Best Of Three

55:38

Sinner, Alcaraz and What Defines the Best Player in...

Best Of Three ·

2026/10/07

Jannik Sinner's season-ending injury gives us a reason to step back and evaluate what he's actually become. Is Sinner now the best pure tennis player of his generation? Torrey argues that, stroke for stroke, his court positioning, serve, return and baseline game may already give him the edge over Carlos Alcaraz. Alvin agrees that Sinner has the cleaner toolkit—but Alcaraz still possesses something harder to quantify: the ability to find another level when a match becomes unpredictable. From t...

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64:19

The Other Side of Tennis: Nishikori, Medvedev, Eala...

Best Of Three ·

2026/10/05

Patrick joins Alvin from Japan after spending time at the Japan Open, where Kei Nishikori’s farewell becomes the starting point for a larger discussion about greatness, legacy and how the Big Three altered the careers of the players who came behind them. They debate Nishikori’s Hall of Fame case, the importance of his career across Asia, and why his compact, aggressive baseline game allowed him to compete against much larger players. The conversation moves across the Asian swing: Daniil Medve...

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74:40

Iga Świątek and the WTA’s New Tier 1 Standard

Best Of Three ·

2026/09/28

What separates a genuine Grand Slam favorite from an elite player who can beat anyone on the right day? We build a three-tier framework for the current WTA around Slam self-sufficiency, world-class weapons and the ability to impose a game without needing favorable matchups. Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina establish the standard, while Coco Gauff and Linda Noskova show there is more than one way to reach it. The real argument begins with the final Tier 1 spot. Has Iga Świątek actually decli...

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38:47

Craig Shapiro on the Hidden Tennis Ecosystem Behind...

Best Of Three ·

2026/09/17

Alvin Owusu is joined by Craig Shapiro to discuss the changing identity of the US Open and the larger tennis ecosystem that casual viewers rarely see. Craig argues that the issue is not tennis becoming bigger or more visible, but whether spectacle, ticket prices, drinking culture, sponsor activations, and crowd behavior are beginning to pull attention away from the players and matches themselves. The strongest thread of the conversation is Craig’s belief that tennis becomes more meaningful wh...

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71:06

Zverev’s Metronome Standard, Shelton’s Next Step, and...

Best Of Three ·

2026/09/14

Alexander Zverev’s US Open title over Ben Shelton is the kind of result that clarifies the ATP hierarchy. Zverev may not carry the same explosive ceiling as Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, but his professional discipline, serve, return, and baseline tolerance make him the most reliable separator beneath that tier. We break down why Shelton’s loss should not be treated as a failure. His run to the final confirmed real progress in his return, backhand, and week-to-week credibility, but the fin...

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49:47

Ben Shelton’s Game Looks Different Now

Best Of Three ·

2026/09/12

Ben Shelton’s win over Frances Tiafoe was not just a power-player breakthrough. It was a match that showed a more complete version of Shelton: still dominant on serve, but now more disciplined on the backhand, more flexible on return, and more comfortable managing the tactical demands of a Grand Slam semifinal. Alvin and Torrey break down why Tiafoe was such a meaningful test. His court sense, timing, variety, and ability to redirect pace usually expose incomplete players. Against Shelton, th...

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42:57

Coco Gauff’s Next Evolution, Rybakina’s Adjustment,...

Best Of Three ·

2026/09/11

Coco Gauff’s loss to Elena Rybakina was not a simple regression. In the first set, Gauff showed a version of her game that can absorb elite pace, serve with real pace, defend with purpose, and transition from neutral to offense off both wings. The issue was not whether the forehand and serve exist anymore; the issue was whether Coco fully trusted them when the match became most pressurized. Alvin and Torrey break down how Rybakina solved the match by becoming more intentional with her pattern...

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40:43

Ben Shelton’s Top-Tier Application After Beating...

Best Of Three ·

2026/09/09

Ben Shelton’s win over Carlos Alcaraz was not framed as a simple upset. Alvin and Torrey break down why the result mattered tactically and developmentally: Shelton served big, but he also returned at the highest level of his career, used body serves with discipline, moved forward with purpose, and forced Alcaraz into uncomfortable passing-shot situations. The larger question is whether Shelton has moved from dangerous Grand Slam threat to legitimate top-tier contender. The hosts stop short of...

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53:09

Coco Gauff’s Forehand Test, Sabalenka’s Standard, and...

Best Of Three ·

2026/09/08

Coco Gauff is still winning, but the way she is winning may matter more than the scoreline. Alvin and Torrey break down her US Open win over Iva Jovic through a tactical lens, focusing on forehand spacing, footwork, court position, and the challenge of becoming a more complete striking counterpuncher. The episode also examines Aryna Sabalenka’s narrow win over Linda Noskova, especially the second-serve ace that closed the match and reaffirmed Sabalenka’s authority in the biggest points. Nosko...

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46:28

Emma Navarro’s New Identity, Carlos Alcaraz’s...

Best Of Three ·

2026/09/05

Emma Navarro gives this episode its strongest tactical story. The discussion centers on how her game has shifted from counterpunching, movement, and match management toward more first-strike aggression, heavier ball-striking, and the ability to dictate against players who previously would have tested her rhythm. The episode also checks in on Carlos Alcaraz, who is moving through the US Open draw efficiently but still raises a more precise question: can he win the tournament without yet being ...

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41:22

Coco Gauff’s Game Is Becoming Harder to Expose | US Open

Best Of Three ·

2026/09/04

Coco Gauff’s win over Paula Badosa was not a finished-product statement, but it was a meaningful one. Badosa has the exact profile to test Coco’s progress: enough movement to stay in rallies, enough pace to rush the forehand, and enough backhand quality to apply pressure without giving away control. Coco still has work to do, especially when the forehand is rushed or when she is caught in transition, but the match showed a player whose weaknesses are no longer as easy to live inside. Alvin an...

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33:01

Ben Shelton’s Separation Test, Rafael Jodar’s Serve,...

Best Of Three ·

2026/09/03

Ben Shelton’s early US Open matches are becoming a useful test of where he stands among the American men. The question is not whether Shelton is playing flawless tennis, but whether he is now mature enough to absorb pressure, solve problems, and win difficult Grand Slam matches without needing perfect starts. Alvin and Torrey also examine Rafael Jodar’s heavy loss to Bu Yunchaokete, framing it as a likely freshman-wall moment after a demanding first full year on tour. Torrey gives a detailed ...

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38:34

Djokovic, Five Sets, and the Physical Cost of...

Best Of Three ·

2026/09/01

Novak Djokovic’s first-round loss to Mariano Navone becomes the center of this episode, not because of the upset alone, but because of what the match revealed. Alvin and Torrey discuss how Djokovic still found tactical solutions early, yet appeared increasingly unable to sustain the physical demands required to impose himself across five sets. The conversation frames Navone as a difficult opponent for this version of Djokovic: durable, disciplined, and willing to extend points until the match...

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58:14

Sabalenka, Champion Evolution, and the US Open Field...

Best Of Three ·

2026/08/28

Alvin and Torrey preview the 2026 US Open from the ground level of Fan Week in New York, focusing less on bracket prediction and more on what the tournament looks like before the first ball is struck. From practice-court details to player body language, they discuss how the pace, physicality, and depth of the field are shaping both draws. The central conversation is Aryna Sabalenka. She remains the WTA standard, but the episode argues that the old gap has narrowed. Marta Kostyuk, Amanda Anisi...

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72:37

Coco Gauff’s Fuller Arsenal, Sabalenka’s Margins, and...

Best Of Three ·

2026/08/24

Cincinnati gave the Best of Three crew one final look at the US Open field, and the clearest signal came from Coco Gauff. Her title run was not framed as a perfect week, but as a more important proof point: the serve is heavier, the forehand is more functional, and her patterns are mature enough that she can win without playing lights-out tennis. On the men’s side, Alvin and Torrey debate whether the ATP field is genuinely closing the gap on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Torrey sees a dan...

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106:06

Iga Świątek’s Next Version, Coco Gauff’s Forehand,...

Best Of Three ·

2026/08/15

Iga Świątek’s Toronto title was not simply a form check. Alvin and Torrey argue that her week showed a more tactically complete version of her game: more height, more shape, more patience, and a clearer sense of when to press rather than force. The episode frames Świątek’s run as a possible entry into a second career cycle. Rather than trying to recreate her previous dominance, she may be building a version better suited to the current WTA landscape — one where the top tier is deeper, the wea...

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73:07

Alex Eala’s Sustainable Rise, Rafael Jodar’s...

Best Of Three ·

2026/08/04

Alex Eala’s DC title run raises a more interesting question than whether she is simply on a good run. Her game already has a recognizable identity: lefty disruption, forehand pressure, return-plus-one patterns, and the competitive steadiness to make opponents uncomfortable. The concern is whether the tour can eventually solve the awkwardness, especially if the second serve remains attackable. Alvin and Torrey debate Eala’s long-term ceiling, from top-20 sustainability to a possible top-10 tra...

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67:52

The Cruelest Game: Djokovic’s Survival Code in Modern...

Best Of Three ·

2026/08/03

Matt Futterman joins Best of Three to discuss The Cruelest Game, his book on the hidden cost of chasing greatness in professional tennis. The conversation centers on why tennis exposes players so completely: the solitude of competition, the weekly structure of losing, and the pressure placed on young stars before they are fully formed adults. Novak Djokovic emerges as the episode’s central model. Not simply because of what he has won, but because of how often he has rebuilt himself across era...

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39:51

American Tennis Has Talent. Does It Have Enough...

Best Of Three ·

2026/07/21

American tennis is often judged by outcomes at the professional level, but the more important question begins much earlier: how are young players actually learning the sport? In this episode, Alvin and Torrey examine whether the U.S. development model teaches juniors how to hit shots before it teaches them how to play tennis. Using American soccer as a parallel, the conversation explores how youth sports in the U.S. often become formalized, expensive, and parent-managed before they become cul...

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68:41

Jannik Sinner, Wimbledon, and the Limits of Tennis’...

Best Of Three ·

2026/07/16

Wimbledon remains the sport’s most sacred stage, but this episode asks whether it is still the cleanest measure of tennis greatness. Grass demands a specialized version of the game: short points, first-strike precision, elite returning, low-contact movement, and the ability to hold focus when one lapse can decide a set. That lens leads directly to Jannik Sinner. Patrick and Alvin discuss why Sinner’s game may be uniquely suited to Wimbledon, not because grass reveals the full sport, but becau...

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