Black Spin Global: The Podcast

We're kicking things off with exciting news — you can now send us a voice message directly through our website to join the conversation! Got a hot take, a question, or just want to say hi? We want to hear from you!: https://blackspinglobal.com/#:~:text=Join%20the%20conversation In this episode, we discuss how Naomi Osaka is back in the winner's circle, capturing the Saint-Malo title — her first since becoming a mom and her first since the 2021 Australian Open. Eliakim Coulibaly makes history as the first Ivorian to win a Challenger title — and in his home country, no less!  We break down the Madrid Open with Lucy sharing her experience on-site — from Coco Gauff's strong run to the final to Aryna Sabalenka's consistent excellence this season. Shoutout to Gabriel Diallo, who made the quarterfinals as a lucky loser, now jumping up to World No. 53! In tennis news: Jannik Sinner is back after his 3-month ban, and rising star Tyra Grant announces she's switching from the USA to represent Italy, her country of birth. We wrap things up with early takeaways from the Rome Open. Rate, review and share on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Audioboom. And join the conversation on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Bluesky. For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blackspinglobal Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/blackspinglobal.bsky.social GET OUR MERCH HERE: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections

Lucy and Eugene dissect Serena's Jannik Sinner comments in TIME magazine (2:50), salute Coco Gauff after her power player agency move (11:06) and discuss the possible outcomes as players demand more cash from the Grand Slams (13:39). And that is just the news. As far as action on the court, Billie Jean King Cup debutants Victoria Mboko and Hailey Baptiste both shine (21:38), Frances Tiafoe reaches his third final in Houston (26:09), Arthur Fils brings his strong hard-court form to the clay (32:00), Ben Shelton goes all the way to the championship match in Munich (40:40), Jasmine Paolini gets another statement win in Stuttgart (46:17). To close, we share our Madrid predictions (49:10). For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/blackspinglobal.bsky.social GET OUR MERCH HERE: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections

Lucy and Eugene sing Victoria Mboko's praises after her strong showing at the Miami Open where Jasmine Paolini – “The Queen of Italy” – made a run to the semi-finals after taking out Naomi Osaka en route. Osaka, who saw off Hailey Baptiste in the third round, also turned in some good performances during her run to the round of 16. Florida girl Coco Gauff, who dished out a bagel, also reached the last 16. Arthur Fils made it back-to-back Masters 1000 quarter-finals, getting the better of Frances Tiafoe and world No 2 Alexander Zverev along the way, before getting done in by some unfortunate scheduling. We also share our thoughts on the PTPA lawsuit, Daria Kasatkina becoming an Aussie, Sloane Stephen's Doc&Glo brand winning an award, Serena's tennis watching habits and grade the first quarter of 2025. For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/blackspinglobal.bsky.social GET OUR MERCH HERE: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections

Lucy and Eugene are joined by Ground Pass founder Anastasia Folorunso to go over events at Indian Wells 2025. Anastasia talks about her experience on the grounds for Black Spin Global in Tennis Paradise where Madison Keys, playing in her first event since the Australian Open, cruised to the semi-finals and Arthur Fils and Ben Shelfon both made the last eight. Listen out for Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova's candid US Open mixed doubles takes. We also share our thoughts on the WTA rebrand, Coco Gauff taking the Oscars and shoutout Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs for taking the doubles crown. For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/blackspinglobal.bsky.social GET OUR MERCH HERE: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections

Legend of the game and Grand Slam champion Zina Garrison joins Lucy and Eugene for a special episode to mark International Women's History Month. We spotlight the trailblazer who had a storied career that included a junior world No 1 ranking, junior major titles at Wimbledon and the US Open; 14 singles crowns and 20 in doubles (including three mixed Grand Slam titles) on the professional tour; gold and bronze medals at the Olympics, three Fed Cups and a career-high ranking of No 4. Garrison, who spent the majority of her career inside the top 10, talks about her run to the Wimbledon final in 1990, being put in a box as an African American player, disparities in the game in her era and today, the coaching landscape (especially for women), Portia Archer running things at the WTA, athletes and mental health pressures and much more. The three-time mixed doubles Grand Slam champion also shares her thoughts on the US Open switching things up for 2025 and gives her former charge Taylor Townsend, the current doubles world No 2, her flowers. *Special shoutout to Michael Parks for the assist. Career highlights 1:40 Quick-fire questions 3:23 Wimbledon 1990 5:27 Winning Junior Wimbledon 12:48 Eye-opening moments 14:30 Being put in a box 16:50 Clothing deal snub 19:40 Sponsorship deals today 22:40 Coaching landscape 25:49 Celebrating Portia Archer 34:07 Venus and Serena paving the way 37:13 Influence on today's players 40:47 US Open mixed doubles 43:24 Athletes and mental health pressures 47:34 Doubles' standing and its importance 52:51 Taylor Townsend putting in work 54:26 Working with Serena 57:15 On-court coaching 59:40 Bringing back the foundation 1:00:55 For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blackspinglobal GET OUR MERCH HERE: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections

Lucy and Eugene celebrate title winners Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is now a two-time champion on the ATP Tour in 2025, Evan King and Christian Harrison who secured their first tour-level doubles title in Dallas, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova (the doubles No 2 and No 1) winning their first WTA 1000 crown and Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani winning the title in Qatar. Mikael Ymer is back! The Swede, playing for the first time since Wimbledon 2023, won on his return to action in an ITF event back in January and has played Davis Cup and a series of Challengers since. The WTA Tour is the gift that keeps on giving this year. The latest WTA 1000 winners Amanda Anisimova and Mirra Andreeva prove anyone can get it. We discuss… We also share our thoughts on Serena's cameo in the Super Bowl halftime show, Jannik Sinner's three-month ban, Elena Rybakina and Emma Raducanu news and the US Open doing things differently for mixed doubles in 2025. For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter:  jttps://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/blackspinglobal.bsky.social GET OUR MERCH HERE: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections Intro 00:00 FAA wins title No 2 of 2025 4:06 King and Harrison first-time winners 9:05 Townsend and Siniakova win Dubai 11:12 Paolini and Errani win Qatar 13:19 Paolini singles 15:05 Mikael Ymer's back 18:13 Anyone can get it on the WTA Tour 21:11 Serena's Super Bowl 29:30 Sinner's three-month ban 33:10 Rybakina and Vukov 40:14 Raducanu stalker 45:51 US Open mixed doubles 49:16 Happening this week 53:25

To celebrate Black History Month in the United States, and in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Arthur Ashe winning Wimbledon, Black Spin Global dedicated a special episode to the pioneer who was one of the founders of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Lucy and Eugene delve into Ashe's early career that included graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in business administration, serving his country, his civil rights work and his significant influence on tennis governance. This podcast also features interview snippets from Bob Lutz, Richard Evans, Butch Buchholz, Marshall Happer and Owen Williams, courtesy of the Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. Interview credits: Butch Buchholz, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, May 26 2021, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California. Bob Lutz, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, Dec 14, 2022, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California. Richard Evans, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, July 9, 2021, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California. Owen Williams, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, May 5, 2021, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California. Marshall Happer, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, Feb 2, 2022, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California. For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter:  jttps://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/blackspinglobal.bsky.social GET OUR MERCH HERE: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections

Lucy and Eugene are joined by Christian Basnight, founder of Christian's Court, to review the 2025 Australian Open where Madison Keys secured her first Grand Slam title, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova did it again in women's doubles and Ben Shelton made another major semi-final. We talk about Keys's championship-winning run in detail, paying particular attention to her semi-final against world No 2 Iga Swiatek and the thrilling three-set final against world No 1 and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, and give the 29-year-old American her flowers for staying true to her game. Townsend and Siniakova, the top seeds in the women's doubles draw, added to their Wimbledon crown to become two-time slam champions. We discuss Townsend's incredible impact on doubles and her understanding of how poignant and important her achievements are. Coco Gauff, everybodies pick for best-dressed player, looked good during her quarter-final run where she fell to Paula Badosa. Despite talk from the “internet coaches”  we saw marked improvements in the world No 3's game, especially the serve – she finished second in the aces leaderboard which feels significant. Shelton, who lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the last four, had another great AO. Not only did the young lefty make an impact on the tennis court, the charismatic American also spoke out about the awkward on-court interviews he and some of his fellow players endured. We discuss. And to close we rate this year's tournament out of 10 and reveal some of our other favourite moments. Follow Christian Instagram: https://x.com/christianscourt YouTube: Christian's Court Twitter: christianscourt For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter:  jttps://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/blackspinglobal.bsky.social GET OUR MERCH HERE: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections

With week one of the 2025 Australian Open in the books, Lucy and Eugene go through all the action including No 3 seed Coco Gauff steamrolling through to the fourth round where Belinda Bencic awaits*. Listen out for who was pretty much spot on with their prediction for this match. Madison Keys, coming off the back of her title-run in Adelaide, has also looked very good in Melbourne. The newly-married American has made tweaks to her game, and her equipment, and it seems to be paying off. On the men's side, Ben Shelton and Auckland champion Gael Monfils face-off in round four in what should be a thriller! La Monf has played inspired tennis en route to week two and Shelton has looked more impressive in each round. Naomi Osaka had to retire in the third round due to abdominal trouble but the four-time Grand Slam champion picked up two good wins. Jasmine Paolini, who may be carrying an injury, fell to Elina Svitolina in round three but is still going strong in doubles with Sara Errani. So is Taylor Townsend with Katerina Siniakova and Asia Muhammad in mixed with Andres Molteni. *Episode was recorded before any fourth-round matches were played. ***Apologies in adance, this episode is explicit. Merch: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal

Happy New Year! The 2025 season is up and running and so are Lucy and Eugene who get into all the goings-on from an eventful first week. What's the deal with Elena Rybakina and Stefano Vukov? The Kazakh tops our news round-up. Coco Gauff, the United Cup MVP, carries the USA to victory and scores another significant win against Iga Swiatek. Jasmine Paolini and Felix Auger-Aliassime also got their campaigns under way at the team competition. The ASB Classic (or the Black Girl Magic Open) in Auckland provided us with amazing tennis and some incredible storylines from Naomi Osaka reaching her first final post-maternity, to Robin Montgomery making her maiden WTA Tour semi-final. Mpetshi Perricard beat the “serve-bot” allegations with his brilliant run to the semi-finals in Brisbane.  Frenchman showed he can play with variety and ingenuity in wins over Nick Kygrios, Frances Tiafoe and Jakub Mensik. Arthur Fils and Gabriel Diallo play Hong Kong and experience a mixed bag. Keep the comments and likes coming guys. And please continue, sharing and subscribing! Feel free to leave us a review too. Merch: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal

*Disclaimer this interview was done in December 2024.  To close out 2024 Lucy and Eugene are joined by Kenyan No 1 Angella Okutoyi! The Auburn University junior, studying business administration, talks us through her historic run at the junior Australian Open and winning the Wimbledon Girls' doubles title in 2022, making history in 2023 after winning her first pro tournament at ITF level, playing one of the matches of her life en route to African Games gold for Kenya earlier this year, the heartache after missing out on the Paris Olympics, life as a college athlete and helping grow the sport in Africa. Give Angella a follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angella_okutoyi/# Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all! Merch: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal

Lucy and Eugene, joined by friends of the pod Tumaini Carayol and Uche Amako, go through the highs and lows of the 2024 season. Does tennis have a doping problem? Iga Swiatek serving a quiet ban was not the best look, nor was Jannik Sinner testing positive earlier in the year. The Grand Slams (and the Olympics) provided a lot of joy, especially the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open – shout out all the winners and Jasmine Paolini for reaching back-to-back finals. Naomi Osaka was involved in a match-of-the-year contender as were Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton. Outlandish takes for 2025 include a new major winner on the women's side and someone coming out of retirement to play doubles at Wimbledon. Merch: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections

Myles David (@TunedIntoTennis) joins Lucy and Eugene to talk all things WTA Finals but before getting into festivities in Riyadh, flowers are duly given to Almaty runner-up Gabriel Diallo and Basel champion Giovani Mpetshi Perricard. This year's elite eight on the WTA Tour are all either Grand Slam champions or WTA 1000 titleholders. The Purple Group is made up of Jasmine Paolini, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Zheng Qinwen. The Orange Group contains Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula and Barbora Krejcikova. Taylor Townsend will also be making her debut at the Finals in the doubles event with Katerina Siniakova. The Wimbledon champions are in the Green Group. Paolini will also compete with Sara Errani, the Olympic gold winners are in the White Group. Follow Tuned Into Tennis https://x.com/TunedIntoTennis  Merch: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal

Lucy and Eugene talk Laver Cup where Team Europe were victorious, but Team World's Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton did record impressive singles wins over Daniil Medvedev. Changes in the coaching camps for Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek. Brand Patrick Mouratoglou joins up with Osaka and while technical guru Matt Daly steps into Gauff's camp – exciting times ahead. Asian Swing has already provided us with a champion after Arthur Fils's epic run in Tokyo where the Frenchman secured his second ATP 500 crown of the season. The 20-year-old beat multiple top 20 players en route, including a dramatic encounter against Shelton. Gauff did her thing in Beijing (had not played the final at the time of recording) played great tennis at the WTA 1000 including comeback victories in the latter stages of the tournament. We also shout out Hailey Baptiste, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Eliakim Coulibaly, and close with WADA's appeal against Jannik Sinner.

In recognition of Black History Month in the UK, Black Spin Global got to record a special episode at Wimbledon to showcase the achievements of black tennis players at SW19 from the past to the present. Althea Gibson, the first black player (male or female) to win a Grand Slam; Arthur Ashe, the last black man to reach world No 1; storied sisters Venus and Serena Williams; father and son duo Bryan and Ben Shelton; teenage phenom Coco Gauff and doubles champions Taylor Townsend and Heather Watson are all spotlighted in this one-off episode. For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal

*Disclaimer: this interview was recorded during the 2nd week of Wimbledon 2024.  Coach John B Williams joins us to talk about his latest book The Champions Code: 5 Attributes of Winners. Find out what the inspiration was, what the writing process entailed and some of the takeaways to expect. “Knowledge/information serves no purpose if it's not shared and it's not applied.” Williams also reviews Taylor Townsend's 2023 season where she achieved career success in Cincinnati which she would go on to top this year at Wimbledon. In closing Williams gives credit to Daniil Medvedev and Jasmine Paolini, two players who have impressed him in 2024. Grab a copy of The Champions Code: 5 Attributes of Winners  https://www.amazon.com/Champions-Code-Attributes-Winners/dp/B0D5D93H9F

Retiring Donald Young and Taylor Townsend take the runners-up crown in mixed doubles after falling in straight sets to Italian third seeds Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. We appreciate Townsend acknowledging the significance of the presence of black players in the latter stages of the tournament during the trophy presentation. Frances Tiafoe's nerve got the better of him in a thrilling all-American semi-final against eventual runner-up Taylor Fritz. Big Foe was the better player for the majority of the match but he admirably admitted afterwards the occasion caught up with him towards the end of the match. We salute women's singles winner Aryna Sabalenka who beat Jessica Pegula in the final and Jannik Sinner who saw off Fritz in straights in the men's final. Listen out for post-match snippets from Young, Townsend and Tiafoe and to close we share our favourite fits, matches and moments from this year's Open and discuss whether Honey Deuce is actually better than Pimm's. Merch: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal Audio: Spotify: https://spotify.link/iFXEgcG36Ab Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/black-spin-global-the-podcast/id1502016933

Lucy and Eugene sit down with #ChristopherEubanks in New York to catch up on his 2024 season which has been challenging but rewarding in equal measure. Among other things, the American talks us through his Davis Cup debut at the start of the year, the Paris Olympics where #CocoGauff was the star attraction, adjusting to life as an ATP Tour regular and his "excellent commentary" work for #ESPN at this year's #USOpen where he's starred in the booth and on-court with the mic in hand. Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all! Merch: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal

Jasmine Paolini falls to Karolina Muchova in straight sets – the talented Czech was the more solid player throughout the encounter. Been a good Grand Slam season for Paolini who reached the fourth round or better at all the majors this year. Enjoyed her comments about having Anna Wintour watch her match. Frances Tiafoe, yet again, rises to the occasion and sees off Grigor Dimitrov who was forced to retire in the middle of the fourth set. Big Foe can look forward to his second US Open semi-final and an all-American matchup against Taylor Fritz. The Donald Young-Taylor Townsend feelgood story reaches the final of mixed doubles where Young will retire. Listen out for post-match press snippets from Paolini and Tiafoe and hear our thoughts on stewards allowing kids to run down and wait courtside for player autographs.

Coco Gauff goes down to Emma Navarro again, but this time in three. The 2023 champion's serve deserted her at crucial times and she spoke openly about getting “other opinions” to help remedy the issue. Frances Tiafoe put on another show under the lights, fending off a comeback by the in-form Australian Alexei Popyrin in four quality sets. Big Foe is now looking forward to his third consecutive quarter-final in New York where ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov awaits. In the junior competition, Akasha Urhobo, Tyra Grant, Christasha McNeil and Matthew Forbes all secured first-round wins. And in women's doubles, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova ousted Heather Watson and Asia Muhammad. Shout out to Anastaia from Ground Pass Pod for joining us.

Jasmine Paolini booked her place in the fourth round in comfortable fashion, seeing off fellow shorty Yulia Putintseva in straight sets. The Italian used the word “solid” to describe her performance which is exactly what it was. She has now reached the second week at all the Grand Slams in 2024 and is the first Italian woman in the open era to achieve that feat.  Gabriel Diallo, playing in the third round of a major for the first time, showed he belonged at this level, going down in four sets to world No 14 Tommy Paul of America. The Canadian, ranked 143 in the world coming into New York, is on the brink of cracking the top 100 for the first time after a great US Open run and solid Challenger results in the lead up. Listen out for post-match presser snippets from Paolini and Diallo. Merch: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal

Coco Gauff stayed the course against Elina Svitolina, coming back from a set down in similar fashion to the match she played against the Ukrainian in Auckland earlier this year. Good to see the reigning champ find good form heading into the second week in New York. Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton provide box office, primetime entertainment in the afternoon on Ashe as Tiafoe registers his first win against his compatriot. Novak Djokovic will not be his next opponent. Madison Keys fell in three and we also had a few casualties in women's doubles. Taylor Townsend and Donald Young did get their mixed doubles campaign off to a winning start though. Listen out for interview snippets from Gauff, Shelton and Tiafoe.

Jasmine Paolini was through to the third round before we even got to the grounds after Karolina Pliskova retired due to a rolled ankle. Gabriel Diallo vs Arthur Fils did not disappoint and produced a result that we did not see coming. Two-time champion Naomi Osaka fell to last year's semi-finalist Karolina Muchova but had her chances in the two-set defeat – she was in relatively good spirits afterwards during her post-match press conference. Listen out for interview snippets from Paolini, Diallo and Osaka. Merch: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal

We had Madison Keys get things off to a winning start on Arthur Ashe, where Frances Tiafoe followed and looked impressive before Alexander Shevchenko retired. We're getting the third-round matchup we all wanted after Ben Shelton got the job done against Roberto Bautista Agut. Coco Gauff played her first night match and handed Tatjana Maria a bagel en route to victory. The day did start (and end) with a defeat after Taylor Townsend fell to Paula Badosa on Louis Armstrong. Rain and thunder halted Gael Monfils and Casper Ruud but play did resume as we were recording – La Monf eventually falling in four. Listen out for interview snippets from Tiafoe, Shelton and Gauff. We also address the Marketa Vondrousova cornrows situation. Merch: https://blackspinglobal.com/collections For daily tennis updates:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackspinglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackSpinGlobal

Day 2 was special! Naomi Osaka provided two shows, a fashion show and a tennis show, on Louis Armstrong as she saw off Jelena Ostapenko in straights. Arthur Fils and Gabriel Diallo will do battle in round two after both won their first-round matches in four. There were defeats for Felix Auger-Aliassime and 18-year-old wildcard Matthew Forbes who looks like he has a bright future ahead. Listen out for interview snippets from Osaka, Fils and Forbes.

Our first day at the US Open is in the books, and boy… what a day it was! Ben Shelton, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys and Taylor Townsend all won in straight sets, while Gael Monfils and Frances Tiafoe took the four-set route. There were defeats for debutant Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Christopher Eubanks who went down in five, and Sloane Stephens who fell after dishing out a bagel. Listen out for interview snippets from Shelton, Gauff and Townsend.

Lucy and Eugene big up Frances Tiafoe for making it to his first Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati – the American, back inside the top 20, fell to Jannik Sinner who escaped a ban after testing positive for a steroid that was unknowingly administered by his physio. Hear our thoughts and opinions.  The final Grand Slam of the year (#USOpen) is here and we dive into the draw – Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Madison Keys are all seeded, third, fifth and 14th respectively. Seeds on the men's side include Ben Shelton (13th), Felix Auger-Aliassime (19th), Tiafoe (20th) and Arthur Fils (24th). Notable first-rounds include two-time champion Naomi Osaka taking on 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko, Paolini against 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu. Shelton opens against 2020 champion Dominic Thiem and is projected to meet compatriot Tiafoe in the third round. As is tradition for Slam review pods, we reveal our picks for the men's and women's titles. For our merch https://blackspinglobal.com/collections

Black Spin Global had the pleasure of being the official podcast partner of the 2024 Tennis Black List awards. The event, in its second year, was supported by the LTA, Barclays and YC Sports.  We won the Media category, which was a huge honour, and were able to speak to some of the award winners including Tatenda Makoni, recipient of the Game Changer in the Community award as well as Leonard Ogbanna, who was also recognised for the work he does in his community. We also spoke to co-founders Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey-Addo who shared their thoughts on how the evening went and to close, the brilliant Alexis Simms, LTA EDI Development Partner, told us about his role at the LTA and the importance of such an event. Follow Tennis Black List on X and Instagram (tennisblacklist). Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all!

Lucy and Eugene shout-out Arthur Fils, Alycia Parks and doubles pair Taylor Townsend and Asia Muhammad who all picked up titles since we were last on. We share our thoughts on the Olympics and the huge role tennis played in the opening ceremony – great to see Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Amelie Mauresmo represent and what a time for Team USA flag bearer Coco Gauff alongside LeBron James.  Props to Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani who won women's doubles gold for Italy, Felix Auger-Aliassime who secured mixed doubles bronze with Gabriela Dabrowski for Canada – FAA also made it to the bronze-medal match in singles. American Swing is well and truly underway and Townsend is having herself a time in singles. Frances Tiafoe confirmed he is now working with David Witt, Naomi Osaka is back on familiar ground and continues to show good signs (admirably played Cincinnati qualifying). Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all!

Ladies' finals day did not disappoint, but it was not to be for our girl Jasmine Paolini who lost out to 31st seed Barbora Krejcikova in three quality sets. Paolini more than gave a good account of herself in a match that was a great advert for women's tennis and doubles, as both had their moments with great net play. The Italian, understandably not as upbeat in press afterwards, was still positive about her incredible Wimbledon campaign and her remarkable 2024 season. In the doubles final, fourth seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova secured the title after beating second seeds Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski in two tiebreak sets on Centre Court.  First-time Grand Slam doubles champion Townsend was emotional afterwards and both ladies were in great form in press.

Day 11 saw Jasmine Paolini book her place in her second consecutive Grand Slam final, and first at Wimbledon, after a three-set epic against Donna Vekic. The Croatian was the first to settle and took the opening set before Paolini upped it in set two to draw level and then persevered in the third to take it in the match tiebreak. The Italian was good vibes in press, as always, and spoke about how “crazy” it is to make two major finals in a row and also the prospect of facing Elena Rybakina or Barbora Krejcikova in Saturday's championship match. We look ahead to Day 12 where Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova will be in ladies' doubles semi-final action and Lucy reveals what she expects to see from the men in the singles semi-finals.

Day 9 was a historic one for our Italian-Ghanaian sister Jasmine Paolini who secured her place in the semi-finals with a fine 6-2, 6-1 victory over 19th seed Emma Navarro. The 28-year-old becomes the first Italian woman to reach the last four at SW19. Paolini is one match away from her second consecutive Grand Slam final but will have to get past Donna Vekic on Thursday. Listen out for presser snippets from a typically upbeat Paolini. Tumaini also shares some nice anecdotes from this year's Championships.

Day 8 saw our young French first-timers Giovanni Mpetishi Perricard and Arthur Fils fall in the fourth round to two talented seeded opponents – (25)Lorenzo Musetti Musetti and world No 9 Alex de Minaur respectively. Birthday boy Mpetshi Perricard was in good spirits in press and spoke about looking forward to playing the US Open as a direct main-draw entrant. As for Fils, he shared his thoughts about playing on No 1 Court for the first time. Listen out for an interview snippet from Musetti who spoke about what it was like facing Mpetshi Perricard's serve. We preview Jasmine Paolini's quarter-final against Emma Navarro on Centre Court on Day 9 and highlight some juniors.

Day 7 was an eventful one, starting with the women's match of the tournament thus far – Madison Keys vs Jasmine Paolini, where Keys unfortunately retired due to a left thigh injury. We then discussed Paolini's next opponent for the quarter-finals, Emma Navarro who beat Coco Gauff 6-4 6-3, ending Gauff's singles journey at SW19.  We also get into Ben Shelton's straight-sets defeat to world No 1 Jannik Sinner on No.1 Court – the American had not had a day off coming into the fourth-round. And to close we shoutout some of the doubles winners. Listen out for interview snippets from Gauff, Shelton and a funny one from Paolini.

*DISCLAIMER: Apologies in advance for the audio quality from Lucy's mic* For Day 6 at Wimbledon, we are joined by Anastasia Folorunso from the Ground Pass Podcast, as Eugene is OOO for this weekend. We discuss the success of Frenchmen Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard making it to the fourth round for the first time. As well as Ben Shelton, who won another explosive five-setter against Denis Shapovalov. We also shoutout to the doubles matches and British junior Hephzibah Oluwadare who won her opening match today. Listen out for interview snippets from Shelton, Mpetshi Perricard and Fils.

Day 5 was a washout, for the most part, in terms of play on the outside courts but there were some top performances on No 1 and Centre Court where Jasmine Paolini and Coco Gauff picked up wins as well as Madison Keys (on Court 17). Frances Tiafoe versus Carlos Alcaraz lived up to the billing on Centre as the pair provided another five-set thriller. And Gael Monfils came up short against Grigor Dimitrov but was happy with his run at SW19 where he likes “the vibes”. Listen out for interview snippets from Paolini, Keys, Monfils and Tiafoe. Looking ahead to Day 6, Ben Shelton resumes against Denis Shapovalov and Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard play their third-round matches.

Day 4 was a good one in terms of weather, matches and wins for Madison Keys, Arthur Fils, Gael Monfils, Ben Shelton and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Robin Montgomery's Wimbledon came to an end though but the 19-year-old qualifier gave a good account of herself on and off the court at SW19. Listen out for interview snippets from Keys, Fils, Shelton and Mpetshi Perricard. And looking ahead to Day 5, Frances Tiafoe gets his Centre Court wish, while Jasmine Paolini, Monfils and Coco Gauff all play on No 1 Court.

The weather put a damper on things, as play didn't start on the outside courts until after 1pm, but Day 3 saw Coco Gauff, Frances Tiafoe and Jasmine Paolini all secure impressive victories. Gael Monfils also leads Stanislas Wawrinka. Christopher Eubanks and Felix Auger-Aliassime both came up short in different ways in the first round. While Sloane Stephens just has doubles to focus on now and Naomi Osaka can look ahead to the Olympics. Listen out for interview snippets from Gauff, Tiafoe and Paolini. And to close we go through Day 4's order of play where Madison Keys, Ben Shelton and Robin Montgomery among others all feature.

Day two in the books that included monumental debut wins for lucky loser Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and qualifier Robin Montgomery. Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils also registered impressive victories in their own right. 
 There were also tough five-set defeats for British wildcard Paul Jubb and Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer. And qualifier Alycia Parks fell short in her first-round match. 
 Listen out for interview snippets from Jubb, Shelton, Mpetshi Perricard, Montgomery and Ymer. And to close we go through Day 3's order of play which includes last year's quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks. 

First day in the books that included wins for Frances Tiafoe (a first from two sets down), Gael Monfils, Jasmine Paolini (a first-ever match win at SW19), Madison Keys, Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens and Coco Gauff. We also include interview snippets from Tiafoe, Keys, Osaka, Gauff and young qualifier Robin Montgomery. And to close we go through Day 2's order of play that includes a certain Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard who is in as a lucky loser.

Lucy and Eugene, award-winning podcast co-hosts (salute to Tennis Black List), talk grass-court tennis and go through the #Wimbledon2024 draw. Naomi Osaka, Robin Montgomery, Christopher Eubanks and Arthur Fils all made quarter-final runs in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Halle respectively. Alycia Parks returned to winning ways in Gaiba, Italy taking the singles and doubles (with Hailey Baptiste) titles at the WTA 125. Parks carried that form over to Wimbledon qualifiers. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard impressed at Queen's. Coco Gauff, Paul Jubb and Gael Monfils reached the semi-finals in Berlin and Mallorca respectively. We'll be on-site again at SW19 and will be bringing you daily audio pods just like last year. Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all!

Arum Akom and Jabilayh Asante, founders of Black Tennis Mentors, join us for a fun and in-depth chat. We talk individual journeys into the sport, playing as juniors, college/university tennis, the thinking behind the platform and the desire to build community. There is also discussion about the respective tennis scenes in Great Britain and America and the importance of exposure to a wider audience. The duo also reveal their favourite players and favourite Grand Slams. Visit www.blacktennismentorsuk.com to find out more info.

Caught up with Michael Parks (father and coach of Alycia Parks) for an exclusive interview at the Nottingham Open earlier this week. He set the record straight regarding Alycia's coaching arrangement, Sascha Bajin's short spell on the team, returning to winning ways, keeping things simple, putting God first and much more. Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all!

We're joined by Anastasia Folorunso from the GroundPass pod to talk all things French Open 2024 in a jam-packed show. Lucy was actually in Paris and managed to get a ticket to watch our Italian-Ghanaian sister Jasmine Paolini take on world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the final – Paolini is now the world No 7 after her dream fortnight in Paris which also included a trip to the women's doubles final with Sara Errani. Coco Gauff picked up her first Grand Slam doubles title with first-time partner Katerina Siniakova. The new world No 2 also went deep in singles where she fell to eventual champion Swiatek in the semis. Naomi Osaka gave us the match of the tournament, and Swiatek the hardest of times, in the second round. We shout out Gloriana Nahum making history for Benin, American Tyra Caterina Grant and 15-year-old Moise Kouame who all impressed in juniors! On the men's side, Felix Auger-Aliassime made it to the second week, things got heated between Frances Tiafoe and Denis Shapovalov and we urge France to allow young talents Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to cook! Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all!

Lucy and Eugene check in with Tennis Black List co-founders Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey-Addo. We get to know Richard, who has an extensive background in tennis administration at international level; find out what the inspiration was behind Tennis Black List; get into highlights from the inaugural awards night at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton; and look ahead to this year's event on Thursday 27 June. Follow Tennis Black List on X and on Instagram (tennisblacklist). Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all!

Lucy and Eugene give Jasmine Paolini her flowers after securing the doubles crown in Rome with Sara Errani.  Naomi Osaka, or Clayomi (word to Shesaboutdone on X), picked up back-to-back wins against top-20 players, “world No 3” Coco Gauff reached the semis in singles and was runner-up in doubles with Erin Routliffe and Madison Keys backed up her Madrid last-four showing with a run to the quarters. Away from the main tour Arthur Fils picked up his second Challenger title in Bordeaux where he was the top seed and Elias Ymer reached the final in Oeiras. We also share our thoughts on the London-centric grass-court season in 2025, wish the retiring Dominic Thiem well, get into the French Open draw (super happy for qualifier Gabriel Diallo and proud of wildcard Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard who backed it for little sis while doing his thing in Lyon). And of course we reveal our picks for the men's and women's titles. Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all!

Lucy and Eugene talk all things clay-court tennis, giving props to title winners Ben Shelton (Houston) and Sloane Stephens (Rouen). Madrid seemed to go on forever but it was good to see Felix Auger-Aliassime – no longer working with Toni Nadal – reach his first Masters 1000 final, Madison Keys make a run to the semis and wildcard Robin Montgomery give a good account of herself in three quality matches. We also look forward to Rome and Lucy states who she is siding with in this rap beef. Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all!

Lucy and Eugene talk Indian Wells and Miami, Q1 of the season and everything that has happened in between. Hear our take on Simona Halep 'bussin' case' and her immediate return to action at WTA 1000 (all while the suspended Mikael Ymer is still retired). Angella Okutoyi of Kenya is Olympics-ready after winning the African Games – where she picked up her first-ever top 100 win – provided she cracks the top 400 in the WTA rankings by the cut-off period. Great Britain's Jay Clarke continues to build momentum after an eventful 2024, racking up wins on the ITF circuit in both singles and doubles. Vogue cover girl Coco Gauff, now 20, had a lot of ‘fans' talking about her game during the Sunshine Double. We get into the unfair criticism that flies around on social media. Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all!

Lucy and Eugene are joined by “best friend” of the pod Tumaini Carayol for this latest episode.  We sing Jasmine Paolini's praises after our Italian-Ghanaian sister's dream week in Dubai – the WTA 1000 champion is now a top 20 player. Staying in Dubai, Coco Gauff handled herself with grace in a very teachable moment for umpire Pierre Bacchi. Naomi Osaka's right where she needs to be in her comeback after a good showing in Qatar. Lime-bike-rider Heather Watson's been grinding and checking off wins on the ITF circuit and the main tour. Gael Monfils is showing us he still has it at 37 and receiving his flowers in the process. Arthur Fils is over in South America getting reps in on the clay and building character – we share our thoughts on the Golden Swing. Felix Auger-Aliassime is starting to look like himself again as he looks to climb up the rankings. Frances Tiafoe, still finding his feet with new coach Diego Moyano, says tennis is the hardest sport in the world. Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all!

Lucy and Eugene give winners Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner their props for securing the women's and men's titles respectively. Coco Gauff made it to the last four and looked good doing so in her amazing New Balance fits, Jasmine Paolini reached the second week at a Grand Slam for the first time, Alycia Parks and Sloane Stephens also had good runs. On the men's side, Ben Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime reached the third round and both played eventful five-setters down under, while Frances Tiafoe, Arthur Fils and Christopher Eubanks all fell in round two. Shout out to girls' doubles champions Tyra Caterina Grant and Iva Jovic who made sure we were "leaving here with something"! Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all. #BlackSpinGlobal

Happy New Year people! Lucy and Eugene get into the latest from down under on the eve of the Australian Open. Coco Gauff successfully defends her Auckland title, Taylor "Three-Peat" Townsend wins again in Adelaide with new partner Beatriz Haddad Maia and Naomi Osaka makes a winning return after 15 months away. Also, salute to the WTA and ATP for the new match-scheduling regulations announcement. AO draw (selected) – Jasmine Paolini is seeded for the first time at a major, two-time champ Osaka draws 16th seed Caroline Garcia in a blockbuster first-round and fourth seed Gauff could meet Alycia Parks in the third round. Seeds on the men's side (Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Felix Auger-Aliassime) all have tricky openers, Gael Monfils could play fellow father Andy Murray in the second round. Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all. #BlackSpinGlobal