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AZ and Jonny welcome NY Times and The Athletic's famed tennis columnist, Matthew Futterman, who discusses his recently released book, The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis.
August 20, 2026
Tennis Columnist Matthew Futterman
The Cruelest Game takes a deep dive into what makes these champions tick, and at what cost, physically and emotionally.
In This Episode
Andy Zodin and Jonny Levine welcome tennis columnist Matthew Futterman to discuss his recently released book, The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis. The conversation centers on what drives tennis champions and the physical and emotional costs of pursuing greatness.
Topics covered
- Matthew Futterman's new book
- Tennis champions' motivations
- Physical costs of professional tennis
- Emotional costs of pursuing greatness
Key takeaways
- •Futterman joins Andy and Jonny for a discussion of The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis.
- •The episode explores the book's focus on what motivates tennis champions.
- •The discussion considers the physical and emotional costs associated with the pursuit of greatness in professional tennis.
These notes were written by AI from the episode listing. Listen to the episode for the full conversation.
Listen to This Episode
Previous EpisodeEven the normally chill Swede, Mats will be all smiles as he attends Roger's HOF induction. "I couldn't be more honored to be a small part of it," exclaimed a very excited Wilander.Next Episode A lot to discuss on this episode, but nothing any cooler than the fact that Mats will be participating in Roger Federer and Mary Carillo's Hall of Fame inductions.
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