The Tennis Podcast

Despite some late drama, the Sunday start at Roland Garros had felt a little flat. Fortunately, that all changed on day two and there was plenty for David (at a wildlife centre) and Catherine (at the tennis) to talk about. While a number of big names may have taken to the court, it was the World No.190 Marco Trungelliti who stole the headlines. The lucky loser’s 9-hour road trip from Barcelona, wh...

As The Tennis Podcast turned six-years-old, Catherine & David celebrated by discussing the opening day of action at Roland Garros. But there was no cause for Johanna Konta to celebrate. The British No.1 lost in the first round at the French Open for the fourth consecutive year, beaten by Yulia Putintseva. Catherine gives us the lowdown on the talking points from Konta’s post-match press confer...

As the French Open prepares to get underway at Roland Garros in Paris, Catherine Whitaker sits courtside as Serena Williams goes through her preparation for the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. What did Simona Halep and Jelena Ostapenko have to say ahead of Roland Garros? Catherine has been talking to them. Who is scheduled to meet Rafael Nadal as he tries to win his 11th French Open title? Ca...

Just moments after Rafael Nadal was crowned Champion in Rome for the eighth time, Catherine & David bask in the London sunshine to discuss the King of Clay's rain-assisted victory over Sascha Zverev, and the extraordinary performance of Elina Svitolina earlier in the day to dismantle an out-of-sorts Simona Halep. Other Rome talking points are also in the spotlight, including Karolina Pliskova'...

Sheltering just metres from Craven Cottage and an army of angry Derby County football fans, David & Catherine digest the extraordinary and contrasting title wins in Madrid for Alex Zverev and Petra Kvitova. Who of the two will go further at Roland Garros? And why did David not think to ask that question as a poll vault? Plus there's analysis of Nadal's (not so) shock defeat to Dominic Thiem, a...

After a week when the Munich, Estoril and Prague titles were all won by home favourites, attention now turns to Madrid, which is a veritable who’s who of the best, healthy tennis players in the world. Catherine Whitaker, sitting in a car park, and David Law in a window-less room, go through a draw that has thrown up some corkers.  The wins of Alexander Zverev in Munich, Petra Kvitova in Pragu...

After clinching his second 'undecima' of the season in Barcelona following yet another week of straight sets victories, David & Catherine meet in the pub to ponder what the miracle formula might be to muster a challenge to the King of Clay. Is Nadal's lack of competition hurting men's tennis? And how annoyed are we allowed to be at Roger Federer for denying us the chance to see the rivals face...

Rafael Nadal won his 36th consecutive set of clay court tennis, dropping an average of two games per set, to claim his 11th Monte Carlo title. Afterwards, the Tennis Podcast team found themselves asking who can stop him on the surface, and how? Presenter David Law was joined by Telegraph Sport tennis correspondent Simon Briggs to work their way through the potential candidates to ‘do a Robin Soder...

David Law is back from holiday and full of beans. Catherine Whitaker is off on holiday and bemused by washing machines on tennis courts. In the 401st Tennis Podcast, they look ahead to Monte Carlo, back on rain-drenched Lugano - which a shocked Catherine reports had a washing machine on court throughout, and the exploits and ultimate disappointment of Kyle Edmund, who lost in the final of Marrakec...

With David Law swanning off on holiday, we've recorded our third listener-questions show - the 400th in our six year history - guest edited by Lea Lahnstein. David and Catherine Whitaker have answered the best of them, such as what makes a good coaching partnership and the fascination of what goes on behind closed doors, how many is the perfect number of seeds at Grand Slams, and whether or not th...

As the sunshine swing draws to a close in Miami the latest Tennis Podcast reviews an extraordinary pair of titles for American players Sloane Stephens and John Isner. Stephens has endured a disappointing run of form since becoming a surprise US Open winner in September last year, but her exceptional performances in Miami lead the podcast team to speculate whether she may always be a player that ex...

As Federer and Serena fall early in Miami, David & Catherine discuss the future for both; will we ever see Federer at the French Open again now he's announced he'll skip the clay once more, and how long is Serena's road back to full match fitness post pregnancy? And speaking of long roads back, Andy Murray has been spotted on the practice court for the first time since his hip surgery, but if...

With Juan Martin Del Potro and Naomi Osaka mixing up tennis’ natural order in Indian Wells, Catherine & David meet in the Putney Exchange to discuss what the pair’s respective victories mean for the future.  Does Osaka have the desire and ruthlessness to propel her to World Number One? And how powerful a role model could she end up being? Can Del Potro continue his rise back up the rankin...

With the Sunshine Swing well underway in the Californian Desert, Catherine and David address all the key talking points from week one of Indian Wells, including Serena Williams’ so-far impressive return to post-baby action, and Novak Djokovic’s inverse fortunes on the comeback trail.  Other developments in the tennis world include Maria Sharapova’s split with long-time coach Sven Groenveld, a...

In a Tennis Podcast Extra, we have an exclusive interview with World No.3 Marin Cilic who has some strong views on the ITF’s proposals for the Davis Cup. David Law also asks him how long it took to recover from his heartbreaking final loss to Roger Federer at Wimbledon, how long he thinks it will take for Andy Murray to return to the top once fully fit, and his impressions of Britain’s Kyle Edmund...

After a four week podcast hiatus to cover doubles luge and the like (men lying on top of one another and flinging themselves down an icy hill), Catherine reunites with David just in time to discuss the newly proposed sweeping reforms to the Davis Cup that some are welcoming with open arms, and some are heralding as the 'death of the Davis Cup'. David & Catherine delve into the depth of strong...

With Catherine Whitaker on her way back from the Winter Olympics in Korea, here's our second listener-questions show, guest edited by Grace Onions. Catherine and David Law answered the best of them, such as what tennis life will look like after Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal retire, whether players should steer clear of off-court issues in press conferences, and their current favo...

Roger Federer has spent more than half of his life as a professional tennis player, becoming in the eyes of most people, and according to most stats, the best male player ever to pick up a racquet.  After becoming the oldest person to reach World No.1 since the rankings began, two men that have covered every one of Federer’s 20 years playing the sport got together on the latest Tennis Podcast...

We have thrown the next two editions of The Tennis Podcast over to our listeners to fire their questions at hosts Catherine Whitaker and David Law. This week, with Guest Editor Jim Boyle in the chair to choose the questions and throw in a couple of his own, Catherine and David are put on the spot to reveal the players that are the most challenging to interview, which tournaments are the best to co...

Great Britain might have gone out 3-1 in the first round of the Davis Cup to Spain, but the talk of The Tennis Podcast was the performance of Cameron Norrie, who beat Roberto Bautista Agut and pushed Albert Ramos Vinolas all the way. Just who is this 22 year-old who had never previously played a professional clay court match before he discomfited two players that had been brought up on the surface...

Roger Federer made it an extraordinary 20 Grand Slam singles titles with a 5-set win over Marin Cilic in the Australian Open final, and as he embarked on a celebration tour of television studio interviews, Catherine Whitaker and David Law try to make sense of his achievement on The Tennis Podcast. Federer was overcome with emotion in his on-court victory speech, and the team discuss why this one g...

As Caroline Wozniacki walked by from television studio to television studio after claiming her long-awaited first Grand Slam title, Catherine Whitaker and David Law tried to do justice on The Tennis Podcast to an epic three-set tussle which had numerous storylines dripping with emotion.  Where was the match won and lost? How did Wozniacki react after finally making her dream come true? And wi...

Moments after Hyeon Chung pulled out of his Australian Open semifinal because of blisters, ensuring Roger Federer would reach a 30th Grand Slam singles final, Boris Becker joined Catherine Whitaker and David Law on the Tennis Podcast to look ahead to Sunday’s clash with Marin Cilic.  The two-time champion also previews the women’s final between Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep, explains wh...

Moment after Kyle Edmund’s Australian Open odyssey ended at the hands of Marin Cilic, Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport), David Law (BBC 5 Live) and Simon Briggs (Telegraph) got together in the media cafe to talk over where the match was won and lost. Could he have done anything differently? How big a factor was the injury he apparently sustained? And will Cilic be able to go all the way in the final?...

All of the four quarterfinals played on Wednesday were won in straight sets, but each had its own story, and the resulting semifinals are mouth-watering, according to the Tennis Podcast team.  Hyeon Chung is one of the stories of the tournament and he backed up his straight sets win over Novak Djokovic by overcoming a very difference challenge - being the favourite to win against the World No...