Best Of Three

Emma Navarro gives this episode its strongest tactical story. The discussion centers on how her game has shifted from counterpunching, movement, and match management toward more first-strike aggression, heavier ball-striking, and the ability to dictate against players who previously would have tested her rhythm.

The episode also checks in on Carlos Alcaraz, who is moving through the US Open draw efficiently but still raises a more precise question: can he win the tournament without yet being back to the highest version of himself? The hosts separate tournament favoritism from peak-form certainty, with Tommy Paul framed as the...

Coco Gauff’s win over Paula Badosa was not a finished-product statement, but it was a meaningful one. Badosa has the exact profile to test Coco’s progress: enough movement to stay in rallies, enough pace to rush the forehand, and enough backhand quality to apply pressure without giving away control. Coco still has work to do, especially when the forehand is rushed or when she is caught in transition, but the match showed a player whose weaknesses are no longer as easy to live inside.

Alvin and Torrey also break down Madison Keys’ comeback from 2–5 down in the t...

Ben Shelton’s early US Open matches are becoming a useful test of where he stands among the American men. The question is not whether Shelton is playing flawless tennis, but whether he is now mature enough to absorb pressure, solve problems, and win difficult Grand Slam matches without needing perfect starts.

Alvin and Torrey also examine Rafael Jodar’s heavy loss to Bu Yunchaokete, framing it as a likely freshman-wall moment after a demanding first full year on tour. Torrey gives a detailed technical breakdown of Jodar’s serve, especially the mismatch between his toss, platform stance...

Novak Djokovic’s first-round loss to Mariano Navone becomes the center of this episode, not because of the upset alone, but because of what the match revealed. Alvin and Torrey discuss how Djokovic still found tactical solutions early, yet appeared increasingly unable to sustain the physical demands required to impose himself across five sets.

The conversation frames Navone as a difficult opponent for this version of Djokovic: durable, disciplined, and willing to extend points until the match became a test of endurance. The hosts also reflect on the significance of Djokovic finishing the match despite obvious physical di...

Alvin and Torrey preview the 2026 US Open from the ground level of Fan Week in New York, focusing less on bracket prediction and more on what the tournament looks like before the first ball is struck. From practice-court details to player body language, they discuss how the pace, physicality, and depth of the field are shaping both draws.

The central conversation is Aryna Sabalenka. She remains the WTA standard, but the episode argues that the old gap has narrowed. Marta Kostyuk, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Elena Rybakina, and Jessica Pegula all represent different versions of the modern...

Cincinnati gave the Best of Three crew one final look at the US Open field, and the clearest signal came from Coco Gauff. Her title run was not framed as a perfect week, but as a more important proof point: the serve is heavier, the forehand is more functional, and her patterns are mature enough that she can win without playing lights-out tennis.

On the men’s side, Alvin and Torrey debate whether the ATP field is genuinely closing the gap on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Torrey sees a dangerous “dirty dozen” forming below the elite tier...

Iga Świątek’s Toronto title was not simply a form check. Alvin and Torrey argue that her week showed a more tactically complete version of her game: more height, more shape, more patience, and a clearer sense of when to press rather than force.

The episode frames Świątek’s run as a possible entry into a second career cycle. Rather than trying to recreate her previous dominance, she may be building a version better suited to the current WTA landscape — one where the top tier is deeper, the weapons are bigger, and separation requires constant reinventio...

Alex Eala’s DC title run raises a more interesting question than whether she is simply on a good run. Her game already has a recognizable identity: lefty disruption, forehand pressure, return-plus-one patterns, and the competitive steadiness to make opponents uncomfortable. The concern is whether the tour can eventually solve the awkwardness, especially if the second serve remains attackable.

Alvin and Torrey debate Eala’s long-term ceiling, from top-20 sustainability to a possible top-10 trajectory, before turning to Rafael Jodar’s run to the final. Jodar is a different kind of projection case: less finished, less defined, but wi...

Matt Futterman joins Best of Three to discuss The Cruelest Game, his book on the hidden cost of chasing greatness in professional tennis. The conversation centers on why tennis exposes players so completely: the solitude of competition, the weekly structure of losing, and the pressure placed on young stars before they are fully formed adults.

Novak Djokovic emerges as the episode’s central model. Not simply because of what he has won, but because of how often he has rebuilt himself across eras. From Sinner studying his game to Alcaraz studying his practice habits and Coco Gauff st...

American tennis is often judged by outcomes at the professional level, but the more important question begins much earlier: how are young players actually learning the sport? In this episode, Alvin and Torrey examine whether the U.S. development model teaches juniors how to hit shots before it teaches them how to play tennis.

Using American soccer as a parallel, the conversation explores how youth sports in the U.S. often become formalized, expensive, and parent-managed before they become culturally embedded. The hosts contrast that with environments where kids grow up around local clubs, informal play, walls...

Wimbledon remains the sport’s most sacred stage, but this episode asks whether it is still the cleanest measure of tennis greatness. Grass demands a specialized version of the game: short points, first-strike precision, elite returning, low-contact movement, and the ability to hold focus when one lapse can decide a set.

That lens leads directly to Jannik Sinner. Patrick and Alvin discuss why Sinner’s game may be uniquely suited to Wimbledon, not because grass reveals the full sport, but because it amplifies his most punishing qualities. The conversation also places Alexander Zverev’s recent surge in contex...

Jannik Sinner’s Wimbledon final win over Alexander Zverev was not a simple case of one player overwhelming the other. Zverev produced one of his most assertive performances of the season, playing higher in the court, committing more fully to his forehand, and attacking with clearer purpose than he has for much of the year.

The problem was what happened after that first wave. Sinner’s serve remained nearly untouchable, his return pressure slowly tightened around Zverev’s service games, and his baseline tempo forced Zverev to keep repeating a level that is still difficult for him to sus...

Linda Noskova’s Wimbledon final win over Karolina Muchova was not simply a breakthrough result. It was a clear signal that the younger WTA generation is arriving faster than expected, and that Noskova’s power-based game already carries the structure of a top-five player.

Alvin and Torrey break down the final through the tactical tension between Noskova’s direct first-strike pressure and Muchova’s all-court variety. The key was time: Noskova’s serve, weight of shot, and court position repeatedly prevented Muchova from accessing her slice, drop shots, and net skills until she first began driving through the court...

Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon semifinal loss to Karolina Muchova revealed more progress than regression. Her serve was stable, her net game translated well to grass, and her willingness to move forward gave her a real path through the match. But the defining question remains whether the forehand can become a shot she actively builds around in the moments that decide championships.

Muchova deserves equal credit for how she shaped the match. By blocking returns, playing through the middle, and forcing Coco into uncomfortable forehand decisions, she removed rhythm and made the match less about clean patterns and mo...

Arthur Fery’s Wimbledon run has become more than a home story. His win over Flavio Cobolli showed enough baseline quality, backhand stability, serving discipline, and crowd management to make the run feel earned rather than accidental.

But the episode stays measured: Fery is not suddenly a finished top-tier player. The real question is whether this level can travel beyond the perfect conditions of Wimbledon, especially with Alexander Zverev waiting as the first true power-server test of the run.

Alvin and Torrey also break down Zverev’s tactical evolution, including his second-serve confidence, down-the-line aggression, and...

Novak Djokovic’s five-set Wimbledon quarterfinal win over Felix Auger-Aliassime was not simply another example of Djokovic surviving late in a Slam. It was a measuring match. Felix showed real top-tier growth: the backhand held up, the serve remained a weapon, and the forehand looked more like an attacking upgrade than a way to protect a weakness.

But Djokovic remains the player who exposes whether that growth is complete. As the match tightened, he repeatedly challenged Felix’s patterns, especially the predictable inside-out forehand, and forced him to prove he could stay patient without searching for shortcuts. The...

Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon run has shifted the conversation around her forehand. The stroke is not fully solved, but it is becoming more specific in its vulnerabilities and more useful in point construction. Alvin and Torrey break down why her win over Belinda Bencic showed real progress: more height, more spin, better resets, and a clearer path toward turning a pressured wing into a tactical asset.

The next test is Jessica Pegula, whose flatter ball and grass-court instincts are well suited to challenge Coco below the strike zone. The matchup becomes a clean measure of whether Coco’s im...

Wimbledon is beginning to separate players who can solve matches with a full toolkit from players still trying to impose baseline patterns on grass. Alvin and Torrey frame the third round around that tension, using Grigor Dimitrov as the clearest example of why slice, touch, forward movement, serving patterns, and tactical variety still matter at the All England Club.

The episode also examines Iga Swiatek’s loss to Alex Eala as a question of tactical identity rather than talent. Swiatek’s grass-court challenges are discussed through forehand uncertainty, indecision, and a lack of consistent forward pressure, while Eala...

Serena Williams’ Wimbledon return raised a more interesting question than whether she could still resemble her peak. She was not championship-relevant, but she was match-relevant — and that gap became the center of this episode.

Alvin and Torrey break down why Serena’s loss was less about being unable to compete and more about the specific costs of time away from singles: missed second-serve returns, late first-strike execution, slower recovery out of the corners, and a third-set dip once the match became physically expensive. At the same time, her grass instincts, tactical adjustments, and problem-solving remained visible throughout.

T...

Serena Williams has received a Wimbledon draw that gives her a credible competitive opportunity. Maya Joint is a manageable opening matchup, Alexandra Eala would present a playable second round, and instability around Iga Świątek could remove the section’s highest-ranked obstacle. Grass also favors Serena’s serve, return and immediate weight of shot more than a slower surface would.

But a favorable bracket is not the same as an easy tournament. Serena’s ceiling will depend on whether her movement, recovery and match tolerance survive the accumulated demands of consecutive rounds.

The episode also examines...

Serena Williams returns to Wimbledon at 44 with obvious physical questions—but also with advantages few comeback players possess. Alvin Owusu and Anastasia examine why her serve, return positioning, first-strike instincts and accumulated grass-court intelligence could still make her dangerous without requiring anything close to her prime form.

Her prospects may depend less on ranking than on matchup. A favorable early opponent could allow Serena to shorten points, establish rhythm and let the pressure of the occasion work in her favor. A composed mover who extends exchanges and refuses to play Serena’s reputation, however, could expose the limi...

Aryna Sabalenka remains the standard in women’s tennis, but the tour around her has changed. In this midseason WTA review, Alvin and Torrey examine whether Sabalenka’s consistency is still enough to separate her from the field—or whether the depth of the women’s game has finally caught up.

The conversation moves beyond power and ranking points into the structure of elite tennis: Sabalenka’s lack of a true B-game, Iga Świątek’s ongoing tactical evolution, Elena Rybakina’s need to convert peaks into sustained results, and Coco Gauff’s long-term ceiling as her serve and forehand...

Alexander Zverev’s first Grand Slam title may look like a breakthrough, but the stronger explanation is consistency. He has spent years placing himself in major semifinals and finals, remaining physically prepared deep into tournaments and waiting for the opening that eventually appeared. Alvin and Patrick discuss why Zverev’s defining advantage may be availability—and whether lifting the burden of chasing a first major could allow him to play with greater offensive freedom.

The episode also compares Zverev’s career with Daniil Medvedev’s before moving into Alvin’s completion of the Fan Slam. He explains what disting...

Alexander Zverev is finally a Grand Slam champion. His five-set win over Flavio Cobolli at Roland Garros removes the largest remaining question from one of the most accomplished résumés in men’s tennis. The episode argues that Zverev’s title is not evidence of a sudden transformation, but the result of a player finally trusting his existing game long enough to finish the job.

Alvin and Torrey break down the dual nature of the final: nervous, imperfect, and unmistakably human, but also full of the patterns that have defined Zverev’s career. His forehand aggression, his tend...

Mirra Andreeva is a Grand Slam champion, but the more interesting question is what the title actually proves. Alvin and Torrey argue that Andreeva did not suddenly become a different player at Roland Garros. She confirmed the level that had already been visible: heavy shape, backhand stability, controlled aggression, and enough variety to solve a complicated clay-court final.

The tactical center of the episode is Maja Chwalinska. Rather than treating her run as a fluke or her game as defensive, the conversation frames Chwalinska as a nuanced offensive player who uses directionals, rhythm changes, drop shots, and “Op...

Jannik Sinner’s five-set Roland Garros loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo leads the episode, but the conversation quickly moves beyond the upset itself. Alvin and Torrey examine whether the result was simply a physical failure from Sinner, or whether it reflects a broader shift in the men’s game: deeper fields, longer rallies, and more complete opponents who can no longer be dismissed as early-round obstacles.

The most detailed tactical section centers on Ben Shelton’s loss to Raphael Collignon. Shelton’s clay game is improving, but the match exposed issues that matter on slower surfaces: return percenta...

Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula both exited Roland Garros in the first round, but this episode looks beyond the scorelines. Alvin and Torrey use those losses to examine a larger clay-court truth: players who rely on first-strike certainty are more vulnerable when opponents can absorb pace, change height, extend rallies, and force uncomfortable decisions.

The central framework is “time gained vs. time lost.” On clay, extra time is not always an advantage; it can become another decision. Players must constantly choose between shape, depth, drive, defense, drop shots, and transition. That makes Roland Garros a test of tact...

Roland Garros is rarely just a question of who has the highest level. On clay, every return game, long rally, and physical exchange changes the tournament before the second week even begins. In this draw show, Alvin and Torrey frame Paris as an attrition tournament — one where the draw itself becomes a defining opponent.

The strongest lens is Coco Gauff’s title defense. Rather than treating Coco as the same player who won the event, the episode looks at whether her game has evolved: a steadier toss, a more assertive forehand, improved serve patterns, elite passing shots, and...

Auburn men’s tennis head coach Bobby Reynolds joins Best of Three for a deep conversation on the evolution of college tennis, player development, and the future of the NCAA system. Reynolds explains why college tennis is no longer a fallback option for aspiring professionals, but a legitimate high-performance pathway for players who need physical maturity, tactical clarity, coaching, and repeated high-level competition.

The discussion moves from Ben Shelton, Gabriel Diallo, Ethan Quinn, Cam Norrie, and Kevin Anderson into the day-to-day reality of building players inside a college program. Reynolds outlines how Auburn approaches technical changes, racket an...

Jannik Sinner’s Rome title was not just another dominant week. It became a case study in what makes him so difficult to beat on clay: not only ball speed, but his ability to read early, move cleanly, and compress the opponent’s decision-making window.

Alvin and Torrey examine the tactical profiles that could actually trouble Sinner at Roland Garros. Medvedev’s recent match offers one version of the blueprint: change direction early, avoid extended backhand diagonals, and force Sinner into open-stance slides from alley to alley. Casper Ruud’s Rome final offers another: use the kick serve to...

Coco Gauff’s loss to Elina Svitolina in Rome is not a simple setback. It is a useful snapshot of where Coco’s game currently sits: more dangerous than before, more complete than many results suggest, but still in the uncomfortable middle stage between defensive excellence and first-strike clarity.

We discuss why Coco’s serve, forehand, and forehand return are trending upward, while her point construction is still catching up to the tools. Svitolina becomes the measuring stick in this match: a complete, tactically mature player who can defend, redirect, attack movement patterns, and punish Coco when she de...

Aryna Sabalenka remains the defining force in women’s tennis, but Roland Garros may be the clearest test yet of whether her separation from the field is beginning to narrow. Alvin and Bob start with the demands of clay-court tennis — movement, patience, problem-solving, and point construction — before turning to Sabalenka’s recent results, lower-back concern, and long-term place at the top of the WTA.

The central question is not whether Sabalenka is still elite. She clearly is. The question is whether the combination of physical strain, age curves, and a deeper group of challengers makes Paris feel less lik...

Jannik Sinner’s height is part of the story, but it is not the explanation. In this episode, Alvin and Torrey look at why Sinner has become such a difficult structural problem for the ATP: he combines elite movement, early ball-striking, return pressure, improved serving, and pattern discipline in a way that takes away an opponent’s preferred solutions.

The central tactical breakdown focuses on Alexander Zverev. Sinner does not simply overpower Zverev; he attacks the movement relationship between Zverev’s backhand, forehand recovery, and court position. Once Zverev is forced into defensive open-stance backhands, Sinner can go beh...

Rafael Jódar has quickly moved from interesting young player to serious ATP prospect, but the reason is not simply his size or power. Alvin and Patrick break down why Jódar’s game already looks unusually mature: a clean backhand return, controlled rally shape, natural movement, and the ability to build points without redlining.

The discussion compares Jódar with João Fonseca, Jakub Mensik, and Arthur Fils, focusing on the difference between raw shot-making and repeatable point construction. Patrick makes the strongest case for Jódar as a future top-tier ATP force, while A...

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This episode examines a significant developmental moment for two of the ATP Tour’s emerging contenders: Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils. Shelton’s title in Munich represents more than a milestone—it reflects meaningful progress in his ability to construct points on clay. The discussion focuses on his improved backhand stability, more disciplined rally tolerance, and the emergence of repeatable serve-plus-one patterns that translate beyond faster surfaces.

Arthur Fils’ performance in Barcelona is framed as confirmation rather than breakthrough. His willingness to engage in forehand-to-forehand exchanges, even against the pace of Andrey Rublev, highlights a growin...

This episode examines the latest installment in the evolving rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz following Sinner’s straight-sets win in Monte Carlo. Rather than isolating the result, the discussion frames the matchup as part of a broader tactical progression—one defined by incremental adaptation, tightening margins, and increasing familiarity between two elite players.

At the center of the analysis is the contrast between Sinner’s consistency and Alcaraz’s variability. Sinner’s baseline “floor” continues to apply sustained pressure, particularly through second-serve returns and disciplined court positioning. Alcaraz, while still generating more explosive opportunities, struggled to consistentl...

Clay court tennis is often described as slower, but that simplification misses the deeper reality: the surface fundamentally reshapes how players manage space, construct points, and move through contact. In this episode, we break down the technical and tactical adjustments required to transition effectively from hard courts to clay.

A central focus is movement—specifically the difference between sliding into the ball versus sliding after contact—and how this distinction impacts balance, recovery, and court positioning. Using Charleston as a reference point, we analyze players like Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys, whose games highlight the challenges of adap...

Jannik Sinner’s Miami title completes a dominant Sunshine Double and reinforces his position—alongside Carlos Alcaraz—as one of the defining forces in men’s tennis. This episode examines not just the results, but the underlying mechanics of Sinner’s success: a blend of precise ball striking, improved serve efficiency, and real-time tactical adaptability that is reshaping what it takes to compete at the top level.

The discussion centers on the increasing difficulty of constructing points against Sinner. Beating him now requires a layered approach—early redirection, controlled variation of pace, and well-timed net pressure. Even then, succes...

This episode examines the evolving matchup between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka following Sabalenka’s Miami Open victory, using it as a lens to understand broader trends in the women’s game. Rather than framing Gauff as a player limited by technical inconsistencies, we position her as a uniquely constructed elite—an “overachieving counterpuncher” whose competitive resilience and adaptability allow her to consistently outperform the sum of her individual tools.

In contrast, Sabalenka’s early-season form establishes her as the clear No. 1 force, defined by power, consistency, and improved composure. Yet this matchup reveals an asymmetric dynamic: Sabalenka mu...