The Body Serve

The Body Serve


Be Careful Who You Association With

August 30, 2020

This week saw many major stories come and go until one stuck: the breaking away of Novak Djokovic and others from the ATP Player Council to start a separate player association (not a union btw). Before that, we saw Naomi Osaka's solitary act of resistance stop the tennis world in its tracks; a strange and troubling end to Sakkari-Serena; the rebirth of Victoria Azarenka; and the rebranding of Milos Raonic as widely beloved. Oh yeah, and the US Open preview.
 
2:30 American sports react to the shooting of Jacob Blake
9:15 Naomi Osaka announces that she won't play her Cincinnati semifinal to draw attention to BLM
16:30 "Shut up and dribble" doesn't work in tennis, especially women's tennis
20:50 Meanwhile, the Western & Southern Open is happening under strange circumstances - Vika's resurgence
24:45 Milos Raonic: new hair, new thighs, new me
28:20 The bizarre end to Serena Williams-Maria Sakkari
33:50 The girl who cried wolf
39:15 Friday night news dump: Djokovic and others break away from the ATP Player Council to form the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA)
53:30 Federer, Nadal, et al send a letter with some ... concerns (and some very good questions)
63:20 So what about women tennis players? #TennisUnited am I right
71:00 Oh, the US Open is happening in like two days?