Bagel Bites: NOMNOMNOM
Oh noooooo, not my childhood trauma!
Internet ephemera from the tennis world and beyond. Have something you want to include? Join the Discord – we have a really nice and active community growing there – or hmu on Bluesky.
- Previously on The Bagel: Fighting!
- So this happened. Yes, I have a lot of thoughts about it. But 95% of those aren't for public consumption. They are ones that I'd be certainly happy to talk to Taylor about in person and I look forward to doing that over the next weeks in China. And before you get all ooOooo about it, my thoughts have nothing to do with chastising or getting all mad about it. On one hand, it's not that serious. On the other hand, it's not not. This isn't about food. (The Athletic)
- There's a reason why the "your food is gross and smelly" trope was literally in Episode 1 of FRESH OFF THE BOAT.
- I won't repeat my Chinese food story, which I brought up around the same time everyone was calling Iga weird for the Strawberry Pasta thing, but if you want to read that go here.
- A few food history links here, here , here. You don't have to love the stuff. You don't even have to eat it. I certainly do not, in the same way I don't eat offal or stinky cheeses or beans on toast. Eat whatever y'all want or don't want! Just....you don't have to be weird about it!
- Ok last videos on this: These breakfast food tours of Beijing and Wuhan are mesmerizing. Do not watch on an empty stomach. (YouTube)
- And if that still seems too exotic and "weird" to you, please be assured that absolutely no food spread on tour is as decadent and varied and delicious than what is offered at the player hotels in Asia. You want dumplings and dim sum? You got it. You want noodles prepared eight different ways? You got it. You want eggs prepared any which way you like? You got it. Beans? Why, but ok yes you got those too. Pancakes? Yes. Waffles. Yes. An entire 30-foot station of fresh-cut fruit and juices? Yes. I don't know if it's clear yet, but these are my favorite culinary weeks of the year. Last year I got to do Seoul, Beijing, Wuhan, and Tokyo, and friends, my culinary soul was never happier.
- Bjorn Borg's autobiography comes out next week and it sounds like it'll be an important read. Let's add it to the off-season book club. (AP via Yahoo)
This is not the typical sports autobiography: There is a reference to getting a message to Yasser Arafat and, five pages later, the phrase ”Andy Warhol was someone easy to like” appears. There are name-drops of Donald Trump, Nelson Mandela, Tina Turner and “my old friend Hugh Hefner,” among many, many others.
“People will be very surprised what really happened,” Borg told the AP. “For me to come out (after) all these years, all I went through — I went through some difficult times — (it’s) a relief for me to do this book. I feel so much better. ... No secrets anymore.”
- Leave it to Jon Wertheim to bury the lede: Congrats on the Excellence in Journalism award for his piece on Daria Kasatkina for CBS Sunday Morning. (SI.com)
@cbssundaymorning Russian tennis player #DariaKasatkina condemned Putin's #Ukraine invasion in 2022. Months later, she revealed her relationship with former Olympic skater NataliaZabiiako, acknowledging risks in a country hostile to gay rights. They both discuss their outspokenness and inability to return home with #JonWertheim of @60 Minutes.
♬ original sound - CBS Sunday Morning
- There's been lots of rain in Seoul, which has impacted the first few days of the Hana Bank Korea Open, but we've got some pretty interesting 2R matches with Krejcikova-Raducanu, Siniakova-Kasatkina, Swiatek-Cirstea, and a 3R match set for MayaJointTheGoat-Tauson.
- WE USED TO BE A CULTURE. (Reddit)
- The ATP has appointed Eno Polo as its new CEO. (ATP)
A former professional tennis player, Polo was born and raised in Kenya and represented the Kenyan national team in Davis Cup competition, before embarking on an international business career. He has since held senior leadership roles at Nike, Juventus F.C., Havaianas, Global Brands Group and LeDap, among others.
Polo succeeds Massimo Calvelli, who stepped down as CEO in June 2025 following more than five years of leadership.
Federer at stanford university
by u/OhHowtheturntables_ in tennis
HE DOESN'T EVEN GO HERE
- From Discord Megan: I haven't had a chance to listen to this yet but to no one's surprise, PABLO TORRE CONTINUES TO FIND OUT THINGS. (YouTube)
- POINT OF ORDER: Please do not stop swearing on SERVED, Andy. Don't mess with the sauce. Or is he trying to clean up his act before podding with King Roger this week at Laver Cup? DO NOT SELF-CENSOR. IT'S WHAT THEY WANT. (YouTube)
- The Players Box drops another fun episode, which features dating talk, Jess shouts out Aoi Ito, and all four show all the love (and a bit of PTSD) for Monica Niculescu:
- From Discord Carrie: Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, and the Myth of the '250 Merchant'. (Aces and Faults on Substack)
- Net-a-Porter? Frame Jeans? DRUGGSSSSSS??? I love some low-stakes rich-people break-up drama. (NY Times)
LiveAI demo fails on the first prompt at Meta Connect 2025. #Meta #AI #LiveAI
— Shacknews (@shacknews.com) 2025-09-18T00:34:42.409Z
this is why i reject the cloud
- "You've climbed to the top of the lamppost. You've tied the flag. You come down. You're still broke." Points were made. (Instagram)
- P.S. - I just got back from dinner, where I tried to explain the news of the day to my mom and the first thing she blurted out was, "Turtle is not from Asia! It's from Europe! They brought it to Asia!" I laughed.
