The Tennis Podcast

An extraordinarily dramatic Friday afternoon in Melbourne which saw Serena Williams beaten by Qiang Wang and Caroline Wozniacki sent into retirement by Ons Jabeur called for an emergency edition of The Tennis Podcast. So, Catherine, David and Matt gathered amid the Garden Square hubbub to try to make sense of it all. What happened to Serena? Where does this leave her quest to win No.24? And what d...

It felt like the 2020 Australian Open came to life on Thursday evening as a series of matches turned into epics under the lights. Afterwards, Catherine, David and Matt met up to talk about them, as well as everything else they'd seen on a breathless day. Why are Kyrgioptimism levels higher than ever before after his victory over Simon? Why did dust force play to stop? And how has Cici Bellis defie...

Caroline Wozniacki will retire from tennis over the next two weeks. But not today. Her comeback win against Dayana Yastremska is discussed on the latest daily pod from the Australian Open, as is another triumph for Coco Gauff, serene progress for the big names, and the prospect of Roger Federer vs. John Millman - the rematch. * LEAVE US A REVIEW * We reached No.4 in the Apple Podcasts charts today...

At the end of a day when 88 matches were played at the Australian Open, Catherine, David and Matt were all in desperate need of a beer as they recorded the latest Tennis Podcast from inside the media centre.   They discuss Tiafoe’s encouraging performance in defeat against Medvedev, plenty of British misfortune, whether probation suits Kyrgios and if he will be able to beat Simon, a matc...

As the clock struck midnight and David and Matt prepared to record the pod after day one of the Australian Open, Catherine arrived! Together, they discussed the straightforward days for Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Naomi Osaka, a weirdly scrappy evening session featuring Ash Barty and Novak Djokovic, and a backwards step for Denis Shapovalov. * NEWSLETTER * Sign up to get our news, predictio...

David and Matt sit down to dissect the draws and make their predictions for the 2020 Australian Open, with a few surprising choices and disagreements along the way. Will Serena Williams finally claim No.24? And is this the moment that the Big 3’s Grand Slam dominance will be broken?  * KICKSTARTER * There are just a few hours to go in our 2020 crowdfunding campaign. If you'd like to support u...

David and Matt take you inside the press room at the Australian Open where they spent media day asking questions and getting a sense of how the top players are feeling.  There’s news of how Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal spoke to tournament officials about the air pollution, Daniil Medvedev’s admission that last year’s run could have been a hot streak, Caroline Wozniacki’s reflections on her...

David and Matt have made it to Melbourne! For now, with Catherine still in the U.K. as she recovers from her eye infection, they are joined by The Telegraph’s Simon Briggs to discuss the controversial build-up to this year’s Australian Open. Simon has been down under for a few weeks, and he gives the lowdown on how he thinks the ATP Cup might affect players, the criticism faced by Tennis Australia...

David is back together with Catherine and Matt to discuss a busy opening week of the 2020 season. The significance of Serena Williams’ title in Auckland is assessed, caution is urged after Karolina Pliskova’s triumph in Brisbane, ­­­there are debates about the real meaning of Serbia’s ATP Cup victory and the possible solution to tennis’ team event conundrum, and a row ensues about Novak Djoko...

A new decade, a new tennis season, and the new ATP Cup. In our first episode of 2020, Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts discuss what they've made of the first few days of the tournament, how it compares to the revamped Davis Cup, whether it's what tennis needs, and some of the notable results so far. There's also a look at some of the main stories from the off season and a preview of the new WTA...

Our final episode of 2019 is a big interview with Marcos Baghdatis (details below). In the meantime, our Kickstarter continues to run, and we will be back in the first week of January to preview the new season. Thanks to everyone who has supported us throughout the year. To back The Tennis Podcast in 2020 - http://po.st/TP_Kickstarter2020 *** BAGHDATIS INTERVIEW *** Marcos Baghdatis opens up to Da...

Shortly after our live show at The Queen’s Club, Catherine, David and Matt recorded the final regular edition of The Tennis Podcast in 2019 to reflect on the night and hand out our awards for the season. The categories were: ·      Player of the year (08:32) ·      Team of the year (13:18) ·      Match of the...

Why do we like podcasting? What were our highlights of producing 130 of them in 2019? And why are we crowdfunding again? We - Catherine, David and Matt - get together over a beer to tell you on a special mini-pod.  Our campaign to crowdfund The Tennis Podcast in 2020 is now live. If you would like to support us, please access the link below. Thank you. Support The Tennis Podcast - http://po.s...

Davis Cup Finals Day 7 - Nadal, Bautista Agut Win For Spain; Pique Perspective; Haggerty Grilled; Chris Clarey View  Rafael Nadal did what Rafael Nadal does - perform heroically, and win for himself and his nation. What Roberto Bautista Agut did was arguably even more impressive - suiting up for Spain just three days after his father had died, and putting his nation 1-0 up. Catherine Whitaker...

Rafael Nadal is the closest thing in tennis to Superman. And on Saturday, he continued to take on the world, beating Great Britain almost single-handedly and setting up a final against Canada. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, with Matt Roberts. It is produced daily during all of the Grand Slams, the WTA and ATP Finals, and the Fed and Davis Cups, in association...

This is the day that Gerard Pique would have been dreaming about when he invested in the Davis Cup and turned it into a single week finals with 18 teams. Despair for Serbia, joy for Russia, Spain and Great Britain, with some of the most emotional scenes of the year, on and off the court. Afterwards, Catherine Whitaker (Amazon Prime tv presenter), David Law (BBC Radio commentator), and Matt Roberts...

Early night for Matt Roberts, who got to bed at 2am after running out of the Magic Box before it shut. Once home, he told us why Nick Kyrgios didn't play for Australia against Canada, what it was like hanging out with the Canadian ultras, and what he asked Novak Djokovic. Matt, Catherine Whitaker and David Law reviewed the rest of the day in Madrid. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout...

With tennis still going on at 2am in Madrid, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts discussed the return to the Davis Cup of Andy Murray. It wasn't all plain sailing, and he had plenty to say afterwards. Novak Djokovic wasn't short of a word or two either. We hear from the both on The Tennis Podcast. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year, daily during the Grand Slam tou...

The old Davis Cup atmosphere is alive and well if today is anything to go by in Madrid, even if only when the home nation plays. Spain vs. Russia was electric, and at the time of recording - well after midnight - it was still going on. Why did it go on so late? How was Rafael Nadal playing? And what was the deal with Canada allowing the USA a walkover in their doubles rubber? Matt Roberts was stil...

Davis Cup, but not as we know it, began on Monday. So, what was it like? Matt Roberts was on the ground in Madrid and spoke to Catherine Whitaker and David Law on the pod afterwards. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year, daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA and ATP Finals, and the Fed Cup and Davis Cup finals. ***LINKS***: Davis Cup Finals tickets code - Get 15% of...

Stefanos Tsitsipas is the ATP Finals champion and the future of men’s tennis looks bright. With the tennis court at the O2 being dismantled around them, Catherine Whitaker and David Law discuss Tsitsipas’ thrilling final set tiebreak victory over Dominic Thiem. Where was the match won and lost? What makes people fall in love with Tsitsipas? How confident can we be that both players will deliver mo...

Stefanos Tsitsipas downed Roger Federer in straight sets despite setting up a third of the break points that they great man conjured, and squandered. So what happened? Catherine Whitaker and David Law talk it through. The Greek will now face Dominic Thiem in what looks like being one of the most interesting matches of the year. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year, daily durin...

Rafael Nadal played his best tennis of the ATP Finals, celebrated ending the year as World No.1, but still failed to reach the semifinals. Afterwards, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts discussed his extraordinary year, and his reaction afterwards. They also covered Alexander Zverev's win over Daniil Medvedev and previewed the semifinals. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughou...

Roger Federer put his Novak Djokovic demons to bed for a night and handed Rafael Nadal the year-end No.1 at the ATP Finals on Thursday. Afterwards, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts went to the bar to talk about it. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year, daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA and ATP Finals, and the Fed Cup and Davis Cup finals. LINKS: Te...

Rafael Nadal trailed Daniil Medvedev 1-5 in the third set, and won. What on earth happened? Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts convened with Simon Briggs of The Telegraph to try to work it out. How good was Stefanos Tsitsipas? And how bad was Alexander Zverev? The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year, and daily at all the Grand Slams, the WTA and ATP Finals, and the Fe...