Ground Pass: A Tennis Podcast

Alex Eala won the DC Open by going through Qinwen Zheng, Leylah Fernandez, Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina, and Jessica Pegula, and became the first Filipino player to win a WTA singles title. This one is a solo pod, recorded late after a work day, about what that week actually looked like from the ground.
Inside: the TikTok about Eala's Miami run that started This Week in Tennis, the strange gap between a huge fanbase and a thin trophy case, the rain delay that wiped a set and handed her a clean slate on Monday, and Pegula's very generous explanation of why that slow lefty serve is so hard to attack.
Then the bigger argument. The Tennis Channel desk sitting out in the open, an hour of Naomi Osaka just hanging out with fans, an ice cream truck a few feet away, and what that says about where the sport feels healthiest right now. Plus Fritz on the safety break, Rafa Jódar on the weekly reset, and the Canada attendance question.
Also, Ground Pass is credentialed at the US Open. That happened because of weeks like this one.

Links:
Ground Pass on Substack - https://groundpass.substack.com/
- Ground Pass Shop: https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop
- Jessica Pegula's final press conference: https://youtu.be/WfBxCkkasok?si=-AaRA6-RZozkgki0
- PTPA article: https://awfulannouncing.com/tennis/ptpa-threatens-defamation-lawsuit-andy-roddick-served.html

Chapters
00:00 Alex Eala wins the DC Open
06:30 The TikTok that started This Week in Tennis
09:20 "Who's this girl?" and the fandom question
13:10 Head down, no celebrating, until the handshake
14:20 Eala on how steep it gets at the top
18:20 The rain reset and a brand new match
21:40 Pegula explains why the slow lefty serve works
28:40 Taylor Fritz on the safety break
31:40 Rafa Jódar on resetting after every week
33:40 Ground Pass is credentialed at the US Open
35:20 Just fix the bathrooms
39:40 The Osaka cookout
43:00 The PTPA story someone should report
44:40 Sinner, Djokovic, and the Canada question

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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
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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.

We are live from the DC Open. The only tournament where you can record a podcast in the middle of the grounds and a player might pull up in the background.

Watch our first dispatch from the grounds: https://youtu.be/xbFo_LAHqkc?si=HlCS40XTU3EIjIfR

Anastasia and Ava are on the grounds in Washington, credential mics on and with players walking by in the background. This one covers why DC's crowd is unlike anywhere else on tour, the case for combined events, Venus Williams one year after her comeback, Andy Murray showing up early to hit with Jack Draper, and the doubles story the tour would rather not talk about.

Links:

Pick up your Summer shirt here - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/shop

Chapters:
00:00 Intro - Live from DC
03:11 A Case for Combined events
05:40 The only crowd on tour that looks like this
08:45 Add the DC Open to your must visit list
13:18 A summer gem of a tournament
14:42 Venus Williams, one year later
17:24 Andy Murray really missed tennis
26:14 The doubles crisis
29:09 Singles vs doubles, a beef is brewing

💬 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

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.

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

💬 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

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.

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!!!!

💬 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

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

💬 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

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.