Serena Williams has published an article in Vogue announcing that she is “evolving away” from tennis, with the upcoming US Open expected to be her final tournament. It will bring to an end one of the greatest sporting careers of all time. In the first part of this podcast, Catherine, David and Matt react to the news, discuss the effect it will have on tennis, and offer some reflections on Serena’s career. We then get into the biggest stories from Canada so far, including encouraging signs and dr...
Aug 11, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 1012
With the US Open series in full swing, Catherine, David and Matt review title runs for Daria Kasatkina, Nick Kyrgios, Liudmila Samsonova and Daniil Medvedev. In what way did Kasatkina use her game to pick apart some big hitters? Does this title for Kyrgios in DC feel different to his one in 2019? How significant is it that Medvedev has ended his losing streak in finals? And what can we read into so many Russians doing well after their Wimbledon ban? There’s also chat about Shelby Rogers, Elias Y...
Aug 08, 2022•59 min•Ep. 1011
David’s back! Fresh from his holiday, he joins Catherine and Matt to talk all about the last week in tennis, headlined by Caroline Garcia’s victory over Iga Swiatek and subsequent title in Warsaw, as well as Jannik Sinner’s victory in Umag. Has Garcia provided the rest of the tour with a blueprint for how to beat Swiatek? How much longer might she be able to keep up this red hot form? And what’s giving Sinner the edge in his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz? There’s also chat about titles for Marie B...
Aug 01, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1010
It's been a minute but we're back for the first time since Wimbledon to catch up on everything which has happened over the last couple of weeks. With David away on holiday, Catherine and Matt are joined by friend of the pod Charlie Eccleshare for a long overdue appearance! In a packed show, we discuss the strangeness of the post-Wimbledon period in tennis, titles for Lorenzo Musetti, Bernarda Pera and Casper Ruud, the return to form of Dominic Thiem and Anett Kontaveit, our early US Open favouri...
Jul 25, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 1009
After Novak Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios in a great four-set final, Catherine, David and Matt got together for one last Wimbledon 2022 pod. We discussed where the final was won and lost, the press conferences, what the future might hold for both players, the significance of Wimbledon as a tournament for Djokovic, and the Grand Slam Race. There's also a round up of the doubles and juniors results as well as chat about Shingo Kunieda completing the career Golden Slam and heartbreak for Alfie Hew...
Jul 10, 2022•57 min•Ep. 1008
Elena Rybakina is a Wimbledon champion, coming from a set down to defeat Ons Jabeur in an exciting final on Saturday. How did Rybakina overcome her nerves to turn the match around? What could Jabeur have done differently? And will both players win slams in the future? Catherine, David and Matt go through it all while reviewing the match. There's also chat about the questioning Rybakina received on her lack of celebration and the fact she was born in Moscow, Jabeur's upbeat press conference, and ...
Jul 09, 2022•55 min•Ep. 1007
Novak Djokovic will face Nick Kyrgios in the Wimbledon men's final after Djokovic's four set victory over Cameron Norrie on Friday. Why does Djokovic keep having slow starts? How did he turn the match around? Where might Sunday's final be won and lost? And in what ways was Kyrgios' pre final press conference his most candid and interesting of the tournament? These are all questions for Catherine, David and Matt on the pod. To preview the women's final, we hear from Reem Abulleil, a journalist wh...
Jul 08, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 1006
This is a podcast in two halves! In the first part, David and Matt react to Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from Wimbledon, the bombshell news which broke at around 7pm on Thursday. How did the story unfold throughout the day? And what reasons did Nadal give for his decision? Earlier, Catherine, David and Matt were joined by Simon Briggs to talk about Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina reaching the women’s final. We covered their semi-final performances, the Jabeur story and why it’s so important, and the ...
Jul 07, 2022•59 min•Ep. 1005
A few hours after Rafael Nadal's extraordinary victory over Taylor Fritz in a fifth set tiebreak, Catherine, David and Matt react to all the drama. How did he manage his ab injury to still win the match? Should Fritz have done better? And will Nadal even be able to play his semi-final? Elsewhere, we discuss Nick Kyrgios' tennis and the way he responded to questions about being his court summons. In the women's draw, is Simona Halep now the favourite for the title after another Centre Court maste...
Jul 07, 2022•54 min•Ep. 1004
It was a day of high emotions and comebacks with all four quarter-finals being won by the player who lost the opening set, meaning that we had plenty to get stuck into as we recorded in fading light at Wimbledon. Why did Djokovic's comeback against Sinner feel inevitable? In what way did Norrie connect with the Wimbledon fans today? What made the hug between Niemeier and Maria so special? And how did Jabeur take charge in her victory over Bouzkova? BECOME A FRIEND OF THE TENNIS PODCAST Friends o...
Jul 05, 2022•51 min•Ep. 1003
On what used to be Magic Monday, everything felt a lot calmer and more manageable at Wimbledon today, meaning we had time to do our favourite thing and record on site. But there was no shortage of talking points as the quarter-final line-ups were completed. In what way was Nick Kyrgios a changed man? How did Cristian Garin complete the first two sets to love comeback of the tournament against Alex de Minaur? And how will Taylor Fritz and Rafael Nadal match up in their quarter-final? In the women...
Jul 04, 2022•55 min•Ep. 1002
There's always a keen sense of history at Wimbledon, but even more so today as former champions - from Angela Mortimer to Roger Federer - all gathered to celebrate 100 years of Centre Court. Catherine, David and Matt talk about the special parade of champions and review all the matches which took place on Middle Sunday. How did Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz and can they form a rivalry? Just how good is Novak Djokovic's form? Is Ons Jabeur in David's Mix yet? And how big is this opportunity f...
Jul 04, 2022•56 min•Ep. 1001
For our 1000th episode we got to talk about a lot of aggro between Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas, a shock defeat for the World No.1 Iga Swiatek, and Amanda Anisimova backhands. The tennis gods must have been looking down on us. BECOME A FRIEND OF THE TENNIS PODCAST Friends of The Tennis Podcast help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout the year, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions, and Grand Slam review shows. Last week, two...
Jul 03, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 1000
The tennis finished early on Friday which meant that for the first time since the tournament began we got to record on site! But there was no shortage of stories and we get stuck into statement performances from Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Ons Jabeur, British success in the form of Cameron Norrie and Heather Watson, notable wins for Frances Tiafoe and Jelena Ostapenko, and mini upsets with defeats for Angelique Kerber and Maria Sakkari. BECOME A FRIEND OF THE TENNIS PODCAST Friends of The...
Jul 01, 2022•55 min•Ep. 999
It was another eventful day at Wimbledon, with wins for Katie Boulter and Liam Broady standing out from a British perspective. Catherine, David and Matt talk about why they were pretty big deals and get stuck in to all of the other big talking points. Is Nick Kyrgios in The Mix? When will Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal start playing better? And how is round three shaping up? We also talk about the form of Petra Kvitova, leftover aggro from Harmony Tan and Tamara Korpatsch, and the Wimbledon roof p...
Jun 30, 2022•1 hr 1 min
There was a morning after the night before feel to Day 3 at Wimbledon. Rain delayed the start of play by a couple of hours and when it eventually did begin, defeats for Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray dampened home spirits. In a podcast which goes in many directions, Catherine, David and Matt discuss those results and the press conferences which followed, as well as the rest of the day’s stories, including a much better performance from Novak Djokovic, Anett Kontaveit’s covid struggles, Garbine Mu...
Jun 30, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 997
It was a day which began with Matteo Berrettini’s withdrawal after testing positive for covid-19, and ended with Serena Williams’ departing Centre Court possibly for the last time after a dramatic loss to Harmony Tan, meaning it was a day of big emotions all round. As the clock ticked past midnight, Catherine, David and Matt tried to process it all. How did it feel to watch Serena again? And what might she do next? We also talked about battling wins for Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Coco ...
Jun 29, 2022•59 min•Ep. 996
Day one at Wimbledon began slowly with rain suspending play for a few hours, but soon came to life with Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray on Centre, a couple of epic five setters with big implications for the men's draw, and David's finalist prediction coming crashing down. Catherine, David and Matt got together at Tennis Podcast Towers to talk it all through: - Jabeur puts Roland Garros behind her - Haddad Maia defeated, David despairs - Raducanu embraces Centre Court debut - Djokovic wins but does...
Jun 28, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 995
Catherine, David and Matt are back together, sitting on a bench above Court 18, to look ahead to Wimbledon 2022. With less than one day to go until the tournament starts, we look through the draws, discuss what the players said on media day, and scrutinise David's predictions. Why does Simona Halep not have the honour of opening Centre Court on Tuesday? What do we expect from Serena Williams this fortnight? Has Ons Jabeur put what happened at Roland Garros behind her? How quickly will Rafael Nad...
Jun 26, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 994
Serena Williams is back! Catherine, David and Matt react to the news that she’s playing doubles in Eastbourne before heading to Wimbledon for singles. How did we feel when she announced her return? And how might she fare at Wimbledon? More good news followed this week when Rafael Nadal announced that his radio frequency ablation therapy had gone well and that he plans to play Wimbledon, but Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal and doubts over the fitness of Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu did dampen spirits. ...
Jun 20, 2022•59 min•Ep. 993
We're back from Paris and the grass court season is upon us! David, Catherine and Matt discuss the sudden surface switch, Catherine's experience of media day at Queen's, the winning return of Matteo Berrettini in Stuttgart, the brilliant form of Andy Murray followed by a concerning injury, the pressures on Emma Raducanu, and Tim Van Rijthoven's fairytale run in 's-Hertogenbosch. BECOME A FRIEND OF THE TENNIS PODCAST Friends of The Tennis Podcast help us to produce the show year-round, and receiv...
Jun 12, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 992
It's hard to know what to say about the extraordinary Rafael Nadal winning a 14th Roland Garros title and a 22nd Grand Slam title, but Catherine, David and Matt try their best to put his achievement into words. How did Casper Ruud provide the perfect match up for Nadal? Did Ruud's idolisation of Nadal affect the match? In what way did the match not quite feel fitting for the occasion? What does Nadal plan to do now to treat his foot? And will he end up winning the Grand Slam race? BECOME A FRIEN...
Jun 05, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 991
Iga Swiatek is the Roland Garros champion for a second time, beating Coco Gauff 6-1 6-3 to win her 35th consecutive match. After watching it together in the stadium, Catherine, David and Matt discuss how Swiatek asserted her dominance, whether Gauff was nervous, how on earth someone might beat Swiatek in this form, the two press conferences, Swiatek's prospects at Wimbledon, and much more. BECOME A FRIEND OF THE TENNIS PODCAST Friends of The Tennis Podcast help us to produce the show year-round,...
Jun 04, 2022•54 min•Ep. 990
It was a weird day at Roland Garros, with Alexander Zverev's injury curtailing the first semi-final and a protestor interrupting the second. Catherine, David and Matt discuss where the matches were won and lost, how the conditions impacted Zverev vs. Nadal, the emotional toll this tournament is taking on Nadal, what happened to Marin Cilic as he faded, and why reaching a first slam final is a big deal for Casper Ruud. BECOME A FRIEND OF THE TENNIS PODCAST Friends of The Tennis Podcast help us to...
Jun 03, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 989
After Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek set up a dream women's final, Catherine, David and Matt are joined by Pam Shriver to review the semi-finals, to discuss the careers of Gauff and Swiatek to date and the possibility of a new rivalry blossoming, and to look ahead to Saturday's final. How has Gauff developed over the last few years? And how does Swiatek compare to other dominant World No.1s? We also chat about the men's semi-finals and the spectacular Casper Ruud-Holger Rune aggro before moving on t...
Jun 02, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 988
With everyone still recovering from the very late finish to Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic, Wednesday dawned with Amelie Mauresmo’s press conference, and Catherine was there to ask her about why the scheduling has favoured men’s matches over women’s matches this tournament. Mauresmo's comments - that it’s because men’s tennis is more appealing - cast a big shadow over the day’s play and we talked about why they were so damaging and disappointing on the pod. Elsewhere, we discuss Iga Swiatek's fo...
Jun 02, 2022•59 min•Ep. 987
We've known for years that you should never count out Rafael Nadal. And yet we keep doing it! After his epic four set victory over Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros, Catherine, David and Matt gather in the middle of the night to talk about how he did it and what it all means. There's chat about Nadal's fast start, Djokovic's recovery, the way Nadal looked physically stronger, the role of the crowd, the tension between the two players, and Nadal's press conference where he stressed once again that ...
Jun 01, 2022•57 min•Ep. 986
Monday was the day when the bottom half of the men's draw blew wide open, with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev both losing to inspired performances from Holger Rune and Marin Cilic. Is that the best Cilic has played since the 2014 US Open? How did Tsitsipas assess the match in his press conference? And who is favourite to come through the bottom half? In the women's draw, we talk about an epic first set between Iga Swiatek and Qinwen Zheng, the importance of Zheng openly talking about her...
May 30, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 985
We asked the tennis gods for better matches, and they delivered, with Rafael Nadal defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in five sets on Sunday. How come it never ceases to be amazing to watch Nadal win like this at Roland Garros? Will he recover in time for Djokovic? And is Felix getting closer? Elsewhere, Catherine, David and Matt are stunned by the level of Carlos Alcaraz and assess his quarter-final against Alexander Zverev. In the women's draw, is Coco Gauff ready to go all the way? How did Leyla...
May 29, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 984
How do you perk up a dull day at Roland Garros? You get Simon Briggs on the pod! He joined Catherine, David and Matt to talk through Iga Swiatek's worst performance in a while and why Qinwen Zheng could trouble her in the next round, the excellent form of Daniil Medvedev, a bad day for French players on Chatrier, Paula Badosa's injury, a much-needed easy win for Stefanos Tsitsipas, and growing excitement for a potential Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal quarter-final. While Simon was with us, he al...
May 28, 2022•56 min•Ep. 983
