A positive covid test from someone who had worked at the Australian Open quarantine hotel appeared to leave the tournament teetering on a cliff edge last night, with hundreds of players and staff forced to isolate again. After 24 hours of mass testing, however, Craig Tiley says the tournament will go ahead as planned. For now. It’s a situation which has served as a reminder of the precariousness of Tennis Australia’s operation to stage the event and in this episode we talk all about it. We also ...
Feb 04, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 794
With six tournaments all taking place at Melbourne Park this week, we try to get our heads around it all and discuss what we’ve seen so far. How did Serena Williams look in her first match? What about Katie Boulter? What do we expect from Bianca Andreescu in her first tournament for 15 months? Why have the crowds not shown up yet? And will the ATP Cup provide good preparation for the Australian Open? We also reveal our plans to refer to the second stadium at Melbourne Park as the Evonne Goolagon...
Feb 01, 2021•56 min•Ep. 793
In this episode we travel back four years to bask in the wonder that was the 2017 Australian Open. There was so much to cover (hence the length of this show) from shock defeats for Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, exciting runs from Dan Evans and Jo Konta, the re-emergence of Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, controversy surrounding Nick Kyrgios, and ultimately a throwback finals weekend which saw Serena defeat Venus and Roger defeat Rafa. We react to clips from the daily pods, get Mary Carillo's take, and c...
Jan 30, 2021•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 792
In 1995, Pete Sampras was the world No.1, a five-time major winner, and the defending Australian Open champion. He was also a dominant and stoic figure, labelled by many as boring and representative of a sport in decline. All that changed early in the fifth set of Sampras’ quarter-final match against Jim Courier when, overcome with emotion as he thought of his friend and coach Tim Gullikson, who had flown home from Melbourne with serious health problems, Sampras began to weep uncontrollably. He ...
Jan 28, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 791
These days the Australian Open sits alongside the other Grand Slam tournaments as one of the best and most prestigious tennis events in the world, but it wasn’t always that way. In this episode, we tell the story of its transformative move from Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club to Flinders Park in 1988. Pat Cash, who lost back-to-back five-set finals in 1987 and 1988 talks us through it all, including what Kooyong was like as a venue, why his 1987 defeat to Stefan Edberg feels like the one that got away ...
Jan 26, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 790
With contributions from Billie Jean King, Mary Carillo, Pam Shriver and Pat Cash, we tell Evonne Goolagong’s story, including her upbringing in New South Wales and the discrimination she faced, her early discovery of tennis, her poetic style of play, her Grand Slam successes throughout the 1970s, her crowning achievement by winning Wimbledon as a mother, her charity work for indigenous Australians, and her influence on Ash Barty. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David La...
Jan 25, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 789
Catherine is joined by David and Matt to react to her big interview with Billie Jean King. Picking up on some of the points raised by Billie Jean, we discuss the way she makes us feel when she talks about tennis, the way she forces us to challenge our preconceptions, the emphasis she puts on the importance of knowing your history, the lessons she can teach us about not alienating your audience, the place of team events in tennis, and the majors vs. slams debate. We also share our plans for Austr...
Jan 21, 2021•55 min•Ep. 788
This episode is a conversation between Catherine Whitaker and Billie Jean King. Through stories about the Battle of the Sexes, the Original 9, the awarding of equal prize money at the US Open in 1973, her time spent with Bud Collins, and knowing Althea Gibson, Billie Jean connects the past with the present, explaining why it’s so important to know your tennis history and how it impacts the modern game. Now 77-years-old, Billie Jean’s love for tennis and her desire for it to be as good as it poss...
Jan 18, 2021•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 787
Positive covid cases, more than 70 players facing two weeks stuck inside without any practice, and mice in hotel rooms…it all calls for an emergency pod. Catherine and David convene to discuss the situation in Melbourne. How has it all got out of control so quickly? What is Tennis Australia’s role now? How much sympathy do we feel for the players in all of this? And does it change who should be considered the Australian Open favourite? We also speak to Pam Shriver about how she thinks she would ...
Jan 17, 2021•58 min•Ep. 786
The first titles of the 2021 season have been won and players are now flocking to Australia for two weeks of quarantine. But not everything is going according to plan, with Andy Murray isolating at home after testing positive for covid-19 and Tennys Sandgren boarding his flight to Melbourne despite returning a positive test. We react to those two bits of news and discuss where it leaves the Australian Open. Wrapping up this week’s results, we ask whether Aryna Sabalenka can translate her dominan...
Jan 14, 2021•58 min•Ep. 785
We’re only halfway through the first week of the new season but there’s already plenty for us to cover, including the fine form shown by Maria Sakkari and Aryna Sabalenka in Abu Dhabi, a curious collapse from Sofia Kenin, news of a separate Australian Open quarantine in Adelaide for top players, David Ferrer and Alexander Zverev’s split, Dayana Yastremska's provisional suspension after a positive doping test, our apologies to Gippslanders, and Matt’s 2021 player to watch. Plus, David speaks to O...
Jan 11, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 784
In this episode we navigate Billie Jean’s mischief to cover the matches we’ve seen and the storylines that have arisen in Abu Dhabi so far, more news about the Melbourne swing prior to the Australian Open, and confirmation of some WTA quarantine practice pairings. We also pay tribute to Bob Brett and Tom Perrotta, who the tennis world sadly lost this week. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily d...
Jan 07, 2021•59 min•Ep. 783
We’re starting the new year with a bumper edition of the pod to conclude our countdown of the best ever moments of tennis aggro. The Top 5 looks like this: 5 - Andy Murray, “Shut up!” & “Everyone hates you” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo_E_azZOoc & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-XiZF08DY8 4 - Jeff Tarango defaults himself at Wimbledon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzQ2-EwgdXQ 3 - Broady/Ostapenko Auckland 2016 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPhiBazkhMU 2 - Mirka & Waw...
Jan 04, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 782
The moment has arrived. After 780 episodes, the time has finally come to dedicate a couple of pods to some of the best ever moments of tennis aggro. In part one of our countdown: 10 - Serena/Jankovic, Dubai 2014: http://youtu.be/rZCOCPbIPKc 9 - Errani/Cornet, “Why you say vamos?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLRV7QCs5L0&ab_channel=nobodycares 8 - Kim Sears, Parental Advisory Explicit Content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qivF3oIZJUo&ab_channel=AustralianOpenTV 7 - Roddick/Djokovic...
Dec 31, 2020•59 min•Ep. 781
Our third and final instalment of Sliding Doors tennis sees us talk about a medley of moments which have shaped Roger Federer’s career, the period Serena Williams missed after stepping on glass in 2010, and a world in which Billie Jean King didn’t win the Battle of the Sexes. We also discuss the news that Federer will miss the Australian Open and that Andy Murray will start his 2021 season in Delray Beach. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Rob...
Dec 28, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 780
We’re back with a Christmas Eve special to discuss more Sliding Doors moments from tennis history. Would Tim Henman have won Wimbledon in 2001 if it hadn’t rained during his semi-final against Goran Ivanisevic? Could Juan Martin del Potro have turned the Big 4 into a Big 5 if his career hadn’t been interrupted by injuries? And how would tennis have been different if the conditions - especially at Wimbledon - hadn’t been slowed down in the early 2000s? We also say hello to Billie Jean and discuss...
Dec 24, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 779
This week we’re taking an in-depth look at some Sliding Doors moments in tennis history. In part one, how would Rafael Nadal’s rivalry with Roger Federer have been different if Nadal had been a natural right-hander? Would Martina Hingis have won the calendar Grand Slam if she hadn’t fallen off a horse prior to Roland Garros in 1997? And how might Monica Seles’ career have unfolded if she hadn’t been stabbed by a deranged Steffi Graf fan in 1993? More to come on Thursday. We also discuss the rele...
Dec 21, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 778
In the second half of our ‘Lost in Time’ series, we focus on the opportunism and sudden decline of Juan Carlos Ferrero, the way in which Hana Mandlikova’s achievements were swallowed up by the era defined by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, the gold-medal winner Miloslav Mecir who bamboozled other top players, and how the tennis media did Dinara Safina - and the women’s game - a disservice by making light of her near misses in Grand Slams. There’s also reaction to the release of the ATP cale...
Dec 17, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 777
This week we’re celebrating former players who have been, in one way or another, ‘lost in time’ or under-appreciated. In part one, we discuss Manuel Orantes’ clay court dominance in the 1970s, Mark Edmondson’s Australian Open victory while ranked 212th, how Mary Pierce’s abusive father overshadowed her three peaks, the way in which Arantxa Sanchez Vicario did a lot more than finish in second place all the time, and Wendy Turnbull’s decade of consistency. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Cather...
Dec 14, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 776
In this episode, we speak to Chris Kermode to look back on his time as ATP CEO, discuss what he did and still hoped to achieve in the job, reflect on the reasons for his departure, and consider the issues tennis is facing during the covid-19 pandemic. Approx Time Stamps: Start to 7:45 - Catherine, David and Matt catch up 7:45 to 38:10 - Chris Kermode interview 38:10 to end - Reaction *SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCAST* Our Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund 2021 went live on December 1st and we reached ...
Dec 10, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 775
The time has come for our final look back on 2020 as we hand out our annual awards. Categories include player, match, uplifting moment, peak weird moment, pandemic faux pas, most missed, shock, and podcast moment. You can expect tributes to Naomi Osaka, Sofia Kenin, Dominic Thiem, Coco Gauff, Rafael Nadal and women’s semi-final night at the US Open, as well as takedowns of the Adria Tour, Night Train and the ‘Ultimate’ ‘Tennis’ ‘Showdown’. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker an...
Dec 07, 2020•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 774
Part two of our 2020 review begins with a reflection on our Tennis Re-Lived episodes covering the Olympics, Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe. What stood out? And what did we learn? We then move on to the return of tour tennis in August by looking back on how we felt at the time and how it would end up differing from our expectations. Next, we go over the main storylines from the US Open - including the way in which Naomi Osaka combined on court winning with activism, an uplifting night of women’s s...
Dec 03, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 773
We realise that re-living 2020 probably isn’t high on your list of priorities, but we can promise that this week’s podcasts are not all doom and gloom as we look back on this strange but momentous tennis year and the way we covered it as a podcast. In this episode, with the help of clips from throughout the year, we reminisce about the Australian Open, the warning signs in February and March that covid-19 was spreading, the sudden shutdown of the world, and the launch of our Tennis Re-Lived seri...
Nov 30, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 772
In this bonus edition of the pod, John Millman speaks to David and Catherine from his hotel room in Sydney where he’s quarantining for 14 days following the end of the season and his return to Australia. John talks candidly about his experience of travelling the ATP Tour throughout the pandemic, the mental toll of being in quarantine without even being allowed to open a window, his role on the ATP player council, his views on the PTPA, and the possible scenarios for next year’s Australian Open, ...
Nov 26, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 771
Daniil Medvedev has never followed the crowd, and the manner in which he brought the curtain down on London’s 12-year hosting of the ATP Finals suggested he isn’t about to start now. In an eighth and final edition of The Tennis Podcast from The O2 this week, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts talk about the final between Medvedev and Dominic Thiem, what went on afterwards, what the results this week might mean for the future, the doubles final, and the memories that the pod team will...
Nov 23, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 770
Novak Djokovic led Dominic Thiem 4-0 in a deciding set tie-break, Rafael Nadal served for the match against Daniil Medvedev, and Thiem will now face Medvedev in the final. What happened and why? Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts try to work it out. The heartbreak of Joe Salisbury is covered, as are concerns over the Australian Open. And then there’s the moment that Catherine Whitaker became a meme. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tou...
Nov 22, 2020•57 min•Ep. 769
If the pod team could have chosen the semi-final line-up at the start of the tournament, it’s likely these four names would have featured. But who will come out on top? After much deliberation, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts make their picks. They also cover some important press conferences involving Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, relate some weird, wonderful, heartbreaking and downright awkward doubles news, and receive and react to a tweet from Pam Shriver. The Tennis Podcast i...
Nov 21, 2020•48 min•Ep. 768
Rafael Nadal has never won the ATP Finals. Not yet, anyway. After a three-set tussle with Stefanos Tsitsipas, we assessed his performance, considered the way in which he causes Tsitsipas problems, and then reported on the Greek’s press conference in which he described the mental challenges posed by ‘bubble life’. The drudgery of dead rubbers gets the treatment, the chopping and changing of doubles teams is discussed, Joe Salisbury is lauded, and Catherine gives David and Matt a mid-pod shock. Th...
Nov 20, 2020•52 min•Ep. 767
A match hyped to the hilt ended more abruptly than expected, and Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts were able to talk about Daniil Medvedev vs. Novak Djokovic soon afterwards. Where was the match won and lost? How come Djokovic lost seven games in a row? And does this make Medvedev the favourite for the title? The podcast trio discuss all of that, and also cover Alexander Zverev vs. Diego Schwartzman, while giving the lowdown on what Medvedev said about the Zverev domestic abuse alle...
Nov 19, 2020•52 min•Ep. 766
On-court, lack of fans aside, today was a joy to behold for the tennis world. Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal fought out an instant classic, and then Stefanos Tsitsispas and Andrey Rublev went at it in the evening. Off the court though, there are concerns for the viability of the Australian Open. In the latest daily edition of The Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker joins from inside the O2 Arena bubble to describe the feeling of being courtside for such a great tussle, and discusses with co-hosts...
Nov 18, 2020•51 min•Ep. 765
