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The Tragic Three reconvene for the first time in a long time, to pay tribute to Milos Raonic (sort of), marvel at Roger Federer (yet again), and unveil the 2026 Tragedy Watchlist as we move into the first Major of the year down under. We discuss Matte's unfortunate withdrawal from the One Point Slam, Alex's United Cup experience in Sydney, and David's brief dalliance with a 125 in Austin. We share our enjoyment of the One Point Slam (despite its ridiculous length) and our disdain for the (new, pointless) Battle of the Sexes.

The Tennis Tragic #067 / Bidi Labubu Badu / Matte and David meet to talk about the style selections on show at the 2025 US Open. First, Ian collects his plate graciously, while Adi slides into his World Number One ranking with a US Open trophy and an impassioned Rublev defense. Then, we break out the slide projector and chat Naomi's kit, Andre Swagassi, the Y3 "blur tool" design, Alcaraz as "happy Buddha", Magdalena Frech's Bidi Badu dress, Kostyuk's popped Wilson collar, and all of Venus's glory. David confesses to the superiority of Test Cricket, while Matte explains the difference between a tie and a draw and shares his experience at a silent meditation retreat.

The Tennis Tragic #066 / The Tribunal of Tennis Etiquette / Matte and David begin the hard work of establishing a committee for regulating behavior on a tennis court (and in the stands). Given their recent statements and actions, as well as their consistent efforts to model proper behavior for others, we feel that Jelena Ostapenko, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Daniil Medvedev should be on the board. Who better to correct us gently and kindly during our missteps? We also give Taylor Townsend her flowers, take a call from Adi about the Upset Game's impact on his fandom, look forward to Coco vs Naomi, talk about tennis redheads, express excitement about Venus and Leylah playing doubles, and channel Charlton Heston receiving the Ten Commandments from God.

The Tennis Tragic #065 / Return to Doubles Alley / The US Open spotlight shines brightest on the Mixed Doubles exhibition (tournament).  Matte and David re-visit the dark and mysterious zone between the tram lines, while glancing back at the US hardcourt summer and peeking forward towards the upcoming major (a little).  We get into the depths of the upset game, discuss radical-but-unlikely future rule changes, express confusion about the identity of our podcast, learn some Australian taxi-based idioms, and revisit Matte's encounter with Australian doubles star Ellen Perez on line at an event merchandise store.  In a rank?  On line?  Finally, Matte foreshadows some upcoming spells.

The Tennis Tragic #064 / Goran's Knee / Must we suffer for our art?  Have we been coddled, and can we triumph in spite of our soft hearts?   The great ship Wimbledon finds itself mid-stream.  Matt finds the random button, and we all discover August Holmgren as a result.  Players get more serious about the Upset Game.  Marin Cilic pauses and we flashback to the Match That Time Forgot.  Arthur Rinderknech stops the darkness, while Laura Siegemund practices the dark arts.  A fishing trip organized by Craig Boynton is described.  Goran Ivanisevic dishes out some tough love (on one leg).  Trinity Rodman gazes lovingly at Ben Shelton.  Matte and David consider a lateral career move and re-imagine the Tennis Tragic as a Tennis Podcast Podcast.

The Tennis Tragic #063 / What's in the Trophy? / Coco Gauff triumphs in Paris and discovers that the Coupes des Mousquetaires has a lid. David and Matte battle difficult conditions - the same as every other podcaster - to cover the outstanding women's final, Lois Boisson's delightful run, Amelie Mauresmo and Gilles Moretton's handling of the schedule, and the looming threat of a Carlos/Jannik duopoly on the men's side. We also find time to touch on podium architecture, courtside paintings, and commisioning Christopher Clarey to pen the biography of Upset Game World Number 1 and French Open Champion, Ian Macnider. Might as well get started now!

The Tennis Tragic #062 / Best Story of Roland Garros (So Far) / Darkness descends upon Paris, and lightning strikes! Matte and David meander through the topics of the day - the draw, the Upset Game, Gasquet, Djokovic's 100th title, Maya Joint's chances vs Jasmine Paolini, Hubie "The Retirement Plan" Hurkacz, McEnroe and the New York Knicks, Adi's victory speeches for his Upset Game dirty double, and the holy power of the new Pope blessing Jannik Sinner.

The Tennis Tragic #038 / The Kid Stopped Dreaming / Rafa and Ash concluded the 2022 Australian Open with two perfect days of tennis, but defeated Daniil's childhood dream may have died in the process.  David and Matte discuss the Special K's, the theoretical value of tennis etiquette, coaching from the box, string tension, Daniil's somber press conference, whether one would rather win a 250 or defeat Roger Federer in the first round, Mark Shorter's painting of Ash Barty's fist, David's feelings about Rafa's aesthetic, and our loss of credibility following Episode 037's audacious predictions.

The Tennis Tragic #061 / Hey Ump! Got a Light? / From Dubai to Acapulco, from Indian Wells to Miami, from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro... David and Matte travel the world in their imagination, recapping and reliving recent events. Matte pays tribute to Richard Gasquet in advance of his final Roland Garros. David updates the world on the Upset Game "Race to Milan." Francisco Comesana beats back the darkness with a smoke. Niche tennis cosplay ideas are shared. Wayne Ferreira's revenge tour continues. Joao Fonseca is passionately anointed. Mirra Andreeva thanks herself; we thank Conchita Martinez. Join us for the Upset Game next week in Madrid! upsetgame.com

The Tennis Tragic #60 / Sunset Diarrhea / Matte and David forget to celebrate their diamond anniversary episode, instead choosing to focus a critical eye on the fashion of the 2025 Australian Open. Needless to say, we came away a bit disappointed. We also talk about Madison Keys' thrilling triumph, fake corporate fans, get tragic updates from the "experts" on the Juniors and Doubles events, and hand out some hardware for the first ever live running of the Upset Game (congrats to Hit Em High for taking home the trophy!). Finally, we touch on the possibility of a new age of darkness (mercifully averted after the episode was recorded).

The Tennis Tragic #059 / L'ouef-Fifteen (A Beginner's Guide) / In this episode, David and Matte welcome all newcomers into the wonderful world of tennis, because tennis is cool, and everyone should l'ouef it passionately, as we do. We roll out a comprehensive "Beginner's Guide" to the Australian Open. If you don't know where you are, or what you are doing ... go no further! We clearly and comprehensively break down tennis etiquette, the scoring system, and provide a framework for maximum enjoyment during your first live Grand Slam experience. We also discuss bits and bobs of the AO25 draw through the lens of our Upset Game players' picks. This episode is dedicated to our most engaged listener to date (next to Holger Rune's mother), Ian Macnider. Thanks for listening, and for playing the Upset Game, Ian! Like an unseeded doubles partnership languishing in obscurity, we are both delighted and mystified at the thought that anybody is aware of our existence.

The Tennis Tragic #058 / The Year of the Tragic / Is this our year? Is there enough wind in our sails? Matte is experiencing new love; David is experiencing new back; the world of tennis has taken its annual 12 day hiatus and we are READY! Surely we can record ... I dunno, ten episodes this year? Topics of the day include: Kyrgios's leg, Novak and Nick playing doubles, who we're watching during AO quallies, a slew of late-tournament retirements from the Ogre and Naomi and Tomas Machac, our Instagram follower count, Conor Niland's book "The Racket", the Upset Game (coming soon to the world wide web!) and Jenson Brooksby's autism announcement.

The Tennis Tragic #057 / Astonishing / David and Matte stage an Upset Game trophy ceremony, before diving into the most astonishing topics and personalities of the day with Alex, such as Lulu Sun, T20 World Cup Cricket, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Roger Federer's commencement speech, Djokovic's tiny violin, Alex de Minaur's injury on match point, Hubie Hurkacz retiring from a match on match point, Emma Raducanu not playing a particular match, and the differences between jam, jelly, jello, and marmalade. Also, David preps for surgery - will he be able to recover in time for the Olympics??

The Tennis Tragic #056 / The Guy Who Got the Walkover / The Roland Garros semi-final lineups have been established, and the Tragic Three turn their cybernetic camera eyes towards all (or most) of the action and drama. We share Jannik Sinner's enthusiasm at becoming World No. 1 while discussing the unlikelihood of Paolini's rise, Alex (and "Paul") de Minaur's devastating defeat to Zverev, Stef getting owned by Carlitos, optimism about Ons, chair umpires wearing camera headpieces, and the value of surround sound home theater setups. Matte and Alex also discuss the Luca Guadagnino film 'Challengers.' Bum-bum-buh-ba-duh-ba-duh-duh... allez!

The Tennis Tragic #055 / Carota Boys and the River Styx / At long last! The fifty-fifth Tragic episode! All three tragics are together again, to discuss the first few days of the 2024 French Open and related topics. Was the draw not rigged - setting up a disappointing Rafa finale versus Zverev - only in order to ensure future rigging? Should the Laver Cup be reconsidered as an event on a new surface, with a more existential purpose? How are the Carota Boys a perfect representation of late-stage capitalist machinery? How do we feel about carrots as vegetables? Are herbs vegetables or are they something else? What is the role of color in a dish, and how does it affect our feelings about the meal?