In this episode of The Tennis Bakery, we're settling the biggest debate in tennis (or at least trying to): who is the GOAT?

 * Who's the GOAT? The big one. We make our case and commit on the record.
 * Novak does it again: Djokovic wins the China Open for the seventh time. Seven. What else is there left for this man to win?
 * Jannik Sinner is out, Alexander Zverev will be No. 1: Sinner is out for the rest of the year, which means Sascha Zverev is set to become the new world No. 1. What we think about it, and how we feel about how he's getting there.
 * Carlos Alcaraz: Carlos' silver necklace: Iconic accessory or a definite no? This one got heated, and we're not sure our friendship fully recovered.
 * The Laver Cup and past WTA Finals photos: We go through the men's Laver Cup shoot in detail. Then we look at the past women's photos from the WTA Finals and make some very interesting discoveries.
 * The Lacoste fashion show: Simply iconic. We break down why.
 * Emma Navarro opens up about RED-S: Emma shared on Instagram that she has been dealing with RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport). We talk about her post and about the specific pressure female athletes are still under in our society, from body image to performance expectations.

more from us:

Kristine's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/zweizeller]

Kati's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mrs.kati.ernst]

Email: katiundkristine@gmail.com

Zverev Will Be No. 1, Jannik Is OUT & Carlos' Silver Necklace: Yay or Nay?!

In this episode of The Tennis Bakery, we’re back after the US Open and asking the obvious question: does the tennis year basically end after New York? Spoiler: absolutely not.

 * So what actually happens after the US Open? We catch up on the tournaments ahead, from the Laver Cup to the ATP Finals — including Kati’s completely unnecessary but very important flex that she once lived close enough to the Laver Cup in Berlin to cycle there.
 * Kristine is going to Turin: She tells us what she’s most excited about at the ATP Finals. Hint: yes, the tennis — but also, very much, the fashion.
 * The Carlos–Ferrero breakup gossip continues: Who does Juan Carlos Ferrero coach next? Rafa Jodar? Someone unexpected? Or does he choose the ultimate revenge plot and somehow end up with Jannik Sinner?
 * What exactly is Novak doing on Instagram? We investigate Djokovic’s increasingly interesting social media presence — including Jelena’s newest obsession, which involves dragons and which we are fully on board with.
 * Marta Kostyuk: fashion icon, wrist concern: Kati confirms that, unsurprisingly, wearing Marta’s red dress did not make her look like Marta Kostyuk. More importantly: Marta’s wrist is injured, and we’re worried.
 * And why do the rules seem different depending on who you are? The Williams sisters, the US Open and a situation that has us asking whether tennis is applying the same standards to every player — because if it isn’t, that’s a problem.

Kristine's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/zweizeller]

Kati's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mrs.kati.ernst]

Email: katiundkristine@gmail.com

Carlos' Ex (Coach) Rebounding with Sinner?! Novak Fights Ice and Dragons & Kati (Unsucessfully) Wears Marta Kostyuk’s Red Dress

We recap the men's final of the US Open 2026, the trophy ceremony and our conflicting feelings. 

In this episode:

 * Sascha Zverev wins his second Slam and appears to be the last person in the stadium to find out
 * The trophy ceremony top moment: a 5.5 million dollar check that ended up on the floor
 * Sascha's tribute to his mother, which put his dad in tears in the box
 * Ben Shelton thanking his driver, which was so cute (apart from the fact that Trinity Rodman (his girlfriend and soccer star) travelled to see his final right after she had to play in a soccer game herself in Washington DC)
 * Playing at the very top with type 1 diabetes. This is just CRAZY!
 * Two finalists, two dads in the coaching box. What happens to a player box when your coach is also the person who raised you
 * Our conflicting feelings about this win. Alexander Zverev played fantastic tennis and deserved the title. The domestic abuse allegations from two former partners are also still there, and we don't think you get to just park that. We talk about holding both emotions at the same time
 * Mischa Zverev's Instagram: the real winner of the fortnight
 * Brad Pitt did Formula 1. Is tennis next? We speculate with zero information

Follow us for more content

Kati's LinkedIn [https://de.linkedin.com/in/mrs-kati-ernst]

Kristine's Instagram  [https://www.instagram.com/zweizeller]

get in touch by sending us an email to katiundkristine@gmail.com

Sascha Zverev Won the US Open and Didn't Notice!! Also a $5.5M check ended up on the floor - Men's Final US Open 2026

In this episode of The Tennis Bakery, we’re talking women’s final, unexpected emotions, luke-warm champions — and who we want lifting the men’s trophy tonight.

 * Rybakina is the US Open champion: Elena beats Aryna Sabalenka in three sets, playing the better tennis when it mattered — and then lifts her beautifully engraved Tiffany trophy with approximately the amount of drama you’d expect from Rybakina: almost none.
 * The Sabalenka moment that got us: We’ve seen so much emotion from Aryna — joy, rage, frustration, celebration — but seeing her genuinely sad after the loss felt different. The tears got to Kati.
 * But can we talk about the outfits? How does Rybakina have so much fashion sense off court… and somehow so little of it on court? We investigate.
 * If we sponsored the US Open: Forget the logo placement — what perks would we actually negotiate into the deal? We build our dream sponsor package.
 * And now for the men: Zverev vs. Shelton for the US Open title. Who do we think will win — and, possibly the more revealing question, who do we actually want to win?

Kristine's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/zweizeller]

Kati's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mrs.kati.ernst/]

email katiundkristine@gmail.com

Sabalenka CRIED, Elena Won, But Who Wins Zverev vs Shelton?

Semifinal day at the US Open, and we came in with low expectations for the first match. Wrong. Alexander Zverev and Karen Khachanov went to two tiebreaks, and Karen played far better than either of us had him down for. Sascha is through to the final.

September 11 in New York, and the tournament marked it. The date was written on the court and across the walls of the grounds. We talk about that, and about the memorial held downtown the same day.

Then celebrity row, where our favourite duo showed up: Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey.

The night session was the one that (not only) all of America waited for. Ben Shelton against Frances Tiafoe, two Black American men facing each other in a US Open semifinal, on the biggest stage American tennis has. It was tense, it was loud, and it delivered. Ben also picked up a small quarrel with the female chair umpire, so he's on our watchlist for that now.

From there we get into:

 * Racquet tricks: entertaining, or are we over it?
 * Ben and his dad Bryan, Sascha and his dad, and what happens when your coach is also the person who raised you
 * Our favourite coaches on tour right now
 * A preview of the women's final: Sabalenka vs. Rybakina, and which one of them we want to win

If you want more of us: 

Kati's LinkedIn  [https://de.linkedin.com/in/mrs-kati-ernst]

Kristine's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/zweizeller] 

if you want to reach out, send us an email: katiundkristine@gmail.com

Historic: Two Black Americans on Ashe for the Men's Semis - did they deliver? US Open 2026 Day 13 with Alexander Zverev, Karen Khachanov, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe 

In this episode of The Tennis Bakery, we’re talking about one of our favourite days of any Grand Slam: women’s semifinal night.

 * Sabalenka delivers a big-girl performance: Aryna gets past Jessica Pegula when it matters most — and increasingly the question feels like: can anyone actually stop her?
 * Well… maybe Rybakina can: Elena turns her semifinal against local and global heroine Coco Gauff, on what felt like the most star-studded — and nerve-racking — night session of the tournament.
 * Coco’s snack box, investigated: Because obviously we weren’t just watching the tennis. We take apart exactly what Coco was eating courtside and what we make of her fueling strategy.
 * Inside Aryna’s focus tactics: The little routines and tricks Sabalenka uses to stay locked in when the pressure is at its highest.
 * And now: the men: We look ahead to today’s semifinals, make our calls and decide who we think is heading into the US Open final.

Kristine's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/zweizeller]

Kati's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mrs.kati.ernst/]

email: katiandkristine@gmail.com

Big-Girl Tennis - The Glory That Is Women's Semifinal Night at the US Open with Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Rybakina, & Pegula 

Female Tennis Forever

We loved the women's quarterfinals. One of our favorites was Elena Rybakina vs. Qinwen Zheng. Rybakina won, but we missed the joy. Why doesn't she celebrate the moments that deserve it? We also take a critical look at her relationship with her coach, who keeps coming under heavy criticism.

Aryna Sabalenka beat Linda Noskova, and we're so proud of how well she kept her emotions under control.

Coco Gauff came back to beat Mirra Andreeva, and her outfit was a total win too.

And we vent about the condescending, discriminatory way men still talk about women.

Men's side: Kristine is dead inside

Carlos Alcaraz is out. Ben Shelton beat him in the match of the day, a thriller that didn't end until 3:33 a.m. Kristine now needs a therapy session.

Overall, the men delivered. Frances Tiafoe vs. Alex Michelsen was another great match, and it ended in male tears. The world needs more of those.

Carlos Is OUT in a thriller of a match and Female Tennis 4eva - US Open 2026 Days 10+11

In this episode of The Tennis Bakery, we’re recapping a brilliant Day 9 at the US Open — elite women’s tennis, tears everywhere, questionable fueling choices and one very miraculous ankle. Kati has an evil cold: But the pod still happened. Priorities.

 * Coco vs. Iva Jovic was seriously good: Two sets of incredibly high-quality tennis — and Kati is officially becoming a big Jovic fan. The energy, the constant pushing, the belief, the rituals: there’s a lot to love.
 * Melons, grapes… and piles of gels: Coco fuels courtside like she’s at a summer picnic, while Luciano Darderi appears to prefer industrial quantities of carbohydrate gels. Naturally, we have thoughts.
 * So. Many. Tears: Including a wild Iga match where she somehow let a 5–0 lead in the first set disappear before running into the force that is Zheng Qinwen.
 * Who exactly are these men? Alexander Blockx, Karen Khachanov, Botic van de Zandschulp, Alex Michelsen — suddenly there are some very unexpected names deep in a Grand Slam draw, and we’re mildly bewildered.
 * Meanwhile, the women’s draw is pure order: All of the top six seeds have made it into the final eight. No chaos here.
 * Naomi is out: We’re genuinely sad — not least because we’ll miss the glorious outfits, but also because her fearless shotmaking made this tournament much more fun.
 * Rybakina’s miracle ankle: How do you go from barely being able to walk to casually breezing into a US Open quarterfinal? We need answers.
 * Wimbledon is “banning influencers” — apparently: We unpack the announcement, the headlines around it, and why Kati thinks this is mostly a hype train pretending to be news.

Kristine's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/zweizeller]

Kati's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mrs.kati.ernst/]

email: katiandkristine@gmail.com

Coco’s Grapes, Iga's Tears, Wimbledon’s Influencer ‘Ban’ & a Very Weird Men’s Draw - US Open Day 9

In this episode of The Tennis Bakery, we’re attempting the impossible: catching up on three days of US Open madness in one go.

On the men’s side:

 * Carlos is cruising: Alcaraz is breezing into the quarterfinals — but is it almost getting too easy? Also: the vest has arrived, presumably to avoid another nipple-gate situation, while we do our absolute best not to insult Travis Scott, who designed it.
 * Did Zverev’s draw just completely open up? Cerúndolo took out Fritz, suddenly making Zverev’s path to the final look a whole lot friendlier. And yes, we noticed the family pattern: Cerúndolo’s brother helped him out at the French by taking out Sinner.
 * Did Kati somehow discover Taylor Fritz through Morgan Riddle’s Instagram Stories? And more importantly: how is that even possible for someone who watches this much tennis?
 * Cobolli, once again, chooses chaos: Drinking Coke on court, then having a full emotional meltdown while losing to Alexander Blockx — whose hair, annoyingly, remained absolutely perfect throughout.

On the women’s side:

 * Taylor Townsend is still a queen: She may have lost to Sabalenka, but the energy remains immaculate — while Sabalenka herself suddenly looks like she’s finding serious form.
 * Why is Mirra Andreeva still being put on small courts? One of the biggest young stars in tennis, yet somehow still not always getting the stage we think she deserves.
 * And where was the love for Iva Jovic? She played an amazing match against Alex Eala — at her home Slam — and yet the crowd support felt surprisingly muted. We need to talk about it.

Kristine's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/zweizeller]

Kati's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mrs.kati.ernst]

Or email us katiandkristine@gmail.com

Alcaraz Has No Problems. Cobolli Does. So: Zverev en route to the final? US Open Days 6-8

Friendship status: under review. Kristine casually dropped the result of the Zverev match - the exact match Kati had saved to watch later that day. Officially the worst friend in the world, and we spend a solid minute establishing that.

After the apology tour, we get to the tennis. The women are going full throttle again, with Gauff putting in the kind of performance that makes you sit up. And over on the men's side we get the next upset of this tournament: No. 3 seed Auger-Aliassime is out but Taylor Fritz was CRUISING and he opened a bakery.

Then the bigger conversation. Every player brings a completely different personality onto the court - the loud ones, the ice-cold ones, the ones who look like they're about to combust. We talk about how those personalities show up in their game, and whether a player can actually turn their temperament into a weapon instead of letting it work against them.

Find us on Instagram here

Kati's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mrs.kati.ernst]

Kristine's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/zweizeller/]

Or email us at katiundkristine@gmail.com

Kristine spoils Kati's fun! Gauff excels and No. 3 seed Auger-Aliassime is OUT - US Open 2026 Day 5

The Tennis Bakery is a fan podcast about everything happening on and off the court. We talk matches, players, rivalries and tournaments, but also the stories, drama, fashion, lifestyle, brands and bus

The Tennis Bakery - A Fan Podcast · Zencastr

The Tennis Bakery - A Fan Podcast

The Tennis Bakery is a fan podcast about everything happening on and off the court. We talk matches, players, rivalries and tournaments, but also the stories, drama, fashion, lifestyle, brands and business surrounding the tour. Basically, it’s the tennis conversation we’d be having anyway — and now you’re invited in. Hosted by tennis obsessives and podcasters Dr. Kati Ernst and Kristine Zeller, we love the sport deeply — even if our own racket skills are rather less impressive 😂