Match Point Canada

She's one of the most exciting personalities covering our sport today! Tennis host Blair Henley is our guest on this week's episode of Match Point Canada, as she breaks down the thrilling action the past two weeks in North America at the Delray Beach Open and Dallas Open. We discuss Tommy Paul's rise, the state of American tennis, and storylines to follow as the Sunshine Double is upcoming. Meanti...

She's reached a career high doubles ranking of 21, played in the WTA Finals just three seasons ago, and has won four WTA double titles! Canadian Sharon Fichman joins Match Point Canada to catch up on what's kept her busy of late, including work with junior high performance players, experiences in broadcasting Canada's Billie Jean King Cup title, and some of the top memories on court in her career....

They are through to the Finals Group Stage! Team Canada presented by Sobey's delivered at IGA Stadium, securing a 3-1 win over Korea in their qualifier to advance to the next stage of Davis Cup. We recap all the action that took place on site from Montreal, and explain why Gabriel Diallo was MVP of the weekend. Meantime, former Canadian tennis player Philip Bester joins the podcast to discuss his...

Davis Cup makes its return to Montreal this weekend! 24-year-old Alexis Galarneau gets set to compete again for Canada as they take on Korea this Friday and Saturday from IGA Stadium. Mike McIntyre catches up with the native of Laval about his experiences growing up playing not far from the stadium, the opportunity to again represent his nation, and his goals and schedule for the 2024 season. Enjo...

Our first grand slam of the tennis calendar is now in the books! The 2024 Australian Open has come and gone, and host and commentator Nick McCarvel joins us from Melbourne to recap all of the action that unfolded in Melbourne. We discuss the maiden grand slam win from Jannik Sinner, how Aryna Sabalenka was able to dominate the women's field, the future for Zheng Qinwen, and also peak ahead to Cana...

He's a former pro tennis player, and has coached the likes of stars Lucie Safarova, Denis Shapovalov, and Yulia Putintseva. One of our favourites of the podcast Rob Steckley returns to Match Point Canada this week, and offers insights and perspectives on coaching at a major, helping players realize their potential, the challenge of getting a message across, and maintaining composure in pressure mo...

She'a former Australian Open semifinalist, four-time grand slam champion in mixed doubles, and reached a career high of number five in the rankings! Former Slovakian player and commentator Daniela Hantuchova comes back to Match Point Canada as we preview the action Down Under at the Australian Open. Hantuchova offers her perspective on the challenges of returning after a long layoff, how Rafael Na...

The tennis season is back - so is Match Point Canada! It's our first episode of 2024 and we welcome on popular tennis commentator Abigail Johnson to recap an exciting week of action with events like Brisbane, the United Cup, and ASB Classic. Abigail's worked for Tennis TV, Eurosport, BBC and more in the commentary booth and offers insights into Elena Rybakina's big week in Brisbane, while analyzin...

He's the top ranked Canadian singles player, has five career ATP singles titles, and is the recent winner of the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award. Felix Auger-Aliassime joins Match Point Canada for a reflection on some of his challenges in 2023, what he hopes to achieve next year, what makes players like Djokovic so difficult, and much more. Meantime, we recap 2023 from a Canadian standpoint and loo...

2016 Wimbledon finalist and former world no. 3 Milos Raonic returns to Match Point Canada! The veteran Canadian, who returned to competition this summer, stops by to speak in depth with host Mike McIntyre. Raonic discusses his busy off-season, highlights from the return to play in 2023, hopes and expectations for the year ahead, and he also fields a few questions from his fans. Enjoy! Learn more a...

He's another strong rising Canadian with a great future ahead. Ben catches up with 22-year-old Justin Boulais this week, who's currently in the midst of pre-season and gets set to close out his college tennis career at Ohio State. Boulais enjoyed a breakthrough fall on the tennis circuit, securing his first 25K singles title in Edmonton, and winning the Challenger in doubles in Calgary. The left-h...

Canadian tennis player Liam Draxl joins Ben for an in depth one-on-one interview on Match Point Canada! Draxl went pro back in June, recently won the first ATP Challenger title of his career in Calgary, and broke inside the top 300 of the rankings. He talks about his transition to the pro circuit, growing up on public tennis courts in Newmarket, and what he hopes to accomplish in 2024. Enjoy! Lear...

She's a Canadian/American tennis player and two-time junior grand slam winner in doubles! Carson Branstine returns to Match Point Canada, and after navigating a series of injuries over the last few years, is back healthy and has won two consecutive 15K ITF events. She discusses her long road back, feeling her best on the tennis court, and what it means to see fellow Canadians have success. Meantim...

The Davis Cup Finals from Malaga, Spain have finally arrived! Canada will seek to defend their historic title from last November and this week, Gabriel Diallo joins Ben of Match Point Canada to discuss his season, and expectations for the squad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He's a former coach to Venus and Serena Williams, was portrayed in the hit film King Richard, and has also worked with stars like Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati, Mary Pierce and more. Hall of Fame tennis coach Rick Macci joins us on Match Point Canada this week to discuss his passion and love for the game, how he still stays heavily involved teaching and sharing his knowledge and...

It is history for Canada! The Canadians are world champions in women's tennis, capturing a first ever Billie Jean King Cup trophy by defeating Italy in the finals. Canada's team of Leylah Fernandez, Marina Stakusic, Gaby Dabrowski, Genie Bouchard, and Rebecca Marino broke through for an incredible title from Seville, Spain. Sportsnet's Arash Madani joins us this week to recap the remarkable week a...

Mike McIntyre chats with Canada's Captain of the Billie Jean King Cup squad, Heidi El Tabakh! Heidi has her team of Leylah Fernandez, Rebecca Marino, Gaby Dabrowski, Genie Bouchard, and Marina Stakusic prepared to compete at the BJK Cup Finals from Seville, Spain this week. Canada opens in Group C against Spain and Poland. Heidi discusses managing her role as the captain, the expectations and hope...

The 2023 tennis season is nearing a close! Iga Swiatek took down Jessica Pegula to win the WTA Finals from Cancun to finish as year-end number one, Novak Djokovic was formidable again at the Paris Masters, and the Billie Jean King Cup Finals are set to begin in Seville. Meantime, Tennis Canada's Hatem McDadi, a former pro player and coach, is our special guest this week on the podcast! We discuss...

We are nearing the end of the tennis calendar! For this week, it's a special crossover episode as we feature a member of one Canada's greatest bands, The Tragically Hip! Hip guitarist Paul Langlois joins Mike for an interview to discuss his love of tennis, parallels between life as a musician and athlete, and what the future holds in store. Meantime, it was a big time week for Canadian tennis. Fel...

She's just 18 years of age and has already cracked the top 300 of the rankings. Canadian Marina Stakusic joins Match Point Canada to discuss her great results after enjoying a breakout stretch of play through the late summer and fall. Stakusic won two consecutive titles in September and was deservedly named the ITF player of the month. She was also named to Canada's Billie Jean King Cup Finals ros...

He's one of the field's most respected sports journalists! Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim returns to Match Point Canada to check in on tennis storylines as the season begins to wind down. We discuss an impending comeback in 2024 from Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz's slump, Hubert Hurkacz's win in Shanghai, and what to expect with the WTA Finals in Cancun. Meantime, what a week of tennis for Canad...

She's a former collegiate player and now one the sport's top influencers! American Rachel Stuhlmann, who's amassed a huge following of fans on Instagram, joins Ben and Mike on Match Point Canada this week. We discuss her career path, thoughts on the fall swing of the tennis season, and which players she has an eye on towards the end of 2023. Meantime, Jannik Sinner has reached career high ranking...

She was a former Wimbledon semi-finalist and world no. 18 player and is now a regular on the ESPN commentating team! Alexandra Stevenson makes her first appearance on Match Point Canada and gives us some insights on her career, the competitive fire that still remains, which players stand out to her in the women's game, and thoughts on Laver Cup. Meantime, we further break down a dominant win by Te...

She's part-Canadian, part-New Zealander, and now a doubles Grand Slam champion! Erin Routliffe joins Match Point Canada, just one week after winning the women's doubles title at the US Open alongside Ottawa's Gaby Dabrowski. Routliffe discusses the pairing, their magical run at Flushing Meadows, and her expectations for the future. Meantime, Canada advanced to the Final 8 of Davis Cup with an outs...

Team Canada presented by Sobeys is set to go from Davis Cup in Bologna, Italy! For the first time, 33-year-old Kelsey Stevenson will be part of the squad, competing alongside Denis Shapovalov, Vasek Pospisil, Gabriel Diallo, and Alexis Galarneau. Ben speaks with Stevenson and how he began his career path, the importance of playing for your country, and Canada's chances this week. Enjoy! Learn more...