We’re backkk! Did you miss us? And it’s time for a new season for tennis players and this podcast. Luckily, we’re keeping it simple for our first episode back and doing a review of the Australian Open Draw! Who has a good draw? What matchups do we want to see? And which round one will have us at odds? 👀
We also discuss the California wildfires, so if you are able, here are various links to donate. And if you have been personally affected and have a link for donations, please reach out to us and we’ll add it!
Links to Donate to help with the California Fires:
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: https://www.lafoodbank.org/fire/?refresh
California Fire Foundation: https://cpf.salsalabs.org/cff-donation/index.html
Pasadena Humane: https://pasadenahumane.org/
Canine Rescue Club: https://www.caninerescue.club/
GoFundMe California Wildfires: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/wildfire-relief/california
New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.
Preorder Katie’s debut novel, out in June 2025!: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1668086786
Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/backhandspod.bsky.social and TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.
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36:27
2024 Tennis Season Wrapped!
2024’s tennis season had many iconic moments, but which ones are the most memorable? Which ones will live forever in our hearts and which ones did we hate? We’re recapping the season with a tier ranking of all the pop culture moments, scandals, and personal wins we can remember. Let us know where you would put these moments!
New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.
Preorder Katie’s debut novel, out in June 2025!: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1668086786
Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/backhandspod.bsky.social and TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.
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1:13:13
Finally Free! (Davis Cup Recap)
And with that, the 2024 season comes to a close! For once we put respect on the Davis Cup and chat about Team Italy’s repeat win! But first, we have a freak out over Sir Andy Murray coaching Novak Djokovic for the Australian Open. (The 2025 season cannot come quick enough!) How did it happen? What was that conversation like? Will AO mic up the box so we can hear what Andy says to Novak? So many questions!
We resurrect the gameshow for another round, except this time Miranda has to recognize the faces of doubles’ players!
And stay tuned for off-season content! We’ll be bringing you more episodes in December!
New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.
Preorder Katie’s debut novel, out in June 2025!: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1668086786
Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/backhandspod.bsky.social and TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.
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1:05:23
Farewell Rafael! (ATP Finals Recap)
It’s the end of an era. Not for us, but we do say adios a todos to Rafael Nadal! He retired this week in Spain at the Davis Cup, so we talk about the lack of fanfare, Tennis Channel speaking over him, and the beautiful if fragmented letter that Roger Federer wrote to him. The ATP Finals finally had an Italian win, congratulations to Jannik Sinner! But mostly we do the patriotic thing and talk about Taylor Fritz and his growth. We also psychoanalyze both Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev. Rafa might be retiring, but B&C won’t retire that bit!
Plus, we have a quick lil gameshow segment where Katie shows how bad she is at recognizing people!
New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.
Preorder Katie’s debut novel, out in June 2025!: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1668086786
Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/backhandspod.bsky.social and TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.
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1:15:18
Q&A! (Misery in Bercy)
Do you want a little escape from the state of tennis, America’s election season, or the seasonal affective disorder the ending of daylight savings time brings? Well, never fear, dear listener! We have a fun time answering your questions and chatting about our favorite brand and player collabs, Formula 1, and which country we’d abolish. Plus, we give you the behind-the-scenes tea on how long it takes to make a podcast episode and what the lore is behind the intro clips!
New to tennis or trying to get a friend into the sport? Check out our ATP 101 and 102 episodes to understand who/what we're talking about.
Preorder Katie’s debut novel, out in June 2025!: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1668086786
Follow us on Instagram instagram.com/backhandsandcompliments, Twitter twitter.com/backhandspod, and TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@backhandsandcompliments.
Italia