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Episode 35: Roland Garros 2026 Recap & The Grass Court Swing Begins

We're back with a Roland Garros week two recap that had us screaming, crying, and everything in between. Mirra Andreeva claimed her first Grand Slam title at 19, dropping only 17 games in the second week and accepting the trophy in a custom Nike jacket that read "I'd like to thank myself" — because she absolutely should. Meanwhile, qualifier Maja Chwalińska became only the second player in Open Era history to reach a Grand Slam final as a qualifier, jumping from ranked 114 to number 21 overnight, getting a hero's welcome at the Warsaw airport, and somehow almost running out of money for her hotel mid-tournament. Her story — which includes a very public battle with depression in 2021 and a decision to come back to tennis on her own terms — is one of the most moving in recent memory. We also send our love to Hailey Baptiste, who suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in her second round match and has been sharing her recovery journey with breathtaking honesty. On the brighter side, Karolína Siniaková and Taylor Townsend are one US Open title away from a career Grand Slam together, and their post-win press conference might be the most wholesome four minutes of the year.

We then head to the grass court swing, where the palate cleanser we all desperately needed arrived in the form of Serena Williams making her competitive return after 1,375 days away. She and Vicky Mboko upset the third seeds at Queen's Club and reminded us all why tennis is worth watching. We break down Donna Vekic going from lucky loser to champion, the deeply pointed wildcard snub of defending Queen's Club champion Tatjana Maria, Alex Eala's win in Birmingham, and Robin Montgomery winning a WTA title in the Netherlands ranked 484th in the world. Resh also delivers an important journalism moment: a full breakdown of why Wimbledon grass and football grass are about as similar as clay and hard court, and why that actually matters for how the ball behaves.

In our Five Minutes with the 5%, we talk about Flavio Cobolli — the charming, superstitious, emotionally open 24-year-old from Florence who nearly upset Zverev* in a five-set Roland Garros final and who we are officially rooting for. We also address the men's champion, Alexander Zverev*, with a content warning for domestic violence — including why L'Équipe made the deliberate editorial choice not to put him on their front page after his win. We close out with the ongoing prize money fight (Wimbledon just announced a 20% increase, but players say it's not enough), the rumored Serena/Venus mixed doubles pairing with Sinner and Alcaraz at the US Open, and Resh and Stef's ongoing appreciation for women coaching women across tennis, the WNBA, and the NWSL.

Next episode: our Wimbledon preview and thoughts on the Rafa Nadal documentary. See you out there, queens.

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Week 1 of Roland Garros delivered pure unhinged energy, and Resh and Stef were SCREAMING — recording live together in San Francisco for the first time in two years. The biggest WTA story? Clayomi. Naomi Osaka walked out in a Germanier x Nike couture collab ("I look like the Eiffel Tower at night"), made it to the fourth round for the first time in her Roland Garros career, and co-hosted an invite-only Black Party at Soho House Paris with Taylor Townsend. She's serving on and off the court, and the haters (hi, Laura Siegemund) can sit down. Meanwhile, Resh's pick Coco Gauff — the defending champion — lost a gut-punch third-rounder to Potapova, Hailey Baptiste went down with ACL and meniscus injuries at her career peak, and Victoria Mboko broke our hearts in a three-setter against Madison Keys. Also: it sounds like Serena Williams may be coming back to tennis as soon as next week. This is not a drill.

On the men's side, the Chaos Slam claimed its biggest victim when top seed Jannik Sinner — up two sets and 5-1 — melted in the sun and lost to the less known Cerundolo in five. The sun remains undefeated. Bright spots: 21-year-old Stanford data science student Nishesh Basavareddy upset 7-seed Taylor Fritz with cold-blooded drop shots, 17-year-old Moïse Kwame became the youngest player to win a Roland Garros match since 1991 (his prize money is locked in a bank until his 18th birthday, because France), and João Fonseca closed out a five-set win over Djokovic on three straight aces like it was nothing.

We also need to talk about ATP player Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, who blamed his loss on female umpire Ana Carvalho — a silver badge professional and one of the best in the world — claiming she lacked the "strength" to handle the crowd. Roland Garros fined him and issued a statement. We revisit the Hurkacz 2024 incident, the Fognini 2017 incident, and note that Roland Garros's allyship would land harder if women's matches were ever scheduled in prime time. Heading into week 2: Sabalenka and Iga are the top contenders (despite the hosts' predictions), the Ukrainian sweep is still mathematically alive, and Naomi faces Sabalenka in what is absolutely must-watch Monday tennis.

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Resh and Stef are BACK and they are UNWELL about clay season — in the best possible way. In this episode, your favorite hosts break down everything that happened between Charleston and Roland-Garros, and honey, there was a LOT.

Elena Rybakina won Stuttgart and finally learned how to drive. Marta Kostyuk did a back handspring after winning the Madrid Open. Hailey Baptiste snapped a racket in half with her bare knee and ascended to icon status. And Elina Svitolina defeated basically every top player alive en route to winning Rome, completing what the tennis world is calling the Ukrainian Sweep of 2026.

Also on the agenda: the Roland-Garros draw is simultaneously a gift and a crime, Coco Gauff is hungry and motivated and we love to see it, and Iga Swiatek has a draw so brutal it would make a lesser player retire on the spot.

Plus: Gael Monfils is retiring and Elina Svitolina wrote a letter about him that will make you sob into your pillow. And Billie Jean King got her bachelor's degree at 82 and shot tennis balls into the crowd. We don't deserve her.

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Welcome to Episode 32: your full Miami Open recap. Resh and Stef break down Coco Gauff's gritty run to the final — four three-set matches (following a nerve injury scare @ Indian Wells) and a press conference moment that had us asking why men are still commenting on Black women's hair in 2026. They also cover Victoria Mboko's stunning quarterfinal run, Hailey Baptiste's career-high ranking climb, Naomi Osaka's relatable post-loss quote, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova doubles Sunshine Double win, and a brief but enthusiastic segment on why clay season hits different.

The 5% segment covers Arthur Fils' thriller against Tommy Paul, 17-year-old Moise Kouame making history, and Carlos Alcaraz possibly going through a rumspringa on an 88-foot catamaran.

Plus: the IOC's new anti-trans eligibility rules, Miami and Indian Wells dropping Pride programming, the WNBA's historic CBA win, and some juicy WNBA gossip to close things out.

This pod is for the queer tennis obsessives, the WTA stans, and everyone who shows up dirty from clay. 🧡🎾 Five stars only. Nothing less.

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Resh and Stef are back with a full debrief on Indian Wells 2026 — and they have thoughts. Lots of them.

First up, the duo recaps their first ever in-person collab event: the Tennis & Tea Dance with the Ball Boys Pod — a queer, boundary-free afternoon of live tennis, drag queens, specialty cocktails and unapologetic joy. Then it's straight into survival mode with their honest Indian Wells attendee guide covering heat management, WiFi failures, ticketing gripes, shade chasing, the best food and drinks on grounds, and why the Daily Double Week Two package might be the move for 2027.

On the tennis side: Vicky Mboko's unforgettable Indian Wells debut, Alex Eala's emotional Stadium One moment against Coco Gauff, Rybakina's 12-match win streak over top ten opponents, Sabalenka's tiebreak title and sunshine double ambitions, Mira Andreeva's post-match meltdown, Naomi Osaka's custom leopard print fashion armor, Taylor Townsend and Siniakova's doubles title on her son's birthday, and Sonay Kartal's almost-net-defying moment against Rybakina.

The 5% ATP segment covers Sinner's hardcourt Slam completion, Carlos Alcaraz's mullet era, Fonseca's jaw-dropping winners, and why Dua Lipa is no longer welcome at Alcaraz matches. You're welcome anywhere else Dua! We love you!

They close out with eyes on Miami, a wildcard watch list featuring Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens, and the segment everyone needs: players with cute dogs. 🐾

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Hosts: Resh (they/them) and Stef (she/her)

Episode 30: Filling in the Gaps + Indian Wells 2026 Preview

Hey Outwide fam! We're back with episode 30 catching you up on everything since the Australian Open. We open up about the heaviness of the current moment and how we're finding joy anyway — including our Tennis and Tea Dance event on March 7th at Mission Hills Country Club. Live ball tennis, drag queens, cocktails, and a DJ. Come through!

Destiny Aeva said what she said. The 25-year-old Australian retired with one of the most explosive farewell statements we've ever seen, calling tennis culture "racist, misogynistic, and homophobic." She ate that retirement statement whole.

Jennifer Capriati — full recalibration. Last episode we celebrated her legacy. This episode we go deep on the anti-Obama tweets, Trump-adjacent commentary, a 2013 battery and stalking charge, and Djokovic defense. It's giving unwell. Keep our girlfriends' names out your mouth, Jennifer.

The Burlington Bolt is top 10. Victoria Mboko's rise from 333 to the top 10 is the fastest climb since Capriati in 1990. The rankings are shook.

Taylor Townsend season is HERE. First ever WTA singles final, doubles title, doing it all after prioritizing time with her son. Drop the merch, TT. We are ready.

Venus is returning to Indian Wells and we take a moment to honor how generous she is given everything that happened there in 2001. We should be rolling out the red carpet, full stop.

Serena watch is officially on. She re-entered the ITIA drug testing pool February 22nd. One wild card spot at Indian Wells still TBA. We're just saying.

Larry Ellison deep dive — Oracle strongarm tactics, millions to Trump PACs and the IDF, swallowing Paramount and potentially Warner Bros. We needed a shower after this one.

Our picks: Stef has Coco and Alcaraz. Resh is riding with Mboko and Alcaraz. Let's see!

If you're heading to Indian Wells, hit us up — we'll be on the ground. And come to our Tennis and Tea Dance on March 7th. It's going to be everything.

Like, subscribe, review, and share. See you out there! 🎾

— Stef & Resh @out_wide_podcast

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This week on Out Wide, Stef and Resh sprint (and occasionally rage-walk) through the 2026 Australian Open, an event that somehow managed to be thrilling, exhausting, political, inspiring, and completely sabotaged by ESPN at the same time.

We start with the real final boss of the tournament: sports streaming capitalism. ESPN Plus? ESPN Unlimited? ESPN Select? Cable? VPNs? Mexico?? Watching tennis in 2026 apparently requires a CPA, an IT degree, and a teenage LimeWire mindset. ESPN, respectfully: jail.

Before we get into forehands and finals, the hosts pause to acknowledge the world being… on fire. From ICE terrorizing communities to athletes being asked political questions they’d rather moonwalk away from, this episode grounds itself in the belief that tennis does not exist in a bubble, no matter how badly some press rooms want it to. Coco Gauff emerges as the moral North Star of the tournament—21 years old, emotionally fluent, politically aware, and still somehow finding time to hype a gay hockey romance show.

On court, Elena Rybakina wins the Australian Open in stoic legend fashion, celebrates with a whisper of a fist pump, and gets criticized for not doing enough cartwheels. Meanwhile, Stef and Resh firmly defend the right to win a Grand Slam quietly and go home. Let introverts live.

Then came Naomi Osaka’s jellyfish fit, the moment tennis fashion officially entered its couture era. Inspired by marine biology and designed with Beyoncé’s designer (casual!), Naomi floated onto Rod Laver Arena like an aquatic deity and said, “Even if I lose, I’ll trend.” She was right. The outfit ate. The internet screamed. Traditionalists clutched pearls. Naomi posted six photos and logged off. Icon behavior.

We also get:

• ESPN booth shakeups (women rising, Mac bros still yapping)
• Venus Williams returning at 45 and reminding everyone she is eternal
• Serena Williams definitely maybe returning (she’s in the drug testing pool, babes)
• Jelena Djokovic inserting herself where nobody asked
• Carlos Alcaraz winning everything, breaking records, cramping, thriving
• Queer history made on the ATP
• Rising stars, comeback queens, GI distress, political statements via T-shirts, and one extremely icy handshake

And just when you think it’s over, we pivot to the Grammys, Bad Bunny, dip-based Super Bowl planning, and a light call to mass-stream Michelle Obama’s Becoming out of pure spite.

Final verdict:
The Australian Open 2026 was messy, moving, glamorous, infuriating, and extremely Out Wide. Tennis was played. Statements were made. Jellyfish were served. And ESPN still owes us emotional damages. 🎾🪼💅

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Resh and Stef kick off the Australian Open 2026 with a gloriously unhinged, deeply gay return to tennis nonsense, politics, and pure fandom. Putting the Tea firmly in WTA, they break down the draws, obsess over Coco Gauff’s glow-up era, dream big for Naomi Osaka, worship at the altar of Venus Williams, and ride hard for pod faves, rising stars, and queer icons across the tour. Along the way, they unpack wildcard drama, Melbourne memories, experimental slam chaos, and why the Australian Open remains the most innovative major.

This episode also makes space for the real stuff: calling out transphobia in tennis, talking queerness in sport, and refusing to let bigots, billionaires, or bad vibes steal the joy. Expect righteous side-eye, laugh-out-loud moments, and exactly five minutes (no more!) on the ATP before returning to what actually matters. It’s smart, funny, political, and unapologetically queer — a reminder that when we keep showing up, they don’t win. The girls, the gays, the theys and the days are BACK. 🏳️‍🌈🎾✨

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