticism, undeniable clutch gene, and the tactical brilliance of his father, while also celebrating Mboko’s stunning run in Canada and discussing her ceiling and career potential.
And of course, there’s never a wrong time to talk about the Big 4, the squad debates who truly got robbed of Masters 1000 titles in the shadow of their dominance.
00:00 Intro
01:25 Episode Overview
03:05 Cincinnati Tournament Insights
05:09 Toronto Tournament Highlights
05:26 Ben Shelton's Rise in Tennis
12:59 Women's Tennis Highlights
19:20 Upcoming US Open Predictions
21:35 Tennis Player Performance Analysis
22:17 Carlos Alcaraz's Travel Schedule
24:12 Masters Series Discussion
28:10 Life Advice Segment Debut
31:42 Outro and Cincy Predictions
31:56 A Wild John Isner Appears
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91: Mailbag, Cincinnati Tales, and a Masters 1000 Debate | EP 91
The boys are back as tennis heads to Cincinnati for the latest Masters 1000!
With a fresh debate around the new Masters 1000 structure the talk of tennis., John, Jack, Sam and Steve are joined by Toronto Tournament Director, Karl Hale to offer his thoughts on the hot topic.
The group discuss player withdrawals, the schedule shake-up, and throw out some wildly confident predictions for Cincinnati. The boy take a trip down memory lane, remembering some memorable moments in Mason, Ohio and break down the big renovation that might just make it the best Masters 1000 on the calendar (depending on who you ask).
The Major Mailbag makes it popular appearance, and it's time to tackle your burning questions, from coaching insights to lower-ranked player's sponsor challenges.
Plus the boys reveal an exciting event with Red Bull next month, and one lucky listener might even get a chance to join the fun...
00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message
01:26 Episode Overview
02:06 Red Bull Flugtag Event Announcement
03:55 Cincinnati Tournament Discussion
11:16 Mailbag Questions
17:09 Tough Opponents and Player Struggles
17:53 Player Name Pronunciation Game
18:47 Coaching in Modern Tennis
21:44 Special Guest: Karl Hale on New Tournament Formats
26:37 Player Sentiments on 12-Day Events
30:15 Tournament Pullouts and Future Concerns
35:10 Predictions and Retirement Speculations
36:42 Closing Remarks
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90: The Ugliest Games in Tennis, Sam's Reality TV Flashback, & Canada Recap | EP 90
The boys are back and things are getting ugly (in the best way) as they revisit their “Ugliest Strokes” debate, respond to hilarious fan feedback, and rank the absolute worst games in tennis history.
There's plenty to break down from Toronto and Montreal, but more importantly, Sam feels this is the right time to reflect on his infamous stint on Bravo’s Millionaire Matchmaker ... complete with a fake house and even a fake... dog?!
Plus: want life advice from your favorite tennis pros? We’re launching a new segment, and you could be part of it!
00:00 Intro
00:51 Welcome to the Show!
02:38 Stevie's Hall of Fame Induction
05:11 Discussing Ugly Tennis Games
13:45 Comparing Toronto and Montreal Tournaments
15:41 Toronto Draw and QFs Preview
17:22 Toronto Predictions
21:01 Vasek Pospisil Retires
23:45 Montreal Reaction
25:54 US Open x The Bachelor
30:19 Sam's Reality TV Experience
34:22 New Life Advice Segment
35:55 Goodbye!
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89: Alexander Zverev Joins the Pod, Dinners with Rafa & Chasing Grand Slam Glory | EP 89
World No. 3 Alexander Zverev stops by for what might be the funniest and most dehydrated interview of his life. Battling full-body cramps (seriously), Zverev still dives into it all: the crash after the Australian Open final, the mistakes he’s owned, and what it’ll take to finally leave the 'No Majors' club.
The crew discuss mental health, public pressure, and the wild experience of being coached by both Toni AND Rafael Nadal that resulted in an incredible story of Rafa giving a forehand masterclass in the middle of an intense dinner that went until at 1AM....
Zverev gives Sam a hard time, questions the so-called “Golden Generation” of the 1980s, and opens up about traveling with dogs, his growing collection of questionable gold chains, before being put on the Nothing Major Hot Seat.
One of the funniest, weirdest, and most honest chats we’ve had with a top player. And yes, the cramps made the cut!
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:51 Episode teaser
01:08 Getting Zverev on the Podcast
02:15 Zverev's Joins the Pod and the Beef with Sam
11:15 Sibling Rivalry and Early Career
13:51 Challenges and Future Goals
19:14 Coaching and Mentorship
23:28 Rafa's Unbelievable Dedication
24:34 Advice from a Champion
25:55 The Roland Garros Setback
28:09 Comparing Tennis Generations
32:21 Las Vegas Companions
35:22 Traveling with Dogs
37:11 Worst Match Memories
40:23 Annoying Opponents
41:44 European Pet Peeves in America
43:47 Goodbye!
Join former American tennis stars Sam Querrey, John Isner, Steve Johnson, and Jack Sock as they hope to serve up more laughs than Grand Slam titles in a brand new podcast "Nothing Major".
Expect untold tales, a behind the scenes look at life on tour, and relentless banter that only comes from guys who've seen it all (except that elusive major win).
Ireland