The Service Game

Ivanna Zhang
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  • Tennis
  • Updated Weekly

Where serves start the story. The ATP and WTA tours never stop moving—and neither does The Service Game. Hosted by Ivy Zhang, the show breaks down professional tennis through fast weekly rundowns and deeper long-form episodes that explore the context behind the results. Whether you’re short on time or ready to dive deeper, The Service Game is where tennis’s biggest moments begin—with the serve. theservicegame.substack.com

  1. Jun 8

    The Chaotic Slam - Roland Garros 2026

    Welcome to The Service Game, where serves start the story. Let’s recap one of the most chaotic Grand Slams I have ever witnessed. After the surprising exits of the top seeds on both the women’s and men’s sides, we welcomed new Grand Slam winners for both tours, as well as refreshing finalists that I will be looking out for in the future. Off the court, we saw Serena Williams’s return to the tour. The 23-time Grand Slam champion will make her comeback in the doubles draw, with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko at the Queen’s Club Championship tournament this week. Listen more to find out my thoughts on this! On the court, I talked about what it means for Zverev to accomplish his dream of winning his first-ever Grand Slam, as well as her journey to get there. His finals opponent, Fabio Cobolli, also had an interesting and unique run leading up to his performance in the final. Listen to my breakdowns of both semifinals in this episode. On the women’s side, we saw 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva capture her first Grand Slam title after her meltdown here last year. Listen to find out how she has grown in just a few years, and also what this means for her finals opponent, qualifier Maja Chwalinska. Links mentioned: Serena Williams Return Article: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7339399/2026/06/07/serena-williams-tennis-comeback-queens-grass-wimbledon/ Alexander Zverev vs. Jakub Mensik: Alexander Zverev vs. Flavio Cobolli: Diana Shnaider vs. Maja Chwalinska: Diana Shnaider vs. Aryna Sabalenka: Mirra Andreeva vs. Marta Kostyuk: Marta Kostyuk vs. Elina Svitolina: Marta Kosyuk vs. Iga Swiatek: Mirra Andreeva vs. Maja Chwalinska: Subscribe to ⁠The Service Game⁠ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. For extended analysis and written Second Serve content, check out Ivy’s ⁠Substack⁠. Subscribe wherever you’re listening, rate the show, and send in your ideas for Second Serve. 🎾 Thanks for listening—and let the serves begin! Produced with assistance from Radio CKUT CKUT Radio: https://ckut.ca/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theservicegame.substack.com

    16 min

  2. Jun 1

    So hot in Paris - Roland Garros Week Two

    Welcome to The Service Game, where serves start the story. The first week of Roland Garros has definitely delivered in its own way. It is the hottest I have ever seen Paris so far at this time of the year, and clearly, all the players agree. On the men’s side, we saw the world’s most predictable draw play out most unpredictably. Jannik Sinner, the world number one, is out, after leading two sets to love and five-one in the third. Novak Djokovic is out, after leading two sets to love against Brazilian youngster Joao Fonseca. Listen to learn more. On the women’s side, things are equally interesting. Iga Swiatek has always made it past the fourth round here in Paris. However, this year, Swiatek, Rybakina, and Gauff are all out. Gauff faced her defeat today after only serving three double faults against Anastasia Potapova. Who is gonna shine now? Listen to find out! Links mentioned: The Athletic Heat Article: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7315282/2026/05/28/jannik-sinner-tennis-heat-impact/ Jannik Sinner vs Juan Manuel Cerundolo: Novak Djokovic vs. Joao Fonseca: Yuliia Starodubtseva vs Elena Rybakina: Marta Kostyuk vs. Iga Swiatek: Coco Gauff vs. Anastasia Potapova: Naomi Osaka vs Iva Jovic: Subscribe to ⁠The Service Game⁠ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. For extended analysis and written Second Serve content, check out Ivy’s ⁠Substack⁠. Subscribe wherever you’re listening, rate the show, and send in your ideas for Second Serve. 🎾 Thanks for listening—and let the serves begin! Produced with assistance from Radio CKUT CKUT Radio: https://ckut.ca/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theservicegame.substack.com

    14 min

  3. May 25

    The Roland Garros Preview

    Welcome to The Service Game, where serves start the story. It is finally time for the second Grand Slam of the year! As I begin my French Immersion Program in Quebec City, this year’s French Open carries a special meaning for me. It always feels like a ridiculously long time from Melbourne to Paris, but I know the wait is always worth it. Off the court, we saw the players’ collective action to “boycott” the tournament. Walking out of the Roland Garros press day after 15 minutes, it represents the amount of revenue allocated to them, on average, by the four Grand Slams. Compared to other U.S. Major leagues like the MLB, NBA, and the NHL, whose revenue allocation hovers around 50%, the players have a right to speak out. However, did it achieve the effect it wanted? Listen to the episode to find out. On the court, I talked about the competitiveness of the women’s draw this year. With numerous players coming to Paris in top form, the field is extra competitive. Despite being the first day of the tournament, the match between Hailey Baptiste and Barbora Krejčíková already stood out to me. I also predicted who would ultimately take the trophy home this year. On the men’s side, the field is significantly less competitive with the withdrawals of players like Alcaraz, Rune, Musetti, Draper, and, most recently, Fils; however, I am interested to see how Djokovic and Zverev will seize this opportunity. Links mentioned: The Athletic Tennis Prize Money Article: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6043299/2026/01/06/tennis-prize-money-grand-slams-revenue/ Hailey Baptiste vs. Barbora Krejcikova: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvfADCKQTUs The Athletic RG Guide: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7301879/2026/05/23/french-open-2026-preview-favorites-upsets-players-to-watch/ Roland Garros Official Site: https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/ Subscribe to ⁠The Service Game⁠ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. For extended analysis and written Second Serve content, check out Ivy’s ⁠Substack⁠. Subscribe wherever you’re listening, rate the show, and send in your ideas for Second Serve. 🎾 Thanks for listening—and let the serves begin! Produced with assistance from Radio CKUT CKUT Radio: https://ckut.ca/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theservicegame.substack.com

    16 min

  4. May 18

    Histories made in Italy by Italian - Rome Open

    Welcome to The Service Game, where serves start the story. I want to start by apologizing for missing last week’s episode. I just finished my first-year at McGill, and life has been quite busy. I recently went to Toronto for an interview at the National Bank Open this year. Currently, I am in a French immersion program at Quebec City. Okay… Enough about me—Let’s talk tennis. Off the court, multiple ATP players have announced their withdrawal from this year’s French Open. Most notably, Carlos Alcaraz. Recently, Lorenzo Musetti has also announced that he will be pulling out as well. Jack Draper posted on social media that he will be working with Andy Murray in preparation for Wimbledon. Raducanu has also reunited with her coach, Andrew Richardson, who helped her win the US Open title in 2021. Listen to The Toss to find out my thoughts on all things off the court! On the court, tennis has been delivering! On the women’s side, Elina Svitolina is on fire. She defeated the world number two, three, and four to capture her fifth WTA 1000 title in her career. Listen to find out how her playing style transformed and elevated her playing style after giving birth. Her title, accompanied by Sabalenka’s lack of preparation for Paris, sets the stage for a fantastic Roland Garros. On the men’s side, Sinner is in unreal form. He became the first Italian to win Rome in 50 years and achieved the feat of winning all nine Masters 1000 events. Compared to the women’s field, the men’s title contender? at this year’s Roland Garros is definitely categorized as mainly Sinner, and other players like Djokovic and Zverev who hope to reap the benefit of Alcaraz’s absence. Listen to find out what other sports Sinner played as a child! Remember to comment down below what you are looking forward to in Paris this year! Links mentioned: Elina Svitolina vs. Coco Gauff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXNZTi6qd1Y Sorana Cristea vs. Aryna Sabalenka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6TwqVMycLQ Jannik Sinner vs. Casper Ruud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjCU6WbXekk Daniil Medvedev vs. Martin Landaluce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpLfHkMp3mE Subscribe to ⁠The Service Game⁠ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. For extended analysis and written Second Serve content, check out Ivy’s ⁠Substack⁠. Subscribe wherever you’re listening, rate the show, and send in your ideas for Second Serve. 🎾 Thanks for listening—and let the serves begin! Produced with assistance from Radio CKUT CKUT Radio: https://ckut.ca/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theservicegame.substack.com

    17 min

  5. May 4

    Baptiste storm + Rafael 2.0 - Madrid Open Part 2

    Welcome to The Service Game, where serves start the story. Although this Madrid Open lacked the presence of Carlos Alcaraz and featured players getting food poisoning, it was one of the most entertaining tournaments this season. How much of it can we take away for Roland Garros? Listen to find out! Off the court, Kei Nishikori announced his retirement at the end of the season. Keeping with the theme of taking time away from tennis, Jack Draper, alongside Carlos Alcaraz, will not be participating in the French Open this year. Draper cited a right knee tendon injury. His withdrawal from the rest of the clay season means that his ranking will likely drop out of the world’s top 100. On the court, tennis has been delivering! On the women’s side, we saw one of the best matches this season featuring Hailey Baptiste and Aryna Sabalenka. Baptiste saved SIX match points and beat Sabalenka in a nail-biter deciding set tiebreak! Marta Kostyuk also earned her first 1000-level trophy and did a fantastic celebration. Listen to find out what she did! On the men’s side, we saw a matchup of two future stars: João Fonseca and Rafael Jodar. Alongside the two breakout stars, players like Alexander Blockx also cannot be overlooked. Blockx beat four seeded players in a row to reach his first masters semifinal before falling short to Alexander Zverev. Remember to vote in the poll down below! Links mentioned: Kei Nishikori Article: https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/kei-nishikori-to-retire-at-end-of-2026-season-i-still-wish-i-could-continue Jack Draper Article: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7240435/2026/04/29/tennis-jack-draper-injury-french-open-italian-open-out/ Hailey Baptiste vs. Aryna Sabalenka: Marta Kostyuk vs. Mirra Andreeva: Rafael Jodar vs. João Fonseca: Alexander Blockx vs. Casper Ruud: Old tennis court: https://www.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/1rnr6g/1875_tennis_court_photo_original_hourglass_layout/ Subscribe to ⁠The Service Game⁠ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. For extended analysis and written Second Serve content, check out Ivy’s ⁠Substack⁠. Subscribe wherever you’re listening, rate the show, and send in your ideas for Second Serve. 🎾 Thanks for listening—and let the serves begin! Produced with assistance from Radio CKUT CKUT Radio: https://ckut.ca/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theservicegame.substack.com

    17 min

  6. Apr 27

    “Tennis needs Carlos” - Madrid Open

    Welcome to The Service Game, where serves start the story. There has been big news both on and off the court and on both the WTA and the ATP tour this week. Most notably, Carlos Alcaraz announced on Instagram that he will be withdrawing from the French Open. In the toss, we talked about Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal. To find out who will benefit from his absence and who might be affected negatively, listen to the toss! I also talked about the news of the WTA CEO Portia Archer’s decision to step down. On the court, I recapped Arthur Fils’ fantastic performance in Madrid. Interestingly, his physio telling him to “shut the f— up” has shown his improved maturity after coming back from his injury leave. How did Medvedev perform after getting double-bageled in Monte Carlo? Listen to find out! On the women’s side, I discussed players who are playing some of the best tennis of their lives right now, including matches from Naomi Osaka and Jacqueline Cristian. Want to know how much a tennis player runs on average while playing a match? Listen to the end to find out! Remember to vote in the poll down below! Links mentioned: Arthur Fils vs. Ignacio Buse: Daniil Medvedev vs. Fabian Marozsán: Naomi Osaka vs. Anhelina Kalinina: Naomi Osaka vs. Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros: Jaqueline Cristian vs. Yulia Starodubtseva: https://www.wtatennis.com/videos/4491980/cristian-saves-three-match-points-denies-starodubtseva-in-madrid Subscribe to ⁠The Service Game⁠ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. For extended analysis and written Second Serve content, check out Ivy’s ⁠Substack⁠. Subscribe wherever you’re listening, rate the show, and send in your ideas for Second Serve. 🎾 Thanks for listening—and let the serves begin! Produced with assistance from Radio CKUT CKUT Radio: https://ckut.ca/ Thanks for reading The Service Game! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theservicegame.substack.com

    15 min

  7. Apr 20

    Road to Roland Garros- Stuttgart + Barcelona

    Welcome to The Service Game, where serves start the story. Although there has not been huge tournaments on the tennis tour this week, the matches on the 500 level has delivered once again! In this week’s episode, I talked about two matches on both the men’s and the women’s side that caught my attention. In the toss, we talked about Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal from Barcelona, what it means, and how it will affect his performance this year on clay. We also talked about the WTA Tour Finals’ decision to leave their host country, Saudi Arabia, and what it means for women’s tennis. On the court, I recapped Iga Swiatek’s performance with her new coach Francisco Roig against Mirra Andreeva at Stuttgart. I talked about her mental struggles with her service form and how it has evolved to impact her actual serve on the court. I also discussed the match between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova. On the men’s side, I talked about the Barcelona Open. With Alcaraz withdrawing from the event, it leaves the opportunity for players like Arthur Fils and Andrey Rublev to shine. Listen more to find out a new prospect I discovered while watching the tournament this week! Links mentioned: Athletic Article: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7183319/2026/04/15/tennis-wta-tour-finals-host-saudi-arabia/ Mirra Andreeva vs. Iga Swiatek: Karolina Muchova vs. Coco Gauff: Elena Rybakina vs. Karolina Muchova: Arthur Fils vs. Rafael Jodar**: ** Andrey Rublev vs. Hamad Medjedovic: Subscribe to ⁠The Service Game⁠ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. For extended analysis and written Second Serve content, check out Ivy’s ⁠Substack⁠. Subscribe wherever you’re listening, rate the show, and send in your ideas for Second Serve. 🎾 Thanks for listening—and let the serves begin! Produced with assistance from Radio CKUT CKUT Radio: https://ckut.ca/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theservicegame.substack.com

    18 min

  8. Apr 13

    Long Awaited Sincaraz- Monte Carlo + Linz

    Welcome to The Service Game, where serves start the story. As we approach the clay swing of this tennis season, a lot of people (including me!) are surprised about how we have not gotten a Sincaraz final yet. Fear not! It finally delivered at Monte-Carlo! This week’s tennis action is not only filled with big names like Sinner and Alcaraz but also hidden treasures like Valetin Vacherot and Lilli Tagger. In the toss, we talked about Holger Rune’s return to the tour his achilles rupture in just seven months. Listen to find out my thoughts on his quick return. Matteo Berretini double-bagelling Daniil Medvedev also added humour to the stories in Monte-Carlo. On the court, I recapped two matches on both the men’s and the women’s side that are worth watching the highlights for (NOT the Medevedev one…). The story of Vacherot never fail to inspire me, and I discussed his prospects of making it to the top 10 before the end of this season. I also talked about the hype surrounding Fonseca and the progress he has made since the start of the season. On the women’s side, the Linz Open had a relatively strong field with Andreeva claiming a much-needed title. However, the focus this week was on the Austrian Lilli Tagger who has a rare one-handed backhand! Listen more to find out my analysis on the strength and weaknesses of her game. Listen to the end to learn how long the longest tennis rally is (You will NOT believe it). Links mentioned: Bounces Article: Valetin Vacherot vs. Alex de Minaur: Alexander Zverev vs. Joao Fonseca: Lilli Tagger vs. Paula Badosa: Mirra Andreeva vs. Sorana Cîrstea**:** Subscribe to ⁠The Service Game⁠ on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. For extended analysis and written Second Serve content, check out Ivy’s ⁠Substack⁠. Subscribe wherever you’re listening, rate the show, and send in your ideas for Second Serve. 🎾 Thanks for listening—and let the serves begin! Produced with assistance from Radio CKUT CKUT Radio: https://ckut.ca/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theservicegame.substack.com

    17 min
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About

Where serves start the story. The ATP and WTA tours never stop moving—and neither does The Service Game. Hosted by Ivy Zhang, the show breaks down professional tennis through fast weekly rundowns and deeper long-form episodes that explore the context behind the results. Whether you’re short on time or ready to dive deeper, The Service Game is where tennis’s biggest moments begin—with the serve. theservicegame.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Ivanna Zhang
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ivanna Zhang
  • Show Website
    The Service Game