Black Spin Global: The Podcast

Friend of the pod Sachia Vickery joins us to talk about all things OnlyFans. We caught up with Vickery on the eve of Roland Garros where she was continuing her rehab, supporting good friend Alycia Parks in the main draw and taking advantage of some rare downtime in Paris before her return to action at this year’s US Open. The American, who recently turned 30, is the most high-profile female p...

This is a celebratory podcast! Coco Gauff is a two-time Grand Slam champion after securing the French Open title. The 21-year-old American came back from a set down to beat world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 in the championship match. Lucy and Eugene share their thoughts on the dramatic final as well as Sabalenka’s comments post-match. We also hail the world No 2’s incredible mental fort...

Lucy and Eugene are back to break down the Roland Garros draw. Second seed Coco Gauff has a decent one for a change, while Arthur Fils, looking to record his first win in Paris, is scheduled to meet top seed Jannik Sinner in the fourth round. We get into all of it and reveal our predictions to close. Don't forget to rate, review and share on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Audioboom. For daily ...

In this emergency, no-notes pod, Lucy and Eugene discuss Jasmine Paolini’s magical run in Rome. The “Queen of Italy” secured her second WTA 1000 title in style, blitzing Coco Gauff in the final in front of a packed Campo Centrale. The Italian No 1, now back up to world No 4 in the singles ranking, also defended the doubles crown with Sara Errani. As well as giving Paolini her well-deserved p...

We're kicking things off with exciting news — you can now send us a voice message directly through our website to join the conversation! Got a hot take, a question, or just want to say hi? We want to hear from you!: https://blackspinglobal.com/#:~:text=Join%20the%20conversation In this episode, we discuss how Naomi Osaka is back in the winner’s circle, capturing the Saint-Malo title — her firs...

Lucy and Eugene dissect Serena’s Jannik Sinner comments in TIME magazine (2:50), salute Coco Gauff after her power player agency move (11:06) and discuss the possible outcomes as players demand more cash from the Grand Slams (13:39). And that is just the news. As far as action on the court, Billie Jean King Cup debutants Victoria Mboko and Hailey Baptiste both shine (21:38), Frances Tiafoe rea...

Lucy and Eugene sing Victoria Mboko’s praises after her strong showing at the Miami Open where Jasmine Paolini – “The Queen of Italy” – made a run to the semi-finals after taking out Naomi Osaka en route. Osaka, who saw off Hailey Baptiste in the third round, also turned in some good performances during her run to the round of 16. Florida girl Coco Gauff, who dished out a bagel, also reached th...

Lucy and Eugene are joined by Ground Pass founder Anastasia Folorunso to go over events at Indian Wells 2025. Anastasia talks about her experience on the grounds for Black Spin Global in Tennis Paradise where Madison Keys, playing in her first event since the Australian Open, cruised to the semi-finals and Arthur Fils and Ben Shelton both made the last eight. Listen out for Taylor Townsend an...

Legend of the game and Grand Slam champion Zina Garrison joins Lucy and Eugene for a special episode to mark International Women’s History Month. We spotlight the trailblazer who had a storied career that included a junior world No 1 ranking, junior major titles at Wimbledon and the US Open; 14 singles crowns and 20 in doubles (including three mixed Grand Slam titles) on the professional tour;...

Lucy and Eugene celebrate title winners Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is now a two-time champion on the ATP Tour in 2025, Evan King and Christian Harrison who secured their first tour-level doubles title in Dallas, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova (the doubles No 2 and No 1) winning their first WTA 1000 crown and Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani winning the title in Qatar. Mikael Ymer is bac...

To celebrate Black History Month in the United States, and in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Arthur Ashe winning Wimbledon, Black Spin Global dedicated a special episode to the pioneer who was one of the founders of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Lucy and Eugene delve into Ashe's early career that included graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)...

Lucy and Eugene are joined by Christian Basnight, founder of Christian's Court, to review the 2025 Australian Open where Madison Keys secured her first Grand Slam title, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova did it again in women’s doubles and Ben Shelton made another major semi-final. We talk about Keys’s championship-winning run in detail, paying particular attention to her semi-final again...

With week one of the 2025 Australian Open in the books, Lucy and Eugene go through all the action including No 3 seed Coco Gauff steamrolling through to the fourth round where Belinda Bencic awaits*. Listen out for who was pretty much spot on with their prediction for this match. Madison Keys, coming off the back of her title-run in Adelaide, has also looked very good in Melbourne. The newly-m...

Happy New Year! The 2025 season is up and running and so are Lucy and Eugene who get into all the goings-on from an eventful first week. What’s the deal with Elena Rybakina and Stefano Vukov? The Kazakh tops our news round-up. Coco Gauff, the United Cup MVP, carries the USA to victory and scores another significant win against Iga Swiatek. Jasmine Paolini and Felix Auger-Aliassime also got th...

*Disclaimer this interview was done in December 2024. To close out 2024 Lucy and Eugene are joined by Kenyan No 1 Angella Okutoyi! The Auburn University junior, studying business administration, talks us through her historic run at the junior Australian Open and winning the Wimbledon Girls’ doubles title in 2022, making history in 2023 after winning her first pro tournament at ITF level, play...

Lucy and Eugene, joined by friends of the pod Tumaini Carayol and Uche Amako, go through the highs and lows of the 2024 season. Does tennis have a doping problem? Iga Swiatek serving a quiet ban was not the best look, nor was Jannik Sinner testing positive earlier in the year. The Grand Slams (and the Olympics) provided a lot of joy, especially the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open – sho...

Myles David (@TunedIntoTennis) joins Lucy and Eugene to talk all things WTA Finals but before getting into festivities in Riyadh, flowers are duly given to Almaty runner-up Gabriel Diallo and Basel champion Giovani Mpetshi Perricard. This year’s elite eight on the WTA Tour are all either Grand Slam champions or WTA 1000 titleholders. The Purple Group is made up of Jasmine Paolini, Aryna Sabale...

Lucy and Eugene talk Laver Cup where Team Europe were victorious, but Team World’s Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton did record impressive singles wins over Daniil Medvedev. Changes in the coaching camps for Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek. Brand Patrick Mouratoglou joins up with Osaka and while technical guru Matt Daly steps into Gauff’s camp – exciting times ahead. Asian Swing has alre...

In recognition of Black History Month in the UK, Black Spin Global got to record a special episode at Wimbledon to showcase the achievements of black tennis players at SW19 from the past to the present. Althea Gibson, the first black player (male or female) to win a Grand Slam; Arthur Ashe, the last black man to reach world No 1; storied sisters Venus and Serena Williams; father and son duo Br...

*Disclaimer: this interview was recorded during the 2nd week of Wimbledon 2024. Coach John B Williams joins us to talk about his latest book The Champions Code: 5 Attributes of Winners. Find out what the inspiration was, what the writing process entailed and some of the takeaways to expect. “Knowledge/information serves no purpose if it’s not shared and it’s not applied.” Williams also review...

Retiring Donald Young and Taylor Townsend take the runners-up crown in mixed doubles after falling in straight sets to Italian third seeds Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. We appreciate Townsend acknowledging the significance of the presence of black players in the latter stages of the tournament during the trophy presentation. Frances Tiafoe’s nerve got the better of him in a thrilling all-A...

Lucy and Eugene sit down with #ChristopherEubanks in New York to catch up on his 2024 season which has been challenging but rewarding in equal measure. Among other things, the American talks us through his Davis Cup debut at the start of the year, the Paris Olympics where #CocoGauff was the star attraction, adjusting to life as an ATP Tour regular and his "excellent commentary" work for #ESPN ...

Jasmine Paolini falls to Karolina Muchova in straight sets – the talented Czech was the more solid player throughout the encounter. Been a good Grand Slam season for Paolini who reached the fourth round or better at all the majors this year. Enjoyed her comments about having Anna Wintour watch her match. Frances Tiafoe, yet again, rises to the occasion and sees off Grigor Dimitrov who was forc...

Coco Gauff goes down to Emma Navarro again, but this time in three. The 2023 champion’s serve deserted her at crucial times and she spoke openly about getting “other opinions” to help remedy the issue. Frances Tiafoe put on another show under the lights, fending off a comeback by the in-form Australian Alexei Popyrin in four quality sets. Big Foe is now looking forward to his third consecutive...

Jasmine Paolini booked her place in the fourth round in comfortable fashion, seeing off fellow shorty Yulia Putintseva in straight sets. The Italian used the word “solid” to describe her performance which is exactly what it was. She has now reached the second week at all the Grand Slams in 2024 and is the first Italian woman in the open era to achieve that feat. Gabriel Diallo, playing in the ...

Coco Gauff stayed the course against Elina Svitolina, coming back from a set down in similar fashion to the match she played against the Ukrainian in Auckland earlier this year. Good to see the reigning champ find good form heading into the second week in New York. Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton provide box office, primetime entertainment in the afternoon on Ashe as Tiafoe registers his first ...

Jasmine Paolini was through to the third round before we even got to the grounds after Karolina Pliskova retired due to a rolled ankle. Gabriel Diallo vs Arthur Fils did not disappoint and produced a result that we did not see coming. Two-time champion Naomi Osaka fell to last year’s semi-finalist Karolina Muchova but had her chances in the two-set defeat – she was in relatively good spirits a...

We had Madison Keys get things off to a winning start on Arthur Ashe, where Frances Tiafoe followed and looked impressive before Alexander Shevchenko retired. We’re getting the third-round matchup we all wanted after Ben Shelton got the job done against Roberto Bautista Agut. Coco Gauff played her first night match and handed Tatjana Maria a bagel en route to victory. The day did start (and en...

Day 2 was special! Naomi Osaka provided two shows, a fashion show and a tennis show, on Louis Armstrong as she saw off Jelena Ostapenko in straights. Arthur Fils and Gabriel Diallo will do battle in round two after both won their first-round matches in four. There were defeats for Felix Auger-Aliassime and 18-year-old wildcard Matthew Forbes who looks like he has a bright future ahead. Listen...

Our first day at the US Open is in the books, and boy… what a day it was! Ben Shelton, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys and Taylor Townsend all won in straight sets, while Gael Monfils and Frances Tiafoe took the four-set route. There were defeats for debutant Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Christopher Eubanks who went down in five, and Sloane Stephens who fell after dishing out a bagel. Listen out for...

Lucy and Eugene big up Frances Tiafoe for making it to his first Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati – the American, back inside the top 20, fell to Jannik Sinner who escaped a ban after testing positive for a steroid that was unknowingly administered by his physio. Hear our thoughts and opinions. The final Grand Slam of the year (#USOpen) is here and we dive into the draw – Coco Gauff, Jasmine P...

Black Spin Global had the pleasure of being the official podcast partner of the 2024 Tennis Black List awards. The event, in its second year, was supported by the LTA, Barclays and YC Sports. We won the Media category, which was a huge honour, and were able to speak to some of the award winners including Tatenda Makoni, recipient of the Game Changer in the Community award as well as Leonard Og...

Lucy and Eugene shout-out Arthur Fils, Alycia Parks and doubles pair Taylor Townsend and Asia Muhammad who all picked up titles since we were last on. We share our thoughts on the Olympics and the huge role tennis played in the opening ceremony – great to see Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Amelie Mauresmo represent and what a time for Team USA flag bearer Coco Gauff alongside LeBron James. ...

Ladies’ finals day did not disappoint, but it was not to be for our girl Jasmine Paolini who lost out to 31st seed Barbora Krejcikova in three quality sets. Paolini more than gave a good account of herself in a match that was a great advert for women’s tennis and doubles, as both had their moments with great net play. The Italian, understandably not as upbeat in press afterwards, was still po...

Day 11 saw Jasmine Paolini book her place in her second consecutive Grand Slam final, and first at Wimbledon, after a three-set epic against Donna Vekic. The Croatian was the first to settle and took the opening set before Paolini upped it in set two to draw level and then persevered in the third to take it in the match tiebreak. The Italian was good vibes in press, as always, and spoke about...

Day 9 was a historic one for our Italian-Ghanaian sister Jasmine Paolini who secured her place in the semi-finals with a fine 6-2, 6-1 victory over 19th seed Emma Navarro. The 28-year-old becomes the first Italian woman to reach the last four at SW19. Paolini is one match away from her second consecutive Grand Slam final but will have to get past Donna Vekic on Thursday. Listen out for presse...

Day 8 saw our young French first-timers Giovanni Mpetishi Perricard and Arthur Fils fall in the fourth round to two talented seeded opponents – (25)Lorenzo Musetti Musetti and world No 9 Alex de Minaur respectively. Birthday boy Mpetshi Perricard was in good spirits in press and spoke about looking forward to playing the US Open as a direct main-draw entrant. As for Fils, he shared his thought...

Day 7 was an eventful one, starting with the women’s match of the tournament thus far – Madison Keys vs Jasmine Paolini, where Keys unfortunately retired due to a left thigh injury. We then discussed Paolini’s next opponent for the quarter-finals, Emma Navarro who beat Coco Gauff 6-4 6-3, ending Gauff’s singles journey at SW19. We also get into Ben Shelton’s straight-sets defeat to world No 1...

*DISCLAIMER: Apologies in advance for the audio quality from Lucy’s mic* For Day 6 at Wimbledon, we are joined by Anastasia Folorunso from the Ground Pass Podcast, as Eugene is OOO for this weekend. We discuss the success of Frenchmen Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard making it to the fourth round for the first time. As well as Ben Shelton, who won another explosive five-setter again...

Day 5 was a washout, for the most part, in terms of play on the outside courts but there were some top performances on No 1 and Centre Court where Jasmine Paolini and Coco Gauff picked up wins as well as Madison Keys (on Court 17). Frances Tiafoe versus Carlos Alcaraz lived up to the billing on Centre as the pair provided another five-set thriller. And Gael Monfils came up short against Grigor...

Day 4 was a good one in terms of weather, matches and wins for Madison Keys, Arthur Fils, Gael Monfils, Ben Shelton and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Robin Montgomery’s Wimbledon came to an end though but the 19-year-old qualifier gave a good account of herself on and off the court at SW19. Listen out for interview snippets from Keys, Fils, Shelton and Mpetshi Perricard. And looking ahead to Da...

The weather put a damper on things, as play didn’t start on the outside courts until after 1pm, but Day 3 saw Coco Gauff, Frances Tiafoe and Jasmine Paolini all secure impressive victories. Gael Monfils also leads Stanislas Wawrinka. Christopher Eubanks and Felix Auger-Aliassime both came up short in different ways in the first round. While Sloane Stephens just has doubles to focus on now and ...

Day two in the books that included monumental debut wins for lucky loser Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and qualifier Robin Montgomery. Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils also registered impressive victories in their own right. There were also tough five-set defeats for British wildcard Paul Jubb and Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer. And qualifier Alycia Parks fell short in her first-round match. Listen out...

First day in the books that included wins for Frances Tiafoe (a first from two sets down), Gael Monfils, Jasmine Paolini (a first-ever match win at SW19), Madison Keys, Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens and Coco Gauff. We also include interview snippets from Tiafoe, Keys, Osaka, Gauff and young qualifier Robin Montgomery. And to close we go through Day 2’s order of play that includes a certain Gio...

Lucy and Eugene, award-winning podcast co-hosts (salute to Tennis Black List), talk grass-court tennis and go through the Wimbledon 2024 draw. Naomi Osaka, Robin Montgomery, Christopher Eubanks and Arthur Fils all made quarter-final runs in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Halle respectively. Alycia Parks got back to winning ways in Gaiba, Italy taking the singles and doubles (with Hailey Baptiste) title...

Arum Akom and Jabilayh Asante, founders of Black Tennis Mentors, join us for a fun and in-depth chat. We talk individual journeys into the sport, playing as juniors, college/university tennis, the thinking behind the platform and the desire to build community. There is also discussion about the respective tennis scenes in Great Britain and America and the importance of exposure to a wider aud...

Caught up with Michael Parks (father and coach of Alycia Parks) for an exclusive interview at the Nottingham Open earlier this week. He set the record straight regarding Alycia’s coaching arrangement, Sascha Bajin’s short spell on the team, returning to winning ways, keeping things simple, putting God first and much more. Keep commenting, liking, sharing and subscribing – we appreciate you all!

We’re joined by Anastasia Folorunso from the GroundPass pod to talk all things French Open 2024 in a jam-packed show. Lucy was actually in Paris and managed to get a ticket to watch our Italian-Ghanaian sister Jasmine Paolini take on world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the final – Paolini is now the world No 7 after her dream fortnight in Paris which also included a trip to the women’s doubles final wit...

Lucy and Eugene check in with Tennis Black List co-founders Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey-Addo. We get to know Richard, who has an extensive background in tennis administration at international level; find out what the inspiration was behind Tennis Black List; get into highlights from the inaugural awards night at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton; and look ahead to this year’s e...

Lucy and Eugene give Jasmine Paolini her flowers after securing the doubles crown in Rome with Sara Errani. Naomi Osaka, or Clayomi (word to Shesaboutdone on X), picked up back-to-back wins against top-20 players, “world No 3” Coco Gauff reached the semis in singles and was runner-up in doubles with Erin Routliffe and Madison Keys backed up her Madrid last-four showing with a run to the quarte...