Podcast: Rowan Ricardo Phillips on the Year of Tennis That Captivated Him

On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with poet and author Rowan Ricardo Phillips about his new book, The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey.
Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

On the Beyond the Baseline Podcast, Sports Illustrated executive editor, Tennis Channel commentator and host Jon Wertheim takes fans between the lines with tennis commentary and exclusive interviews with the top players and newsmakers on the ATP and WTA tours.

On the latest edition of the Beyond the Baseline Podcast, host Jon Wertheim talks with Rowan Ricardo Phillips.

• Never miss an episode of Beyond the Baseline. Click here to subscribe.

An award-winning poet and a sportswriter for The Paris Review and other publications, Rowan Ricardo Phillips joins the podcast to talk about his new book released in November 2018, The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey, which chronicles 2017 as seen through the unique prism of its historic tennis season and the pivotal moments that captivated him. From the Australian Open with the revival Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal and all the way through to the end of the season at the U.S. Open, Phillips discusses why this year in particular was so significant. He also talks his inspiration behind the book, what he learned about tennis and himself through examining this particular season, how tennis touches the world in many ways and much more.

Listen below and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher.​​​​

Check back next week for another episode of Beyond the Baseline.


Published
Jon Wertheim
JON WERTHEIM

Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1997, largely focusing on the tennis beat , sports business and social issues, and enterprise journalism. In addition to his work at SI, he is a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and a commentator for The Tennis Channel. He has authored 11 books and has been honored with two Emmys, numerous writing and investigative journalism awards, and the Eugene Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wertheim is a longtime member of the New York Bar Association (retired), the International Tennis Writers Association and the Writers Guild of America. He has a bachelor's in history from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City with his wife, who is a divorce mediator and adjunct law professor. They have two children.