Open Era

Wozniacki returns and Kontaveit retires. Bet you didn’t have that on your bingo card for the past two weeks. Devang and Simon unpack those announcements before turning to the grass court season and discuss all of the winners and losers so far. We also ask some provocative questions as we arrive on the 3rd major of the year. That plus some Break Point chat in Parting Shots. And do you know the name...

Simon and Devang revisit the Women’s 2004 Australian Open final and one of the more underrated rivalries in tennis. Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne were the top players in the women’s game and happened to hail from the same small nation: Belgium. Combined, they would win 11 Grand Slams. On this January day in Melbourne, they battled for hardcourt supremacy. Sick of hearing all the ads? Su...

The actions of Gunter Parche changed the sport of tennis for ever on April 30, 1993. Monica Seles was on track to smash the record books until Parche, a Steffi Graf superfan, stabbed Seles during a changeover at the Hamburg tournament. Graf and Seles were lodged in a rivalry that was on track to redefine the sport. Seles remarkably came all the way back, meeting her great rival once again in the 1...

We saw history being made all across the courts at Roland Garros this week. Obviously you know about Iga; now a four-time Slam champion, her third at Roland Garros — all in a day’s work for the Pole. Djokovic did his thing as always, but can we talk about Hsieh, Kato, Korneeva, Kraijek, Oda and De Groot. That’s where the real action is at! Tennis gatekeeping asides, it’s been a great two weeks and...

The French Open has arrived! And it wouldn’t be the French Open without lots of booing, high profile loses and geopolitical issues. With Dev away in London, Simon is joined by Priyanka Dobson to unpack a mammoth week in tennis. All of that plus we find out exactly what Denis Shapovalov eats during the course of the week! Enjoy! Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcas...

The French Open is here! On this week’s Open Era, Simon and Devang discuss Rafael Nadal’s absence, the events in Rome that shook up the WTA and ask what is making Daniil Medvedev so good on clay? Then they get into the big questions at Roland Garros, including who can contend with Swiatek, Rybakina and Sabalenka, is it Djokovic and Alcaraz or bust and who will break through from the Men’s bottom h...

The French Open may happen at some point this year but it must be said, we’re missing the Parisian clay right now. This week we head back to 2003 and the classic semifinal between Serena Williams and Justine Henin. Serena was on a 33-match winning streak at the slams but it was not meant to be on this day in what was an extraordinary contest. You don’t get a moniker like ‘The Hand Match’ for nothi...

To be honest, the cake tastes bad in Madrid anyway… Devang and Simon tackle a huge crop of news over the past fortnight including a titanic battle between the world’s top two. Carlos Alcaraz retained his Madrid Open title and went back to World Number 1. Will he play Djokovic (finally) in Rome? Will we ever see Rafael Nadal play again? All that plus a whole lot of sexism coming out of Madrid. Sick...

This week we continue on our journey through time to relive some of the best matchups that tennis has offered as we examine the 1980 Wimbledon final between Björn Borg of Sweden and John McEnroe of the United States. Simon Bushell and Devang Desai remember all of the drama, the outbursts and the tie-breaks. This episode originally aired on January 12, 2018 as part of The Sport Chronicle. Sick of h...

Welcome to Madrid, where the days are long and the time between matches is even longer! While Simon and Devang do complain briefly about the lengthy events on the WTA and ATP, they actually do discuss tennis on this week’s Open Era. Teenager Mirra Andreeva is the talk of the town after ousting Haddad-Maia and Leylah Fernandez while Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas took match of the week honors...

This week we profile someone that never became world number one or captured a Grand Slam, but accomplished something no other player has . David Nalbandian defied explanation, until you saw what he could do on the court when everything was just ‘right.’ We saw that happen in 2007 at the Madrid Open when he became the first and only person to beat Nadal, Djokovic and Federer at the same tournament....

Andrey Rublev is the champion of Monte Carlo. On this week’s Open Era, Simon and Devang tackle a brilliant week in the French Riviera which concluded the way ‘most’ of us wanted. The guys discuss Rublev’s breakthrough and what makes him likable among other things. Staying in Monaco, how did it go for Sinner, Medvedev, Djokovic, Rune and the lot? Mixed results but there’s plenty to talk about. The...

Patreon subscriber and friend of the show Luke Peristy asks Simon and Devang to relive an improbable run in Paris. Francesca Schiavone became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam tournament, and the first woman in the Open Era to win the French Open while seeded outside the top 10. Schiavone won this tournament using a shot we no longer see much of on the women’s tour. Why? Come join the Pa...

On to the clay. Devang and Simon unpack the Miami Open, including the triumphs for Petra Kvitová and Daniil Medvedev. What does another Alcaraz-Sinner battle mean and is ‘Big Babe’ (apologies, it’s terrible) tennis back? Then, on parting shots the guys dig into Wimbledon removing their ban on Russian and Belarussian players, Bianca Andreescu injuries and talk a little footy. Tune in! Come join the...

We are back for another duo WTA/ATP event, but this time it’s Miami where the tennis world is gathering to figure out why everything is so damn turquoise. Devang and Simon discuss the early trajectories of Bianca Andreescu and Denis Shapovalov in the Sunshine state before getting onto their rankings of the best combined events on the tours, outside of the grand slams. In parting shots the guys dis...

The self proclaimed Tennis Paradise lived up to its billing this week with some blockbuster storylines. Dev and Simon tackle the Final Four from the ATP and WTA in honour of March Madness. Finally, they turn their attention to some celebrity sightings in the desert. Is Pink a celebrity? Find out the answer in this week's Open Era. Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclu...

With Indian Wells well underway, Simon and Devang are back to discuss a whole lot of tennis and … other things. First, they look at Denis Shapovalov’s plea to eliminate the pay gap on International Women’s Day along with the personal stories of Bianca Andreescu and Jessica Pegula. Then they look at what’s to come at Indian Wells while also touching on the latest in UK media meltdowns and Novak Djo...

Iga Swiatek is still the class of the WTA. Or is she? Devang and Simon dive into all the action which has taken place in February including an incredible run of three straight tournaments from Danii Medvedev. We summerise the [nation redacted]’s exploits before turning our attention to Parting Shots. Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and ad free...

As a teenager he was featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine alongside Barack Obama. One of the most hyped American athletes of all time had a roller coaster of a career, but never reached the world’s top 30. So much was expected of this young phenom but mis-management, a poor attitude and his game style never allowed him to become an all time great. This week on Open Era we are joined by Andre...

I feel like we all have our own personal stories as to why we pick up a racket. Some do it because of sibling rivalry, some because of the social aspect and a desire for connection. I reckon there's a decent percentage of us who do it for exercise purposes. And in Wu Yinbings case, the Chinese superstar only started playing because his mother wanted him to lose weight at just six years of age. Thi...

Devang and Simon are taking you on a journey back to the 2012 Australian Open where Nadal and Djokovic gave us a final for the ages. Simon Bushell and Devang Desai relive the six hour marathon match between two of the world's best. This episode of The Sport Chronicle originally aired on September 14, 2018. Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and a...

You are exactly what you practise. That’s the key to Novak Djokovic’s success. But why exactly do people find the 22 time grand slam champions game boring? Simon tries to break down some thoughts on why the Serb’s game is so divisive. And If you haven’t. Do yourself a favour and take a read of Maverick Tennis’ blog. It’s a little tough to get into but it’s thought provoking. Do you find his tennis...

It happened people. It finally happened. Aryna Sabalenka is slam champion. On a day that many thought might never happen we have a brand new slam champion on the WTA. Devang and Simon unpack the significance of her victory before turning their attention to some of the other winners from the past two weeks in Melbourne Park. We end with Parting Shots and have some choice words over the Australian O...

Wow, that was a week. On the latest Open Era, Devang Desai is joined by special guest co-host Crina Mustafa to cover an extraordinary opening seven days in Melbourne. They’ll rank the performances of the Canadians, none of whom are left in singles. How did Felix, Bianca, Leylah and Denis really do? Then, they’ll tackle the biggest storylines so far: Andy Murray turning back the clock (for a bit),...

It’s slam season yet again in Open Era land. Join Simon and Devang as they unpack the headlines in the lead up to the Australian Open, including Naomi Osaka’s pregnancy and Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal. Then, the guys dig into the draw and make their picks. Is Jack Draper destined to dethrone Rafael Nadal? Is Jessica Pegula really a ‘good story’? Finally, it’s Parting Shots, where we mourn the end...