← Served with Andy Roddick
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What'S up Chuckers? Producer Mike here and this is your served five setter, a weekly roundup of all things racket sports. Five stories in 10 minutes or less. Today is October 17th and this is what we got for for you. More support for players on and off the court A fight over court space in Scotland, the kissing defense makes a comeback. That's a new one and a major milestone for junior tennis. But first, more tough news from the WTA Tour. Emma Raducanno has joined a growing list of WTA players ending their season now the British world number one has struggled with intense heat and humidity during the Asian swing. Just last week at the Wuhan Open, Emma was forced to retire from her first round match after suffering dizzy spells and needing a courtside blood pressure check. Things have not fared any better for the 22 year old this week, again needing medical attention during her first round match at the Ningbo Open. It's the end of a year that saw Raducannu climb back to the top 30 and collect 28 match wins. But the grind has taken its toll. And she's not alone. Daria Kasakina recently admitted she'd reached, quote, a breaking point, needing time to reset mentally before next season. Similar reasons led to Alina Svitolina, Beatriz Haddad, Maya and Jill Taekman to end their 2025 campaigns early. All right, on to set number two. To help support players well being both on and off the court, the ITF launched its new player care program. Players can use a new well being tracking app to better understand how their mental and physical health impacts performance. Tennis's governing body says athletes can also get tips on financial planning and help with career preparation once their playing days are over. ITF President David Hagarty said, quote, we recognize that players are more than just competitors and this new program is based on the principle that optimal performance as an international tennis player is can only be achieved through a combination of physical health and mental well being. This comprehensive initiative is available to all players competing on ITF tours, including wheelchair and beach tennis. Okay, we're hopping across the pond for set number three where in Scotland Tennis and Padel, or paddle or whatever you want to call it, are going head to head. Britain's leading man, Jack Draper along with others are speaking out against plans to turn indoor tennis courts at Glasgow's Scottoon Leisure center in into paddle courts. The eight court facility hosts ATP Challenger and ITF World Tennis Tour events every year and it's where stars like Draper and world number 81 Jacob Fernley played as juniors. The city council owns the center and it's operated by Glasgow Life. The reported proposal would convert part of the eight court indoor arena into paddle courts. However, Tennis Scotland is saying hold on. They've warned the council that future tour events could disappear from Glasgow's calendar if this goes ahead. In the letter sent to council signed by Draper and Fernley, Tennis Scotland CEO Blaine Dodds wrote, there is a need for more additional community accessible indoor tennis courts in Glasgow, not fewer. Going on to say the national strategy is to increase the number of indoor tennis courts. Removing indoor courts is counter to this national strategy, Mr. Dodds claims. Tennis Scotland and their partners are willing to provide an interest free loan for the creation of a four court paddle facility at Scottsdoon so the eight court indoor tennis arena can remain as is. So the message is pretty simple. Support Padel, just don't do it at the expense of tennis. I'm all for paddle, but build your own right. Moving on to set number four with an update on a doping case making international headlines. Gonzalo Oliveira tested positive for methamphetamine last November while playing a Challenger event in Mexico. The Portuguese born player denied ever taking the drug and claimed the positive result was caused by a kiss after pleading his case to an independent tribunal. The result? A four year suspension by the ITIA. The former top 100 doubles player is eligible to compete again in January of 2029. Shockingly, this is not the first time an athlete has claimed the quote kissing defense. Back in 2009, Richard Gasquet said a nightclub kiss led to his positive cocaine test. And last year, French Olympic fencer Izura Thebus said she was contaminated with a banned substance as a result of repeatedly kissing her partner over a nine day period. Naturally, they were both eventually cleared. Now let's wrap up this week with set number five and some awesome news out of the juniors tennis world. The legendary Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships returns this December. Regarded as a Grand Slam for juniors, the four day event has been a launchpad for the careers of stars like Graft, Federer, Goff, and our very own Andy Roddick. Now, for the first time ever, the Wheelchair Tennis Juniors Masters is joining the party at the Orange Bowl. This is a big move for the sport. ITF president David Haggerty had this to say about the addition. This prestigious stage has a long history of developing future champions, and by hosting our top junior players here, we are providing them with an environment that challenges, inspires and and elevates their game. Maybe the next Tokido Oda will emerge from this draw. And if you want to learn more about wheelchair tennis, check out our interview with hall of Famer Rick Draney, one of the real pioneers of wheelchair tennis. It's an awesome listen and it's waiting for you on our YouTube page. All right, before we go, it is tiebreak trivia time. And of course, it is Orange Bull focused. Which current WTA pro is the most recent player to have won Both the under 16 and under 18 titles at the Orange Bowl? Want the answer without the hassle of searching the Internet? Don't worry, we did it for you. Click the link in the show description and sign up for our five setter newsletter where you'll find the answer to the tiebreak trivia as well as the rest of the top stories from the week and our weekend draw. So you know what to watch, where and when. Be sure to hit subscribe on YouTube and follow us on your favorite podcast platform to stay up on all things served. Thank you guys for tuning in and listening and I'll see you chuckers on Tuesday. Later.
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Excludes Massachusetts.