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The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast

The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast

214 episodes — Page 1 of 5

Natural Surfaces; American College Tennis Without Americans, Reader Qs

Apr 20, 202649 min

Euro Swing

Apr 14, 202648 min

Moons Over My Hammy

Miami is over, and the Sunshine Doubles singles players (and Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova in women's doubles) repeated—hats off to Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka for doing the extremely difficult. Rennae expounds on what happened and why—as well as where we go from here as clay season looms...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 30, 202651 min

Butts in Seats

We gotta get them there, no matter the cost—ok tournaments? A breakdown of Indian Wells, the return of accursed traveler Daniil Medvedev, what's up with Iga? and a little preview of a new and improved Miami.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 19, 202635 min

Blocked and Reported

Rennae and Caitlin discuss bad behavior online and oncourt—from neckbeard gamblers harassing players to commentator tete a tetes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 12, 202649 min

Indian Wells & The Future of US Tennis

Of course Rennae and Caitlin beam in from a Racquet Retreat in the desert to get into the first great tournament on US soil, Indian Wells! But first, we touch base on what's up for the future of the USTA: Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley's appointment as CEO of the US governing body and how it needs to change. Plus: Serena's comeback seems realer by the minute.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 6, 202630 min

AO Preview Show

Live from Melbourne, Rennae and Petko break down the men's and women's draw ahead of the Australian Open—from who's in form to who's in trouble, the Happy Slam promises to have it all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 17, 202641 min

Wrapping up the Year in ATP

e do our damndest not to talk ONLY about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who were so clearly ahead of the rest of the pack that it's hard not to give them all the awards. Plus: what do players like Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Alex Zverev need to do to be competitive with the elite pack? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 15, 202542 min

Wrapping up the Year in WTA

From the podiums to the pork chops, we review the year's highs, lows and whoas. Plus: Coco Gauff is the new face of the Mercedes Benz's WTA title sponsorship, and is Serena actually really coming back despite what she says on social media? We think the answer is... yesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 10, 20251h 5m

MBAs

Spain and Italy can't keep their hands off each other, and Rennae ever so slightly relents on the weekly topic of Justine Henin's majestic backhand! As always, we're here to solve all of tennis' problems—from the NCAAs to PTPAs, Tour Finals (just join em, already!) and of course, team competition. As ever, we're thankful for all of you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 25, 202555 min

Hall of Fame

We recap the (predictably, but satisfying) ATP Tour Finals, discuss the Gazprom Open, bid farewell to Chris Eubanks and debate the justifiable entry into the International Tennis Hall of Fame of the GOAT (in our house, her name is Mary Carillo) as well as some guy named Roger Federer. Plus: who got snubbed and why?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 19, 202545 min

Billionaire's Challenge

Yes, we recap the WTA Finals on-court results and off-court statements (looking at you on both counts, Elena Rybakina!) and preview what we hope is an exciting ATP Finals. In the spirit of constructive criticism, any billionaire who wants to pay for the year-end tournament to be in front of a rowdy crowd gets a free tennis lesson from Rennae among other prizes!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 10, 202536 min

For Shame.

We love the new Battle of the Sexes! Just kidding, we hate it and its cynical, gross and insultingly crude existence. We talk all things WTA Finals—matchups, blowouts, blowups and more, as well as go in depth about the brilliant critique of the failure of tennis' establishment to offer good digital content. Sorry, but watching players create meme content is an insult to our intelligence. Plus: shoutout to a Mandarin speaking Anna Blinkova. Hen hao!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 4, 202553 min

Step It Up

After an action-packed week, Rennae and Caitlin are back, and the end of the year is staring us down the barrel! We talk Saudi Masters 1000, Mira Andreeva's visa snafu and lessons for everyone to learn. If you're gonna wake up in the morning and play pro tennis, come to WIN. Otherwise, call it a day and head to the Maldives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 27, 20251h 1m

Cousins, Kyrgios

Well how about those cousins—what the triumphant showing in Shanghai between Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech (and let's not forget their lady cousin Chloe Pacquet) means for Novak Djokovic's final act as well as Meddy and the lost generation. Plus: A stubborn Coco prevails in Wuhan, JPeg's exhausting run to the finals and a Nick Kyrgios in his feelings about getting a podcast snub from Andy Murray. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 14, 202542 min

If if if

At this point, who is going to be able to make it through this meat grinder of a season? Do the the tour finals still matter no matter how many friends they lose, or people they leave dead and bloodied and dying along the way? Plus: No matter who REALLY started the conspiracy theories about courts getting slower (looking at you, Roger), you can count on Alex Zverev to whine about it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 6, 202550 min

Lazy Susan of Lawsuits

The tennis establishment is facing yet another complaint from players, and this one's got the top players signed on and is repped by the big guns—Larry Scott. Let's see if they can make progress on meaningful profit sharing, player organizing and schedule changes. They'd better before the Asia swing completely collapses from retirements! We talk Coco vs. Belinda, Meddy vs. Zverev and the encouraging addition to Lerner Tien's entourage in the form of Michael Chang. Takes a champ to know a champ, after all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 30, 202540 min

Zero Cups

Rennae and Caitlin talk about how now, MORE THAN EVER, tennis needs a compelling third act to its season, not a bunch of under-attended team competitions, exos that nobody cares about and a slew of tournaments in great places like Seoul that are rife with withdrawals. Plus: We touch on the Taylor Townsend controversy, a Czech doubles rekindling and some interesting signs for next year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 17, 202536 min

Edge of Our Seats

No, that wasn't just for a very disruptive US Open men's final guest that nobody wanted who made everyone wait, it was for pretty much everything else, from the scintillating second half of the singles tournament to the nail-biting wheelchair finals that gave Tokito Oda a career golden slam. We break down the resurgent FAA and Naomi Osaka campaigns, the finals that weren't for Sinner and Anisimova, and of course discuss the Carlitos haircut that started it all as well as an undeniable Sabalenka. We're toasting THREE WEEKS of US Open coverage with a hearty Ranch Water. Thanks for joining!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 8, 202550 min

CYA

Rennae and Caitlin jam on a post-Naomi Osaka/Coco Gauff recap minutes after the one-sided match, weigh in—whether you like it or not—on the Taylor Townsend/Jelena Ostapenko fracas and set up a showdown between our men's faves (and respective countrymen) Felix Auger Aliassime and Alex DeMinaur. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 1, 202522 min

Rennae & Petko Live US Open Draw Show

Our favorite New Yorkers (who don't sound like it) break down the men's and women's draws and discuss the perils of natural deodorant live from the Seaport Racquet Club.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 23, 202556 min

Canada, Cincy, Misfits and Mayhem

Rennae and Caitlin are reunited—with working mics—to discuss the mayhem on the business end of the Canadian Open tournaments, plus the beginning frenzy of Cincy. Meddy's spiritual crisis, Osaka's low moment, Shelton's upswing and Sinner's dominance. It's all here!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 11, 202538 min

Hannah Berner

Rennae sits down with one half of the Giggly Squad, former D1 tennis player, comedian and cat trafficker Hannah Berner to talk about everything from Netflix specials to Coco Gauff’s (relatable) serve woes and off-court serves. Bonus appearance from Boots the cat.tSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 5, 202551 min

Queen Vee + Bonus Episode: Gabriel Diallo

Rennae and Andrea are all over Washington DC, the kickoff to the US hardcourt swing. Starting with the inimitable Venus Williams—say that five times fast if you're German—who came out swinging against Peyton Stearns and notched her first tour-level win in two years, as well as check ins on Emma Radacanu, Taylor Fritz and Perennial dark horse Ben Shelton. Plus: in a bonus mini-episode,  Rennae is live and direct with Canadian sensation Gabriel Diallo behind the scenes of the Citi Open.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 23, 202543 min

Reclaiming Our Time

No we will NOT be talking about any foolishness (male) that happened during the culmination of grass court season (looking at you Ackman, Bill and Kyrgios, Nicholas) and instead we will celebrate what needs celebrating: 2025 Singles Champions Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner, whose feet were fleet, shoulders relaxed and strike zones aided by sun-hardened courts. A look back at some glorious also rans from both draws with special shout outs to the spectacular tournament for Amanda Anisimova and the Sliding Doors tragedy of Grigor Dmitrov. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 14, 202534 min

Rennae & Petko From The Championships

Rennae and Andrea snag a few moments between hits to discuss some of the shocking (and not-so-shocking) first round exits, including Coco Gauff's loss to Yastremska, Zverev's five-setter (and mentality issues) as well as Fabio Fognini Fabio Fognining everywhere, like Lord of the Rings. Are Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz the Tik Tok versions of Federer & Nadal? Plus, we dedicate this episode to Rennae's mum, whose favorite tournament was Wimbledon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 2, 202531 min

Live & Direct: Jack Draper

Our very special pre-Wimbledon episode features a chat about the Chad of tennis, Carlos Alcaraz and the controlled chaos of Alexander Bublik on grass. Then UK No. 1 and World No. 4 Jack Draper joins us Live & Direct from our Racquet in Residence at the Fanatics London Flagship (where a free Racquet mag awaits visitors with an in-store purchase). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 27, 202519 min

Mixed Nuts

Into the middle of grass season—the uber specific, tiny portion of the calendar—the USTA has dropped the event of the year, the all-star Mixed Doubles extravaganza featuring heroes, villains, the inept and the cuties. We break out of our regularly scheduled week off to bring you this important power ranking of PPM (pegs per match), face cards, and sub/dom dynamics that will leave you agog.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 18, 202534 min

Chef's Kiss

Rennae and Caitlin swap positions on clay—the latter is done with it and Rennae wants to savor these last moments of the season on terre battue. And what a series of moments it was—two epic and drama-filled finals of this year's Roland Garros—both possessing of incredible narratives on (and off) court. We both give a full chapeau to Coco Gauff's unreal self belief and self possession in weathering the storm of Aryna Sabalenka, who played one of the most brilliant matches of the tournament to take out Iga Swiatek in the semis. On the men's side, an instant classic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 9, 202550 min

Grounds Pass: Live From Brooklyn

Rennae and Caitlin join Grounds Pass podcast's Anastasia Folorunso for a live show from McCarren Parkhouse to discuss week one of the French Open. Come for the discussion of Americans on the way up, Roland Garros tournament director in the hot seat over scheduling of women's matches, and a forthright assessment of TNT/HBO's first year of coverage, stay for the live breakdown of the Alcaraz-Shelton match's most scintillating moments by Rennae. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 1, 20251h 1m

Le French

Upsets, triumphs, sartorial hits and misses—and a bonus little coaches corner. What ELSE can you possibly ask for from this, our first show grappling with Roland Garros (as Charles Barkley refuses to call it). Buckle up, helmets on, let's get into it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 27, 202540 min

You Almost Had Him

No, Casper Ruud did NOT almost have Jannik Sinner—but he might still be a favorite for Roland Garros, along with four women and Carlos Alcaraz. We recap the Italian Open—from the exquisite (Paolini's movement, Alcaraz's toolkit on natural surfaces) to the atrocious (Errani's serve, Zverev's rants).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 19, 202556 min

The Univeristy of Clay

The matches in Rome are scintillating, and our faves are sliding here there and everywhere. We review Sinner's return, watch as young American Peyton Stearns picks up another win over a grand slam champ, and go deep on why tactics and strategy matter so much on natural surfaces.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 12, 202555 min

Seafoam

No, it's not the name of the Kentucky Derby winning horse—it's the problematic background colour of the Madrid stadium! We celebrate the Oatmeal Stallion, Casper Ruud, and his victory on the Spanish clay, toast Coco's excellent comeback week despite falling a bit short in the final against Aryna Sabalenka and revel in the best camera angle in tennis history? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 5, 202550 min

Lights Out in Madrid

Electronic line calls gone wrong! Claylor Fritz! Chipotle Stadium! Coco love disguised as harsh coaching! All the clay season drama coming out of Madrid is fair game—but conspiracy theories about rigged draws is where we draw the line. Plus: Coaches corner with some interesting staff changes and updates from across the spectrum, from Dinara Safina to Patrick Mouratoglou.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 28, 202546 min

The Worry Index

What do Iga Swiatek, Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff have in common (besides some Grad Slam titles)? They're all officially on our Worry Index for players who need to turn things around to reset their season. We talk about the chaos agent that is Jelena Ostapenko, the rebound of Holger Rune and some scattered pot shots from deodorant to shower drug tests.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 21, 202555 min

Viva Clay SZN!

Despite frigid temps in New York, Rennae and Caitlin celebrate the full-throated return of Clay SZN, featuring some great early runs on the slidey stuff from Jess Pegula, Americans Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Jensen Brooksby as well as celebrate the newest Australian: Daria Kasatkina. Plus: Should tennis boyfriends star in brand deals? And Rennae's Coaches Corner dissects the Marat Safin / Andrey Rublev partnership.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 8, 202539 min

Is Men's Tennis in Crisis?

Petko joins Rennae on the pod to recap an eventful Sunshine Double, where Aryna Sabalenka and the women are more than making up for the existential dilemma facing men's tennis as the stars continue to fade and the new faces falter. Plus: A daring new t-shirt design inspired by the legend herself, Serena.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 31, 20251h 3m

Lawsuits and Blisters

Rennae and Caitlin attempt to break down the well-intentioned? Ill-intentioned? obvious yet nonsensical? PTPA lawsuit filed against both tours as well as clear up the rules about acute injuries, discuss the Raducanussaince and give some deserved guff to the tournament organizers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 25, 20251h 1m

Miami Scene Report

Who saw Jack Draper and Mirra Andreeva coming as Indian Wells champs? Not us—but look out, Rennae is calling it now: Wimbledon 2025 champs. We break down the intriguing matches in California and look forward to the second half of the Sunshine Double: Miami. Rennae is on the scene and reports back from who's looking good and who needs a win.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 18, 202539 min

Credit Where it's Due

Rennae and Caitlin are together at the BNP Paribas Open, where we spent International Women's Day with Meghan Robson, the Head of US Credit Strategy for BNP Paribas and a lifelong athlete. Meghan joined us to talk about how sport can be credited with helping women in all walks of life, including business, and how her journey as a youth hockey player left her with a mean slapshot and a good head for assessing risk.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 10, 202515 min

Madison Keys

Rennae talks to the woman behind everyone's favorite Grand Slam success story about learning to love the process in tennis, her decades-long journey on the tour and how a little therapy and playing brave pays off. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 3, 202556 min

It's Coming From the Vents!

We give deserved standing ovations to the players who've gotten their inner games of tennis together—looking at you Mirra Andreeva, Andrey Rublev and of course, Madison Keys! Also a slightly inappropriate discussion of the hottest tennis match ever, a brief detour through South America and we'll see you in Indian Wells! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 25, 202548 min

Controversy Week

Cooler heads have prevailed—thanks largely to the unrelentingly detail-oriented guest host Andrea Petkovic—and we painstakingly dissect the two big controversies currently embroiling the pro tours: Jannik Sinner’s doping ban and Elana Rybakina’s coaching imbroglio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 19, 20251h 6m

What Are We Doing Here?

Are the new rules governing mixed doubles at the US Open akin to tiddleywinks? Did the WTA do right by all players by banning Vukov? Should the hosts of this podcast be Chancellor (and vice chancellor) of tennis? All this and more answered by your favorite duo of intrepid tennis conversationalists.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 13, 202552 min

The Big Picture

The podcasts favorite guest and sometime co-host Sam Stosur joins Rennae to talk about everything from toilet break rule changes to post-match trauma and going to therapy!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 5, 202540 min

The Day After a Slam

Rennae and Andrea break down the business end of the Australian Open, featuring a recap of the glorious matchups between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner's dominant Slam performance (and what it will take for Zverev to win one) as well as the story of the tournament: Madison Keys romp to victory.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 27, 202551 min

Broadcasting School

Rennae brings fellow ESPN commentator Caroline Wozniaki to the pod for the first time to catch up with her comeback, a recap of the Coco Gauff/Paula Badosa match and her predictions for the rest of the tournament. Then Joan Rivers/Andrea Petkovic recaps Aryna Sabalenka’s slugfest against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, chides the Australian tv pundit Tony Jones over his Novak Djokovic taunts and asks the most important question: Should we all go to broadcasting school?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 21, 202552 min

Live From Melbourne

Rennae and Petko are back in effect down under, coming through live from the Australian Open with behind-the-scenes takes on the first two rounds of play, including Coco Gauff's massive improvement.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 13, 202535 min

New Year, New You

Rennae and Caitlin talk DOs and DON’Ts for 2025, shout out Coco Gauff for carrying the US to victory in the United Cup, applaud the WTA for taking a firm stand in the Elena Rybakina coaching conflagration, and scratch our heads at Nick Kyrgios latest foolishness.  Plus: a sit-down with e.l.f. CMO Kory Marchisotto on putting money where it matters in women’s sports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 7, 20251h 7m