Ground Pass: A Tennis Podcast

Nobody becomes a tennis fan from a highlight reel. This week, Ryan Ng of 40 Love Studio joins Anastasia to talk about the storytelling gap in tennis: the quirky grassroots characters going uncaptured, the six years Ryan spent off the court after the yips took his forehand, and the almost-9-million-view video that started with a friend asking why tennis scoring has a point called love. Plus a quick spin through the week: Tsitsipas wins Gstaad and earns a Lost Boys list revisit, Bernard Tomic and his devoted Bernies, and the ATP's reported plan to shrink doubles, which raises the question this whole episode is about. Do you grow a sport by cutting the field, or by telling the story?

Links:

Pick up your Summer shirt here - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop
Lost Boys - https://youtu.be/9maE1Nb8e3o?si=6TmlZx-C7i9KgTfe
Bernard Tomic Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Tomic
Bernard Tomic acceptance speech - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbAL2ZmNpMT/?igsh=cXQ1MTYzZ3J1Ynhi
Bernard Tomic Ode to Tomic - https://www.instagram.com/p/DbAEUqzADB4/?igsh=bWtnaGxzbTh2dTZl
Casper Ruud’s Wedding video - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZuzslTD-lr/?igsh=MWJxZ3RiYXR4YjJjdg==
Forty Love Studio - https://www.instagram.com/fortylovestudio?igsh=NjN3Y3doNWVnaDc3
OFF SEASON: DALLAS - https://youtu.be/uSvdHBs0bPM?si=PDVLrtCDT1bqR-7M

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:35 A Quiet Tennis Week on Purpose
04:07 Tsitsipas wins a tournament
07:40 Bernard Tomic and his Fans
10:00 Tennis Wedding Week
11:34 The Tennis Royal Wedding - Tommy Paul and Paige Lorenze
13:19 The Other Weddings
14:30 Carlos Alcaraz at the World Cup
15:54 Interview with Ryan Ng of Forty Love Studio
39:57 The Importance of Storytelling in Tennis
44:04 Excitement for the DC Open
47:14 Closing Thoughts and Future Plans

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Want to Support Ground Pass - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/support

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Substack - https://groundpass.substack.com
Website - www.groundpasspodcast.com
Email - groundpasspodcast@gmail.com

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ground_pass
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GroundPass
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Disclaimer: This video does not contain a paid for advertisement. PR samples are denoted by the term ‘ad - gifted’. Links containing ad affiliate links are denoted by a '*'. This means that if you click on an affiliate link, go through to the retailer and purchase an item, we will receive a small percentage of your purchase. Check out our website for a full disclaimer: https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/about
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Linda Noskova won Wimbledon, and we couldn't name a single storyline for her. Alex Eala and Coco Gauff lost and stayed everywhere. This week we sit with the gap between results and recognition: how a champion can go unnoticed, how one outfit can outrun a match, and why the players worth knowing sometimes slip right past casual fans. Plus the last Brit standing, a shakeup on the Lost Boys list, and the WTA Finals landing somewhere you can actually afford. If tennis fame confuses you, this one's for you.

Links:

Pick up your Summer shirt here - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop
Interview with Naomi Osaka’s creative director - https://open.substack.com/pub/groundpass/p/how-naomi-osakas-kill-bill-kimono?r=47h9qh&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
Ellie Majelly on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/elliemajelly
Tournament guide link - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/tournament-guides

Chapters
00:00 Intro - and twinning accidentally
02:02 Wimbledon Recap - starting with an apology
03:07 Alex Eala has the best fans and Bad Bunny Concerts
08:45 Naomi Osaka's breakout Wimbledon
12:53 Iva Jovic is baby Pegula
20:13 Coco Gauff v Muchova was the best match
22:02 Who is Linda Noskova?
34:10 Was the Men's tournament a dud
35:18 Athur Fery's fairytale run
39:29 Felix Auger-Aliassime on the rise
46:18 Jannik Sinner Wins Wimbledon
51:54 Cruz Hewitt and Junior tennis
55:06 Hall of Fame Open - James Watt wins in doubles
57:17 WTA Finals coming to Indian Wells
59:40 Coming up next on Ground Pass
01:05:20 Whoops - Player of the Fortnight!!!!

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Want to Support Ground Pass - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/support

Ground Pass Shop - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop

Where You can Find us Online:

Substack - https://groundpass.substack.com
Website - www.groundpasspodcast.com
Email - groundpasspodcast@gmail.com

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ground_pass
Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/groundpass.bsky.social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ground_pass
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GroundPass
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@groundpasspodcast
X: https://x.com/groundpasspod

Disclaimer: This video does not contain a paid for advertisement. PR samples are denoted by the term ‘ad - gifted’. Links containing ad affiliate links are denoted by a '*'. This means that if you click on an affiliate link, go through to the retailer and purchase an item, we will receive a small percentage of your purchase. Check out our website for a full disclaimer: https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/about
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex Eala beat Iga Swiatek, hit the Wimbledon rocket ship, and became the story of Round Three. Ava was on the grounds to watch it happen. Anastasia was catching the ESPN version from a 101 degree New York, where the broadcast was still busy with Serena.
That gap is the episode. Because while the Serena updates ran the home feed, the real breakout was a 20 year old who plays with no fear at all. The two of them dig into why Eala is not a fluke (she nearly beat Krejcikova here last year), why the Swiatek win was smart rather than lucky, and the bigger thing underneath it: a fearless young generation taking grass while the established stars problem solve inside their own heads. It feels like a torch changing hands. Plus the 7:15 roof rule that quietly reshapes every night match, and the single most Wimbledon crowd moment of the week.
It opens with Eala in one line, emotional and fierce at once, and goes from there.

Links:

Buy the last hat here - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop/p/ground-pass-tennis-hat
Tournament guide link - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/wimbledon-guide

Chapters:
00:01 Weather and Wimbledon Vibes
03:20 Wimbledon Round Three Recap
05:41 Serena Williams: The Ongoing Story
15:14 Alex Eala defeats Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon
18:49 Jasmine Paolini smiling again at Wimbledon
19:58 Roman Safiullin sneaking through the Wimbledon draw
22:32 American Players Rising on Grass
26:28 Taylor Fritz's Chaotic Match and Pressure
28:43 Iga Swiatek's Forehand and Mental Challenges
31:57 Exciting Fourth Round Matches Ahead
36:15 Wimbledon vs. US Open
40:26 Outro

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Want to Support Ground Pass - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/support

Ground Pass Shop - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop

Where You can Find us Online:

Substack - https://groundpass.substack.com
Website - www.groundpasspodcast.com
Email - groundpasspodcast@gmail.com

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ground_pass
Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/groundpass.bsky.social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ground_pass
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GroundPass
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X: https://x.com/groundpasspod

Disclaimer: This video does not contain a paid for advertisement. PR samples are denoted by the term ‘ad - gifted’. Links containing ad affiliate links are denoted by a '*'. This means that if you click on an affiliate link, go through to the retailer and purchase an item, we will receive a small percentage of your purchase. Check out our website for a full disclaimer: https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/about
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Round Two gave us the comeback we wanted and then the bracket took it right back. Grigor Dimitrov redeems last year's Centre Court heartbreak against Mensik, and the draw immediately pairs him with Berrettini, the other great comeback story, in Round Three. We get into why tennis is such an emotional and mental sport, the intangibles that don't show up on the stat sheet, Coco Gauff refusing to lose, and Anisimova's breathing reset you can watch in real time. Then we close with a real argument for why The Queue, the £33 ground pass, and the free Lavazza might make Wimbledon the fairest ticket in sports. A feel-good day the draw wouldn't let us keep.

Links:

Michael Zheng awesome save - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaRN6WTsh18/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Buy the last hat here - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop/p/ground-pass-tennis-hat
Tournament guide link - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/wimbledon-guide

Chapters:
00:00 Wimbledon round 2 Recap
01:55 Grigor Dimitrov gets his redemption
06:45 Matteo Berrettini's Heartbreak and Redemption
11:56 The Mental Game of Tennis
23:32 Qualifiers making deep runs
28:07 Surprising Performances on Grass
35:14 Round 3 Matches to watch
46:12 The Queue Experience at Wimbledon
57:04 Tournament Vibes and Accessibility
01:02:43 Outro

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Want to Support Ground Pass - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/support

Our New Merch is LIVE!!! Ground Pass Shop - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop

Where You can Find us Online:

Substack - https://groundpass.substack.com
Website - www.groundpasspodcast.com
Email - groundpasspodcast@gmail.com

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ground_pass
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X: https://x.com/groundpasspod

Disclaimer: This video does not contain a paid for advertisement. PR samples are denoted by the term ‘ad - gifted’. Links containing ad affiliate links are denoted by a '*'. This means that if you click on an affiliate link, go through to the retailer and purchase an item, we will receive a small percentage of your purchase. Check out our website for a full disclaimer: https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/about
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Serena's return pulled every headline at Wimbledon, and it earned it. But round one had a second story running underneath, and nobody was flagging it. Ana and Ian recap a first round where grass humbled the favorites, the broadcast could not stop replaying the slips, and the players still advancing kept sharing one thing: they came up through American college tennis. Serena gets the spotlight. Maya Joint, Michael Zhang, and a wave of college-trained players get the results. It starts as a recap and turns into a question about who the sport chooses to show you versus who is actually winning. No jargon, no gatekeeping, just the fan side of a very strange first week.

Links:

Buy the last hat here - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop/p/ground-pass-tennis-hat
Tournament guide link - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/wimbledon-guide

Chapters:
00:00 Wimbledon Round One Recap
00:52 Editing Note
01:25 Intro
04:53 Serena Williams did not disappoint
16:27 Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek have tough round 1s
21:19 Novak Djokovic versus the Crowd
23:58 Grass is a trecherous surface
26:44 Ben Shelton is Upset and Michael Zheng has arrived
34:29 The British Tennis problem

💬 Don’t forget to give us a leave is a 5 ⭐️ rating and drop us a comment

Want to Support Ground Pass - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/support

Our New Merch is LIVE!!! Ground Pass Shop - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop

Where You can Find us Online:

Substack - https://groundpass.substack.com
Website - www.groundpasspodcast.com
Email - groundpasspodcast@gmail.com

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ground_pass
Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/groundpass.bsky.social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ground_pass
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GroundPass
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@groundpasspodcast
X: https://x.com/groundpasspod

Disclaimer: This video does not contain a paid for advertisement. PR samples are denoted by the term ‘ad - gifted’. Links containing ad affiliate links are denoted by a '*'. This means that if you click on an affiliate link, go through to the retailer and purchase an item, we will receive a small percentage of your purchase. Check out our website for a full disclaimer: https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/about
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.