The Tennis Podcast

We’re back with another Q&A edition of The Tennis Podcast, answering listener questions about our dream tennis dinner party, the Grand Slam credentials of Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios, how long the unity between the ATP and the WTA might last, and whether it’s okay to support Tennys Sandgren despite his past Twitter support for the far right. Plus, an update on the cancellation of Montreal,...

In a Q&A edition which goes off in various directions, we cover topics such as the players we wish we had seen live, the downsides of the Big 3 dominance, how the prolonged break to tennis might affect certain players differently, whether or not Nick Kyrgios is on the boat, and our predictions from the start of the year about what we *thought* would happen in 2020. The Tennis Podcast is presen...

Catherine Whitaker and David Law set out to examine the way in which covid-19 is impacting tennis players and events. Hear from World No.211 Liam Broady on how he’s coping without tennis as well as the physical, mental and financial challenges he’s facing, LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd on the support package provided to British tennis players, World No.375 Sofia Shapatava on her petition seeking...

To launch Tennis Re-Lived, Catherine, David and Matt look back on two classic Miami finals, starting with the first ever final between the Williams sisters in 1999. What was most noticeable about Venus and Serena’s respective games and personalities at the time? How was women’s tennis talked about in this era? And in what way was Richard Williams front and centre? Turning to Murray and Ferrer’s ep...

We knew it was coming, and yet it still felt shocking, and it still hurt.  After Wimbledon announced its 134th edition would not take place, and the rest of the grass court season was abandoned because of the Coronavirus, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts were joined on The Tennis Podcast by Simon Briggs, the Tennis Correspondent of The Telegraph.  Was there any alternative?...

We begin this week’s show by discussing the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and launching Tennis Re-Lived. That's followed by part two of our Q&A with Mary Carillo as she talks more about her own career – including her memories of the French Open mixed doubles title she won with John McEnroe and the worst match she’s ever commentated on. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly year-r...

Mary Carillo joins Catherine, David and Matt from Florida to catch up and answer some listener questions. In part one, she talks about how the enforced break due to Coronavirus could affect different players, whether a champion's mentality can be learned, and how Coco Gauff's career might unfold compared to other teenage stars. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the...

The French Open in…September? Catherine, David and Matt are back for a bonus mid-week pod to discuss all the fallout from Roland Garros going rogue in the wake of Coronavirus and re-positioning itself in the calendar for this year. What are the political implications of such a move? Will this actually bring tennis’ fractious governing bodies together? Could it lead to long-term change? And what’s...

Catherine, David and Matt talk about the dramatic developments since Indian Wells’ cancellation, the absence and importance of sport in our lives, the impact this break could have when tennis eventually returns, and which players they would choose to self-isolate with.   Plus, Dan Evans and Bethanie Mattek-Sands give insight into what it was like on site at Indian Wells last week, the co...

Catherine was supposed to be flying to Indian Wells today, but instead she’s chatting to David and Matt all about the fact that the tournament has been cancelled because of Coronavirus. Discussion includes what to make of the decision, how it affects livelihoods in tennis, and the way the situation could potentially escalate to affect more tournaments, The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly year-ro...

Catherine, David and Matt are together again to review another busy week in the packed February schedule, one which saw Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal seamlessly return to the tour and win titles, Heather Watson and Dan Evans impress, and the emergence of more teenage stars. What's changed in 2020 for Djokovic to be able to dominate the tour once again? Was it appropriate for Tsitsipas' mum to at...

Maria Sharapova, who beat Serena Williams to win Wimbledon aged 17, completed the career Grand Slam, and then failed an anti-doping test, has retired. In a special edition of The Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker and David Law are joined by the man that broke the news of her retirement, Chris Clarey of the New York Times, to react to the announcement. Why did she stop now? How will her career be...

Catherine, David and Matt catch up to discuss a busy week which saw Roger Federer announce knee surgery, Kim Clijsters impress in her first match for seven years, Simona Halep beat Elena Rybakina in a thriller in Dubai, and Dominic Thiem struggle in Rio.  Could Federer’s enforced break actually be a blessing in disguise when it comes to Wimbledon and the Olympics this summer? What makes Rybak...

Catherine, David and Matt are back together for the first time since the Australian Open with plenty to catch up on, including an exciting Fed Cup weekend, titles for Kiki Bertens, Gael Monfils and Kyle Edmund, and the impending return of Kim Clijsters.  How important is it that home and away ties continue to exist in Fed Cup? Why did Jo Konta not commit to it? And will Monfils build on this...

Before leaving Melbourne, Catherine Whitaker and David Law spent an hour in the company of Marion Bartoli. What followed was, we believe, one of the most powerful and important podcasts we’ve ever done. Topics include how Bartoli came to play double-handed on both sides, the way tennis affected her relationship with her father and brother growing up, why she felt like a failure after losing the 20...

Catherine, David and Matt bring you one final Tennis Podcast from the 2020 Australian Open after Novak Djokovic beat Dominic Thiem in five sets to win an 8th title in Melbourne and a 17th Grand Slam overall.  There’s chat about Djokovic’s fast start, the way in which the crowd and Thiem started to rattle him, his time violations, his mid-match lull, and his fifth set resurgence.  Can he...

Sofia Kenin is a Grand Slam champion. How did she fight back against Muguruza? What boat-worthy character traits does she have? And how will she build on this victory? Catherine, David and Matt discuss all that and more before looking ahead to Thiem vs. Djokovic. * NEWSLETTER * Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year...

After Dominic Thiem beat Alexander Zverev to reach his first Grand Slam final on a hard court, Catherine, David and Matt were joined by The Telegraph’s Simon Briggs to talk all about it. How did Thiem adjust mentally and tactically from the Nadal match? Why did Zverev not play more aggressively? And in what way can Thiem trouble Djokovic?  Looking ahead to the women’s final, there’s discussio...

The women’s final will be Sofia Kenin vs. Garbiñe Muguruza. How did that happen? Catherine, David and Matt discuss at the end of a scorching hot day in Melbourne.  How much of an impact did the conditions have on the women’s semi-finals? In what way were they similar matches? Did Ash Barty choke against Kenin? How much will this defeat have hurt her? And who will have the edge in the final?&n...

Dominic Thiem did it. He proved Catherine, David and Matt right (for once) by beating Rafael Nadal in four pulsating sets. How significant does it feel that he beat Nadal at his own game? What made Nadal look agitated? And can Thiem peak again for the rest of this tournament?  There’s also chat about Alexander Zverev reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final with victory over Stan Wawrinka, an...

Novak Djokovic’s straightforward victory over Milos Raonic in the night session meant a rare early(ish) finish for Catherine, David and Matt. But it was a day with plenty of drama as Roger Federer saved 7 match points to beat Tennys Sandgren. How did he do it? And what state will he be in for his semi-final?  Elsewhere, there’s discussion about Ash Barty avenging last year’s quarter-final def...

Another night at this year’s Australian Open, another Nick Kyrgios match that had everyone engrossed. This time, he lost against Rafael Nadal in a pulsating four-set contest, but he showed a commitment we’d never seen from him before. Afterwards, Catherine, David and Matt sat down with some beers to digest the match.  There’s also chat about Dominic Thiem’s reasons for splitting with Thomas M...

Ash Barty has had her problems with Alison Riske, but she scraped past her nemesis to keep hopes of a home title alive.  Afterwards, while Roger Federer faced Marton Fucsovics, David and Matt went round to Catherine’s apartment to watch the last match of the day, drink beer and eat snacks galore. Then they recorded the Day 7 pod to look back on the day. How far can Federer go? What aggro went...

After Friday’s drama at the Australian Open, there was a sense of déjà vu on Saturday with more top seeds going out and another engrossing fifth set tiebreak to end the night, only this time with Nick Kyrgios involved. Catherine, David and Matt sat down to talk it all through. What made Kyrgios’ victory over Khachanov feel like the best and most important of his career? Why does Pliskova keep fail...

On a day of snowballing drama, Catherine, David and Matt got together again for a second podcast to capture the excitement of a night session which saw defending champion Naomi Osaka beaten by Coco Gauff, Stefanos Tsitsipas shown up by Milos Raonic, and Roger Federer pushed to the brink by John Millman in a match ending with the first ever fifth set tiebreak on the Rod Laver Arena. It left everyon...