Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lovetennispod Play fantasy tennis here: https://forms.gle/wTitJ6wQqMGHny1v9 Follow your progress here: https://rb.gy/xkx8b9 This week, George, James and Calvin react to the breaking news that Wimbledon has been stripped of its ranking points for 2022 as the two tours fire back over the decision to ban players from Russia and Belarus over the invasion of Ukraine. Is it the right thing to do? How will Wimbledon react? What next? Will anyone notice? They also l...
May 21, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Just hours before this podcast was recorded, the ATP confirmed they would not strip Queen's and Eastbourne of their points over the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players, but would not be drawn on their response to Wimbledon doing the same. What about the WTA? And will Wimbledon really be a ranking points-free zone? On the court, Emma Raducanu pulled out injured in Rome, losing to Bianca Andreescu after dropping the first set. Is the back injury a concern? What other 'niggles' are there...
May 16, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Carlos Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev in an underwhelming final after perhaps the greatest run of Masters history, beating Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in consecutive days. Will he win *60* grand slams?! George, Calvin and James refuse to get off the hype train. Will Nadal and Nole be in better shape come Roland Garros and be able to stop him? What of the lost generation, consumed by the all-conquering Alcaraz? What next for Ons Jabeur? This is certainly the biggest win of her career, but she ...
May 09, 2022•1 hr 28 min
Please leave us a five-star review wherever you get your podcast - we will read EVERY single one out on the pod (eventually - the system often filters them out for a few weeks). You can also contact us on Twitter @LoveTennisPod or by email lovetennispod@gmail.com, and we'll always try to include your questions on the podcast. Firstly, George sends his apologies this week. North London's most injured tennis player has finally gone under the knife to repair a meniscus damaged putting up flatpack f...
May 02, 2022•1 hr 10 min
Since we last recorded, Wimbledon turned the tennis world upside down by banning Russian and Belarusian players from the grass-court grand slam. The decision divided opinion in the tennis world, and between George Bellshaw, Calvin Betton and James Gray. Part one of this pod is entirely dedicated to the issue, so if you're sick of that by now, skip the first half hour. In part two, you'll find Iga Swiatek, Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andy Murray and much, much more. Learn m...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 18 min
Emma Raducanu made her senior professional debut on clay last week - with mixed results. She beat Tereza Martincova, her best result against a player in the top 50 since the US Open, and was then thumped by Marketa Vondrousova. What next for Raducanu in Stuttgart and beyond? And could we see another coaching change in the not-too-distant future? Stefanos Tsitsipas retained his Monaco crown by seeing off Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - is he the real French Open favourite given the lack of form els...
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Please leave us a five-star review wherever you get your podcast - we will read EVERY single one out on the pod. You can also contact us on Twitter @LoveTennisPod or by email lovetennispod@gmail.com, and we'll always try to include your questions on the podcast. Nick Kyrgios has picked up yet more fines for on-court spats with umpires, although this one did concede he had got it wrong. Does tennis need to reflect on how good its umpires are? Or find a better way to deal with players who behave u...
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 18 min
As always, if you enjoy the podcast, please leave us a five-star review to help us reach more listeners and devote more time to the pod. - Are we over Ash Barty? The WTA’s new No 1 and the biggest star of the women's game met in Miami final, and gave us all plenty of reasons to be cheerful - Can anyone beat Iga Swiatek? She was far too strong for Naomi Osaka and now heads to the clay where she won her grand slam title. - Naomi Osaka is back: we are pleased to see her and she seems please to see ...
Apr 05, 2022•1 hr 17 min
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the most Richard Williams move possible, and then rewrote the story of Serena and Venus' father just as well as the film did Ashleigh Barty is done with tennis - but is tennis done with her? Certainly not... How will Iga Swiatek stand up to the pressure of being the sport's new No 1 and leading yet another "new generation" of players? The Brits are on a roll: Paul Jubb has won his first Challegner title, Heather Watson beat Elina Svitolina, Cam Norrie closing in ...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 28 min
Taylor Fritz won his first ever Masters title by beating Rafael Nadal, the first American to do so in 21 years - is there an era of American success and attention in the offing? And how big would that be for tennis as a whole? Nick Kyrgios came, conquered, swore and left again, but not without leaving plenty of entertainment behind. Does he really not care about winning? Actually, says Calvin, it's that he can't cope with losing. Liam Broady came through qualifying but how close did he get to sp...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Andy Murray got his 700th career win at Indian Wells but was then beaten by Alexander Bublik - what can Calvin tell us about his new coaching set-up, and where does he go from here? Roger Federer says he is in the middle of a three-part recover from his knee injury and we ask whether he is really a serious tennis player any more. Naomi Osaka was left in tears after a spectator shouted "you suck" at her and she said it reminded her of what Serena and Venus went through back in 2001. Is she fit fo...
Mar 13, 2022•1 hr 12 min
Andy Murray has brought Ivan Lendl back into his coaching team for a third spell, reuniting a partnership that picked up three grand slams and two Olympic gold medals Serena Williams has taken aim at Alexander Zverev's actions and claimed she would have been put "in jail" if she had done something similar Novak Djokovic is doing his best to help on the front line in Ukraine as Dayana Yastremska, who escaped the county, donates her runners-up prize money in Lyon to the cause Leylah Fernandez has ...
Mar 07, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Anna Smith once again joins James Gray and Calvin Betton to talk all things tennis. We start with the horrific Russian invasion of Ukraine, brought into the tennis world by the likes of Elina Svitolina and Andrey Rublev this week with strong statements of their views. Will the WTA, ATP and ITF follow suit? We await with interest. Elsewhere, Cam Norrie reached final and beat Stefanos Tsitsipas along the way but lost to Rafael Nadal. Beating Tsitsipas was only his third ever victory over a top-10 ...
Feb 28, 2022•1 hr 8 min
A new voice joins us to talk about all things tennis as Anna Smith, former player and now coach, commentator and broadcaster, replaces George Bellshaw (for this week at least) in the third chair. She chats with James Gray and Calvin Bellshaw about this week's latest tennis news, including titles for Cam Norrie, Carlos Alcaraz and Jelena Ostapenko, a return to the public eye for Novak Djokovic and three Brits winning titles at lower levels to suggest the future is very bright on home soil Learn m...
Feb 22, 2022•1 hr 5 min
George Bellshaw, Calvin Betton and James Gray breakdown the latest week in the weird world of tennis. This week on the Love Tennis Podcast: Juan Martin del Potro's on-court tears Daniil Medvedev's chase of Novak Djokovic's world No. 1 crown Andy Murray's hopes of finding a new coach Felix Auger-Aliassime's first ATP title The future stars of the men's game Anett Kontaveit's roaring indoor streak Emma Raducanu's 2,000 points challenge Serve bots reign supreme in Dallas Learn more about your ad ch...
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr 16 min
The Telegraph's Simon Briggs joins as a guest for the first half of this week's Love Tennis Podcast as George Bellshaw takes over regular hosting duties, accompanied by Calvin Betton. James Gray returns - live from Beijing - for the second half of the pod.What they discussed:- Behind the scenes of umpire controversy- Juan Martin del Potro’s last hurrah- Andy Murray’s decision to skip the clay-court season- A first international media interview with Peng Shuai - Alexander Bublik’s first ATP title...
Feb 08, 2022•1 hr 7 min
James Gray picks the brains of George Bellshaw and Calvin Betton after a wild weekend of Australian Open action.What questions did they answer? Well...- Is this Rafael Nadal's greatest ever title?- Is he now the GOAT?- What does Daniil Medvedev need to change?- Could the Russian ever overhaul the great Big Three?- What does Ash Barty add to the women's game?- Is the WTA in crisis?- Has Nick Kyrgios 'changed the game'?- What great rivalries does tennis have to look forward to?And a whole lot more...
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 11 min
****This week's episode is supported by MANSCAPED, the best in men’s below-the-waist grooming champions of the world. Get 20% OFF MANSCAPED and free Shipping with promo code LOVETENNIS at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod****In a two-part special, George Bellshaw takes care of the women's semi-finals before Calvin Betton cracks into the men's draw.Questions asked and (partially) answered include:- What does it take to beat Ash Barty?- Where did Madison Keys come from?- Has there every been anyone...
Jan 27, 2022•1 hr 19 min
The Australian Open is four days old - and here are the big questions for the pod:- Just how well did Emma Raducanu play with half her game wiped out by a blister on her right hand?- What have we learned about the US Open champion during her first senior Australian swing?- How open is the bottom half of the draw?- Can Simona Halep take advantage?And on the men’s side…- Is Daniil Medvedev really angry with the Australian crowd?- Who is the biggest shock exit so far?- What can Andy Murray realisti...
Jan 20, 2022•1 hr 12 min
It's a bumper episode. We apologise. There was quite a bit to talk about.ENTER FANTASY TENNIS HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14IXsNQb95sGWAS7-FxxdyN2O4xFjiOEKrWqBBJ6PU-k/editNovak Djokovic is OUT of the Australian Open, flown back to Serbia before the tournament even began after his visa was cancelled. In his stead, Daniil Medvedev is the new favourite, but who will challenge him? Alexander Zverev, quite probably; Stefanos Tsitsipas, less probably; Rafael Nadal, quite possibly; Andy Murra...
Jan 16, 2022•1 hr 15 min
Key questions answered in this episode include:- Should we be no-platforming Novak Djokovic's father Srdan?- Is the Djokovic family the new Trump?- What can Emma Raducanu do to bounce back from defeat to Elena Rybakina?- Is Andy Murray back (again)? (Shady's back etc)- Should we turn Ugo Humbert into a serve-and-volleyer (given the chance)?- Exactly *what* has happened to Aryna Sabalenka?All this and much, much more in a bumper episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...
Jan 11, 2022•1 hr 7 min
We answer your questions on the Novak Djokovic Covid vaccine/medical exemption/Border Force/visa saga including:- Will other grand slams try to pull the move?- What now for Djokovic's global reputation?- Will he actually play the Australian Open?- Is he *really* the new Jesus?James Gray, Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw might not have all the answers - but they can at least try. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 06, 2022•39 min
Great Britain earned a redemptive win over Germany at the ATP Cup, gaining revenge for Davis Cup defeat, and Dan Evans appears to have found some form out of nowhere.Emma Raducanu meanwhile needs another week to find some more form and has pulled out of her first tournament of the season - what would a good month in Australia look like for her?And why is it SO hard to watch tennis on TV? We look at just how many subscriptions you need to watch all the tennis from the Australian swing - and why. ...
Jan 02, 2022•1 hr 10 min
Emma Raducanu was just a Fed Cup new girl back in 2020 when George Bellshaw interviewed her at the indoor courts at Queen's Club in west London, but you'll get to hear some of the best bits from their chat in this week's episode.George, James and Calvin also discuss Naomi Osaka's imminent return to grand slam tennis, Novak Djokovic's latest vaccine update (or non-update) and predict the grand slam winners for 2022.If you don't want to listen (why wouldn't you?!), here they are in full:Australian...
Dec 27, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Andy Murray beat Dan Evans and Rafael Nadal at the Mubadala World (lol) Tennis Championship - which is just an exhibition tournament but, says Calvin, plays like more of a warm-up event. So how much can we take away from arguably the Brit's best result of the year?The boys also discuss the rising Covid cases across the tennis community, the thinning Australian Open field and Calvin reveals what life is like inside the NTC, where players and coaches alike are desperate to avoid catching the lates...
Dec 21, 2021•58 min
A momentous episode of the podcast as James, George and Calvin all get together in a room for the first time ever (if you don't count being stood next to Court 5 at Wimbledon in the summer, socially distanced and outdoors). They discussed Andy Murray's split with long-time coach and friend Jamie Delgado and what will come next for the former world No 1, Emma Raducanu's poorly timed contraction of Covid and her pre-season plans, and discussed nominations for the prestigious LTP awards.(As you kno...
Dec 14, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Fill out the Love Tennis Podcast listeners' survey: https://forms.gle/UHTqseLQzjJNEQdA9You can also email us your thoughts: lovetennispod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 07, 2021•4 min
Listener survey - have your say: https://forms.gle/tU8ycz2f2gv2nr3J7Johanna Konta has retired from professional tennis at the age of 30. She reached three grand slam semi-finals, No 4 in the world rankings and racked up more than $10m in career prize money - but did anyone in the UK ever see it coming? And what about *that* infamous Wimbledon press conference?RTF (Russian Tennis Federation) did what everyone expected them to and delivered victory in the Davis Cup Finals after Great Britain had b...
Dec 05, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Emma Raducanu played her first match on British soil in nearly five months, appearing at the Royal Albert Hall for an exhibition match against Elena-Gabriela Ruse, which she duly hit and giggled her way through. The British No 1 will now head to the Middle East for a pre-season training camp, another exhibition, Christmas and then fly to Australia.Novak Djokovic's dad has been causing trouble by saying that his sone will not be 'blackmailed' into playing the Australian Open (and therefore gettin...
Nov 28, 2021•1 hr 11 min
Where is Peng Shuai? is our first question on this week's podcast, as the world continues to put pressure on the Chinese government over the player's well-being.Elsewhere, Alexander Zverev beat Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev on successive days to win the ATP World Tour Finals and raise the prospect that the German might win his first slam in 2022. What does that mean for Novak Djokovic's efforts to run away with the all-time record?Garbine Muguruza, the woman who should win every tournament ...
Nov 22, 2021•1 hr 9 min
