Professional tennis players are some of the least represented athletes in professional sports. From the grueling schedule to the relatively low share of revenue, even down to the type of balls used in tournaments, the players have little to no say in decisions that affect their lives and health immensely. This week, we break down the issue and ponder if there is any reason to hope that things will get better for them.

Also:

• PICKLEBRAWL at a Florida country club
• Coco Gauff speaks truth to power once again
• No Carne Asada (or any other meat) at the Mexican Open

Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.com

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast

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There's long been an argument in tennis against women receiving equal pay that it's because they don't play full Best of Five matches in the Grand Slams. It's a weak and weird argument because outside of the Slams, everyone plays Best of Three, and some of those tournaments *still* don't have equal pay. Regardless, Australian Open CEO Craig Tiley wants to change all this. He's pushing for the women to play those long matches at the AO and beyond. Is it a good idea? Will it happen? Does Bryan have a wholly unworkable alternative? Listen and find out!

Also,

• Brad Gilbert didn't like Bad Bunny's Halftime performance and thought they should have had some "Bay area rock instead"
• Two new "Heated Rivalry"-style gay tennis romance novels are coming out soon
• Is Serena coming back to professional tennis for real? (She's coming back for real)

Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.com

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we draw the line between a "lie" and a "lie-lie".

We all lie! Whether it's your "colonoscopy appointment" on the day of your sister's "baby shower", or "does a hangover qualify as a 'sick day'?", we all lie at least once in our life. What kinds of lies are okay? Who gets to decide? What does it matter?

Also:

• There were too many cameras at the Australian Open! Enough with all the cameras!
• Slam trophies for coaches is new and a bit weird and cringe?

Send us your hot takes at perfectmatchpodcast@gmail.com

As always tell your friends, rate this podcast in your app, and send us feedback at https://www.perfectmatchpodcast.com/

You can also follow us on Bluesky at @perfectmatchpodcast.com or @shellsteak and YouTube at @PerfectMatchPodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.