After a busy day in which all four of the men’s quarterfinals and two of the women’s quarters were played, the question on everyone’s lips was ‘what was wrong with Novak Djokovic’. Listeners to The Tennis Podcast will know that it has been a recurring conversation over the past 12 months, and if anything, this latest episode - a straight sets defeat to Dominic Thiem - was even more mystifying. So, what is wrong with Djokovic? Did he, as John McEnroe suggested in commentary on Eurosport, ‘tank’ i...
Jun 08, 2017•37 min
On a largely frustrating, rain-sodden day in Paris, Jelena Ostapenko and Timea Bacsinszky were two of the only people at Roland Garros smiling at the end of the day.Unseeded teenager Ostapenko stunned former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki in three sets, while Bacsinszky defeated home favourite Kristina Mladenovic. On the latest Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker is joined by her Eurosport colleague, commentator Chris Bradnam, to review where the quarterfinals were won and lost.With the two of the...
Jun 06, 2017•30 min
‘Night and day’ said Andy Murray to Catherine Whitaker on Eurosport, when comparing his form before the French Open to the tennis he displayed in reaching the quarterfinals on Monday. That interview, reproduced here on The Tennis Podcast, gives an insight into his growing confidence, self belief, and relaxed state of mind. What does he expect to happen against Kei Nishikori in the next round? What do he and Ivan Lendl talk about in the locker room after matches? And is his daughter Sophia showin...
Jun 06, 2017•44 min
Garbine Muguruza departed the French Open wagging her finger in anger at the local crowd. They didn't care. Kristina Mladenovic, or Kiki as she is known, reached the quarterfinals in a tumultuous atmosphere at Roland Garros, and afterwards the Tennis Podcast team assembled to talk about it. Were the crowd out of order or do players just need to accept and take it? Could Mladenovic go on from here and win the title? Elsewhere, the only man that looked anything like as impressive as Rafael Nadal o...
Jun 04, 2017•32 min
As the French Open enters week two, Andy Murray has started to look like the World No.1 for the first time this year, according to the Telegraph's Tennis Podcast team. Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) and the Telegraph's Tennis Correspondent Simon Briggs met up after Murray's straight sets defeat of Juan Martin del Potro to dissect his win, including a mind-boggling 85 minute first set. We hear from Murray, talking to Whitaker on Eurosport straight after the match, and Briggs proudly airs his down...
Jun 03, 2017•36 min
The French Open Day 6 edition of the Tennis Podcast started with Novak Djokovic two sets to one down. By the time it concluded, he had extricated himself from trouble. Presenter Catherine Whitaker was joined by Eurosport colleagues and commentary team Simon Reed and Frew McMillan as they stepped out of the commentary box following one of their shorter shifts - a 6-0, 6-1, 6-0 victory for Rafael Nadal over Nikoloz Basilashvili. ‘He looked unbeatable’ said McMillan, and Reed agreed. As well as rev...
Jun 02, 2017•28 min
It was still short of Andy Murray's vintage, Grand Slam title-winning best form, but he is into round three of the French Open, and according to Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) and the Telegraph's tennis correspondent Simon Briggs, he has the perfect platform to build on. In the latest Tennis Podcast, Whitaker and Briggs discuss the contrasting routes through to the third round of Murray and Juan Martin del Potro, and speculate as to what might happen when they meet on Saturday. Del Potro's heart...
Jun 01, 2017•18 min
Day four of the French Open started with everyone expecting to talk about Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Garbine Muguruza. It ended with the latest Tennis Podcast leading on Steve Johnson, the World No.26. While Nadal and Djokovic cruised to victory, Johnson dragged himself through four ageing sets against Borna Coric. Not that big a deal on the face of it, until you saw him on match point, falling to his knees and sobbing uncontrollably. A few weeks earlier, his father and mentor, Steve senio...
May 31, 2017•26 min
Andy Murray arrived in Paris with little form to speak of, under the weather, and by all accounts, tetchy. After losing the second set 6-4 against Andrey Kuznetsov, things were not looking up. According to Tennis Podcast presenters David Law and Catherine Whitaker, sets 3 and 4 of his first round win could end up being the turning point of his French Open. Perhaps even his year. He found renewed purpose, positive body language and incisive play. He looked more like the World No.1. The news was l...
May 30, 2017•29 min
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic started their campaigns at Roland Garros, but while both registered convincing looking straight set wins, not everyone was convinced by what they saw. On the Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker was joined by two Eurosport colleagues - former World No.5 Jo Durie and commentator Chris Bradnam - to dissect day 2 at the French Open. How did the Djokovic / Andrew Agassi partnership seem like it was working? Was Agassi the coach sitting stony-faced like Ivan Lendl, or fi...
May 29, 2017•11 min
The Tennis Podcast - Kvitova ‘Wins French Open’ On Opening Day It was only the first day, but it already felt as though Petra Kvitova had won the French Open. Six months after being subjected to a terrifying knife attack in her own home, Kvitova returned to the court and won her first match at Roland Garros. Simon Briggs, the Telegraph’s Tennis Correspondent, appears on the latest Tennis Podcast and says that she was unquestionably the story of the opening day of the tournament. That’s on a day ...
May 28, 2017•18 min
A year ago, the weather was awful, Rafael Nadal pulled out just as he was about to get going, and Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray marched to a final meeting, while Garbine Muguruza ousted Serena Williams in the final. As the French Open prepares to get underway in 2017, things could not be more different. The weather is glorious, Nadal is the overwhelming favourite to land an extraordinary 10th title, and Djokovic and Murray are scratching around for form. Meanwhile, Muguruza is similarly short o...
May 27, 2017•54 min
Andre Agassi will return to the sport as its latest ‘Super Coach’, Maria Sharapova will play in Wimbledon qualifying and Victoria Azarenka will return to the sport seven months after having her baby boy, Leo. Just another week in on the global tennis tour. It all gave the Tennis Podcast team plenty to get their teeth into in the latest edition of the show, which is available to listen to now. What do we expect to happen when Agassi and Djokovic get together in Paris? Will it be a success? What w...
May 21, 2017•59 min
With nine days having passed since the last podcast was recorded, an awful lot has happened in the fast-moving tennis world, including the announcement that the FFT have denied Maria Sharapova a wildcard into either the main draw or the qualifying event at Roland Garros. Catherine & David pick apart the decision, the way it was announced and the way the tennis world has reacted to it, as well as discussing the 4000 other things that have happened in tennis this week including yet another cla...
May 17, 2017•1 hr 5 min
It was midway through recording of the latest Tennis Podcast that presenters Catherine Whitaker and David Law received a message from the Telegraph’s tennis correspondent Simon Briggs which detailed his story about Andre Agassi being a potential coach for Novak Djokovic. Djokovic had cleared out virtually all of his support team in one go last week, and the podcast’s attentions immediately turned to who might replace him. Could it be Pete Sampras, the 14-time Grand Slam champion that Djokovic id...
May 08, 2017•53 min
It’s been a rough few months with illness and injury, but Andy Murray believes that he has come in the clay court season in 2017 ‘in a better place’ than he did the 2016 in which he ended up reaching the French Open final. Murray joined Catherine Whitaker for Tennis Podcast Extra, and described his season so far, his hopes for the clay court season, and the challenge of staying at World No.1. The interview took place at The Queen’s Club - home of the Aegon Championships which Murray has won a re...
May 03, 2017•13 min
Maria Sharapova is back. Many are happy to see her, many less so, but her return can not be ignored, and it’s the central theme on this week’s Tennis Podcast. How will she reflect on her run to the semifinals? Did she strike the notes in her post-match press conference? And is she a French Open contender?The team also look at the continuing form of Rafael Nadal, who followed up his 10th title in Monte Carlo with a second La Decima in Barcelona. Can anyone stop him from making it three in Roland ...
May 01, 2017•1 hr 2 min
In the first Tennis Podcast Extra, we focus on Nick Kyrgios, hearing from the man himself about what makes him tick, the ‘dark place’ he found himself in after the Australian Open, and how he got himself out of it to beat everyone except Roger Federer.We also hear from his Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, who gives an insight into how to get the best out of Kyrgios, his potential, and the man that he knows behind the scenes. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with Telegraph Sport and...
Apr 28, 2017•30 min
Results of tennis matches take a back-seat on this week’s Tennis Podcast after the behaviour of Ilie Nastase over the weekend and the return of Maria Sharapova imminent following a 15-month suspension for a failed drugs test. The former French Open champion and BBC presenter Sue Barker joins Tennis Podcast hosts Catherine Whitaker and David Law to expresses her shock and disappointment at Nastase’s ‘unforgivable’ behaviour.The Telegraph’s Tennis Correspondent Simon Briggs is a guest from Buchare...
Apr 24, 2017•1 hr 1 min
The year's first big clay court event is upon us and there are more unknowns than perhaps any edition of the Monte Carlo Masters over the last decade. The Tennis Podcast team are here to pick through it all. Is Andy Murray's elbow in a sufficient state for a proper clay court campaign?Is Novak Djokovic ready to rediscover his true form, or will he come unstuck again like he did against Jiri Vesely a year ago?And what of Rafael Nadal? After a strong start to the year, albeit in the slipstream of ...
Apr 18, 2017•58 min
After a Davis Cup weekend in which Lleyton Hewitt got the very best out of Australia, France’s strength in depth quelled Great Britain and Novak Djokovic played his first tie in more than a year, the Tennis Podcast team assembled to discuss the results. Is Nick Kyrgios’ recent excellence now just ‘a thing’? Could Britain have done any more? And will Djokovic returning to the Davis Cup fold be the catalyst for renewed form on the singles circuit?The podcast team also discuss the first title won b...
Apr 10, 2017•57 min
In becoming the first British woman to lift the Miami Open trophy, Jo Konta scored the nation’s most notable win by a female tennis player since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977, and reached World No.7 in the process.In the view of the Tennis Podcast team, this is only the beginning for Konta. On the latest show, presenters Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) and David Law (BBC 5 Live, BT Sport) agreed that she is a going to be a powerful, influential, positive role-model. But how far can she go o...
Apr 03, 2017•53 min
As Miami got underway and concern grew for the health of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, the subject of on-court coaching came under the spotlight, and the Tennis Podcast team are debating it in this week’s show. Is it time for the men’s game to follow the lead of the women’s game and allow a mic’d up Ivan Lendl on to the court to tell Murray what’s what?Is it a ‘bad look’ for the sport, as many commentators have deemed it, for only female players to be seen asking for help on court? Should it b...
Mar 27, 2017•57 min
Roger Federer, who will turn 36 in August, will finish 2017 as the World’s No.1 male tennis player if he stays healthy.That’s the view of David Law, the BBC 5 Live and BT Sport tennis commentator and one of the presenters of The Tennis Podcast, which is produced in association with Telegraph Sport.Federer added the Indian Wells title to his win at the Australian Open in Melbourne in January, and Law said on the new edition of the podcast that, with the physical and form issues being experienced ...
Mar 20, 2017•50 min
Andy Murray said he had never seen anything like it. Tennis Twitter almost broke. That’s what happened when the BNP Paribas Open draw in Indian Wells pitched Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin Del Potro into the same quarter of the draw, along with precocious talents Alex Zverev and Nick Kyrgios.But who will come through it? Kyrgios faces Zverev, and Djokovic meets Del Potro tonight. The winner of those matches will clash in round 4. And then the winner of that is likely...
Mar 14, 2017•52 min
The big guns returned to action in Dubai and Acapulco with varying degrees of success, and Catherine and David convened to discuss a jam-packed week on The Tennis Podcast.Andy Murray scooped the title in Dubai, but only after winning a 30-minute, 38-point tie-break. He looked like his old self, according to the Tennis Podcast team. Nick Kyrgios scored one of the biggest wins of his career over Novak Djokovic, making it a hat-trick of wins over Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in his firs...
Mar 06, 2017•47 min
The Australian Open champion Roger Federer, the World No.1 Andy Murray, and the man who has dominated the men’s tennis world for years, Novak Djokovic, return to action this week, and all are discussed at length in the new Tennis Podcast.Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) and David Law (BBC 5 Live, BT Sport) convene to discuss whether they think the headlines about Federer committing to playing for a further three years will be realised, whether Andy Murray might, in the words of the Telegraph’s Sim...
Feb 27, 2017•56 min
Karolina Pliskova has only lost one match all year, winning the title in Doha last week to add to her Brisbane victory and Fed Cup success. She reached the final of the US Open last September, beating Venus and Serena Williams along the way. So, is Pliskova the next new Grand Slam champion and World No.1 on the WTA Tour?In the latest Tennis Podcast, recorded in London Marylebone station, David Law (BBC 5 Live and BT Sport) and Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) made their predictions, as did legions...
Feb 21, 2017•47 min
It was Fed Cup week, and Britain were celebrating progress, despite it going down to the wire. Captain Anne Keothavong joins David Law and Catherine Whitaker to describe the emotions she was going through and how she made her big doubles decision.Elsewhere, Czech Republic kept on rolling, and will now face USA, who were trying to deal with controversy having played a World War 2 version of the German national anthem. On the men’s tour, there were three very different winners in Grigor Dimitrov, ...
Feb 13, 2017•1 hr 2 min
An otherwise thrilling Davis Cup weekend ended in numbed silence after 17-year-old Denis Shapovalov smashed a ball away in frustration which crashed into the eye of chair umpire Arnaud Gabas. He was instantly defaulted, sending Great Britain through, and Canada out of the competition. A few hours after the incident, Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport), freshly back from Melbourne and wrapped in a comical coat to protect against the weather, and David Law (BBC 5 Live) met at London Marylebone station ...
Feb 06, 2017•42 min
