Open Era

Happy New Year from all of the Open Era crew! Welcome back to another season. And welcome back to the biggest tournament of the year so far, Adelaide 2! Jokes aside, there is a tone to catch up on since we’ve been away so we do the rounds on news before turning our attention to some bold predictions. Glad you could join us again, here’s to a great year! Come join the Patreon family for bonus conte...

On a special edition of Open Era, Simon and Devang welcome illustrator Tom Humberstone to chat about his incredible upcoming graphic novel ‘Suzanne: The Jazz Age Goddess of Tennis.’ Tom takes us through the career and life of Suzanne Lenglen, one of the game’s true trailblazers. Among many topics, they discuss Lenglen’s lasting impact on the sport today, and why her story is required reading. ‘Suz...

Happy Holidays from all of us at Open Era! Grab a glass of brandy and enjoy us for a fireside chat. Devang and Simon go a little off menu to chat about how their years have gone and their favourite sporting moments outside of tennis. We both really enjoyed getting the chance to be a little more loose so fingers crossed you find it enjoyable as well. Have a great holiday season and Open Era will re...

As we continue our look back at 2022 we arrive at some our of favourite matches. For once, Simon has not included a Musetti match (or has he??) but has turned his attention to a different teenage phenom. Devang and Simon also give the eyes emoji to the Ostrava!!! Final between Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova. Come on you know an Ostrava!!! Match had to be in here somewhere… Come join the Patreo...

Iga Swiatek won over 11 thousand ranking points in 2022. That’s the most since Serena Williams in 2003. You know you’re in good company when you’re the “most since Serena.” This week, Devang and Simon look back at a season for the ages. The Polish phenom Iga Swiatek and her record breaking exploits through 2022. Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server...

Who will take home the prestigious Open Era Golden Racket? It’s awards season so put on your best tux or dress in the Open Era. Year End Awards Spectacular. Among the categories this year are: Biggest Diplomatic Incident Biggest Beef Biggest Tearjerker Plus some actual useful tennis related ones… Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and ad free epi...

In 1997 it was the end for Andre Agassi. A failed drug test coupled with injuries and the disintegration of his marriage saw the American plummet to 141 in the world rankings. And then, Agassi did something remarkable. This week on the Open Era Podcast, we revisit the 1999 French Open final and Agassi’s date with destiny. Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive disc...

Yet another victory at the World Tour Finals for Novak Djokovic. The Serb celebrated both an award of a visa and a trophy during the course of the week. Devang and Simon unpack all the comings and goings in Turin. We next turn to the BJKC and the Next Gen Finals before shifting our focus to Parting Shots and some Beach Tennis! Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive...

It’s not their most famous match, but when looking back on the Federer-Safin rivalry, this second set tiebreak must be chronicled. This week Open Era heads to 2004 and the Tennis Masters cup semifinal in Houston. Federer was finishing off a simply dominant season and Safin laid the groundwork for one more slam run. That combination created an incredible moment. Come join the Patreon family for bon...

Welcome to the WTA Finals! Wait, where is everybody? Hello? Come on people it’s the best WTA players in the world! Come to this dam event! Devang and Simon dig into a really good WTA Finals which has been sadly lacking in spectators before turning our attention to the one and only Paris Masters where Holger Rune (?) beat Novak Djokovic (??) in the final. We conclude with parting shots and examine...

Another week and another title for Félix Auger-Aliassime. Yahoo! Sports writer Arun Srinivasan (@ArunThings) joins Devang to talk about another fantastic performance from FAA in Basel, the home of his idol Roger Federer. Elsewhere, we head to Vienna and compare Denis Shapovalov's 2022 to Felix's while admiring a dominant display from Daniil Medvedev. Finally, we close today's show with a look back...

Yikes! How many of you had Halep testing positive for doping on your bingo card (be honest)? Friend of the show Vivek Jacob joins Simon and Devang to unpack a pretty huge story before turning our attention to another week of tennis. Thiem’s back baby. Also a bit of cricket chat happened so ymmv from parting shots… Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord serv...

We were going to bring you a full episode of Open Era but unfortunately we had to cut away to watch John Isner play Pickleball. I guess we can talk about Iga Swiatek being amazing and the ATP merry go round if we have to. And yes, Félix Auger-Aliassime won his 2nd tour title. Finally, we turn our attention to parting shots and the news that several members of the ATP and WTA really seem to enjoy t...

In early November, the ATP became a signatory of the United Nations Sports for Climate Action. This announcement came off the back of the COP 26 summit which took place in Glasgow, wherein world leaders were challenged to accelerate sustainability and climate related actions on a global scale. The ATP produced a document which outlined the commitments it had made along with the key commitments wit...

Open Era listeners rejoice, friend of the show and all-around tennis savant Mert Ertunga joins us this week. Devang and Mert chat about coaching and its evolution in recent years before diving into the major storylines in tennis this season, including Serena, Federer and much more. Come join the Patreon family for bonus content and ad-free episodes: https://www.patreon.com/openera Follow @OpenEraP...

Tears. Lots of tears. It was an emotional week in tennis. The Laver Cup brought to an end the career of Roger Federer. It’s all Jack Sock’s fault really! Devang and Simon unpack the week before turning our attention to the Real Tennis ™ of the past 7 days. Come join the Patreon family for bonus content and ad-free episodes: https://www.patreon.com/openera Follow @OpenEraPod on Twitter! And say hel...

The King is dead this time! Long live the King. In a move that surprised no one yet still hurts, Roger Federer announced his retirement this week. Devang and Simon look back at our own personal favourite Fed moments before turning our attention to the reaction of the Tour. We close with Parting Shots as always including this new exciting small tournament called the Davis Cup. Yeah we’d never heard...

The Queen is dead. Long live Queen Iga. Yes we summarize a truly absurd week in and outside of the tennis courts. We tackle both finals before turning our attention to the moments that will stick with us. Oh yea, Carlos Alcaraz made history too. Also, the winners at the US Open presented some truly incredible stories including a career Grand Slam in doubles. Mad week. Tennis forever. Come join the...

The end has finally arrived. Serena Williams has finally retired from the sport. We think? Maybe? Possibly? Devang and Simon unwrap her final tournament and assess what legacy she leaves behind. Next we turn our attention to our Draft picks. The hits, the misses, and most importantly the flops. Plus, Parting Shots is always full of fun and bizarre stories during a slam week! Come join the Patreon...

With the first selection in the Open Era Fantasy Draft. We will not be selecting Novak Djokovic. Yes the gang return for another bash at selecting winners for this years US Open. Simon Bushell hosts and is joined by some new players as well as some existing favourites. Let the chaos begin. The first pick of the 2022 US Open Open Era Fantasy Draft is… Come join the Patreon family for bonus content...

After his latest run in with the shadow court, Devang is missing in action this week. Instead, James Shank of Tick Tock Tennis joins Simon to get some things off the chest about the latest Masters 1000 event. Afterwards we do our best marketing efforts for some players ahead of the final major of the year and tackle some parting shots. Come join the Patreon family for bonus content and ad-free epi...

I think deep down we all knew this day was coming. Serena Williams announced her retirement plans this week. Devang and Simon chat about her legacy and what the farewell tour will look like. Plus there was Real Tennis™ which took place during the course of the week. The winners, the losers, the highs, the lows. We cover it all. Also Parting Shots. Everyone loves Parting Shots. Come join the Patreo...

Carlos Alcaraz keeps ticking things off the list. Youngest this, youngest that. First person since Nadal. First person since Djokovic. First person since Federer. Ever been curious how and where El Hurricane comes from? This week on Open Era we take a Deep Dive into the young life of the man from Murcia. What was his upbringing? What was his junior career like? How did he do at Challenger level? W...

On a special edition of Open Era, Simon and Devang welcome illustrator Tom Humberstone to chat about his incredible upcoming graphic novel ‘Suzanne: The Jazz Age Goddess of Tennis.’ Tom takes us through the career and life of Suzanne Lenglen, one of the game’s true trailblazers. Among many topics, they discuss Lenglen’s lasting impact on the sport today, and why her story is required reading. ‘Suz...

Graf, Navratilova, Seles, Serena, Hingis... Jennifer Capriati not only competed with the game’s greats, she beat them. It was an unconventional path. From youth prodigy to tennis survivor, Capriati put herself back in slam contention in 2003 when she met Justine Henin in an all-time classic semifinal under the lights at Arthur Ashe. Come join the Patreon family for bonus content and ad-free episod...