Open Era

The strange journey that was Tennis at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has concluded, leaving Simon and Devang with plenty to discuss. On this week’s Open Era the guys examine Novak Djokovic’s shocking conclusion to these games, the incredible performances of Belinda Bencic and Elina Vesnina’s inspiring ROC Nation campaign, among others. In between, they covered the tweets that made us think, laugh, and c...

We are heading to Tokyo for the Olympic games! With Devang taking a well deserved rest Simon is joined by Luke Peristy to discuss the tumultuous first few days of the Olympic Games. In addition, we give Luke the “Commissioner of Tennis” keys and dive into a bumper crop of news in our Parting Shots. Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and ad free e...

It’s the unofficial midway point of the 2021 season so it’s time to reflect. With Simon away, friend of the show Vivek Jacob joins Devang to hand out some hardware six and a half months into the campaign. No, Novak Djokovic and Ash Barty didn’t sweep everything. Plus, the guys talk about the Olympics, the state of everything (bad) amid the rash of withdrawals, Naomi Osaka’s Netflix documentary plu...

Twenty Grand Slams. We have some company at the top. Yes, Novak Djokovic continued his dominant reign atop the Men’s game at Wimbledon on Sunday. Simon and Devang unpack the latest historic feat from the Super Serb, and grapple with what a Calendar Golden Slam would mean. Ash Barty made a feel good story permanent, capturing her second slam and Australia’s first at Wimbledon in 41 years on the wom...

You won’t believe these 10 things that happened at Wimbledon this week! Number 9 will SHOCK you. We highlight 10 moments from this week at the All England Club which caught our eye. Plus we go deep into the Open Era Fanfiction, it’s a dark and disturbing place. We round it all out with our Parting Shots, which will from here out be known as Shapo Trap House. Who will have the better career? Sofia...

After a long wait, we’re finally ready for The Championships. On today’s Open Era, Simon and Devang dissect the Wimbledon draw - including Serena, Andy and Roger’s chances of making deep runs. Plus, the PTPA went on the offensive this week ahead of a vote on the ATP’s 30-year plan. Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil outline their case with some help, and the guys dig into the massive ramifications...

Grass court season is in full swing, and though it’s not very long, we love it. On this week’s Open Era, Simon and Devang tour Europe, where players on both tours prepare for Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic and Naomi Osaka will not be there, but others solidified their case for contention in a couple weeks in Halle, Birmingham, Queen’s Club and Berlin, respectively. Plus, the guys check-in o...

We were treated to a stunning final week in Paris with possibly the greatest clay court match of all time included in the mix. Barbora Krejcikova decided to take a break from winning in Doubles (which she still won) to win the Singles title and a small kid who doesn’t know how to fight became a man, but that wasn’t enough to overcome the terminator that is Novak Djokovic. Also, Felix Auger Aliassi...

We’ve made it through a calamitous opening week of the French Open with plenty to discuss, both on and off the court. Simon and Devang give their thoughts on the withdrawals of Naomi Osaka and Roger Federer and their subsequent coverage. On the court, Nadal and Djokovic continued on their path towards confrontation, while Serena Williams introduced tweaks to her game. On the youth scene, Iga Swiat...

Who knew that the simple act of Naomi Osaka refusing to speak at press conferences during the French Open would set off such a firestorm? We are joined this week by the incredible Caitlin Thompson (@caitlin_thomps) of Racquet Magazine to digest a truly memorable week. Oh and the French Open started! We cover our winners and surprises along with trying to figure out quite why a statue of Rafael Nad...

We’re one week out from the French Open, so it’s time to take stock of both tours. Vivek Jacob (@vivekmjacob) joins Simon and Devang to discuss the players that have caught their eye for the right and wrong reasons with Paris looming. Find out where they stand on Denis Shapovalov, Bianca Andreescu and Felix Auger-Aliassime heading into the second Grand Slam of the year, plus, expectations for Roge...

It took Iga Swiatek 46 minutes to win her first title in Rome. It took Rafael Nadal 162 minutes to win his 10th title in Rome. They’re at different points in their careers, but let there be little doubt, both players are incredible. This week on Open Era, Simon and Devang recount an amazing week for the Polish teen and examine yet another riveting edition of the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry. That, plus...

Well, Madrid didn’t disappoint. On this week’s Open Era, Simon and Devang recap a captivating tournament in the Spanish capital, where Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev emerged victorious. The guys debate Sabalenka’s chances of winning a ‘bigger’ prize very soon along with a host of other topics, including scary new ground for American Men’s Tennis, coaching changes in the WTA, the annual Rafa...

We arrive in Madrid with plenty to settle as the clay court season heats up. Naomi Osaka’s loss leads to another discussion on surfaces and who really is the favourite heading into the French Open. On the Men’s side, present could meet the future with Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz sharing the same half of the draw. Devang and Simon also discuss Denis Shapovalov’s recent struggles, the WTA’s gold...

Let’s be honest, we only want to see the best 12 players in the world play against each other each week. Karatsev vs Djokovic, Karatsev vs Barty, Karatsev vs Nadal, Karatsev vs Osaka - It’ll be far far better than the European Super League. All jokes aside, it was a monster week in Tennis. We had blockbuster matchups in Barcelona, Belgrade, Istanbul and Stuttgart. The tennis just keeps on coming,...

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal competed in Monte Carlo this week, but it wasn’t them we were talking about at the end. On this week's Open Era, Simon and Devang unpack the Rublev-Tsitsipas final and predict what the rest of 2021 holds for these rising stars. Elsewhere, Leylah Fernandez leads Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup charge, Nick Kyrgios the coverstar, and tackling umpire abuse. All of that a...

The clay season begins in earnest this week with tournaments contested in Cagliari, Marbella, and Charleston kicking off matters, but the big news is about coaching. Toni Nadal, uncle of that guy ‘Rafa’, is linking up with Felix Auger Aliassime for the foreseeable future beginning in Monte Carlo. Simon and Devang talk about what this partnership could mean for Felix, Toni, and Rafa going forward....

Bianca Andreescu’s incredible run in Miami didn’t end how anyone wanted, but positives can be taken away from this week. theScore’s Joe Wolfond joins Simon and Devang to break down Bibi’s highs and lows, and give credit to the ever-reliable Ash Barty. Also on the show: Hubert Hurkacz’s incredible run to the Miami Open title, Jannik Sinner’s unrelenting promise, and our parting shots featuring Pat...

Drama and controversy dominate the headlines this week in Miami. A confrontation between Vasek Pospisil and ATP president Andrea Gaundezi has led to our latest Open Era labour relations update. Simon and Devang recap the last few days featuring Vasek Pospisil, Novak Djokovic (in absentia), John Isner and other members of the #PlayersVoice movement. What is their message? What is their goal? Should...

Melbourne wasn’t a fluke. On this week’s Open Era, Simon and Devang gush about Aslan Karatsev and his 1st ATP title while comparing him to a certain American legend. Also on the show: Leylah Annie Fernandez’s incredible run in Monterrey, the Zverev-Tsitsipas “blockbuster” in Acapulco and more 3 vs. 5 set grand slam debates. Tune in for a jam packed show! Come join the Patreon family for bonus cont...

This week on Open Era, Devang and Simon dive into Roger Federer’s return in Doha, and its aftermath, including Fed’s very much up in the air schedule for 2021. Also this week, Genie Bouchard found herself back in a final, Daniil Medvedev cemented his ascension to the No. 2 ranking with a tournament win in Marseille and Garbine Muguruza continued to dabble with god mode. All that, and more, coming...

There will be a new number 2 on the ATP for the first time since July 25, 2005 when the latest rankings come out on March 15th. Yes, Daniil Medvedev is on the verge of breaking a 15-year stranglehold on the top of the game by the Men’s Big 4. It’s a wild stat. One that led us down a rankings wormhole this week with guest Tahmid Saleh. Also, the guys cover the big news from the week: Petra Kvitova...

So long Australia, it’s been nice. Iga Swiatek wrapped up the Australian portion of the 2021 tennis calendar with an emphatic win over Belinda Bencic in the Adelaide final. This week, Simon and Devang go deep on Iga’s 2nd career title as well as serve up the latest from both the ATP and WTA. We’re talking Rafael Nadal and appearance fees, Roger Federer’s return and Simon’s incredible serving motio...

The end came so quickly. After spending the last year month in Australia, Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic departed Melbourne with the biggest trophies up for grabs. On this week’s Open Era, Simon and Devang break down both finals, and hit on what they loved and hated from this year’s Australian Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas, electronic line calling, injuries, Jennifer Brady, Aslan Karatsev, Serena Willi...

The opening week of the 2021 Australian Open did not disappoint. An incredible bottom half of the women’s draw lived up to the hype, while Nick Kyrgios managed to electrify the locals before a pandemic reality check. On today’s show Simon and Devang take a look at how the Canadians did (and are doing) in Melbourne, and check in with Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Plus, they give...