The Miami Open has always been an unusual tournament: the second half of the "Sunshine Double" (Indian Wells being part one), it used to be held not in Miami at all. Now they've moved it to Miami's Hardrock Stadium and its surrounding parking lot. This feels a bit trashy!

And with the ground shifting underneath the dynamic of the players (particularly on the Men's side), this year saw a number of upsets, a deep run by an unknown and a surprise defeat of Novak Djokovic by one Jakub Mensik, who exactly no one had on their bingo card.

We unpack all of this and bicker over martinis, as usual. Hit the play button!

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Okay, we know. Politics! There is too much of it, and it is a complete bummer. However! When we root for a player, we are rooting for more than their playing style; we are also invested in the player as a person. When they say and do political things, it matters. Today, we deliver verdicts on a number of top players (with sound effects). Spoiler alert: Djokovic: no, Draper: no, Gauff: yes, Osaka: yes, etc. Enjoy!

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In which we try (and kind of fail) to be Zen about the rapid change in professional tennis and the world. Next-Gen is out; Next-Next-Gen is on a rampage. With wins from 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and relative newcomer Jack Draper at Indian Wells, we dissect the coming wave of players, and what it means for Alcaraz, Sinner, Swiatek and Sabalenka. Is it a blip on the radar or something more permanent? Either way, the only constant is change.

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We braved connecting flights, "gate checked" bags and a literal desert storm to bring you this postcard from our trip to "Tennis Paradise", the 2025 Indian Wells Open in California's Coachella Valley. Follow us to the bars, the tournament, the condo and the jacuzzi, as we recap our annual trip, warts and all!

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The Indian Wells BNP Paribas Masters 1000 is the largest and most important tennis tournament that's not a Grand Slam. All the tennis stars will be there, as will we!

But before we hop on the plane, we wanted to talk about Coachella Valley's settler colonialist history, as well as the Ignominious Incident in 2001 involving the Williams sisters, old white people and racism that led to Venus and Serena boycotting the tournament for 14 years. It was bad!

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Non-tennis people are often shocked when they discover that tennis requires fans to be quiet (like silent) once or twice a minute in a stadium full of fans. It is kind of weird!

This prompt takes from the origins of "court tennis" in the 16th Century to the 80's trash comedy "Blame It on Rio". Enjoy!

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tack·y

/ˈtakē/

adjective informal

adjective: tacky; comparative adjective: tackier; superlative adjective: tackiest

1. showing poor taste and quality.

Tennis has never been immune from tackiness (although we like to think, smugly, that tennis is a more elevated sport), but lately there's been some tacky shit going on. From the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders doing a routine at the Dallas Open, to On's candy-colored kits they are foisting on their players, to even the weird rituals tennis has developed involving random children, it's all in poor taste!

Today, we identify the offenses and offenders, so that tomorrow, we may see justice.

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Professional tennis is an epic tale of heroes and villains, but there are a number of players who just play really good tennis. Is it their job to entertain us? Is it our job to care about them if they don't?

In this one, we praise the Alcarazes and the Federers, disparage the Krygioses and the Collinses, and ponder the impact of the boring ones at the top.

Is it a crisis for professional tennis that some of the current top players (Fritz, Sinner, Swiatek and Rybakina) are kind of boring?

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

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