Thirty Love: Conversations About Tennis (Carl Bialik)

Rohit Brijnath, sports columnist for the Straits Times of Singapore, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about Roger Federer's return to the No. 1 ranking, what it was like to play against Simona Halep, why he thinks the best book about Federer will be written years after the world No. 1 retires, and which frequent Thirty Love guest he hopes will write it.

Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere.

Brijnath on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitdbrijnath
Brijnath's Straits Times articles:
http://www.straitstimes.com/authors/rohit-brijnath
Brijnath's Livemint articles:
http://www.livemint.com/Search/Link/Keyword/Rohit%20Brijnath
Brijnath on Federer's Australian Open title:
http://www.straitstimes.com/sport/tennis/federer-confirms-there-is-no-limit-in-sport
Brijnath on playing against Halep:
http://www.straitstimes.com/sport/tennis/to-play-against-halep-is-to-get-a-glimpse-of-her-greatness
Brijnath's column on his tennis partner, "The man across the net":
http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/17lijhUGz4odkWX94hMvnI/The-man-across-the-net.html

Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Gay and longtime tennis writer Tom Perrotta rejoin Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from the US Open to wrap the 2019 tournament: the epic men's final, Bianca Andreescu's earth-shaking win, the preeminence of women's tennis, and what it'll all look like in five years.

Listen to Jason Gay's prior appearances on Thirty Love: after the 2018 US Open, after the 2017 US Open, and in July 2017.

Listen to Tom Perrotta's prior appearances on Thirty Love: from the 2018 US Open, in October 2017, in July 2017, and in May 2017.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Photographer Stephan Würth joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik—on the court and in the studio—to talk about his new book "Tennis Fan," published by Damiani; his favorite and least favorite tournaments; and what it was like hitting with the Williams sisters.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Würth's website: http://www.stephanwurth.com/

Würth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephanwurth/

Jim Chairusmi, who writes and edits sports articles at The Wall Street Journal, rejoins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from the US Open to share ideas for how to expand the sport, from tiebreaks at 4-4 to reaching the platonic ideal of two-hour matches to 3-on-1 against Novak Djokovic. He also makes his title picks.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, during the US Open or beyond? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Glenn Gilliam, executive director of strategic partnerships for the documentary film "Althea," joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik at the US Open to talk about the new Althea Gibson sculpture on the grounds, how Gibson compares to Serena Williams, and what's holding tennis back from being more representative of the world around it today.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, during the US Open or beyond? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Freelance tennis writer Ben Rothenberg, host of the No Challenges Remaining tennis podcast, rejoins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about the pandemic's effect on the tennis writing business, the seismic effect the tours' interruption could have on its power balance, and his first two acts if he became commissioner of tennis (Carl's idea).

Previously on Thirty Love:

Ben Rothenberg On PlaySight

Ben Rothenberg On Exposing The Darko Grncarov Myth

Ben Rothenberg On Former Phenom Monique Viele

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Returning guest Ian Katz, who has been playing and following tennis for nearly 50 years, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to weigh in on major tennis debates ahead of the 2022 U.S. Open: should head-to-head records count when evaluating who is the most accomplished player, should the sport allow in-match coaching, and more.

Thirty Love is back for a mini-season around the 2022 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Laura Wagner, who covers tennis and sports media for Deadspin, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from the US Open to talk about Bianca Andreescu's swagger, Nick Kyrgios's ennui, tennis's web of conflicts of interest, and how to make the sport more exciting.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, during the US Open or beyond? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Mark Milne, an engineer in Arbroath, Scotland, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about why he thinks starting tennis games at 30-all makes for a faster and more exciting format; what Judy Murray and the ITF make of his idea; why he prefers his format to the one being used in Milan at the Next Gen ATP Finals, and why he doesn't just start games at deuce.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Thirty30 Tennis's website: https://www.thirty30tennis.com/ 

Tennis writer Matt Zemek joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about how to make the tennis schedule a little cooler, how to understand a player's scheduling choices, and what he and the Tennis with an Accent team hope to achieve with their independent online coverage of the sport.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mzemek

Tennis with an Accent: https://tennisaccent.com/

Cool Down Tennis: http://www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2017/04/05/cool-down-tennis/

Liz Weil, writer-at-large for the New York Times Magazine under the byline Elizabeth Weil, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about Weil's profile of Venus Williams for the Times Magazine, covering tennis as an outsider, whether there would have been Venus without Serena, and what's next for Venus.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, during the US Open or beyond? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Matt Marolf, writer for UbiTennis, rejoins his neighbor Carl Bialik—host of Thirty Love—from an appropriate social distance to talk about Roger Federer's tweeted support for a WTA-ATP merger, speculate wildly (OK, that's mostly Carl) about what drove the move and what might come next, and discuss which member(s) of tennis's Murray family would make the best boss of tennis. 

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Tennis enthusiast Ana Mitric, who refers to herself as a fake Serb and not quite a journalist, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about the tennis world's English-language bias and what the tennis media missed about Novak Djokovic and the ill-fated Adria Tour.  

Previously on Thirty Love:

Katrina Williams on Djokovic Fandom

Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Rodney Rapson, PlaySight's managing director for Europe & UK, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about the company's role in staging and televising the return of live pro tennis, how to write the rules on sports safety during a pandemic, and the way to host an event with the fewest possible people.

Trying something new: The episode has bonus content after the first 30 minutes. If you want to leave before we get to Minute 31, the first playing of the outro music is your cue. 

Previously on Thirty Love:

Ben Rothenberg On PlaySight

PlaySight's Chen Shachar On Helping Tennis Players To Know Themselves

Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Adriana Isaza-Mohring, founder of the New York City-based Elite Tennis Travel company, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik at the US Open to talk about what the "elite" in the name means, why Havana has been such a hit with her customers, and her own playing career's very different travel style.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, during the US Open or beyond? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Returning guest Matt Marolf (@mattmarolf), who writes match previews for big tournaments year-round, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik after they played a tennis match ahead of the 2023 U.S. Open to preview the tournament, explain his process for researching players and matches, share insights from a week on the grounds before the event began, and rant about the sport's rulebook.

Returning guest Giri Nathan, who writes about tennis for Defector and Racquet, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his experience covering the French Open and Wimbledon in person for the first time, how tennis speeding up might have slowed it down, and the joys of Wide Tennis and Greek Yogurt.

Thirty Love is back for a mini-season around the 2023 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Returning guest Matt Marolf (@mattmarolf), who writes match previews for big tournaments year-round, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik after the 2023 U.S. Open to recap the tournament and Matt's prescient picks, predict the careers of the finalists, and air grievances about the sport we love and love to find ways to make better.

Links:

Matt on Twitter

Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Simon Denman, a senior research fellow with Queensland University of Technology's Speech, Audio, Image and Video Technology Laboratory, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his team's research into using neural networks to predict the next shots of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Denman also spoke about getting and working with Hawk-Eye data, using his methodology to help power virtual-reality tennis, and how far we are from robots playing the proper tennis game of serve-and-volley.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

The paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/1901.05123

A press release about the paper: https://www.qut.edu.au/research/article?id=139429&fbclid=IwAR3TbssTO-HzQlQLSSW5yBKyfLDJAfl1LjrMDseITxuGU0NifCyvBiQYiZM

Cliff Richey -- the former No. 1 U.S. man, two-time Davis Cup champ, and equivalent of ATP No. 1 before there was such a thing -- joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his career, how he struggled with depression during and after playing, and how he's hoping to help raise awareness about depression, how to treat it, and how to reduce the stigma surrounding it. Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere.

Richey's two co-authored books on depression:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=Cliff+Richey&search-alias=books&field-author=Cliff+Richey&sort=relevancerank

Joel Drucker's profile of Richey:
http://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/columns/story?columnist=drucker_joel&id=5162663

More on depression and its harms:
https://www.vox.com/2014/8/12/5993075/depression-suicide-13-facts

Former doubles world No. 1 Max Mirnyi, age 40, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from the New York Open to talk about Roger Federer's return to world No. 1 in singles and what it was like playing doubles with, and splitting up with, Federer; Mirnyi's favorite partner (they only played one tournament together, losing in the final) and the partner who got away; and how rules changes have made it possible for doubles stars to excel into their 40s.

Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere.

Mirnyi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxmirnyi/ 

Tennis Hall of Famer Rosie Casals joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to recall her role in the Original Nine, the pioneering group who helped create modern women's professional tennis; reflect on why she doesn't see herself among today's pros; and describe how she's spreading tennis in California's Coachella Valley beyond the glamour of the Indian Wells tennis tournament.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Casals on the Tennis Hall of Fame website: https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/rosie-casals

Casals on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosiecasals?lang=en

Love & Love Tennis Foundation: https://lovelovetennisfoundation.wordpress.com/

Host Carl Bialik's friends Amanda Herling and Morlene Chin joined him on the last day of the 2019 US Open for their first live-tennis experience. They share their impressions, including a newfound love for doubles, immense appreciation for wheelchair tennis, and a preference for watching tennis from on high.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, during the US Open or beyond? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Author Judy Aydelott joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to share stories from her book "Sport of a Lifetime: Enduring Personal Stories From Tennis," including Betty Eisenstein, Gardnar Mulloy, and Fred Kovaleski; recalls how she found tennis, along with her future husband; and explains that married partners don't always make for good tennis partners.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

"Sport of a Lifetime" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sport-Lifetime-Enduring-Personal-Stories/dp/1937559645

Court 16 founder Anthony Evrard joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his innovative pair of tennis clubs in New York City, the deep tennis roots in his family, and how to balance the new and beloved old in a sport rich with tradition.

Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere.

Court 16's story: https://www.court16.com/about/our-tennis-story

Court 16 LIC: https://www.court16.com/tennis-clubs/long-island-city-queens/

Jim Chairusmi, who edits The Wall Street Journal’s tennis coverage, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about Nick Kyrgios’s entertainment value, why Jim picks Petra Kvitova to win the Open, and what he makes of the tournament’s new Armstrong Stadium.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Jim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimchair

Freelancer Simon Cambers joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about Alex de Minaur, Naomi Osaka, and other promising young players; the state of British tennis; and the prospect of fifth-set tiebreakers at every Grand Slam.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Cambers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scambers73

Returning guest Matt Marolf, who writes match previews for big tournaments year-round, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik after they played a windy tennis match to wrap the 2022 U.S. Open, preview the rest of the season, and solve all of tennis's problems along the way: how a change to the scoring system could simplify the fan experience and prevent late finishes, what to do about faulty let calls, which singles runner-up will win their first major first, and what to watch for at Laver Cup and the WTA tour finals.

Links:

Matt Marolf on Twitter

Thirty Love returned for a mini-season around the 2022 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Patrick Moran, who recently became the president of Racketlon USA, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about who joined tennis with three other racquet sports to form racketlon, how the sport has grown worldwide, which discipline is most prone to blowouts, and what makes racketlon so mentally tough.

Wall Street Journal video on racketlon

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Carlos Silva, the CEO of World TeamTennis, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about planning for the possible return of the pro game; the range of possibilities for what could constitute World TeamTennis in an age of physical distancing; and why this unusual season could be unusually American, or atypically global.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Phil Dimon, former Williams College player and spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Uganda, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to explain how he made his professional tennis debut in Kampala.

Phil on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilDimon

Phil's brother Ricky's preview of Phil's futures main-draw debut: http://tenngrand.com/2018/04/30/uganda-futures-preview-bojanovic-vs-dimon/

Kamakshi Tandon, who is covering the US Open for tennis.com, rejoins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from the Open to talk about the rise of tennis emotions, positive and negative; what social media has done for tennis and what it can still do; and how to make the sport a better TV product.

Listen to Kamakshi's 2018 appearance on Thirty Love.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, during the US Open or beyond? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Career journalist and passionate tennis fan Ian Katz, who blogs about the sport at Not Up, joins host Thirty Love to recap the French Open triumphs of Simona Halep and Rafael Nadal, look ahead to the rest of the season, and trace the roots of his tennis biases.

Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere.

Not Up blog: https://notup.blog/

Katz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/iankatztennis

Giri Nathan, who writes about tennis for Deadspin, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to break down Roger Federer's beatdown of Nick Kyrgios, assess Serena Williams's chances of winning her seventh US Open title and appreciate the unusual game of Diego Sebastian Schwartzman.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Nathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/girinathan

Nathan on Deadspin: https://kinja.com/girinathan

Guitar repair hero and tennis-racquet expert Ethan Lee joins Thirty Love to educate host Carl Bialik on the tools of the tennis trade, and how racquets make the woman or man. Content warning: By the end of the episode, you'll want to buy a new racquet or three, and you'll want Ethan at your side when you do.

Ethan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theofreedom

New York Times tennis writer Christopher Clarey joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to preview the French Open, reflect on what makes the tournament unique and challenging, and explain why he loves tennis too much to cover it full time.

Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere.

Clarey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/christophclarey

Clarey on Serena Williams: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/sports/tennis/serena-williams.html

Clarey on Roger Federer: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/20/sports/tennis/roger-federer-laver-cup-chicago.html

Returning guest Matt Marolf, who writes match previews for big tournaments year-round and teaches Thirty Love host Carl Bialik a thing or two on the court in between, joins the show to preview the 2022 U.S. Open: how far Serena Williams can go, what her entry in the doubles draw means, favorites in the women's and men's draws, and tips for attending the tournament.

Thirty Love is back for a mini-season around the 2022 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Jeff McFarland, a Jacksonville lawyer who writes about tennis and tennis analytics at his Tumblr called First Ball In, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about Novak Djokovic's triumphant return, Angelique Kerber's first Wimbledon title, and how he calculates Popcorn Scores to identify must-watch matches.

Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere.

First Ball In: http://fbitennis.tumblr.com/

McFarland on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FBITennis

Four of the people behind the Ashe '68 documentary project—creator and producer Rex Miller, co-documentary director Woody Richman, VR director Brad Lichtenstein, and exhibition producer and designer Bill Sullivan—join Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from the US Open to talk about Ashe's legacy, finding footage of the 1968 US Open champ, and re-creating the Forest Hills setting for Ashe's championship match on the 2018 US Open grounds.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

The film's official site: https://www.ashe68.com/

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald (accompanied by his 24 dogs) joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to preview the documentary he's producing about Martina Navratilova, the social justice pioneer and dominant tennis champ who was his childhood idol.

Glenn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ggreenwald

Variety on the film: http://variety.com/2018/film/news/martina-navratilova-documentary-reese-witherspoon-1202811524/

Lifelong tennis fan Jenni Dinger, a professor of entrepreneurship in Boston, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to review Laver Cup's second edition, in Chicago last weekend: Fed fans, Novak struggles, hot merch, and Jack Sock demonstrating the value of an elite doubles player.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Dinger on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jendinger/

Former Top 5 player Julie Heldman joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about her memoir "Driven: A Daughter's Odyssey," what she thought of the film "Battle of the Sexes," and how she emerged from 15 years lost to mental illness to write her first book.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Heldman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/junkballjul

"Driven": https://www.drivenadaughtersodyssey.com/

Freelance tennis writer Ben Rothenberg, host of the No Challenges Remaining tennis podcast, rejoins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his two-part series for Racquet about Monique Viele, who was hyped as the next big star in tennis but never won a tour-level match. Among the adults who helped make Viele a millionaire while possibly hurting her tennis prospects: Donald Trump.

Previously on Thirty Love:

Ben Rothenberg On PlaySight

Ben Rothenberg On Exposing The Darko Grncarov Myth

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

The German doubles team of Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies join Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from the New York Open to talk about reaching their first ATP final, whether they really are a doubles team, and the Germany-to-Auburn recruiting pipeline.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Kevin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KrawietzKevin

Andreas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndreasMies

Novelist Benjamin Markovits rejoins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his two books that touch on tennis: "A Weekend In New York" and its sequel, "Christmas in Austin." On the publication day of his latest book, and after a tennis match with his podcast host, Markovits describes how solitary an athlete's existence can be, whether in career or out, in a team sport or an individual one; how a retired tennis pro in the midst of a breakdown can make a lot of reasonable points; and how a career of competition can into an entire life viewed through the lens of competition.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Sportswriter Joe Posnanski joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his recent essay reflecting on Novak Djokovic's defeat of Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, why his view on the greatest-of-all-time debate has evolved, how much he'd like to cover tennis full-time, and what it was like getting beaten by Joe McEnroe.

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Returning guest Giri Nathan, who writes about tennis for Defector and Racquet, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik the day after Serena Williams's loss in what she has said will be her final tournament, to talk about what he saw at her last match of this tournament. We also talk about whether there will ever be an event like her retirement at a future Open, and about Nathan being awarded the inaugural Tom Perrotta Prize for Tennis Journalism by the International Tennis Writers Association during this year's tournament.

Thirty Love is back for a mini-season around the 2022 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Craig Shapiro, host of the Under Review Tennis Podcast, joins Thirty Love podcast host Carl Bialik to talk about tennis organizations and players uniting during the virus-induced shutdown of sports, which classic matches to watch when there are no live ones, and how he's built and grown his 20-month-old show.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Taiwan men's tennis No. 1 Jason Jung, fresh off reaching his second straight New York Open quarterfinal, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his aspiration to break into the top 100 and qualify for the Olympics, how close he came to never playing professional tennis, and why he used to blog more.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Radu Albot, two days after scoring his first career Top 20 win over John Isner, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik at the New York Open to talk about Moldovan tennis (there are three hard courts in the country; he's heard of "Playing the Moldovans at Tennis"), the biggest win of his career, and why he loves playing events with on-site hotels.

Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere.

Albot on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RaduAlbot

"Playing the Moldovans at Tennis": https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Moldovans-Tennis-Tony-Hawks/dp/0312305184

Josh Ripple, tournament director of the New York Open and executive vice president of GF Sports, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from Nassau Coliseum to recount how the event moved from Memphis to Long Island, describe the dance of signing players and sponsors for a new event, and recall what it was like to see one of the biggest stories from the event unfold: Donald Young accusing fellow American Ryan Harrison of making a racist remark on court.

Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere.

Ripple on Twitter: https://twitter.com/joshrip

New York Open: http://newyorkopen.com/

More on the Young-Harrison story: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/16/sports/tennis/donald-young-racism-ryan-harrison.html

Cecil Harris, author of the books Different Strokes and Charging the Net about black tennis history, rejoins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his sense that the Williams sisters will retire in 2020, why young African-American men aren't picking up tennis racquets, and where the Black Tennis Hall of Fame should make its home.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Stephanie Neppl, the day after arriving in the US Open for a last-minute Labor Day weekend of tennis, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to share tips on attending the Open, lament the accessibility of tennis stadiums, and marvel in the continued splendor of Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Neppl on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephintheus

Neppl's tennis blog: http://ihaveatennisaddiction.blogspot.com/

Novelist Benjamin Markovits joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his two books that touch on tennis: "A Weekend In New York" and its forthcoming sequel, "Christmas in Austin." Markovits explains how his professional basketball career turned him off from team sports, shares his favorites from the tennis memoirs he read to prepare for writing about the game, and reflects on the agony of having a number next to your name that defines your place in your profession and the world.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Markovits's website: http://www.benjaminmarkovits.com/

Jeff Sackmann, proprietor of the stats and history site Tennis Abstract, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about the Tennis 128, Jeff's project to name and profile the 128 greatest tennis players from 1919 to the present. Carl and Jeff discuss the project's progress, whether players at the U.S. Open have a shot at better spots, and how Jeff will handle the response when he unveils his algorithm's ranking of the very best. 

Links:

The Tennis 128

Tennis Abstract

Jeff on Twitter (while he's still there, anyway)

Thirty Love is back for a mini-season around the 2022 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Universal Tennis Rating’s Stephen Amritraj, former pro and possessor of the unusual title of Chief Tennis Officer, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about which US Open players UTR rates higher than the official rankings do, why he thinks U.S. tennis has weakened, and why more grass-court tennis would be good for the game.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Amritraj on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephenamritraj

UTR announces hiring of Amritraj: https://blog.universaltennis.com/2018/04/27/meet-stephen-amritraj-utrs-chief-tennis-officer/

Author Ann Leary, whose 2013 Modern Love essay in The New York Times "Rallying to Keep the Game Alive" was adapted for the Modern Love streaming series this year, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about how tennis has fit into her marriage to her husband (actor Denis Leary), why she has been using a one-handed backhand lately, and whether the tennis tradition can make way for alternative rules.

A recent New York Times interview with Leary about her essay

Leary on the Modern Love podcast

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Economist Ian Fillmore of Washington University joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his recent co-authored study on how racquet change disrupted tennis, gave rise to faulty predictions, and lifted a young generation of stars. 

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Helen R. Russell, co-curator of the New-York Historical Society's exhibit, "Billie Jean King: The Road to 75," joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about choosing more than 75 photos for the exhibit, her own tennis background, and King's New York ties.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

The exhibit, which exhibit runs through Jan. 30, 2019: https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/billie-jean-king-road-75

The Billie Jean King Archive: https://www.nyhistory.org/womens-history/exhibitions/Billie-Jean-King

It Can Hyphen Here: Why the New-York Historical Society Includes a Hyphen (h/t Sam Anzaroot): http://blog.nyhistory.org/it-can-hyphen-here-why-the-new-york-historical-society-includes-a-hyphen/

Stephanie Kovalchik and Graeme Spence—data scientists with the Game Insight Group (GIG), formed by Tennis Australia in partnership with Victoria University—join Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to break down Player DNA, their new system for analyzing what makes tennis players great.

Kovalchik and Spence explain why the time was right for this form of analysis, why Roger Federer can be fast without great foot speed, and how their new ways of measuring injury risks will make it into TV broadcasts during this year's Australian Open.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

More on Player DNA: https://tennismash.com/2019/01/02/player-dna-technical-tactical-physical-mental/

GIG on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tennisausgig

Kovalchik on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StatsOnTheT

Spence on Twitter: https://twitter.com/graemetspence

Cecil Harris, author of "Charging the Net" and two other sports books, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his forthcoming book on black tennis players, "Different Strokes," why he thinks 2018 might be the Williams sisters' last year on tour, and which young black players he thinks show the most promise.

Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere.

Harris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/allmyyankees

Returning guest Caitlin Thompson, co-founder of Racquet, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to catch up on what's new at her tennis media company: Racquet House, Ambush Tennis, and dealmaking. We also talk about junior wheelchair tennis at the U.S. Open, what makes something Racquet, and what she has learned about her audience.

Links:

• Caitlin on Twitter
• Racquet on Twitter
• Racquet in Hellgate
• Racquet House
• Ambush Tennis
• 1976 Davis Cup final

Thirty Love is back for a mini-season around the 2022 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Former college tennis player Alex Aksanov, now a coach and a physical therapist at a Brooklyn hospital, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about helping people with coronavirus recover their health and strength, exercises for the homebound tennis player without a net, and the joys and heartbreak of finding a tennis court to play on in New York City.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

On Rafael Nadal's 32nd birthday, Angie Marek and Nicholas Zeitlin join Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about their Rafa fandom, how it blossomed a decade ago, and what they expect from Nadal in the second week of the French Open.

Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere.

Dan Golden, senior editor at ProPublica and author of The Price of Admission, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about the ProPublica article he co-wrote entitled "An Unseen Victim of the College Admissions Scandal: The High School Tennis Champion Aced Out by a Billionaire Family"; all the ways college admission for sports can bypass merit; and who's harmed when wealthy parents buy spots on teams for their children.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Tim Wigmore, sports journalist for The Telegraph and co-author of The Best: How Elite Athletes are Made, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to apply his sports-science insights to tennis: why younger siblings thrive in tennis and other sports, how Andre Agassi figured out how to beat Boris Becker, and how the pandemic upended 2020 for athletes and the people who write about them.

Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Former pro Miha Mlakar, who now works as both a data scientist and as captain of Slovenia's Davis Cup team, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his career, his attempts to bring together his twin passions of data science and tennis, and Davis Cup reforms.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Miha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/majki37 

Eric Goulder, the artist who conceived of and created the new Althea Gibson sculpture at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center unveiled on the first day of main-draw play at the 2019 US Open, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about what he learned about Gibson during the creative process, why he normally doesn't like sports sculptures, and how he hopes technology will make his artwork a living and evolving creation.

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Preethi Ramamoorthy, who is covering the US Open for India's The Hindu newspaper, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about Naomi Osaka's grace and good humor after winning a controversial women's final, the Djokovic-del Potro men's final, and the state of Indian tennis.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Preethi's articles for The Hindu: https://www.thehindu.com/profile/author/Preethi-Ramamoorthy-5011/

Returning guest Tumaini Carayol, the Guardian's tennis correspondent, joins the show right after Serena and Venus Williams lost their first-round doubles match, and ahead of Serena Williams's third-round match in singles, to marvel at how thoroughly Serena and her retirement have dominated the tournament — and how realistic a long stay in the draw suddenly looks for the 23-time major singles champ. We also talk about the prospects of British men's hopes Jack Draper, Cam Norrie, and Andy Murray.

Thirty Love is back for a mini-season around the 2022 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Joe Nocera, Bloomberg Opinion columnist and co-author of "Indentured: The Inside Story of the Rebellion Against the NCAA," joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from a suite at the US Open to talk about the economics of attending big-time tennis events, the hardest thing to explain to a child who's starting to watch tennis, and why Federer : Nadal :: Jordan : LeBron.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Nocera on Twitter: https://twitter.com/opinion_joe

Nocera's Bloomberg columns: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/contributors/AB5jPpvf5C4/joe-nocera

Marc Stein, NBA reporter for The New York Times, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about how a wax statue changed his tennis fandom forever, why so many tennis pros travel through Dallas, and what it's been like shadowing Julia Glushko and coaching Benjamin Becker at the US Open.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Stein on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine

Stein on Glushko: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/27/sports/julia-glushko.html

Stein on Becker: http://www.espn.com/blog/marc-stein/post/_/id/4538/nba-tennis-words-collide-in-unforgettable-coaching-cameo

Rose Hobson, coordinator of volunteers for the US Open bookstore, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from the US Open to talk about her favorite tennis book, her own tennis game, how the Open has changed, and the volunteer life at the tournament.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, during the US Open or beyond? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Tumaini Carayol, a sportswriter for The Guardian, rejoins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from the US Open to talk about Serena Williams's candor after her fourth-round win, Coco Gauff's precociousness and penchant for doubles, and the young men's stars' heel turns.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, during the US Open or beyond? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Racquet Magazine cofounder Caitlin Thompson, cohost of The Racquet Podcast and The Main Draw, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about the new book collecting the best of Racquet, how the pandemic did and didn't affect the latest issue of Racquet, and how to celebrate a fan-free US Open with friends, Racquet-style.

Previously on Thirty Love:

Caitlin Thompson On The Expanding Racquet Empire

Caitlin Thompson on Racquet Magazine's Sophomore Surge

Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Chloé Cooper Jones, the freelance writer who covers tennis for GQ; and her editor Kevin Nguyen join Thirty Love host Carl Bialik just after Naomi Osaka defeated Serena Williams for the US Open title to talk about the 20-year-old's big win, the umpiring controversy that threatened to overshadow it, and the long and painful road of Juan Martín del Potro to the men's final against Novak Djokovic.

Chloé on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CCooperJones

Kevin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/knguyen

Chloé's del Potro profile: https://www.gq.com/story/juan-martin-del-potro-strikes-back

Kevin's Osaka profile: https://www.gq.com/story/naomi-osaka-is-the-coolest-thing-in-tennis

Filmmaker Theo Anthony, director of ESPN Films 30 for 30 Shorts documentary Subject to Review, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about the origin story of instant replay in sports, how cricket does it better, and why the 2018 World Tour Finals set the perfect stage for his film.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Kamakshi Tandon, who writes about tennis for tennis.com and other publications, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about an extreme US Open, the men's semis, and the future of Davis Cup and other fledgling team events.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Kamakshi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kamakshi_Tandon

Kamakshi on Tennis.com: http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/list/kamakshi-tandon/

Ashley Marshall, the USTA's assistant managing editor, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his article on the first US Open's first match, pitting Billie Jean King against a dentist; his deep dive into umpire scorecards for 50 facts about Roger Federer at the Open; and juniors to watch in the second week of the Open.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Marshall on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMarshallSport

"The dentist who filled in at the first US Open": https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2018-08-15/the_day_billie_jean_king_played_a_dentist.html

"50 Roger Federer facts for 50 years of the US Open": https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2018-08-28/50_roger_federer_facts_for_50_years_of_the_us_open.html

Returning guest Tumaini Carayol, the Guardian's tennis correspondent, joins the show to talk about players who have caught his eye and had memorable matches at this tournament: Frances Tiafoe, Caroline Wozniacki, Daria Kasatkina, and Andy Murray. He also talks about the rise of hard-court sliding.

Thirty Love is back for a mini-season around the 2023 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Tom Perrotta, who writes about tennis for The Wall Street Journal, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about Rafael Nadal's five-set defeat of Dominic Thiem, Rafa's unusual tactic that's catching on, and Serena Williams's bid for her 24th Slam title.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Perrotta on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomPerrotta

Perrotta on Nadal's tactic: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-rafael-nadal-returns-serve-from-the-back-wall-1536153459

Wall Street Journal sports columnist Jason Gay joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik—for the 14th episode from the 2018 US Open, on the 14th day of the Open—to break down the men's and women's finals, and the USTA's game of whack a mole with the weather.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Jason on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasongay

Jason's articles for the WSJ: http://www.wsj.com/news/author/6268

Former Top 5 player Julie Heldman rejoins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about what she learned while touring to promote her memoir "Driven: A Daughter's Odyssey," why she's glad she decided to include her struggle with mental illness in the book, how tennis has changed since she retired, and what it was like to narrate her story for the book's new audio edition.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Alex Tilney, author of The Expectations, joins his longtime friend and occasional racquet-sports opponent Carl Bialik to talk about how squash figures in both his novel and an exclusive slice of American society, why substituting tennis for squash would have made for a very different tale, and what tennis and squash can learn from each other about keeping spectators entertained.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Guitar repair hero and tennis-racquet expert Ethan Lee rejoins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about Lee's idea for a new kind of tennis tiebreaker: the Aphabreaker, in which not every point is created equal. Lee explains how his innovation puts the serve in its rightful place and suggests ways tennis can embrace new formats to find the best ones it's never tried.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

American tennis pro Tennys Sandgren joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from the New York Open to talk about his tendency to go deep or go home at tournaments, where his deep run at the 2018 Australian Open came from, the pressure to defend ranking points, whether he has regrets about his Twitter activity that sparked outrage during his 2018 run in Melbourne, his return to Twitter, and one issue on which he supports regulation.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Tennys on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TennysSandgren

New York Times coverage of Sandgren at the 2018 Australian Open: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/24/sports/tennis/hyeon-chung-australian-open-tennys-sandgren.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/22/sports/tennis/australian-open-tennys-sandgren.html

Matt Marolf, writer for UbiTennis, joins his neighbor Carl Bialik—host of Thirty Love—from an appropriate social distance to talk about Wimbledon's cancellation, the implications for the record books, and how tennis might come back—as a live sport, a spectator sport, and a participatory sport—before the tours are ready to return. 

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Don Van Natta Jr., host and executive producer of the new ESPN show Backstory, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about the debut episode of his new show, on the 2018 US Open women's final. Won by Naomi Osaka over Serena Williams, the match was overshadowed by chair umpire Carlos Ramos's officiating and Williams's reaction. Van Natta and Bialik talk about the controversy's impact on tennis, why new footage adds to the case that Williams received the barred coaching instruction, and what happened when Williams and Ramos met privately immediately after the match's conclusion.

Listen to Don's 2017 appearance on Thirty Love.

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Racquet Magazine cofounder Caitlin Thompson, also cohost of The Main Draw podcast, tells Thirty Love host Carl Bialik about exciting news that takes Racquet beyond the magazine biz, and what it's like to hit with six-time Grand Slam champ Rennae Stubbs.

Produced and edited by Jorge Estrada, with music by Lee Rosevere.

Caitlin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/caitlin_thomps
Racquet: https://racquetmag.com/
The Main Draw: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-main-draw/id1002026920?mt=2

Returning guest Jim Chairusmi, part of the Wall Street Journal's team covering the 2022 U.S. Open, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik the day after Serena Williams's loss in what she has said will be her final tournament, to talk about what's next for her and he sister Venus Williams. We also talk about what's left in the tournament and memories of Tom Perrotta.

Thirty Love is back for a mini-season around the 2022 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Chris Sabaitis—founder and CEO of AceSpace, a court-booking and partner-finding system—joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from the New York Open to talk about the sport's fractured, often low-tech way of allocating courts; the strategies he used as a traveling junior to find hitting partners; and the time he played on the court that had been used many times by a young Andy Roddick.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

AceSpace: http://www.acespacecourts.com/

Sabaitis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisSabaitis

AceSpace on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AceSpaceCourts

Tennis journalist Reem Abulleil joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik from the US Open to talk about the struggle to find stories in qualifying, the unique approach the US Open takes to qualies, why she finds it essential to be on site even when travel logistics pose a burden, why she launched a Patreon, and how she finds stories in every interview she conducts with players.

Listen to Reem's 2017 appearance on Thirty Love.

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Doctor, farmer, and peace activist Peter Underwood joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about his book The Pros: The Forgotten Era Of Tennis. Underwood explains why tennis took so long to go professional, what motivated pros such as Jack Kramer and Rod Laver to endure tough conditions for small purses, and how today's top men would do as barnstormers.

Underwood works with the Medical Association for Prevention of War, the founder of ICAN (the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons) and the recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. His forthcoming book is a collection of poetry. He lives in Perth and runs a small farm in Denmark, West Australia.

Have a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

With the 2019 season upon us, Thirty Love takes a close look at the…2017 season. Writer Rowan Ricardo Phillips watched every ATP match he could and transformed his experience into the book The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey. He joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to describe the experience of studying the tour so closely, how he knew he had a book's worth of material, and what made 2017 special.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Rowan's website: http://www.rowanricardophillips.com/

Rowan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RowanRicardo

Returning guest Jim Chairusmi, part of the Wall Street Journal's team covering the 2023 U.S. Open, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about tennis pros leaving the sport to play pickleball, and how the Average Joe, Jane, and Jim would do against pro tennis players.

Thirty Love is back for a mini-season around the 2023 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Glen Hill, the engineer and tennis coach, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about how even the very best players are far from their best selves, and how better tactics can help.

Tactical Tennis, Glen's site with Jacob Meyer: http://www.tacticaltennis.com

Glen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlenSHill

Filmmaker Barney Douglas, director of the new Showtime documentary "McEnroe," joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about how a non-tennis diehard came to make a film about John McEnroe, how New York City became a costar, the interview that got away, and which tennis figure he'd want to profile next.

Thirty Love is back for a mini-season around the 2022 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."

Chris Widmaier, the USTA's managing director of corporate communications, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to assess the new Armstrong stadium's debut, explain how the tournament has been handling the extreme heat, and reflect on how one moment from one side-court match can go international.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Two Tennibot executives—Haitham Eletrabi, CEO and founder; and Xianglin (Lincoln) Wang, CTO—join Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about how their love of playing tennis and unlove of fetching tennis balls led to the creation of their robotic ball gatherer, what makes Tennibot more advanced than a Roomba, and how else robotics could fit into tennis and other sports.

Music by Lee Rosevere.

Tennibot's website: http://tennibot.com/

Tennibot on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tennibot

Tennibot in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weUs4cW9360

Jeff Sackmann, proprietor of the stats and history site Tennis Abstract, joins Thirty Love host Carl Bialik to talk about Battles, Boycotts, and Breakouts: 1973 Redux, Jeff's project to revisit memorable moments from the pivotal tennis season of a half-century ago. Carl and Jeff discuss the 50th anniversary of equal prize money at the U.S. Open, what made 1973 special, and how 2023 might look 50 years from now. 

Links:

1973 Redux

Tennis Abstract

Jeff on Twitter

Thirty Love is back for a mini-season around the 2023 U.S. Open. Have feedback, a suggestion for a Thirty Love guest, or anything else you want to say? Email Carl at bialik@pm.me

Music by Lee Rosevere: "Credit Roll" and "Glass Android."