The Tennis Podcast

Catherine, David and Matt get together for a catch up at the halfway point in Cincinnati. There’s chat about the gruelling turnaround after Canada, some high profile withdrawals from the women’s draw, why Serena Williams vs Emma Raducanu wasn’t the memorable occasion we expected, Raducanu’s improved form, Iga Swiatek’s criticism of the balls, struggles for Naomi Osaka, the emergence of Ben Shelton...

Simona Halep is back where she belongs - winning big titles and inside the World’s Top 10. How did she win in Toronto without always playing her best tennis? In what way has Patrick Mouratoglou helped her this season? And can she keep it going in New York? Catherine, David and Matt talk it all through at the end of a thrilling week.  Elsewhere from Toronto, there’s chat about Beatriz Had...

Serena Williams has published an article in Vogue announcing that she is “evolving away” from tennis, with the upcoming US Open expected to be her final tournament. It will bring to an end one of the greatest sporting careers of all time.  In the first part of this podcast, Catherine, David and Matt react to the news, discuss the effect it will have on tennis, and offer some reflections on Se...

With the US Open series in full swing, Catherine, David and Matt review title runs for Daria Kasatkina, Nick Kyrgios, Liudmila Samsonova and Daniil Medvedev.  In what way did Kasatkina use her game to pick apart some big hitters? Does this title for Kyrgios in DC feel different to his one in 2019? How significant is it that Medvedev has ended his losing streak in finals? And what can we read...

David’s back! Fresh from his holiday, he joins Catherine and Matt to talk all about the last week in tennis, headlined by Caroline Garcia’s victory over Iga Swiatek and subsequent title in Warsaw, as well as Jannik Sinner’s victory in Umag.  Has Garcia provided the rest of the tour with a blueprint for how to beat Swiatek? How much longer might she be able to keep up this red hot form? And wh...

It's been a minute but we're back for the first time since Wimbledon to catch up on everything which has happened over the last couple of weeks. With David away on holiday, Catherine and Matt are joined by friend of the pod Charlie Eccleshare for a long overdue appearance!  In a packed show, we discuss the strangeness of the post-Wimbledon period in tennis, titles for Lorenzo Musetti, Bernard...

After Novak Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios in a great four-set final, Catherine, David and Matt got together for one last Wimbledon 2022 pod. We discussed where the final was won and lost, the press conferences, what the future might hold for both players, the significance of Wimbledon as a tournament for Djokovic, and the Grand Slam Race. There's also a round up of the doubles and juniors results...

Elena Rybakina is a Wimbledon champion, coming from a set down to defeat Ons Jabeur in an exciting final on Saturday. How did Rybakina overcome her nerves to turn the match around? What could Jabeur have done differently? And will both players win slams in the future? Catherine, David and Matt go through it all while reviewing the match. There's also chat about the questioning Rybakina received on...

Novak Djokovic will face Nick Kyrgios in the Wimbledon men's final after Djokovic's four set victory over Cameron Norrie on Friday. Why does Djokovic keep having slow starts? How did he turn the match around? Where might Sunday's final be won and lost? And in what ways was Kyrgios' pre final press conference his most candid and interesting of the tournament? These are all questions for Catherine,...

This is a podcast in two halves!  In the first part, David and Matt react to Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from Wimbledon, the bombshell news which broke at around 7pm on Thursday. How did the story unfold throughout the day? And what reasons did Nadal give for his decision?  Earlier, Catherine, David and Matt were joined by Simon Briggs to talk about Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina reaching t...

A few hours after Rafael Nadal's extraordinary victory over Taylor Fritz in a fifth set tiebreak, Catherine, David and Matt react to all the drama. How did he manage his ab injury to still win the match? Should Fritz have done better? And will Nadal even be able to play his semi-final? Elsewhere, we discuss Nick Kyrgios' tennis and the way he responded to questions about being his court summons. I...

It was a day of high emotions and comebacks with all four quarter-finals being won by the player who lost the opening set, meaning that we had plenty to get stuck into as we recorded in fading light at Wimbledon. Why did Djokovic's comeback against Sinner feel inevitable? In what way did Norrie connect with the Wimbledon fans today? What made the hug between Niemeier and Maria so special? And how...

On what used to be Magic Monday, everything felt a lot calmer and more manageable at Wimbledon today, meaning we had time to do our favourite thing and record on site. But there was no shortage of talking points as the quarter-final line-ups were completed.  In what way was Nick Kyrgios a changed man? How did Cristian Garin complete the first two sets to love comeback of the tournament a...

There's always a keen sense of history at Wimbledon, but even more so today as former champions - from Angela Mortimer to Roger Federer - all gathered to celebrate 100 years of Centre Court. Catherine, David and Matt talk about the special parade of champions and review all the matches which took place on Middle Sunday. How did Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz and can they form a rivalry? Just ho...

For our 1000th episode we got to talk about a lot of aggro between Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas, a shock defeat for the World No.1 Iga Swiatek, and Amanda Anisimova backhands. The tennis gods must have been looking down on us.  BECOME A FRIEND OF THE TENNIS PODCAST  Friends of The Tennis Podcast help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts...

The tennis finished early on Friday which meant that for the first time since the tournament began we got to record on site! But there was no shortage of stories and we get stuck into statement performances from Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Ons Jabeur, British success in the form of Cameron Norrie and Heather Watson, notable wins for Frances Tiafoe and Jelena Ostapenko, and mini upsets...

It was another eventful day at Wimbledon, with wins for Katie Boulter and Liam Broady standing out from a British perspective. Catherine, David and Matt talk about why they were pretty big deals and get stuck in to all of the other big talking points. Is Nick Kyrgios in The Mix? When will Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal start playing better? And how is round three shaping up? We also talk about the f...

There was a morning after the night before feel to Day 3 at Wimbledon. Rain delayed the start of play by a couple of hours and when it eventually did begin, defeats for Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray dampened home spirits. In a podcast which goes in many directions, Catherine, David and Matt discuss those results and the press conferences which followed, as well as the rest of the day’s storie...

It was a day which began with Matteo Berrettini’s withdrawal after testing positive for covid-19, and ended with Serena Williams’ departing Centre Court possibly for the last time after a dramatic loss to Harmony Tan, meaning it was a day of big emotions all round. As the clock ticked past midnight, Catherine, David and Matt tried to process it all. How did it feel to watch Serena again? And what...

Day one at Wimbledon began slowly with rain suspending play for a few hours, but soon came to life with Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray on Centre, a couple of epic five setters with big implications for the men's draw, and David's finalist prediction coming crashing down. Catherine, David and Matt got together at Tennis Podcast Towers to talk it all through: - Jabeur puts Roland Garros behind h...

Catherine, David and Matt are back together, sitting on a bench above Court 18, to look ahead to Wimbledon 2022. With less than one day to go until the tournament starts, we look through the draws, discuss what the players said on media day, and scrutinise David's predictions. Why does Simona Halep not have the honour of opening Centre Court on Tuesday? What do we expect from Serena Williams this...

Serena Williams is back! Catherine, David and Matt react to the news that she’s playing doubles in Eastbourne before heading to Wimbledon for singles. How did we feel when she announced her return? And how might she fare at Wimbledon?  More good news followed this week when Rafael Nadal announced that his radio frequency ablation therapy had gone well and that he plans to play Wimbledon, but...

We're back from Paris and the grass court season is upon us! David, Catherine and Matt discuss the sudden surface switch, Catherine's experience of media day at Queen's, the winning return of Matteo Berrettini in Stuttgart, the brilliant form of Andy Murray followed by a concerning injury, the pressures on Emma Raducanu, and Tim Van Rijthoven's fairytale run in 's-Hertogenbosch. BECOME A FRIEND OF...

It's hard to know what to say about the extraordinary Rafael Nadal winning a 14th Roland Garros title and a 22nd Grand Slam title, but Catherine, David and Matt try their best to put his achievement into words. How did Casper Ruud provide the perfect match up for Nadal? Did Ruud's idolisation of Nadal affect the match? In what way did the match not quite feel fitting for the occasion? What does Na...

Iga Swiatek is the Roland Garros champion for a second time, beating Coco Gauff 6-1 6-3 to win her 35th consecutive match. After watching it together in the stadium, Catherine, David and Matt discuss how Swiatek asserted her dominance, whether Gauff was nervous, how on earth someone might beat Swiatek in this form, the two press conferences, Swiatek's prospects at Wimbledon, and much more. BECOME...