NEW EPISODE: Fan Q&A, Celebrity Cameos & Goodbye to an Icon
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Context-free soundbite: “You have to stick your arm up it, and no one can ever get it right.”
This week on Served, Andy gets some surprise guests when he answers fan questions about match recovery, elite athletes, his visor era, and more. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions, Grammy winners and Chuckers alike.
Also, Andy, Producer Mike and Techie Sean fight about Thanksgiving food.
If your question didn’t make it in, don’t worry—we’ll hang on to it for a new weekly show called Q&Andy. Starting in January, Andy will answer fan mail every Thursday. Submit yours now in the Substack chat or drop us a line.
Click the link below to watch the full episode, then come back for bonus tennis news!
Stories we love but didn’t make it on the episode.
Active ATP Player Comes Out As Gay
Mika Brunold of Switzerland, ranked No. 310, became only the second ATP player ever to come out as gay while active.
Brunold posted the personal news on Instagram Saturday. “I’m sharing this with you to take a step for myself, but also because it’s not talked about enough in sports,” he wrote.
Jason Miller, the first openly gay NBA player and a tennis superfan, replied to Brunold, “Wishing you all the success & happiness in the world! Congratulations for stepping forward and showing us what true strength, courage, and bravery looks like. All the best 💪🏾🙏🏾🙌🏾.”
Brunold joins Brazil’s Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva as the only openly gay players on the ATP. Reis Da Silva was ranked in the 400s when he came out in 2024. He finished this year ranked No. 204, making him the highest-ranked active gay ATP player ever. (Tennis.com)
Field Set for Next Gen ATP Finals
Rafael Jodar of Spain grabbed the last spot in the Next Gen ATP Finals, which runs Dec. 17–21. A Challenger title in November pushed the teenager into the eight-man field of the top-ranked players under 21 years old.
The University of Virginia sophomore won three Challenger titles this year to rocket from world No. 908 in March to No. 168 at year’s end.
The full field:
Jakub Mensik (CZE), 20, No. 19
Learner Tien (USA), 20, No. 28
Alexander Blockx (BEL), 20, No. 116
Dino Prizmic (CRO), 20, No. 128
Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (NOR), 19, No. 133
Martin Landaluce (ESP), 19, No. 135
Nishesh Basavareddy (USA), 20, No. 167
Rafael Jodar (ESP), 19, No. 168
Next Gen has had excellent predictive value since its 2017 debut. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are past champions, and Joao Fonseca’s win last year foreshadowed his jump from No. 145 in the world to No. 24. Ten of the 13 winners and finalists have gone on to reach the Top 20.
The event is also a testing ground for tweaks to speed up the game. Best-of-five matches use fast-four and no-ad scoring. In 2018, let serves were played. Coaches are given real-time match analytics with video footage.
The eighth installment of the Next Gen finals will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the third and final time. The next host city has not been announced. (ATP)
Tennis Mourns the Loss of Italian Legend Nicola Pietrangeli
Italian icon Nicola Pietrangeli passed away on December 1 at the age of 92. Pietrangeli was a two-time French Open champion and the winningest Davis Cup player of all time. The flashy Pietrangeli was an icon of the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s, when he became Italy’s first Grand Slam champion and set Davis Cup records that still stand, including the most match wins (120) and singles wins (78).
While Pietrangeli never lifted the Davis Cup as a player, he led Italy to its first Cup as captain of the 1976 team. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1986 and is recognized as the father of the modern Italian tennis movement. (AP)
Quick Hits
Congratulations are in order for: Lorenzo Musetti (second baby), Cam Norrie (engaged), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (engaged), Sebastian Korda (engaged) and Ons Jabeur (expecting)
Fans have noticed that Serena Williams rejoined the ITIA’s anti-doping player pool in October, sparking chatter about a comeback (Reddit)
Vote in the WTA’s year-end awards (WTA)
Andy Murray bloopers (Albert Bartlett)
Have You Checked Out the Served 5 Setter?
Global action beyond tennis.
SQUASH: Sabrina Sobhy beat her older sister, Amanda, for the first time in the opening round of the Hong Kong Squash Open, 9-11, 14-12, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6. (South China Morning Post)
PICKLEBALL: Pickleball Kingdom, a chain of indoor facilities, will debut a reality show in January for amateur players to compete for pro contracts and franchise opportunities. (PR Newswire)
PADEL: Bea Gonzalez and Claudia Fernandez won their second consecutive title and first major together at last week’s Premier Padel Mexico Major, the final event of the regular season. Top-ranked Agustin Tapia and Arturo Coello won the men’s title. Next up: the 2025 Premier Padel Finals in Barcelona Dec. 8–14. (Red Bull)
RACQUETBALL: World No. 1 Kane Waselenchuk, the sport’s GOAT with 131 titles, rejoins the ProKennex team at this week’s IRT SoCal Open Dec. 4–7. (ProKennex)
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I am so grateful I get to know about many more players, because it's not only the top ten or twenty that get discussed here, but truly the full range, attention to the field. Thank you!