"She has the ability to be the greatest player ever, even better than Serena and I never thought I'd say that.” The BBC’s Sue Barker isn’t alone. Coco Gauff is expected to take over the tennis world. This week Simon and Devang take a deep dive into Gauff’s career so far and reckon with the weight of expectations. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and a...
Oct 16, 2023•54 min
Well how about that, Jannik Sinner. On this week’s episode, Simon and Devang marvel at what a sick Sinner could accomplish on his way to the title in Beijing, dispatching Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz along the way. Elsewhere, the guys touch on Tennis returning to China, more on Simona Halep’s suspension and trust in institutions, ‘Ball Gate’ gaining backers in Fritz, Wawrinka and Bergs plus plenty more! Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of ...
Oct 09, 2023•39 min•Ep. 198
Carlos Alcaraz keeps ticking things off the list. Youngest this, youngest that. First person since Nadal. First person since Djokovic. First person since Federer. Ever been curious how and where El Hurricane comes from? This week on Open Era we take a Deep Dive into the young life of the man from Murcia. What was his upbringing? What was his junior career like? How did he do at Challenger level? We’ll answer those questions and more! Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Appl...
Oct 02, 2023•57 min
More guys, more cups. On this week’s Open Era, Simon explains how he escaped from Vancouver before the Laver Cup started before we dig into the event sans ‘The Big 3’ and a whole lot of gloss. Then, they check-in with the ATP and WTA, where Aslan Karatsev and Andy Murray reminded us of simpler times while Elena Rybakina rightly is pissed off once again and Wang Xiyu won at home. And in Guadalajara, a wild Maria Sakkari remerged. In two challenges remaining, the guys cover books and the Spain Wom...
Sep 25, 2023•45 min•Ep. 197
Alright, let’s try this again. On this week’s Open Era, Simon and Devang dish out their final thoughts on the U.S. Open, including what Coco Gauff’s win will mean for tennis coverage in the United States.They also discuss the alternate universe where Novak Djokovic decided to represent the U.K. Spooky. Then on Parting Shots, they dig into Simona Halep’s 4-year ban for doping, what other players are saying about it, including Serena Williams, and what happens next. Finally, the Davis Cup is back,...
Sep 18, 2023•38 min•Ep. 196
Coco Gauff is her. The American teenager realized her potential by winning her very first singles Grand Slam title. And we can also confirm that the Men’s final was indeed a tennis match. For SEO purposes we’ll mention Novak Djokovic won his 24th major title on Sunday. Dev and Simon wrap up another action packed week before turning their attention to Parting Shots and a whole lot of strange stories. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Come...
Sep 11, 2023•38 min•Ep. 195
It’s the halfway point at the US Open! Simon and Devang return to breakdown the weirdness we’ve experienced so far and go in-depth on Coco Gauff, Daniil Medvedev and Maria Sakkari. In Parting Shots there’s a new ball-gate, this time featuring Vasek Pospisil. Have our predictions for the final changed after one week? And new discussions about a WTA/ATP merger has the guys discussing timing. Finally, there’s John Isner and some Arctic Monkeys. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium...
Sep 04, 2023•48 min•Ep. 194
Devang and Simon are back to chat about the Cinccinati Masters where Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz served up and all time classic. Coco Gauff also had herself a week and looks in fantastic form heading into the US Open. The boys dive into the draw before turning their attention to Parting Shots and unpacking Baseline, the ATP’s newest program. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to...
Aug 28, 2023•49 min•Ep. 193
Unreal. Devang and Simon are in the same location and recording together. Strange strange times. They chat about Dev’s time covering the Canadian Open in Toronto before turning their attention to the next stage of the North American hardcourt swing in Cincinnati. As always, they wrap up with Parting Shots including the most important topic, which noise would you make to annoy Stefanos Tsitsipas? Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Come joi...
Aug 21, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 192
On this week's Open Era, Devang recaps the events in Toronto and Montreal before introducing a series of interviews conducted on-site at York University on Sportsnet The FAN 590. Devang and co-host Jesse Rubinoff speak to Frédéric Fontang, coach of Félix Auger-Aliassime, Head of Performance for Tennis Canada, Guillaume Marx and Tennis host and writer, Blair Henley. Simon and Devang will return with a full Toronto and Montreal recap next week! Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premiu...
Aug 14, 2023•52 min•Ep. 191
The tennis world is returning to Canada, bar a few notable exceptions, and Simon and Devang are quite excited. On this week’s Open Era, the guys preview the National Bank Open in Toronto and Montreal, and preview the chances of the various Canadians including FAA, Milos, Bianca and Leylah. Then they dig into parting shots, where the takes remain scalding and smart. We’re a humble podcast. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Come join the P...
Aug 07, 2023•46 min•Ep. 190
Sure we remember the epic 2009 Australian Open final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, but that wasn’t the best match of the tournament. Fernando Verdasco gave Nadal everything he could for five hours and 14 minutes, but it wasn’t enough. Racquet Magazine’s Giri Nathan joins us this week to relive a RLA masterpiece. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord ser...
Jul 31, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Open Era is back for a special ‘post-slam’ version of the show as Simon and Devang deliver their remaining thoughts and opinions on what we saw at the 2023 edition of Wimbledon. How good will Carlos Alcaraz be, is Novak Djokiovc more likable as a loser and did we really sing enough praise for Markéta Vondroušová? Then it’s onto parting shots, including news on Alexander Zverev, Zhang Shuai, and Leo Borg. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them!...
Jul 24, 2023•35 min•Ep. 189
A changing of the guard at Wimbledon? Simon and Devang wrap up this year’s Wimbledon, discussing Carlos Alcaraz’s monumental victory over Novak Djokovic in the men’s final. On the women’s side there was heartbreak for many, as Ons Jabeur was defeated by the terrific Markéta Vondroušová. The guys tackle other finals as well and news and notes from the third major of the year as we look towards North America for the hardcourt swing along with Parting Shots. Enjoy! Sick of hearing all the ads? Subs...
Jul 17, 2023•58 min•Ep. 188
That was a strange week. Simon and Devang revisit the opening, rain soaked days of Wimbledon this year before taking stock of the shocks that occurred and the contenders that remain. Djokovic, Swiatek, Rybakina, Sabalenka, Alcaraz...Shapo? We discuss them plus as always our Parting Shots, including potential curtains for Andy Murray and an appearance from Roger Federer. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Come join the Patreon family for b...
Jul 10, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 187
Wozniacki returns and Kontaveit retires. Bet you didn’t have that on your bingo card for the past two weeks. Devang and Simon unpack those announcements before turning to the grass court season and discuss all of the winners and losers so far. We also ask some provocative questions as we arrive on the 3rd major of the year. That plus some Break Point chat in Parting Shots. And do you know the name of Jon Isner’s kids? Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to ge...
Jul 03, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 186
Simon and Devang revisit the Women’s 2004 Australian Open final and one of the more underrated rivalries in tennis. Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne were the top players in the women’s game and happened to hail from the same small nation: Belgium. Combined, they would win 11 Grand Slams. On this January day in Melbourne, they battled for hardcourt supremacy. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Come join the Patreon family for bonus...
Jun 26, 2023•34 min
The actions of Gunter Parche changed the sport of tennis for ever on April 30, 1993. Monica Seles was on track to smash the record books until Parche, a Steffi Graf superfan, stabbed Seles during a changeover at the Hamburg tournament. Graf and Seles were lodged in a rivalry that was on track to redefine the sport. Seles remarkably came all the way back, meeting her great rival once again in the 1995 US Open Final. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get r...
Jun 19, 2023•54 min
We saw history being made all across the courts at Roland Garros this week. Obviously you know about Iga; now a four-time Slam champion, her third at Roland Garros — all in a day’s work for the Pole. Djokovic did his thing as always, but can we talk about Hsieh, Kato, Korneeva, Kraijek, Oda and De Groot. That’s where the real action is at! Tennis gatekeeping asides, it’s been a great two weeks and we round it all up. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get...
Jun 12, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 185
The French Open has arrived! And it wouldn’t be the French Open without lots of booing, high profile loses and geopolitical issues. With Dev away in London, Simon is joined by Priyanka Dobson to unpack a mammoth week in tennis. All of that plus we find out exactly what Denis Shapovalov eats during the course of the week! Enjoy! Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive disco...
Jun 05, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 184
The French Open is here! On this week’s Open Era, Simon and Devang discuss Rafael Nadal’s absence, the events in Rome that shook up the WTA and ask what is making Daniil Medvedev so good on clay? Then they get into the big questions at Roland Garros, including who can contend with Swiatek, Rybakina and Sabalenka, is it Djokovic and Alcaraz or bust and who will break through from the Men’s bottom half. In parting shots, Simona Halep faces more doping charges and Roger Fededer has a good time on T...
May 29, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 183
The French Open may happen at some point this year but it must be said, we’re missing the Parisian clay right now. This week we head back to 2003 and the classic semifinal between Serena Williams and Justine Henin. Serena was on a 33-match winning streak at the slams but it was not meant to be on this day in what was an extraordinary contest. You don’t get a moniker like ‘The Hand Match’ for nothing. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Com...
May 22, 2023•53 min
To be honest, the cake tastes bad in Madrid anyway… Devang and Simon tackle a huge crop of news over the past fortnight including a titanic battle between the world’s top two. Carlos Alcaraz retained his Madrid Open title and went back to World Number 1. Will he play Djokovic (finally) in Rome? Will we ever see Rafael Nadal play again? All that plus a whole lot of sexism coming out of Madrid. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Come join t...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 182
This week we continue on our journey through time to relive some of the best matchups that tennis has offered as we examine the 1980 Wimbledon final between Björn Borg of Sweden and John McEnroe of the United States. Simon Bushell and Devang Desai remember all of the drama, the outbursts and the tie-breaks. This episode originally aired on January 12, 2018 as part of The Sport Chronicle. Sick of hearing all the ads? Subscribe to Soda Premium on Apple Podcasts to get rid of them! Come join the Pa...
May 08, 2023•27 min
Welcome to Madrid, where the days are long and the time between matches is even longer! While Simon and Devang do complain briefly about the lengthy events on the WTA and ATP, they actually do discuss tennis on this week’s Open Era. Teenager Mirra Andreeva is the talk of the town after ousting Haddad-Maia and Leylah Fernandez while Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas took match of the week honors home. The guys also recap Carlos Alcaraz’s latest triumph while tackling the topical question on ev...
May 01, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 181
This week we profile someone that never became world number one or captured a Grand Slam, but accomplished something no other player has . David Nalbandian defied explanation, until you saw what he could do on the court when everything was just ‘right.’ We saw that happen in 2007 at the Madrid Open when he became the first and only person to beat Nadal, Djokovic and Federer at the same tournament. Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and ad free ...
Apr 24, 2023•52 min
Andrey Rublev is the champion of Monte Carlo. On this week’s Open Era, Simon and Devang tackle a brilliant week in the French Riviera which concluded the way ‘most’ of us wanted. The guys discuss Rublev’s breakthrough and what makes him likable among other things. Staying in Monaco, how did it go for Sinner, Medvedev, Djokovic, Rune and the lot? Mixed results but there’s plenty to talk about. The Billie Jean King Cup qualifying round is over and Canada is through to the finals thanks to Leylah F...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 180
Patreon subscriber and friend of the show Luke Peristy asks Simon and Devang to relive an improbable run in Paris. Francesca Schiavone became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam tournament, and the first woman in the Open Era to win the French Open while seeded outside the top 10. Schiavone won this tournament using a shot we no longer see much of on the women’s tour. Why? Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and ad free episodes: https:/...
Apr 10, 2023•50 min
On to the clay. Devang and Simon unpack the Miami Open, including the triumphs for Petra Kvitová and Daniil Medvedev. What does another Alcaraz-Sinner battle mean and is ‘Big Babe’ (apologies, it’s terrible) tennis back? Then, on parting shots the guys dig into Wimbledon removing their ban on Russian and Belarussian players, Bianca Andreescu injuries and talk a little footy. Tune in! Come join the Patreon family for bonus content, access to the exclusive discord server and ad free episodes: http...
Apr 03, 2023•56 min•Ep. 179
We are back for another duo WTA/ATP event, but this time it’s Miami where the tennis world is gathering to figure out why everything is so damn turquoise. Devang and Simon discuss the early trajectories of Bianca Andreescu and Denis Shapovalov in the Sunshine state before getting onto their rankings of the best combined events on the tours, outside of the grand slams. In parting shots the guys discuss the ongoing tension between Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian players on tour, celebrate Martin...
Mar 27, 2023•45 min•Ep. 178
