The Sit-Down

American youngster Alex Michelsen sits at a career-high world No.41 as he heads to Jeddah to compete in the Next Gen ATP Finals. The 20-year-old recently sat down with Viv and Matt during a rare break at home in California to discuss his meteoric rise. Michelsen began season 2024 ranked 97th and soared thanks to reaching two ATP finals — Newport and Winston-Salem — and winning more tha...

When Viv and Matt sat down with Paul McNamee in April, the conversation naturally shifted to his time as tournament director of the Australian Open. McNamee held the role from 1995 till 2006, a period of extraordinary growth for the tournament. During this time, the AO's status rose to match the other Grand Slams, its brand identity was refreshed, and it attracted new audiences. This peaked during...

It's been almost a year since John Millman retired from professional tennis at AO 2024, drawing the curtains on an impressive 15-year playing career. The former world No.33 sits down with Todd Woodbridge to discuss his enjoyment of rediscovering a stable lifestyle and reconnecting with family and friends — two things he seldom experienced during his decade-and-a-half on the tour. Yet the Queenslan...

The Australian Open holds a special place in Donna Kelso's heart; it was where she officiated her last match as a chair umpire — the women's final of AO 1998. The Sydneysider has since held an ongoing role as a WTA supervisor, which sees her travel the world and visit incredible locations as the tour traverses the globe. It's the continuation of a long-running connection to tennis for Kelso, who p...

Nick Kyrgios has outlined his comeback intentions, announcing he will play the Brisbane International before returning to the Grand Slam stage at Australian Open 2025. Viv and Matt sit down with the former world No.13, who has played just one match in the past two years due to injuries. The worst of those was a wrist problem, which required reconstructive surgery, but Kyrgios has recovered and fee...

Almost 20 years ago, Jill Craybas produced one of the great Grand Slam upsets, defeating Serena Williams to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon — a career-best result. The former US college player, who also holds a communications degree, sat down with Matt to reflect on a professional career that saw her crack the top 40 and win the WTA Japan Open title. Since retiring in 2013, she has emerged as...

Viv and Matt are joined by not one, but two guests: Daria and Luke Saville. During a rare week at home in Melbourne together, the Savilles left dog Tofu with Dasha's mum and sat down for their first proper interview together. In a wide-ranging chat, they recall how they met as juniors, Daria's relocation to Australia, and how their professional tennis careers have unfolded in tandem: hitting toget...

Matt sits down with Australian legend and Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt at the United Cup Draw. The former world No.1 reflects on his run to the final of Australian Open where he navigated a tough draw during a buzzing fortnight in 2005. One of his wins came in five sets over a teenage Rafael Nadal, which gave fans an early glimpse of the Spaniard's talent just months before his maiden Grand Sl...

Jaslyn Hewitt-Shehadie has worn many hats in tennis, from professional player to high-performance coach, tournament director, and her current position as WTA Director of Player Relations. Jaslyn sits down with Matt and Viv to share insights from her extensive journey in the sport and the lessons she’s learned along the way. Hewitt-Shehadie also explains her passion for giving back to the sport tha...

Rising Australian star Talia Gibson joins The Sit-Down to discuss her sizzling form, which has seen her scoop three consecutive ITF titles on the Australian Pro Tour and build a 14-match winning streak. The 20-year-old now sits at a career-high world No.128 and has her sights set on bigger goals, such as direct entry to Grand Slams and an elite top-100 ranking. Born in Perth but now based in Brisb...

In Part 2 of their sit-down with Michael Chang, Viv and Matt chat to the former world No.2 about his success in Asia where he won 12 of his 34 career titles, including the first edition of the Beijing tournament in 1993. Chang recalls the enormous support he received in the region and reflects on how the sport has evolved there in the 30 years since, including the construction of purpose-built ven...

Professional player-turned-analyst Andrea Petkovic sits down with Matt and Viv to reflect on her illustrious career, which saw her crack the WTA top 10, reach the Roland Garros semifinals in 2014, and reach three major quarterfinals in a breakout 2011 season. The German’s playing career spanned multiple generations, beginning when she took her first steps on the professional tour in the mid-2000s...

Olivia Gadecki is Australia’s latest success story of 2024 after her recent maiden WTA singles final in Guadalajara. The 22-year-old sits down with Viv and Matt to discuss what clicked during a breakthrough week in Mexico, which vaulted her to a career-high world No.81 and Australia's No.1 WTA player. Gadecki is the first Aussie woman to reach a 500-level singles final since Ash Barty, a fellow Qu...

Following his long stint with Angelique Kerber, esteemed German coach Torben Beltz is entering a new phase of his career. The 47-year-old sits down with Viv to discuss the highs of his 20-year partnership with Kerber, including her AO title that kick-started an unforgettable 2016 season. Beltz also relives his own playing career, which began at club level in Germany and took him through the US col...

Who better to sit down with during a Davis Cup week than John Fitzgerald, a member of two winning Australian teams in the 1980s, who later captained Australia to the 2003 title? Fitzy joins Viv and Matt to reflect on those incredible memories, plus his glittering doubles career that saw him rise to world No.1 and win all four Grand Slam titles. He's encouraged by Australia's continued success on t...

Viv and Matt have always wanted to sit down with Simon Rea, a colleague who began his tennis journey in his native New Zealand. Emerging through the NZ junior pathway to become a national champion and Davis Cup representative, he completed a journalism degree as a US college player. He later transitioned to high performance coaching, which brought him to Melbourne and saw him link up with Nick Kyr...

Alexei Popyrin is riding a sweet wave after his recent ATP Masters 1000 triumph in Montreal. He enters the US Open with a career-high ranking and is seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time. The 25-year-old sat down with Viv and Jon to talk milestone breakthroughs, Aussie inspiration, and the sacrifices that are helping to turn his long-held tennis dreams into reality. AusOpen.com iHeart Apple Po...

Michael Chang remains the youngest man to win a Grand Slam title following his historic triumph at Roland Garros in 1989. But, as he reveals in this episode of The Sit-Down, the former world No.2 often felt more at home on the North American hard courts, where he won titles in Toronto, Indian Wells and Cincinnati — the latter of which where he reached four consecutive finals and won twice. Now 52...

As we bid farewell to the Olympics, we spend time reminiscing with Andre Sa. In an impressive playing career, Sa represented Brazil in four Olympic Games, including at his home nation in 2016. He was also a Wimbledon singles quarterfinalist and a top-20 doubles star. Andre joined The Sit-Down to talk about those dream Olympic experiences, the evolution of team tennis and why the friendships he for...

Mirra Andreeva is one of the stars of the moment: an Olympic silver medallist in doubles at the Paris 2024 Games not long after capturing her first career WTA singles title in Iasi, and now a top-25 player. The 17-year-old sat down with Viv at the recent Wimbledon championships, showcasing her strikingly mature personality and unique perspective on the game. Andreeva discusses her love of all surf...

Twenty years on from winning Olympic bronze in singles at the Athens 2004 Games, Alicia Molik reflects on her 'career pinnacle' achievement. She remains the only Australian tennis player to have won an individual medal since the sport returned to the Summer Games in 1988. The then-23-year-old’s performance ignited a fruitful six-month period in which she reached the Australian Open quarterfinals a...

Australian doubles stars Matt Ebden and Storm Hunter have each appeared on recent episodes of The Sit-Down. Both conversations veered into fascinating areas such as the state of the game in general, the marketing of doubles, how to reach new fans, and the state of Australian tennis. Both veterans of the tour with a passion for seeing tennis be the best it can be, Ebden and Hunter offer fresh insig...

Already a Grand Slam singles champion from 2021 at Roland Garros, new Wimbledon queen Barbora Krejcikova has entered a new echelon with her second major singles title. On the eve of her campaign at the All England Club, Krejcikova sat down with Viv Christie to discuss her journey, which began with her family in Czechia and has so far produced doubles success at majors, Olympic gold, and her famous...

In 1987, Pat Cash joined the most exclusive club in tennis when he defeated Ivan Lendl to win the Wimbledon men's singles title. The Australian legend sat down with Viv at the All England Club during the 2024 Championships to discuss how his achievement 37 years ago changed his life and his tennis career, and how Wimbledon titles are celebrated in the 21st century. AusOpen.com iHeart Apple Podcast...

When Jelena Dokic stunned Martina Hingis in the first round of Wimbledon 1999, the Australian qualifier was catapulted into global stardom. The win came at a tournament where she won 20 of her first 24 matches, and she ultimately peaked at world No.4 in one of the strongest eras the women’s game has seen. Dokic sat down with Matt and Viv to relive those highs, recounting her upset of the Swiss sup...