I joined Miles David on Tuned Into Tennis this week to talk through everything grass court tennis has thrown at us in the run-up to Wimbledon and there was a lot to get into.
The headline, obviously, is Serena Williams. At 44, she's been handed a singles wildcard at Wimbledon, her first since 2022, on top of a doubles run with Venus. We got into the marketing of it, the criticism of it, and why the loudest takes about her being "past it" never seem to land the same way they would if it were Federer or a Nadal floating a comeback. Whatever Wimbledon gets from this, good tennis, a fairytale run, or an early exit, the moment itself is already bigger than the draw itself.
We also spent time on the American men, who are quietly putting together one of their best collective stretches in years. Frances Tiafoe finally got another trophy, the biggest of his caree, taking Halle and beating Taylor Fritz in the final. Fritz making his second final on grass in as many weeks. Tommy Paul pushed Francisco Cerundolo to a three-hour decider at Queen's before coming up just short. Four guys, Tiafoe, Fritz, Paul, and Ben Shelton, all riding momentum into Wimbledon at the same time. That doesn't happen often.
On the women's side, the Czechs are doing what the Czechs do on grass. Linda Noskova picked up her first grass title and a top-10 debut in Berlin, continuing a lineage that runs through Kvitová, Pliskova, and Krejčíková. Marie Bouzková is grinding out wins of her own. And then there's the heavier story: Markéta Vondroušová's four-year suspension for missing a drug test, which she's tied to safety concerns about an unannounced late-night visit. We talked through the inconsistency in how doping cases get handled across the sport and why missing a test can carry a harsher penalty than testing positive; and what that says about the system's priorities.
There's also a South American thread running through this season that we couldn't ignore. Cerundolo's Queen's title, the energy in the stands, the overlap with Argentina's World Cup title defense and how tennis has real opportunity take advantage of that energy if it leans in.
By the end, we landed where most tennis conversations land lately: nobody really knows what's coming. The Roland Garros blew up and we're expecting much of the same as the door is wide open at SW19.
Full breakdown, plus our predictions for who's dangerous heading into the fortnight, is up now on TunedIntoTennis on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Listen and let us know your thoughts!
