The Tennis Podcast

The tennis world was shocked this week by the news that Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance at the US Open. We start this week's podcast by reacting to that news and how it fits into a turbulent year for Halep. Elsewhere, with David away on holiday, Catherine and Matt discuss Jessica Pegula seizing her moment in Guadalajara, the completion of...

For the eighth time this season we’re talking about an Iga Swiatek title this week after she beat Donna Vekic to win in not-so-sunny San Diego. Catherine, David and Matt discuss the impressive nature of her run and her dominance over what should be her closest rivals.  There’s also chat about Andrey Rublev doing what he does best by winning the ATP 250 in Gijon, Felix Auger-Aliassime improvin...

Ostrava!!! is fast becoming one of our favourite tournaments of the year and last week it lived up to its exclamation marks with an epic final between Barbora Krejcikova and Iga Swiatek. How did Krejcikova manage to do what no else could this year and beat Swiatek in a final? Where has this surge in form come from? And could Krejcikova and Swiatek develop a compelling WTA rivalry?  Elsewhere,...

For the first time in three weeks, Catherine, David and Matt are together to record a podcast, this one to look back on an interesting week which saw some new champions and some new events.  In what way is Mayar Sherif already building on Ons Jabeur’s legacy? Will Maria Sakkari ever overcome her tightness on court? What makes Yoshihito Nishioka so awkward to play against (especially for Dan E...

We nearly called this the 'ILL PODCAST' because we're all a bit under the weather. However, that's not very enticing is it, and not producing a show was never an option. So Catherine and David (get well soon, Matt) came together to talk about the extraordinarily emotional scenes at Laver Cup, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in tears. They also discussed the results of the week, how important t...

The world's media assembled in London to talk to Roger Federer one final time in his professional playing career. David Law was among them. This is what Federer had to say. Catherine and Matt will be back with David on Monday. For Friends of The Tennis Podcast, three new podcasts (David's Diary, our US Open 2022 review and a Q & A podcast with listeners) are now available. Become a Friend to a...

Ivan Ljubicic began coaching Roger Federer in 2016, and did not speak to the media about Federer for the next 6 years. Now, after Federer announced his retirement last week, Ljubicic opens up to David Law about the moments that led to the Swiss deciding it was time to end his career, what happened when Federer asked him to join his coaching team in 2016, the highs and lows that followed, and what...

Roger Federer has announced his professional retirement. A career spanning 24 years, Federer began in Gstaad, Switzerland in July 1998, a tournament attended by our own David Law. David details some of his memories, talks to Telegraph Tennis Correspondent Simon Briggs about covering Federer, and we hear from Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts, who send in their thoughts and memories via voice not...

There were special scenes on Sunday night in New York as Carlos Alcaraz beat Casper Ruud to become the youngest US Open men's champion since Pete Sampras in 1990 and the youngest ATP World No.1 ever. Catherine, David and Matt were in the stadium to witness it and they discuss the match and the significance of the moment on the podcast. What made it such an enjoyable match? How did Alcaraz make up...

Apologies for the delay. We have been experiencing issues with our Tennis Podcast platform provider, which is why your podcast has not been available. Iga Świątek is the toughest final challenge in tennis. Ons Jabeur rose to that challenge. Catherine, Matt and David, in a car ride and on the streets of New York, look at where the match was won and lost and what it might mean for the future. They a...

Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz will face off on Sunday with the winner becoming US Open champion and the new World No.1. It could hardly get more tantalising. In this podcast, we chat about how they both got there, with Ruud winning a 55-shot rally and surviving a mini Karen Khachanov fightback, and Alcaraz once again going the distance late at night to beat an inspired Frances Tiafoe. How well di...

With the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, it was been a strange, unsettling day at the US Open. Sporting coverage on BBC Radio was replaced with rolling news and obituary programming, meaning David didn’t commentate on the tennis. Catherine wasn’t required to present Prime Video’s coverage and a moment’s silence was held on court ahead of the women’s semi-finals. We discussed what to do...

Wednesday was a good day. It was David’s birthday, Catherine and Matt met Lin Manuel Miranda, Frances Tiafoe brought the good vibes to Flushing Meadows by becoming the first American man to reach the US Open semi-finals since 2006, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka set up a mouthwatering semi-final, and Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played a match for the ages, a quite simply bonkers match, showi...

On the first quarter-final day at the US Open, we cover Caroline Garcia’s incredible form to beat home favourite Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur’s up and down victory over Ajla Tomljanovic, Matteo Berrettini’s poor performance and whether that match changes how we feel about him and Casper Ruud, a surprising but brilliant five set victory for Karen Khachanov over Nick Kyrgios, and much excitement for the l...

It took until 5th September, but Rafael Nadal has finally lost a Grand Slam match in 2022. He was beaten in sensational fashion by Frances Tiafoe, a result which blows the men’s draw wide open and sets up a fascinating second week. On the podcast, we cover what went wrong for Nadal, whether we should have seen it coming, what makes Tiafoe so great to watch, and what this means for his career....

The great tennis just keeps coming at this US Open.  In part one, Catherine, David and Matt discuss Coco Gauff's special connection with the New York crowd and the way she’s been afforded time to grow her game and become a Grand Slam contender, the formidable form of Caroline Garcia, a five set win for Matteo Berrettini over the always fun Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, some minor aggro between...

There was a morning after feeling to Day 6 at the US Open following Serena Williams’ defeat on Friday night. But it actually didn’t take long for great matches to start happening again, bringing new life to the tournament and giving us plenty to talk about on the podcast. After a night off, Catherine re-joined David and Matt for all of her Serena vs Tomljanovic takes plus lots of chat about Saturd...

Serena Williams' tennis career is over. On an extraordinary night in New York, David and Matt react to her fitting final match against Ajla Tomljanovic and the emotions it provoked. There's also chat about Andy Murray's defeat to Matteo Berrettini, Coco Gauff's statement performance to beat Madison Keys, and great wins for Casper Ruud and Ons Jabeur. WIN A TRIP TO THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Our US Open...

We talk about whether Iga Swiatek is hitting her stride, who are looking like the biggest contenders in the women’s draw, Paula Badosa’s struggles, an uncomfortable encounter between Marta Kostyuk and Victoria Azarenka, four British men making it through to the third round and the competition between them, how Jenson Brooksby got on Borna Coric’s nerves, one final act from Serena and Venus William...

Serena Williams has got us all dreaming. After she played some vintage tennis to beat World No.2 Anett Kontaveit, Catherine, David and Matt discuss whether she can go on to win the entire tournament. How is Serena's run making us feel? What was better about today's performance compared to Monday's? And will there be anyone who can cope with the crowd and the sheer enormity of the occasion to actua...

This US Open keeps on delivering. To wrap up Day 2, David and Matt discuss:  How Emma Raducanu is looking to the future after her title defence ended against Alize Cornet  Venus Williams’ moment in the spotlight on Ashe Stadium  Iga Swiatek and Sloane Stephens setting up a second round blockbuster  Why Andrea Petkovic will be much missed from the sport  The incredible leve...

We may have had the Serena celebration, but we haven't had her final match. Not yet. At the end of an extraordinary evening - which saw Serena honoured on court before, during and after her victory over Danka Kovinic - David, Catherine and Matt try to sum it all up. Why was it better to stage Serena's ceremony tonight rather than after a loss? How much better did her game look than in Cincinnati?...

On the eve of the US Open, David, Catherine and Matt are together on site to reflect on what the players said on media day, to react to the news that Serena and Venus Williams are playing doubles together, to highlight some of the best stories from qualifying, and to preview Monday’s action.  We discuss lots of the players' tributes to Serena, whether Iga Swiatek is going to thrive or not in...

After three years away, The Tennis Podcast is back in New York for the US Open! David, Catherine and Matt soak up some of the sights and sounds of Manhattan, react to Novak Djokovic's withdrawal, and discuss some of the biggest headlines from the draws. What are the chances of a fitting send off for Serena Williams? How does Emma Raducanu start her title defence? And is Rafael Nadal in the better...

We could be in for a wild US Open. That’s our big takeaway following Cincinnati where Borna Coric and Caroline Garcia won the titles. In our final show before leaving for New York we talk about Coric’s sudden return to form, a mysterious but encouraging week for Stefanos Tsitsipas, who the US Open favourite is between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev, whether Caroline Garcia is in The Mix after he...