Federer to Newport, Hewitt & Son Shine, College Stars Battle

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "Federer to Newport, Hewitt & Son Shine, College Stars Battle"

Podcast: Served with Andy Roddick
Episode Date: November 21, 2025
Host: Producer Mike for Served with Andy Roddick
Guests/Featured Voices: Jon Wertheim, Billie Jean King, Kim Clijsters, Roger Federer, Jannik Sinner

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers a high-energy rundown of the latest tennis news across the globe, focusing on Roger Federer’s Hall of Fame induction, family feats from the Hewitt duo, player prize money rankings, heated debate over the Davis Cup schedule, and drama from the NCAA tennis championships. Designed for tennis enthusiasts, the "five setter" format covers five essential topics—each packed with inside insights, player perspectives, and memorable moments in under 10 minutes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Roger Federer Officially Headed to International Hall of Fame

• [01:04 – 02:22]

• Roger Federer, tennis icon, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2026.

• The announcement was made via Zoom by Kim Clijsters, with a virtual “Brady Bunch” of tennis legends.

• Fellow tennis great Billie Jean King and others chimed in to congratulate Roger, who appeared moved by the honor.

  Notable Quote:

  • “So many of you. Thank you. Hello everybody. Nice to see Patrick. I see you.” — Roger Federer, [01:56]

Mary Carrillo Honored as Contributor

• Renowned journalist Mary Carrillo is also set to be inducted.

• Billie Jean King highlights Carrillo’s legacy as a trailblazer for women in sports media.

  Notable Quote:

  • “You have blazed a trail in sports commentary and journalism...you are an amazing storyteller with a unique perspective and deep knowledge of the game and we need more like you in our sport and in our world.” — Billie Jean King, [02:37]

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2. Family Affair Down Under: Hewitt & Son Shine

• [03:11 – 03:55]
• Former world #1 Lleyton Hewitt teams up with his 16-year-old son Cruz at NSW Open, their first ATP Challenger match together.
• The Hewitts won their opener handily (6-0, 6-1) but lost a close second-round encounter (7-5, 6-4).
• Lleyton had not played a sanctioned event since 2020, making this a touching family tennis moment.

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3. Tennis Prize Money Rankings Released

• [03:55 – 05:50]
• Sportico’s 2025 prize money tracker revealed:
  • Men: Jannik Sinner No. 1 with $19.1M, Carlos Alcaraz second with $18.81M.
  • Women’s Top Earners: Aryna Sabalenka ($15M+), Iga Swiatek ($10M), Elena Rybakina ($8.4M), Coco Gauff ($7.9M), and Amanda Anisimova ($7.2M).
• Discussion of increasing parity between the top male and female earners—top 5 men combined: $54M, top 5 women: $48M.
• Noted that 23 of the top 50 earners are women, 27 are men.
• Novak Djokovic remains the all-time prize money leader with over $190 million.

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4. Davis Cup Format: Calls For Change

• [05:50 – 06:45]

• Davis Cup Finals underway in Bologna, but both Sinner and Alcaraz are resting, skipping the event due to congested schedules.

• Debate about whether the tournament should shift to a biennial or triennial schedule to better fit the calendar.

• Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner both support less frequency for Davis Cup to allow top players consistent participation.

  Notable Quote:

  • “With this schedule, Davis cup, it's difficult that you have every year from every country the best players in the world...I could see potentially in the future having Davis cup throughout two years.” — Jannik Sinner, [06:05]

• Sinner further advocates a return to home-and-away ties, saying neutral sites undermine the event’s unique energy.

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5. NCAA Tennis Championships: College Tennis on the Rise

• [06:45 – 08:37]
• The 2025 NCAA Division I singles and doubles championships are in full swing.
• Men’s Highlights:
  • Michael Zhang, defending champion, in the quarterfinals. He returned for his senior year after a strong run in ATP Challengers.
• Women’s Highlights:
  • Savannah Dada Moscol of Appalachian State advanced to the quarterfinals after a notable comeback.
• This year closes the NCAA’s experiment holding individual championships in the fall, which gives top players a chance at pro events in spring and summer.
• Past NCAA champs mentioned: Ben Shelton, Emma Navarro, Danielle Collins, Steve Johnson, Bob Bryan.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Roger Federer on his Hall of Fame call:
  “So many of you. Thank you. Hello everybody. Nice to see Patrick. I see you.”
  — Roger Federer, [01:56]

• Billie Jean King on Mary Carrillo:
  “You have blazed a trail in sports commentary and journalism and are setting an example for young people everywhere, especially girls and women in and out of sports. You are an amazing storyteller...”
  — Billie Jean King, [02:37]

• Jannik Sinner on the Davis Cup schedule:
  “...with this schedule, Davis cup, it's difficult that you have every year from every country the best players in the world...”
  — Jannik Sinner, [06:05]

• Producer Mike (on NCAA champs progressing to the pro level):
  “Recent singles champions have gone on to be pretty good at the next level, including Ben Shelton, Emma Navarro, Danielle Collins, Nothing Major, Steve Johnson and Friend of the show and hall of Famer Bob Bryan.”
  — Producer Mike, [08:15]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:04] – Federer’s Hall of Fame induction announcement
• [02:37] – Billie Jean King on Mary Carrillo
• [03:11] – Hewitt and son compete at NSW Open
• [03:55] – 2025 prize money breakdown
• [05:50] – Davis Cup controversy and player reactions
• [06:45] – NCAA tennis championships highlights

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Overall Tone

The episode is lively, witty, and blends reverence for the sport’s legends with a playful, newsy delivery. Host Producer Mike keeps things brisk, mixing facts with tennis fandom and inside-joke flair ("Cha Ching," “Brady Bunch-esque,” “dynamic duo down under”). The show values both nostalgia for the sport’s golden moments and forward-looking analysis on the future of tennis formats and stars.

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Transcript

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[Producer Mike]

What's up Chuckers? Producer Mike here. And this is your served five setter. A weekly roundup of all things racquet sports. Five stories in 10 minutes or less. Today is November 21st and this is what we got for you. Show me the money. Prize money that is. Plus college tennis crowns its championship. Top stars call for Davis cup changes and a dynamic duo down under. But first, the most obvious announcement in the history of sports. Roger Federer is officially headed to the International Tennis hall of Fame. The goat received the news via a zoom call led by our friend Kim Kleisters, along with a Brady Bunch esque collection of legends. Check out this post from the hall of Fame.

[Hall of Fame Announcer]

In addition to all the fans that you have here, we have some fans and friends of yours that wanted to join virtually from all around the world.

[Roger Federer]

So many of you. Thank you. Hello everybody. Nice to see Patrick. I see you.

[Billie Jean King]

Hey Roger, Congratulations.

[Hall of Fame Announcer]

It is my great honor to officially let you know that you are going to be inducted into the International Tennis hall of fame in 2026.

[Producer Mike]

You can check out the whole video in our newsletter. Roger will not be the only great going to the hall this summer in Newport. Broadcaster, journalist and former player Mary Carrillo will also be inducted as a contributor. The great Billie Jean King had this message for the six time Emmy winner.

[Billie Jean King]

You have blazed a trail in sports commentary and journalism and are setting an example for young people everywhere, especially girls and women in and out of sports. You are an amazing storyteller with a unique perspective and deep knowledge of the game and we need more like you in our sport and in our world. I'm so happy for you. Welcome to the club and we can't wait to celebrate you in Newport next August 2026.

[Producer Mike]

On to set number two where we are sticking with the hall of Famer theme. Former world number one and International Tennis hall of Fame inductee Leighton Hewitt came out of retirement to team up with his 16 year old son Cruz at the NSW Open this week in Sydney. The duo dominated their match crushing fellow Aussies Hayden Jones and Pavle Marikov 606 1, dropping just one game in their first showdown at the ATP Challenger event. However, the father son run was short lived, losing their next match on Thursday to Dave Sweeney and Callum Puttergill. 7564 Hewitt hadn't played a sanctioned event since officially retiring in 2020. Congrats on the big week to the Hewitt family. Now let's talk Cheddar Sportico just dropped their 2025 prize money tracker and let me tell you, it has been a banner year for the bank accounts of the world's best tennis players. Topping the list is world number two Jannik sinner with $19.1 million in prize money this year. And you might be saying sinners number one. What about Carlos, the world number one? Well you guessed it, Carlitos is number two on the list by a mere 300k, coming in at $18.81 million. Next we have a string of women including Irina Sabalenka coming in at over 15 million, followed by Iga at 10 million, Rybakina at 8.4, Gauff at 7.9 and Amanda and A Samova who more than doubled her career earnings this year by taking home $7.2 million. Three men round out the top 10, showcasing the parody of prize money in tennis with the top five men on the list collectively bringing in roughly 54 million and the top five women some $48 million combined. Of the top 50 on the list, 23 are women, 27 are men. For perspective, of the 15 all time prize money earners, eight are active players with with Novak of course having brought home the Most with over 190 million and counting. Cha Ching on to set number four. The Davis Cup Final 8 kicked off this week in Bologna, Italy with two of tennis biggest stars missing from the rosters. Both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz elected to sit out this year's event citing rest and recovery needs. Concerns over players ability to participate in the Davis cup have become louder in recent years, many citing the congested calendar. Alcaraz recently voiced his opinion during the ATP finals in Turin, saying he thinks the tournament should be played every two to three years instead of annually. When asked about Carlos's comments, Sinner had this to say.

[Interviewer]

There's been some discussion about maybe the Davis Cup. It would benefit the competition and the players if rather than being every year, it was say every two years or every three years. Carlos was talking about it yesterday and he said, yeah, that might be a good idea. I just wondered what, what your thoughts were on that.

[Jannik Sinner]

Yeah, I mean Davis cup is a very interesting topic. You know, for me, every player has its own opinion. But I think, you know, playing with this schedule, Davis cup, it's difficult that you have every year from every country the best players in the world that what I would like or that what I could see potentially in the future having Davis cup throughout two years, you know, so you can also set up the semifinals in the beginning of the year.

[Producer Mike]

Jannik goes on to advocate for bringing back home and away matches, noting that playing on neutral sites diminishes the Davis cup feeling. We are rooting for an incredible finish to this year's event, but I have to agree with the big two here. What do you all think? Let us know in the comments. And finally, the 2025 NCAA Division 1 singles and doubles Championships are taking place right now at the USDA national campus in Orlando, Florida with the men's and women's tournaments getting underway on Tuesday. Defending men's champion Michael Zhang has rolled through to the quarterfinals which will be played today, Friday, Nov. 21. Last fall, the Columbia Lion Shout Out Rory the Lion became the first Ivy Leaguer to win the singles chip since 1992. Zhang has showed promise outside of the college system, winning three straight ATP Challenger titles this summer. Holding a 15 match win streak during the stretch, Zhang shocked many by deciding to come back for his senior season. Clearly he liked the view from the top and wanted more of it. Also making waves from a school outside the power four, Savannah Dada Moscol, the App State senior earned the number four seed in the tournament, riding in with a record 101 on the season. In a round of 16 match on Thursday, Savannah fought back from being down.03 in the third to advance to the quarterfinals. She will also play today. This is the final year of the NCAA's pilot program putting the individual championships in the fall, a scheduling change which allows athletes to play tour level events in the spring and the summer. See Michael Zhang. I bet this will come back. Recent singles champions have gone on to be pretty good at the next level, including Ben Shelton, Emma Navarro, Daniel Collins, Nothing Major, Steve Johnson and Friend of the show and hall of Famer Bob Bryant. If you're interested in watching, you can dial up the matches on ESPN this weekend. All right, now let's close it out with this week's Tiebreak trivia. Who is the last men's NCAA Singles Champion to win a Men's Single Slam title? Want the answer without the hassle of searching the Internet? Just sign up for our five setter newsletter link in the show description and we will share the answer to the Tiebreak trivia as well as the rest of the top stories from the week. Plus, you can find the weekend draws so you know what to watch, where and when. Be sure to hit the subscribe button on YouTube or follow us on your favorite podcast platform to stay up on all things Served. This is a production of Served Media made possible by techie Sean and all of the team behind the scenes. We will not be around next week because it will be Thanksgiving and I am going to be recovering from eating too much turkey. But you should check out our Black Friday sale of all of our merch. See you guys in a couple weeks. Bye.

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