Live from Paris, James Gray looks back at a busy first Monday at Roland Garros... Novak Djokovic wins and writes a political message about Kosovo on the camera Carlos Alcaraz also picks up victory on Day 2 Jack Draper is 'mentally destroyed' after yet another injury Why Cam Norrie was furious with an 'absurd' umpiring decision despite victory over Benoit Paire Tuesday’s order of play (All courts start at 10am BST unless otherwise stated) Court Philippe Chatrier (from 10.45am) Lucia Bronzetti vs ...
May 30, 2023•21 min
James Gray looks back at the opening day of the 2023 French Open, live from Paris. French Open order of play, day 2 (All courts start at 10am BST unless stated) Court Philippe Chatrier (from 10.45am) Karolina Pliskova (16) vs Sloane Stephens Novak Djokovic (3) vs Aleksandar Kovacevic Caroline Garcia (5) vs Wang Xiyu (Not before 7.15pm) Jannik Sinner (8) vs Alexandre Muller Court Suzanne Lenglen Benoit Paire vs Cameron Norrie (14) Elina Avanesyan vs Belinda Bencic (12) Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Flavi...
May 28, 2023•22 min
James Gray is live from Paris and George Bellshaw is live from his bedroom to analyse the French Open draw. FANTASY TENNIS UNFILTERED IS LIVE, ENTER HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DFWXhrlx_Y25itXD7unoLUAXIMMmdkLgfBBZ0v_dR_Q Novak Djokovic could not have wished for a worse consequence of Daniil Medvedev’s first-ever clay-court title in Rome as the Serb was drawn into the same half of the French Open as Carlos Alcaraz. Medvedev overtook Djokovic as the world No 2 last week, relegating him ...
May 26, 2023•58 min
Rafael Nadal has announced that he will miss the French Open through injury and will spend several months away from the tennis court. Nadal wants to give his hip as much time as possible to heal because 2024 will probably be his last season. He said: “I’m going to try to make my last year not just a party, I'm going to try to compete at the highest level, give myself the option to try to compete and win tournaments on this clay tour. The reality is that we'll have to wait for that." Will he real...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 27 min
It's Roman but it's no holiday - the Italian Open follows hot on the heels of two weeks in Madrid, and while the grind of the clay-court swing may have caught up with some players, James, George and Calvin are still clinging onto their motivation. This week, the tennis podcast that does not hold back talks about... Rafael Nadal was spotted doubled over in pain during practice - are the pod starting to think he is now OUT of Roland Garros? (https://twitter.com/vanshv2k/status/1656760340133343232)...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 37 min
Tennis coach Calvin Betton, writer and broadcaster George Bellshaw and journalist James Gray look back at another packed week of tennis news... Carlos Alcaraz wins another title in Madrid but can anyone stop him in Rome or Paris? No love lost in the women's final but Aryna Sabalenka came out on top against Iga Swiatek - could we finally have a rivalry worth fighting for? What on earth was going on with the organisation in Madrid? And why were the women's doubles players gagged? Rafa Nadal will g...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Rick Macci thought he was mad when he answered Richard Williams's call and turned up in Compton to see his two little girls play tennis. What he saw was two of the greatest of all-time in the making: Venus and Serena Williams. As portrayed by Jon Bernthal in the Oscar-winning film King Richard, Macci coached the girls for four years and remains friends with the whole family. We talk: Why Serena and Venus are "like family" to him What marks out a special player How he could fix Emma Raducanu's ga...
May 03, 2023•1 hr 24 min
LISTENER QUESTIONS Kenny Koala Bear on Twitter: What can be done to address the distinct prize money differences in WTA and ATP tournaments? The difference between Stuttgart and Barcelona was huge! Carmen on email: With the clay season in full swing, I'd like to learn more about how chair umpires determine which specific mark on the court was made by the ball when a player challenges a call. The umpire seems very confident about which mark it was but how can that be if there are so many smudges ...
Apr 25, 2023•1 hr 39 min
LISTENER QUESTIONS Chris Thornton asks: “I know it’s not ‘new’, but does legal on-court coaching favour younger players, who may be more fleet of foot, but less experienced problem-solvers, compared to their potentially more experienced opponents, who my not be the athletes they once were, but greater problem-solvers?” Twitter user Ppeanut says: “Can Rafa win FO this year and what are his chances for a second gold medal next year?” Ian Warren in Melbourne asks: “During the Masters coverage last ...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 51 min
Tennis coach Calvin Betton and (belatedly) George Bellshaw join James Gray, journalist for i newspaper and inews.co.uk, to answer your questions and look at the biggest news in tennis this week. Listener topics include: Why team tennis in Europe makes players money (but will never work in the UK) Cam Norrie crashes out in R1 for the second tournament in a row Dominic Thiem has split with his coach Nicolas Massu after yet more on-court struggles Why is the women's game so inconsistent And we also...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 40 min
VOTE FOR US - NOW (voting closes April 6): https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/shortlist-category James Gray of inews.co.uk and the i newspaper is joined by tennis coach Calvin Betton and tennis writer/broadcaster George Bellshaw to chat through some of the biggest stories of the week, including: Daniil Medvedev's incredible run of 19 titles in 19 different cities The Alcaraz vs Sinner rivalry Kvitova "the has-been" beats Rybakina to the Miami title Bianca Andreescu tears two ligaments in her ank...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 31 min
James Gray (@JamesGraySport) asks George Bellshaw (@BellshawGeorge) and Calvin Betton (@CalvBetton) YOUR questions, including: What aspects of the respective games of Roger, Rafa and Novak do you see in Carlos Alcaraz and what specific improvements should he make since apparently currently he has reached only 60 per of his potential according to Juan Carlos Ferrero? (From Elena Tsourdi) What's happened to Casper Ruud? (From LynneyPin) With all the money in tennis, can they not afford to pay for ...
Mar 27, 2023•1 hr 47 min
Calvin Betton dials in from France and special guest Myles David of Tuned into Tennis joins to tell us what's going on in the US during the Sunshine Swing. If you enjoyed this podcast and previous ones, please VOTE for us in the Sports Podcast Awards: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ LINKS Here are a few of the bits and pieces that came up in our discussion that you should go and seek out. High Strung: Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, and the Untold Story of Tenni...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr 28 min
James Gray is not impartial and he won't get sacked for it here (yet). He is joined as usual by Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw to talk about the biggest stories in tennis this week, and there are plenty of them. Emma Raducanu is back winning matches, including by ranking her best win since the US Open semi-final against Maria Sakkari, beating world No 21 Madga Linette - and that is despite a flare-up of the wrist injury that she has been battling and the dregs of a bout of tonsillitis. But wh...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 49 min
Abigail Johnson returns as guest contributor alongside George Bellshaw and Calvin Betton to look over this week's biggest stories, including: - A statement week for Daniil Medvedev after winning his third title of the season and, more significantly, beating Novak Djokovic fairly comfortably and ending a 21-match win streak. - Novak Djokovic will not be in Indian Wells or Miami despite his request for an exemption gaining support from US senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, and the USTA. Carlos A...
Mar 07, 2023•1 hr 13 min
It's George (the hungover one), James (the posh one) and Calvin (the angry one) again trying to sum up a week of tennis in just 90 minutes. We ask: Will Andy Murray ever win in straight sets again? And how bad IS his second serve? Are we NOW convinced that Daniil Medvedev is back? Has Cam Norrie made us all look very silly? What does Carlos Alcaraz bring back to the top table? Is Barbora Krejcikova worthy of a place in The WTA Conversation? How long has Coco Gauff got to prove herself? Is Steffi...
Feb 27, 2023•1 hr 33 min
Calvin Betton is back in the UK and joins George Bellshaw and James Gray, of inews.co.uk and the i newspaper to talk about all the biggest stories in tennis this week. Has Daniil Medvedev rediscovered his mojo? How can Carlos Alcaraz just hit the ground running so easily? Will we see that much of Iga Swiatek in 2023? What is Cam Norrie's schedule all about? And we try to answer your questions... Danny Rogers: " if Olympics' decision to allow Russian athletes causes a major boycott, doesn't that ...
Feb 20, 2023•1 hr 26 min
Tumaini Carayol of the Guardian sits in for Calvin Betton, alongside George Bellshaw and James Gray as per usual. Jessica Pegula has revealed her mother has been fighting for her life, a sub-plot that has left her struggling mentally for months (Read her story here: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/jessica-pegula-tennis) Nicolas Mahut picks a fight over the Davis Cup Novak Djokovic is two weeks away from going past Steffi Graf’s record for most weeks at No 1 - does that bolster his GOAT c...
Feb 13, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Want to ask a listener question? Mention us on Twitter (@UnfilterTennis), DM us on Instagram (@tennisunfilteredpod) or email as tennisunfiltered@gmail.com. Tennis commentator Abigail Johnson joins the podcast for the first time alongside James Gray in Melbourne and George Bellshaw in London, with Calvin Betton calling in from Dallas, Texas. Listeners ask: Will Elena Rybakina or Aryna Sabalenka have the consistency to challenge Iga Swiatek for No 1 status? Is the one-handed backhand dying and why...
Feb 07, 2023•1 hr 33 min
Want to ask a listener question? Mention us on Twitter (@UnfilterTennis), DM us on Instagram (@tennisunfilteredpod) or email as tennisunfiltered@gmail.com. James Gray in Melbourne, Calvin Betton in Barnsley and George Bellshaw in London look back at the 2023 Australian Open. Novak Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets and dropped just one set all tournament - is this how he should be playing all the time now? What did Tsitsipas do wrong? Can any of the 1990s kids touch the GOAT gener...
Jan 31, 2023•1 hr 21 min
George Bellshaw and Calvin Betton make their predictions - with a little help from James Gray. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 28, 2023•41 min
Tennis coach Calvin Betton joins writer George Bellshaw and inews.co.uk journalist James Gray to talk through the biggest issues from the third and fourth rounds of the Australian Open and look ahead to the second week: Novak Djokovic is through after he absolutely marmalised Alex De Minaur 6-2 6-1 6-2 - but is he carry an injury or is he playing possum? Djokovic says he is being victimised: “I leave the doubting to those people – let them doubt. Only my injuries are questioned. When some other ...
Jan 24, 2023•1 hr 20 min
On a day when Andy Murray was finally put away by the Spanish wall and Novak Djokovic limped his way into the fourth round, James Gray of inews.co.uk and the i newspaper gives you the lowdown from Down Under. Murray had a debt of lactic and energy to pay after his late-night finish against Thanasi Kokkinakis and the interest rate was too high as he was beaten 6-1 6-7(7) 6-3 6-4 by Roberto Bautista Agut. Djokovic's hamstring has been troubling him all week but one leg was enough to beat Grigor Di...
Jan 21, 2023•22 min
We sometimes record special editions of Tennis Unfiltered during grand slams in an effort to give you even more content. This week, James (in Melbourne) and Calvin talk about the men's draw before George fills us in on what has been happening in the women's. Follow our new Twitter account here: https://twitter.com/unfiltertennis We are on Instagram too: https://www.instagram.com/tennisunfilteredpod/ Remember to keep up to date with your fantasy tennis team: shorturl.at/bisZ7 Learn more about you...
Jan 20, 2023•1 hr 3 min
We look over both Australian Open draws, where it was a car crash for the Brits but looked like a win for Novak Djokovic. #UnfilteredFantasyTennis is live! Click here to sign up before Sunday at 10pm: shorturl.at/ptuvz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 12, 2023•1 hr 13 min
A new era begins. Tennis Unfiltered starts with Calvin Betton (resident tennis coach) calling in from Portugal, James Gray (inews.co.uk and i newspaper) on the line from Melbourne and George Bellshaw (tennis writer) in... north London. It's not all glamour. This week, we tackle the big topics in tennis. Is a sachet of vinegar acceptable to drink on court? What is Cliff Richard's biggest hit? Will Netflix ever learn? We also talk about some tennis too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...
Jan 10, 2023•1 hr 17 min
This is the last Love Tennis Podcast (sort of). As of next week, we will be Tennis Unfiltered. The OG fans will remember we started this podcast as part of Love Sport Radio, a now defunct radio station, and that's where we got our name: the Love Tennis Podcast, a sort of co-branding exercise. It stuck, and we never bothered to change it. But over time, we've realised that it didn't really suit us as a brand, or reflect who we are. So we've changed. We commissioned an amazing graphic designer cal...
Jan 05, 2023•1 hr 7 min
They're back! George Bellshaw, James Gray and Calvin Betton return for the 2023 season to discuss anything and everything tennis related - and more! Are the pre-season exhibitions in the Middle East a complete waste of time? How would we rebuild tennis? Once again we ask: is Nick Kyrgios is right? (No) Is the United Cup a good idea? Will Tim Henman ever stop talking? Is the Forbes list of highest paid female athletes in 2022 total nonsense? Will Rafael Nadal retire this year? Who is Novak Djokov...
Dec 29, 2022•1 hr 33 min
Calvin Betton, live from pre-season, joins George Bellshaw and James Gray to talk about all the biggest news from tennis this week, including: Why Nick Kyrgios thinks he should be ranked No 2 in the world (see link for the full 'discourse' https://twitter.com/NickKyrgios/status/1602161813998665728) We choose our picks for the following categories Player of the Year Best Newcomer Most Improved Coach of the Year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 13, 2022•1 hr 15 min
Calvin Betton (coach), George Bellshaw (writer) and James Gray (journalist, inews.co.uk and the i newspaper) talk about the biggest issues of the week in tennis. This week... What Nick Bollettieri did for the game of tennis Did he really invent the tennis academy? Was he a great coach or a great motivator? And how many wives did he *really* have? The LTA have been fined $1m by the ATP, should the AELTC pay the fine? What will they do next summer, ban Russians and Belarusians again? Could they re...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 14 min
