Backhands and Compliments: A Tennis Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

We ended up quite punchy in this episode, so enjoy some mid-Slam delusion on DAY TWO. We talk about some of the upsets (rip Pablo Carreno Busta, Holger Rune, and Karen Khachanov), the battle of the Boss Babies (Taylor Fritz vs. Matteo Berrettini), and the retirement of iconic players such as Diego Schwartzman and Dominic Thiem. Katie finally announces what she’s been teasing for months. She sold a book to Simon & Schuster! And yes, it’s a tennis romance novel with soulmates and rivals-to-lovers. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a B&C episode if we didn’t have a completely unhinged hypothetical question to discuss. (This week we ask, “Who would we want to see Freaky Friday bodyswap and play against each other?”)

New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.

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An episode where we go over all the ~DRAMA~ from the last two weeks. From Stefanos Tsitsipas firing his father very publicly to a double-hit dispute between Jack Draper and Felix Auger-Alissame on match point to Jannik Sinner’s doping scandal; we’ll go through it all with all the facts and our color commentary. We also give Alexei Popyrin his flowers for winning his first Masters 1000 title in Montreal! And Jannik Sinner becomes the first man this year to win 2 Masters 1000 titles! (Katie’s bingo card is very happy about this.)  

New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.

Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, and TikTok ​​https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.

Crazy how the second week of Rome just didn’t happen? Isn’t that weird? So, we talk about the surprisingly early exits, the nightmare that was a fan’s water bottle falling on Novak Djokovic, and the sad upcoming retirements. This is also the introduction of Miranda’s Matteo Jar, so enjoy every little plink of a quarter when she randomly brings him up. And yes, we tend to joke about making a Formula One podcast episode if a certain rat wins a tournament. Instead, we decided to help you out if you’re looking to get into F1 but you aren’t sure who to root for. Don’t worry, we got you! We’ll tell you which driver you might like based on your favorite player! (And if you do watch, F1, please tell us which player correlates to which driver! We’d love to know!) 

New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.

Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, and TikTok ​​https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.

It’s an (Orthodox) Easter miracle! Despite injections in his toe to numb it, a swollen throat, and Death on his doorstep, Andrey Rublev wins the Madrid Masters!! Turns out the power of Katie’s manifestation and Jesus Christ were enough to give Andrey the strength to win. He played Felix Auger-Alissame, which isn’t surprising when you see the two retirements and one walkover Felix got. Still, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy! Lucky Felix Felicis. Surprisingly, there was little nonsense happening this year and we enjoyed the tournament!

New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.

Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, and TikTok ​​https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.

Both of our lives were changed by the newest tennis movie, Challengers! We go full spoilers and scream into the microphone, so listen after you’ve watched the movie! We hope you enjoy this extra episode in the middle of Madrid. 

And if you’ve watched Challengers, please tell us your thoughts, headcanons, and theories!

New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.

Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, and TikTok ​​https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.

We’re back to recap another week of tennis, from Barcelona to Munich to Bucharest. There were lots of firsts this week, from Casper Ruud winning his first tournament above 250-level to Jan-Lennard Struff winning his first ATP title. We also indulge in some classic B&C Andrey Rublev psychoanalysis time, discuss how many matches Rafa Nadal may have left, and only spend a few minutes talking about The Tortured Poets Department (sorry in advance). 

New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.

Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, and TikTok ​​https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.

Stefanos Tstisipas is not only the winner of the B&C Handsomeness Poll, but he is back to being the champion of the Monte-Carlo Masters! Add him to the list of people who have a tournament win when Novak Djokovic doesn’t. Despite Casper Ruud looking fantastic in a sleek black kit, he did lose another final. But he did finally win two sets against a top opponent! And a lot of Monaco royalty was in attendance, like the Challengers’ cast and half the Formula 1 grid. But this tournament really is no different than other clay tournaments; there were plenty of missed calls and tantrums in the Mediterranean air.  

New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.

Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, and TikTok ​​https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments

It is time to reveal who is the ATP’s Next Top Most Handsome Player. Or who won the poll voted on by our listeners. Who will come out on top? And who smized his way into the top three after some serious campaigning? And is this a question of male gaze vs. female gaze? 

And in tennis news, it was one of our favorite weeks for tennis. Three tournaments on three continents! We talk about the power of a black and pink kit, especially since it is part of the reason Ben Shelton won Houston! Casper Ruud was channeling his inner Karen Rude by trying to hit an annoying drone with tennis balls. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t defend his title in Estoril and instead, Hubi Hurkacz won his first clay tournament! (Claykacz, anyone?) And of course, Miranda’s prayer candle worked wonders because Matteo Berrettini won Marrakech! Meaning it had been 624 days since he lost a match on clay! (Until now. No Matteo in Monaco sadly.)

New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.

Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, and TikTok ​​https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.

We’re feeling 22! Okay, maybe we’re not, but Jannik Sinner sure is! 22 wins, 22 years old, AND number 2 in the rankings! Although it’s the third time the charm when it comes to him finally capturing the Miami Master’s title. But the star of Miami and number one in our hearts this week is Grigor Dimitrov! Looks like last year’s Beijing really set the finalists up for major career shifts. Now the question is, will anyone beat Jannik again? Another question is, why is the ATP changing the doubles format to better suit singles players? Trust that Katie has a lot of thoughts on it! And finally, make sure to tell a friend about the podcast as a special birthday gift to Miranda! 

New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.

Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, and TikTok ​​https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.

Between the rains and the bees and all the flopping, the end of Indian Wells and the beginning of Miami have provided odd bits and pieces. From discussing the advertising of the new tennis movie, Challengers to the new deals brewing on the desks of executives to PR mishaps to a complaining Casper to Fergus Murphy squashing some weird beef; we cover everything on and off the court. Miami might be ankle break city (RIP Tommy Paul & Andy Murray), but hopefully, it’s not heartbreak city! Can Daniil finally break the curse and give us another bingo square? 

New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.

Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, and TikTok ​​https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.