Ground Pass: A Tennis Podcast
by Anastasia Folorunso, Nick Carter
Ground Pass is a tennis podcast for curious newcomers and longtime followers alike. We cover the sport from a non-technical point of view. Anastasia is your guide to what it’s like to experience tournaments in person, with insight into the fashion and culture around tennis, while Nick is our resident history buff. We keep things fun and light because it’s just tennis, and tennis should be enjoyed with friends. So hello, friends. Welcome to your guides to tennis from the grounds.
Episodes
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WTA Finals Preview… But What Is Going On in Paris?
The WTA Finals come to Indian Wells this year, and Anastasia and Nick have your starter kit. They walk through how the round robin works, how the standings get settled, why you can lose a match and still win the title, and what changes when the event is outdoors in the desert in November with…
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Nobody Had Ben Shelton on the List: Ferrero’s 2027 Surprise
Juan Carlos Ferrero is joining Ben Shelton's team for 2027, working alongside Ben's dad and coach, Bryan. Anastasia and Lucy hit record minutes after the news broke for Ground Pass's first emergency pod. They go through the Times scoop, why nobody had Ben on the list, and Lucy's February take on...
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Nobody on Jeopardy Got This Tennis Question: Davis Cup and Team Events, Explained
A Jeopardy tennis category had one clue nobody could answer, and it was about Davis Cup. Nick plays along with every question, and then we read a listener DM that sums up why this episode exists: a fan who watches nearly every WTA event still has no idea when Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, or...
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Tennis Has a Super Bowl. Why Doesn’t It Feel Like One?
The ATP and WTA Finals bring the eight best players in the world together at the end of the season. Anastasia Folorunso and Ian Mondul talk about how players qualify, how the race differs from the rankings, how the round robin and tiebreak rules work, and why Anastasia thinks simplifying tennis…
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Coco Gauff Was Right. Medvedev Was Defaulted. Are Tennis Rules Fair?
Tennis Rules can feel so subjective depending on the tournament or the umpire in the chair. Coco Guaff and Daniil Medvedev bore the brunt of these rules last week in different ways that could have been avoided. Check out our Newsletter - https://groundpass.substack.com This week on the podcast we...
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Carlos Alcaraz loves Laver Cup and Leylah Fernandez keeps winning in Asia
Laver Cup brought the fun back into tennis this week with Carlos Alcaraz in full highlight reel form. And Singapore delivered on the tennis storylines, concussions and all. My Davis Cup picks - https://youtu.be/WnDw9_XLXao?si=ucBtnKACae_0BMT6 Laver Cup has single handedly gotten me excited again...
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Team USA Davis Cup disappointment and a quiet tennis week
For the second year in a row Team USA has not made the Final 8 of the Davis Cup, even with top players Ben Shelton and Learner Tien on the team. Houston we have a problem. Missed our other US Open Recap? Find it here - https://youtu.be/P85BFnvKBUU?si=ey4D07SM-8g8tsBl Its was a slow week, sort of,...
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US Open Recap - The Winners, Losers and were the influencers really a problem?
The US Open 2026 is finally over and some of us are happy about that. Find out who in our US Open Recap. Missed our other US Open Shows? Find them here - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZEVwWfsDIfA&si=kFbIKK47ljI2M01w Elena Rybakina and Alexander Zverev are the US Open Champions no one saw...
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US Open 2026: Shelton vs Zverev, Sabalenka vs Rybakina, and How We Got Here
Ben Shelton beat Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Zverev beat Karen Khachanov to set the men's final. Aryna Sabalenka went through Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina came through Coco Gauff to set the women's. Ian joins Anastasia to recap the quarterfinals and semifinals, including Shelton's 3:33 a.m....
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US Open Round 4 - Comebacks, Armstrong, and the US Open Ticket Market
Qinwen Zheng came back from 5-0 down for the second straight match, Tiafoe remains undefeated on Armstrong, and the ticket market at the US Open is in free fall. US Open Round 3 Recap: https://youtu.be/P0PYAjyTDbE?si=BlBESdwZntSxyx6e Anastasia and Ian go through Round 4 at the US Open: Zheng's…
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US Open Round Three: Ashe, Armstrong, and Who Gets Moved
Eala and Jović opened the Ashe night session while Naomi Osaka played Armstrong. We recap US Open round three from the grounds, on the worst day for the Americans. ▶ Round 2 Recap: https://youtu.be/9rBDwwJCLXw?si=3ELLEmErZaPO5uTW Anastasia is joined in this episode by Ava Wallace of The Athletic...
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US Open Round Two: The Influencer Debate, Prediction Markets, and Court 17 (with Ian Mondul)
Round two recap with Ian Mondul. The influencer debate at Ashe, the prediction market partnership, Sabalenka's press conferences, and the outside courts. Watch next: US Open Round One Recap → https://youtu.be/2HuFYysvopo?si=cNp4QuN-YnELAvKD Anastasia and Ian Mondul recap round two at the US Open....
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Djokovic Is Out, Alcaraz Is Back (US Open First Round, On Site)
Djokovic loses a first round at a major for the first time in twenty years, Alcaraz returns from a wrist injury, and Monfils wins on his fortieth birthday. A Look at the new Arthur Ashe: https://youtu.be/tn-V6veuRrY?si=YhT4wT-m9RX0_1vD First round recap after three days of rain. We cover…
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US Open 2026 Preview "LIVE" from the Grounds - with Christian's Court
Is Carlos Alcaraz ready? What first round matches are we excited for? Who are the qualifiers to watch? And how do you actually navigate the US Open on Day 1? Christian of Christian's Court and I answer your questions in our US Open preview. We recorded this on the grounds the night before the…
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Cincinnati Made History, and the US Open is here
Two 1000s ran back to back with no gap, so this episode is a two-parter. We recorded it during the Cincinnati men's final, with the score running underneath us the whole time. Act one is Cincinnati. Arthur Fils and Frances Tiafoe met in the first ATP Masters 1000 final between two Black players....
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The People Growing Tennis (with Christian of Christian's Court)
Coco Gauff shouted out Christian's Court in a press conference this week, and that moment says a lot about who tennis lets in and who is actually growing it. Links: Send us a voice memo - https://www.groundpasspodcast.com/voice-memo Christian’s response to Coco Gauff -...
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Alex Eala Beat Five Champions and DC Proved a Point
Alex Eala won the DC Open by going through Qinwen Zheng, Leylah Fernandez, Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina, and Jessica Pegula, and became the first Filipino player to win a WTA singles title. This one is a solo pod, recorded late after a work day, about what that week actually looked like from the...
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Live from the DC Open, the Most Fun Week in Tennis (with Ava)
We are live from the DC Open. The only tournament where you can record a podcast in the middle of the grounds and a player might pull up in the background. Watch our first dispatch from the grounds: https://youtu.be/xbFo_LAHqkc?si=HlCS40XTU3EIjIfR Anastasia and Ava are on the grounds in…
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Tennis Has a Storytelling Problem (ft. Ryan Ng of Forty Love Studio)
Nobody becomes a tennis fan from a highlight reel. This week, Ryan Ng of 40 Love Studio joins Anastasia to talk about the storytelling gap in tennis: the quirky grassroots characters going uncaptured, the six years Ryan spent off the court after the yips took his forehand, and the...
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Winning Wimbledon, and Still Being Invisible
Linda Noskova won Wimbledon, and we couldn't name a single storyline for her. Alex Eala and Coco Gauff lost and stayed everywhere. This week we sit with the gap between results and recognition: how a champion can go unnoticed, how one outfit can outrun a match, and why the players worth knowing...
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Alex Eala Took Out Swiatek and Took Over Wimbledon (Round Three)
Alex Eala beat Iga Swiatek, hit the Wimbledon rocket ship, and became the story of Round Three. Ava was on the grounds to watch it happen. Anastasia was catching the ESPN version from a 101 degree New York, where the broadcast was still busy with Serena. That gap is the episode. Because while the...
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The Draw That Broke Everyone's Heart - Wimbledon Round 2 Recap
Round Two gave us the comeback we wanted and then the bracket took it right back. Grigor Dimitrov redeems last year's Centre Court heartbreak against Mensik, and the draw immediately pairs him with Berrettini, the other great comeback story, in Round Three. We get into why tennis is such an...
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Serena Got the Cameras, College Tennis Got the Wins (Wimbledon Round One, with Ian)
Serena's return pulled every headline at Wimbledon, and it earned it. But round one had a second story running underneath, and nobody was flagging it. Ana and Ian recap a first round where grass humbled the favorites, the broadcast could not stop replaying the slips, and the players still…
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Tennis Media, Explained: Who Owns the Sport (with Chris Eubanks)
Why does the same tournament charge different ticket prices for the men's and women's draws? Why can you bet on a match you're not allowed to stream? And do you really need seven subscriptions to follow the sport? Chris Eubanks joins Anastasia to decode the tennis media maze from the ground up…
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The Wimbledon Draw Reaction: Serena, Draper vs Fritz, and a Grass Court in Central Park
The Wimbledon draw is out and it's a lot, in the best way. We react to Serena Williams' return, the round one shock of Jack Draper vs Taylor Fritz, and the storylines pulling casual fans back to tennis at exactly the right time. Then we get practical. We break down the Queue (a £33 ground pass…
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Serena Williams is playing singles at Wimbledon and Frances Tiafoe and Fransisco Cerundolo win their biggest titles
Serena Williams takes over a quiet week in tennis and makes her return to singles at Wimbledon. ▶ Watch next: OFF SEASON, Episode 7 — https://youtu.be/DBEQ8JbqyMA?si=-B8rgYbIId5eGxaI It was supposed to be a quiet mini pod but Serena Williams and Wimbledon has other ideas when they announced her...
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Serena's Comeback, Emma's Resurgence, and a Lucky Loser Who Won Queens
Serena Williams Makes her return to tennis and Emma Raducanu looks likes she about to win Wimbeldon. ▶ Watch next: OFF SEASON, Episode 7 — https://youtu.be/DBEQ8JbqyMA?si=-B8rgYbIId5eGxaI In this Episode of the podcast we are joined by Kaya who was on the grounds for us at Queens. Ground Pass is...
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Mirra Andreeva fufils her potential and Sasha Zverev tries to rewrite his story
Mirra Andreeva and Sasha Zverev have changed their storylines with Grand Slam wins at this Roland Garros. ▶ Watch next: OFF SEASON, Episode 7 — https://youtu.be/DBEQ8JbqyMA?si=-B8rgYbIId5eGxaI For Andreeva this could be the beginning of many more and for Zverev he can say he at least won one. We...
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It will be life changing for anyone who wins Roland Garros
The Finals are set between Mirra Andreeva and Maja Chwalinska & Alexandar Zverev and Flavio Cobolli. WE had such fun stories to get here. ▶ Watch next: OFF SEASON, Episode 7 — https://youtu.be/DBEQ8JbqyMA?si=-B8rgYbIId5eGxaI Chapters: 00:00 Germaphobia and Tournament Withdrawals 03:09 Aryna…
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Roland Garros Week 1 Recap - Sinner, Gauff, Djokovic Out so who is in?
Mid way through Roland Garros 2026 and this one is already for the history books. The quarterfinals are set. Its anybodies tournament. ▶ Watch next: OFF SEASON, Episode 7 — https://youtu.be/DBEQ8JbqyMA?si=-B8rgYbIId5eGxaI Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:05 Roland Garros Tournament Overview 05:00 Next…
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Roland Garros 2026 Preview: One Half of the Draw Is Doing All the Work
The draw is out, Paris is heating up, and Ground Pass is back with a full Roland Garros 2026 preview. Anastasia and Nick break down a lopsided men's draw where most of the drama lives in the bottom half, a wide-open women's draw with at least fifteen real title contenders, and the section of the...
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Rome Wraps, Roland Garros Opens, and the Book Bringing Sexy Back to Tennis
Rome is done and Roland Garros starts tomorrow. Anastasia is joined by Lucy Deuce for a tennis-friends-on-the-couch breakdown of one of the loudest weeks of the clay swing: Jannik Sinner completing the Career Golden Masters at 24, Elina Svitolina lifting a third Rome title and locking herself…
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Upsets, Gucci, and Doubt: Rome Week One
Nick is back from a birthday recharge in Wales and we're getting into Rome. Sinner is playing in all-black Gucci and closing in on the Career Masters at 24. Arthur Fils, Ben Shelton, Fonseca, and FAA are all out or struggling three weeks before Roland Garros. Sabalenka looks beatable for the…
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Hailey's Breakthrough, Sinner's Streak, and Rome on Deck
A mini pod to wrap Madrid and look ahead to Rome. We get into Hailey Baptiste's career-best run, Marta Kostyuk's unbeaten clay season (and the backflip we didn't know we needed), Mirra Andreeva's two finals, Townsend and Siniakova's doubles takeover, and the men's final that we, frankly, did not...
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Alcaraz Is Out, Madrid Gets Weird, and a New Roland Garros Champion?
Carlos Alcaraz is out of Rome and Roland Garros, and the men's draw in Madrid has cracked wide open. Anastasia and Nick break down what the wrist injury means for Paris, why Rafa Jodar and Daniel Merida are the names to know, and how Hailey Baptiste is quietly playing herself into a Roland Garros...
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Who's Next in the New Big Three? Shelton and Fils Stake a Claim, Plus Rybakina's 2nd Porsche
Nick is on his own for the mini pod this week while I'm off the grid, and there is a lot to get through. Rybakina picks up her second Porsche in Stuttgart after surviving a Leylah Fernandez match that nearly became the women's match of the year. Karolina Muchova finally gets Coco Gauff. Mirra...
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Clay Season Is Here. Sinner vs Alcaraz, Vacherot’s Monte Carlo Run, and Lilli Tagger’s Breakthrough
This week on Ground Pass, Anastasia and Nick settle in for the start of the European clay season and break down a busy week across Monte Carlo and Linz. They get into another chapter of the Sinner vs Alcaraz rivalry, the magic of Valentin Vacherot’s run at his home Masters, and why Monte Carlo...
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Why the Charleston Open Feels Different
Anastasia is back from the Charleston Open with a full on-site recap of one of the most beloved stops on the WTA calendar. She breaks down Jessica Pegula’s title defense, Yulia Starodubtseva’s breakthrough run, and why Charleston continues to stand out as a fan favorite. Featuring interviews from...
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Miami Open recap, Sunshine Double storylines, and what beginners should know
After a month apart, we’re finally back together to catch up on everything that happened across the Miami Open. We talk through the tournament’s unique ground pass experience, why Miami feels so different from Indian Wells, and the players and storylines that defined the back half of the Sunshine...
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From Indian Wells to Miami. Inside the Sunshine Double
Anastasia checks in from the Miami Open after a whirlwind stretch through Indian Wells and the start of the Sunshine Double. In this mini-pod, she recaps what Indian Wells felt like on the ground, from ticketing issues and practice court culture to the players and storylines that defined the...
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“Live” from Indian Wells its Ground Pass!
“Live” from Indian Wells its Ground Pass! Join Anastasia and guest co-host Ian Mondul on the pod recorded from Tennis Paradise in the desert. Things we discuss: What the Tournament has been like so far and the changes this year The Lululemon take over The Tennis so far: The Americans, Alex Eala…
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Meet the Professionals. Mike Cation on Challenger Tennis, Commentary, and Careers
Meet the Professionals with Mike Cation, the voice of Challenger tennis. We talk commentary reps, relationships, journalistic ethics, and how to break into tennis jobs through volunteering and college tennis. Plus a quick tour check-in as Medvedev wins Dubai by walkover and Tiafoe reaches the...
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February Is the Best Month in Tennis (And We Can Prove It)
Anastasia is back from Delray Beach and has thoughts. A lot of them. This week, we get into why February might just be the best month on the tennis calendar, what it was actually like on the ground at the Delray Beach Open, and why the draw felt more like a 500 than a 250. We also break down...
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Dallas Open Dispatch + Doha Recap, Muchova’s Moment, and What’s Next in Delray
Anastasia is on the road in Florida after covering the Dallas Open in person and she is breaking down what made it such a great “small tournament, big tennis” week. We talk atmosphere, access, and why Dallas felt like a stadium-within-a-stadium event. Then we jump to Doha where Karolina Muchova...
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Dallas Open Mini-Pod: Raducanu Final, Draper Returns, Bejlek Breakthrough, OFF SEASON Updates
Anastasia is on the ground in Dallas for her first Dallas Open, kicking off the season’s first mini-pod from a hotel room after a long travel day. She recaps a busy post–Australian Open week across the tours, from Emma Raducanu’s return to a final in Cluj-Napoca and Katie Boulter’s title in...
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Australian Open 2026 Review: Rybakina Reigns, Alcaraz Makes History, Sabalenka Sets the Bar
We made it through 15 days of Melbourne and the finals delivered. Elena Rybakina outlasts Aryna Sabalenka in a fire-and-ice classic to claim her second Slam. Then Carlos Alcaraz beats Novak Djokovic to complete the Career Grand Slam at 22. We also shout out Tokito Oda, celebrate doubles champs…
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Australian Open Semis Finally Delivered - Alcaraz Survival, Djokovic Magic, Finals Preview
We finally gets the semi-finals we were waiting for. We break down Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner vs Novak Djokovic, including the cramping debate, the breakpoint chaos, and what it all means for a historic final. Plus, quick hits on Aryna Sabalenka vs Elina Svitolina, Elena...
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Australian Open QF Recap. Semifinals Preview. And Are the BTS Cameras Too Much?
The Australian Open quarterfinals are done. The seeds mostly held, the men’s side stayed tidy, and the women gave us the sharper tension. We break down Alcaraz vs De Minaur, Zverev vs Learner Tien, Sinner’s control against Shelton, and Djokovic’s strange path into the semis after Musetti’s…
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Australian Open R3–R4 Recap. Next Gen Takes Over, Learner Tien Respect, and Quarterfinal Picks
Round three and four are in the books, and we are looking ahead to a stacked quarterfinal slate. We talk WTA Next Gen fearlessness (Mboko, Jovic, Andreeva), the conversation around confidence and “earning it,” and why Learner Tien is still not getting the respect he deserves. Plus: the Sinner…
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Australian Open Fashion Breakdown. Naomi Osaka’s Runway. Sabalenka x Gucci. Best Kits So Far
It is the Grand Slam fashion episode. I am joined by Ian Mondul of 40 Love Tennis to break down the Australian Open fits that are actually moving the needle. We talk Naomi Osaka’s runway moment and why it is more tennis heritage than people think, Sabalenka’s new Gucci partnership, Musetti’s...
About this show
Ground Pass is a tennis podcast for curious newcomers and longtime followers alike. We cover the sport from a non-technical point of view. Anastasia is your guide to what it’s like to experience tournaments in person, with insight into the fashion and culture around tennis, while Nick is our resident history buff. We keep things fun and light because it’s just tennis, and tennis should be enjoyed with friends. So hello, friends. Welcome to your guides to tennis from the grounds.
Hosted by
Anastasia Folorunso, Nick Carter