Best Of Three

Coco Gauff’s loss to Elena Rybakina was not a simple regression. In the first set, Gauff showed a version of her game that can absorb elite pace, serve with real pace, defend with purpose, and transition from neutral to offense off both wings. The issue was not whether the forehand and serve exist anymore; the issue was whether Coco fully trusted them when the match became most pressurized. Alvin and Torrey break down how Rybakina solved the match by becoming more intentional with her patterns, moving away from predictable crosscourt power and using more middle balls, jammed forehands, and selective changes of direction. They also compare the different ways opponents have attacked Coco’s forehand, especially the high, slower ball that still keeps her from hurting opponents consistently. The episode closes with Aryna Sabalenka’s dominant win over Jessica Pegula and a preview of a fitting US Open final between Rybakina and Sabalenka. It is a true No. 1 vs No. 2 power matchup, but also a test of which player can impose their weapons without giving the other room to breathe. Send us Fan Mail

Ben Shelton’s win over Carlos Alcaraz was not framed as a simple upset. Alvin and Torrey break down why the result mattered tactically and developmentally: Shelton served big, but he also returned at the highest level of his career, used body serves with discipline, moved forward with purpose, and forced Alcaraz into uncomfortable passing-shot situations. The larger question is whether Shelton has moved from dangerous Grand Slam threat to legitimate top-tier contender. The hosts stop short of placing him fully beside Alcaraz and Sinner, but argue that beating one of the sport’s defining players in a five-set Grand Slam match gives Shelton the strongest possible résumé point. The episode also examines Frances Tiafoe’s comeback against Alex Michelsen, the historic significance of Shelton and Tiafoe guaranteeing a Black male finalist at the US Open, and the continued strength of the WTA field through Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, and Aryna Sabalenka. Send us Fan Mail

Coco Gauff is still winning, but the way she is winning may matter more than the scoreline. Alvin and Torrey break down her US Open win over Iva Jovic through a tactical lens, focusing on forehand spacing, footwork, court position, and the challenge of becoming a more complete striking counterpuncher. The episode also examines Aryna Sabalenka’s narrow win over Linda Noskova, especially the second-serve ace that closed the match and reaffirmed Sabalenka’s authority in the biggest points. Noskova’s loss is framed less as a setback and more as evidence that she already belongs near the top of the women’s game. From there, the conversation widens to the WTA’s deeper major landscape. With players like Rybakina, Zheng, Gauff, Sabalenka, Noskova, Iga, Pegula, and others shaping the late rounds, the women’s tour is no longer defined by a simple top three. It is becoming a true danger tier, where every quarterfinal can become a legitimate Slam test. Send us Fan Mail

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 first useful benchmark. Taylor Townsend’s win over Diana Shnaider adds another player-development layer. The hosts connect it to the kind of match Townsend had previously let slip away, pointing to belief, physical readiness, variety, and a more stable singles foundation. The episode closes by widening the lens to Jessica Pegula, the depth of the women’s field, and the many pathways behind the current American surge. Send us Fan Mail

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 third set against Anna Bondar, framing it as the purest version of the Madison Keys experience: stressful, volatile, powerful, and ultimately dependent on her willingness to keep swinging. From there, the conversation moves through Naomi Osaka’s win over Siniakova, the upcoming Eva Iovic–Alex Eala matchup, Amanda Anisimova’s improved emotional reset, Lily Tagger’s long-term upside, men’s draw turbulence, and Carlos Alcaraz sharpening his game round by round. Send us Fan Mail

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, racket drop, and leg drive that may be limiting the effectiveness of his second serve. The episode also covers Alex Michelsen’s straight-sets win over Brandon Nakashima. Rather than treating it as a simple upset, the hosts explain why familiarity, return quality, net-point conversion, and second-serve pressure made Michelsen one of the toughest possible first-round draws for Nakashima. Send us Fan Mail

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 distress, reading it as a sign of respect for Navone, the crowd, and the sport itself. From there, the episode moves into Arthur Fils’ loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz’s efficient first-round performance, and Andrey Rublev’s five-set comeback. Across all three, the larger theme is Grand Slam readiness: the difference between having the tools to win matches and having the maturity, variation, and emotional control to survive a major. Send us Fan Mail

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 Sabalenka problem: some can match or exceed her power, while others can neutralize and punish the wrong serving day. The episode also turns to Carlos Alcaraz’s return and the ATP window created by Sinner’s absence. If Alcaraz is healthy enough to play, Alvin and Torrey treat him as the favorite — but the larger question is whether players like Arthur Fils, Ben Shelton, Zverev, Djokovic, and others can take advantage before the top of the men’s game closes again. Send us Fan Mail

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, capable of dragging favorites into long early-round matches. Alvin agrees the depth has improved, but argues that none of the next group has yet proven they can beat the Sinner-Alcaraz standard in best-of-five tennis. The episode closes with a caution flag around Aryna Sabalenka. Her top-end level is still unquestioned, but the margins around return games, three-set matches, and match efficiency are thinner than they were. New York may expose the two tours differently: chaos on the ATP side, and a title race on the WTA side where Coco’s improvements are arriving at exactly the right time. Send us Fan Mail

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 reinvention. The discussion also covers Coco Gauff’s forehand development, Elena Rybakina’s run to the final, Naomi Osaka’s movement and defensive progress, and why Grand Slams increasingly function as check-ins for where the WTA elite really stand. Send us Fan Mail

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 with size, movement, backhand stability, transition instincts, and composure already in place. The episode’s larger theme is how to evaluate young players before their games are complete. Eala appears closer to week-to-week sustainability; Jodar may have the larger developmental runway. Send us Fan Mail

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 studying his return patterns, Djokovic functions as the clearest blueprint for survival at the top of modern tennis. The discussion also explores Madison Keys learning to play with permission to lose, Naomi Osaka returning to a changed WTA, Ben Shelton’s gap between athleticism and tennis literacy, and the larger challenge facing the next generation: talent is not enough unless it can keep evolving. Order 'The Cruelest Game' here: https://www.mattfutterman.com/the-cruelest-game Send us Fan Mail

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, pickup games, and daily exposure to the sport. The episode sharpens around academy tennis: should serious development tracks be something families can buy into, or something players must earn through commitment, competitiveness, and ownership? The central distinction is simple but important — many kids play tennis, but fewer become tennis players. Send us Fan Mail

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 context, separating him from the wider field while keeping him a tier below Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The episode closes by widening the frame: Felix Auger-Aliassime as a player whose tennis may still exceed his late-stage belief, and the women’s game as a case study in the difference between tennis excellence and tennis marketability. Send us Fan Mail

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 sustain. The match became less about whether Zverev had improved — he clearly had — and more about whether that improvement can survive against a player as complete and repeatable as Sinner. Alvin and Torrey also discuss Andy Roddick’s commentary, the coaching challenge of returning against elite servers, and the broader question of whether the grass-court season deserves more room on the tennis calendar. Send us Fan Mail

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 with enough pace to neutralize the exchange. The episode also expands into the wider WTA landscape, where players like Noskova, Mirra Andreeva, Coco Gauff, Diana Shnaider, and Victoria Mboko are compressing the field from the top down. The hosts close with brief thoughts on Novak Djokovic’s semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev’s opportunity in the Wimbledon final. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bIpMLVtTEAo , listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and follow @bestofthreepodcast on Instagram. Send us Fan Mail

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 more about problem-solving under pressure. The episode also turns to Linda Noskova, whose rise is framed not as a sudden Wimbledon breakthrough but as the continuation of a steady top-ten trajectory. Her serve, touch, and composure fit into a larger Czech tennis identity built on variety, feel, and intelligent grass-court play. Send us Fan Mail

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 improved willingness to move forward. On the women’s side, Linda Noskova and Marta Kostyuk are framed as players entering a separation phase: no longer prospects in theory, but major-stage players being asked to prove it under pressure. Send us Fan Mail

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 fifth-set breaker became the clearest separation point: Felix had played like a contender for more than five hours, but Djokovic still managed the match like the standard. The episode also turns to Coco Gauff’s grass-court evolution after her win over Jessica Pegula. Coco is beginning to show a more aggressive version of herself on grass, built around a bigger serve, more purposeful net play, and growing trust in the forehand. The discussion closes with Gauff-Muchova, Naomi Osaka’s exit, and the tactical shape of the women’s draw. Send us Fan Mail

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 improvement can hold up against an elite player who knows exactly where to direct pressure. The episode also examines Naomi Osaka’s win over Aryna Sabalenka, led by serving and first-strike control, and looks ahead to Osaka’s contrast with Karolina Muchova. On the men’s side, Felix Auger-Aliassime’s five-set win sets up a meaningful confidence test against Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam setting. Send us Fan Mail