As the French Open prepares to get underway at Roland Garros in Paris, Catherine Whitaker sits courtside as Serena Williams goes through her preparation for the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. What did Simona Halep and Jelena Ostapenko have to say ahead of Roland Garros? Catherine has been talking to them. Who is scheduled to meet Rafael Nadal as he tries to win his 11th French Open title? Catherine and David look at his likely route. And what on earth is Dominic Thiem doing playing and win...
May 26, 2018•31 min•Ep. 407
Just moments after Rafael Nadal was crowned Champion in Rome for the eighth time, Catherine & David bask in the London sunshine to discuss the King of Clay's rain-assisted victory over Sascha Zverev, and the extraordinary performance of Elina Svitolina earlier in the day to dismantle an out-of-sorts Simona Halep. Other Rome talking points are also in the spotlight, including Karolina Pliskova's uncharacteristic outburst of on-court anger, and the WTA's decision not to disclose her punishment...
May 20, 2018•51 min•Ep. 406
Sheltering just metres from Craven Cottage and an army of angry Derby County football fans, David & Catherine digest the extraordinary and contrasting title wins in Madrid for Alex Zverev and Petra Kvitova. Who of the two will go further at Roland Garros? And why did David not think to ask that question as a poll vault? Plus there's analysis of Nadal's (not so) shock defeat to Dominic Thiem, and chat about the (not quite) biggest win of Kyle Edmund's career over Novak Djokovic. And speaking ...
May 14, 2018•54 min•Ep. 405
After a week when the Munich, Estoril and Prague titles were all won by home favourites, attention now turns to Madrid, which is a veritable who’s who of the best, healthy tennis players in the world. Catherine Whitaker, sitting in a car park, and David Law in a window-less room, go through a draw that has thrown up some corkers. The wins of Alexander Zverev in Munich, Petra Kvitova in Prague and Joao Sousa in Estoril are covered, and David wants to know why Portugal, where Sousa’s triumph was c...
May 07, 2018•50 min•Ep. 404
After clinching his second 'undecima' of the season in Barcelona following yet another week of straight sets victories, David & Catherine meet in the pub to ponder what the miracle formula might be to muster a challenge to the King of Clay. Is Nadal's lack of competition hurting men's tennis? And how annoyed are we allowed to be at Roger Federer for denying us the chance to see the rivals face off on clay once more. Karolina Pliskova's Stuttgart win is also discussed, as is the surprise clay...
Apr 30, 2018•54 min•Ep. 403
Rafael Nadal won his 36th consecutive set of clay court tennis, dropping an average of two games per set, to claim his 11th Monte Carlo title. Afterwards, the Tennis Podcast team found themselves asking who can stop him on the surface, and how? Presenter David Law was joined by Telegraph Sport tennis correspondent Simon Briggs to work their way through the potential candidates to ‘do a Robin Soderling’ - who beat Nadal at the French Open in 2009 - and how. Is it an in-form Juan Martin Del Potro?...
Apr 23, 2018•52 min•Ep. 402
David Law is back from holiday and full of beans. Catherine Whitaker is off on holiday and bemused by washing machines on tennis courts. In the 401st Tennis Podcast, they look ahead to Monte Carlo, back on rain-drenched Lugano - which a shocked Catherine reports had a washing machine on court throughout, and the exploits and ultimate disappointment of Kyle Edmund, who lost in the final of Marrakech. They continue their debate about the Wimbledon queue with listener thoughts and Wimbledon’s react...
Apr 16, 2018•51 min•Ep. 401
With David Law swanning off on holiday, we've recorded our third listener-questions show - the 400th in our six year history - guest edited by Lea Lahnstein. David and Catherine Whitaker have answered the best of them, such as what makes a good coaching partnership and the fascination of what goes on behind closed doors, how many is the perfect number of seeds at Grand Slams, and whether or not the Wimbledon queue is a fair and fun thing. Plus David Catherine compare their own playing styles to ...
Apr 08, 2018•48 min•Ep. 400
As the sunshine swing draws to a close in Miami the latest Tennis Podcast reviews an extraordinary pair of titles for American players Sloane Stephens and John Isner. Stephens has endured a disappointing run of form since becoming a surprise US Open winner in September last year, but her exceptional performances in Miami lead the podcast team to speculate whether she may always be a player that experiences high peaks and low troughs. Stephens’ beaten final opponent Jelena Ostapenko is also discu...
Apr 01, 2018•51 min•Ep. 399
As Federer and Serena fall early in Miami, David & Catherine discuss the future for both; will we ever see Federer at the French Open again now he's announced he'll skip the clay once more, and how long is Serena's road back to full match fitness post pregnancy? And speaking of long roads back, Andy Murray has been spotted on the practice court for the first time since his hip surgery, but if Novak Djokovic's current form is anything to go by, returning from injury can be a bumpy ride for fo...
Mar 26, 2018•49 min•Ep. 398
With Juan Martin Del Potro and Naomi Osaka mixing up tennis’ natural order in Indian Wells, Catherine & David meet in the Putney Exchange to discuss what the pair’s respective victories mean for the future. Does Osaka have the desire and ruthlessness to propel her to World Number One? And how powerful a role model could she end up being? Can Del Potro continue his rise back up the rankings? And will Federer maintain his Number One status, and beard, in Miami? And how good was that final?? Al...
Mar 20, 2018•47 min•Ep. 397
With the Sunshine Swing well underway in the Californian Desert, Catherine and David address all the key talking points from week one of Indian Wells, including Serena Williams’ so-far impressive return to post-baby action, and Novak Djokovic’s inverse fortunes on the comeback trail. Other developments in the tennis world include Maria Sharapova’s split with long-time coach Sven Groenveld, and Goran Ivanisevic rejoining the coaching carousel alongside Canadian Milos Raonic. Plus with 16 year old...
Mar 12, 2018•55 min•Ep. 396
In a Tennis Podcast Extra, we have an exclusive interview with World No.3 Marin Cilic who has some strong views on the ITF’s proposals for the Davis Cup. David Law also asks him how long it took to recover from his heartbreaking final loss to Roger Federer at Wimbledon, how long he thinks it will take for Andy Murray to return to the top once fully fit, and his impressions of Britain’s Kyle Edmund. Cilic was speaking on the day that he, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov all announced...
Mar 08, 2018•21 min•Ep. 396
After a four week podcast hiatus to cover doubles luge and the like (men lying on top of one another and flinging themselves down an icy hill), Catherine reunites with David just in time to discuss the newly proposed sweeping reforms to the Davis Cup that some are welcoming with open arms, and some are heralding as the 'death of the Davis Cup'. David & Catherine delve into the depth of strong opinion on the future of the competition as well as addressing some of the big results and stories f...
Mar 05, 2018•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 395
With Catherine Whitaker on her way back from the Winter Olympics in Korea, here's our second listener-questions show, guest edited by Grace Onions. Catherine and David Law answered the best of them, such as what tennis life will look like after Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal retire, whether players should steer clear of off-court issues in press conferences, and their current favourite rumours. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 26, 2018•39 min•Ep. 394
Roger Federer has spent more than half of his life as a professional tennis player, becoming in the eyes of most people, and according to most stats, the best male player ever to pick up a racquet. After becoming the oldest person to reach World No.1 since the rankings began, two men that have covered every one of Federer’s 20 years playing the sport got together on the latest Tennis Podcast to reminisce and assess his latest feat. Presenter David Law (BBC 5 Live) asks guest Christopher Clarey (...
Feb 19, 2018•27 min•Ep. 393
We have thrown the next two editions of The Tennis Podcast over to our listeners to fire their questions at hosts Catherine Whitaker and David Law. This week, with Guest Editor Jim Boyle in the chair to choose the questions and throw in a couple of his own, Catherine and David are put on the spot to reveal the players that are the most challenging to interview, which tournaments are the best to cover and why, and what they would give as advice to players about how best to handle social media. Sh...
Feb 12, 2018•48 min•Ep. 392
Great Britain might have gone out 3-1 in the first round of the Davis Cup to Spain, but the talk of The Tennis Podcast was the performance of Cameron Norrie, who beat Roberto Bautista Agut and pushed Albert Ramos Vinolas all the way. Just who is this 22 year-old who had never previously played a professional clay court match before he discomfited two players that had been brought up on the surface? Can he take this form into his ATP World Tour career? And has he shown that college tennis is the ...
Feb 04, 2018•40 min•Ep. 391
Roger Federer made it an extraordinary 20 Grand Slam singles titles with a 5-set win over Marin Cilic in the Australian Open final, and as he embarked on a celebration tour of television studio interviews, Catherine Whitaker and David Law try to make sense of his achievement on The Tennis Podcast. Federer was overcome with emotion in his on-court victory speech, and the team discuss why this one got to him so much. They also analyse the match and the claustrophobic and heat and humidity that it ...
Jan 28, 2018•29 min•Ep. 390
As Caroline Wozniacki walked by from television studio to television studio after claiming her long-awaited first Grand Slam title, Catherine Whitaker and David Law tried to do justice on The Tennis Podcast to an epic three-set tussle which had numerous storylines dripping with emotion. Where was the match won and lost? How did Wozniacki react after finally making her dream come true? And will Simona Halep ever get over the finish line in a Slam final herself? The asterisk of ‘never won a Grand ...
Jan 27, 2018•31 min•Ep. 389
Moments after Hyeon Chung pulled out of his Australian Open semifinal because of blisters, ensuring Roger Federer would reach a 30th Grand Slam singles final, Boris Becker joined Catherine Whitaker and David Law on the Tennis Podcast to look ahead to Sunday’s clash with Marin Cilic. The two-time champion also previews the women’s final between Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep, explains why he left the stadium immediately after match point in the 1991 final, and predicts how a peak Becker woul...
Jan 26, 2018•33 min•Ep. 388
Moment after Kyle Edmund’s Australian Open odyssey ended at the hands of Marin Cilic, Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport), David Law (BBC 5 Live) and Simon Briggs (Telegraph) got together in the media cafe to talk over where the match was won and lost. Could he have done anything differently? How big a factor was the injury he apparently sustained? And will Cilic be able to go all the way in the final? Earlier in the day, Simona Halep saved match points for a second time in a week to reach the final....
Jan 25, 2018•32 min•Ep. 387
All of the four quarterfinals played on Wednesday were won in straight sets, but each had its own story, and the resulting semifinals are mouth-watering, according to the Tennis Podcast team. Hyeon Chung is one of the stories of the tournament and he backed up his straight sets win over Novak Djokovic by overcoming a very difference challenge - being the favourite to win against the World No. 97, Tennys Sandgren. It made Chung the first Korean ever to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournam...
Jan 24, 2018•32 min•Ep. 386
In 2010, Andy Murray went through to the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time when Rafael Nadal retired with injury. His opponent in the final four was Marin Cilic. He then met Roger Federer in the final. Eight years on, Nadal retired with injury from a Grand Slam match for only the second time in his career. It was also at the Australian Open, and the result is that a British player will once again be playing against Marin Cilic for a place in the final, and Roger Federer might ...
Jan 23, 2018•33 min•Ep. 385
Novak Djokovic found himself ‘playing in front of a mirror’ according to The Tennis Podcast team, as he was knocked out of the Australian Open by Hyeon Chung at the fourth round stage. Chung out-Djokovic’d Djokovic, pounding whiplash groundstrokes, hitting lines, reaching seemingly irretrievable balls in a blur of speed, and doing the splits when forced out wide. After winning 7-6, 7-5, 7-6 Chung was given a standing ovation inside the Rod Laver Arena. On the podcast, concern turned to the healt...
Jan 22, 2018•30 min•Ep. 384
Grigor Dimitrov vs. Nick Kyrgios was ‘instant classic’ material, and only made better from a British perspective in that the winner plays Kyle Edmund, who is into his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. On the Tennis Podcast afterwards, David Law said the match between Dimitrov and Kyrgios was a ‘win-win’ for tennis, but not everyone agrees. Did Kyrgios cross the line with his ranting in the direction of his support team? Or is it time to cut him some slack and celebrate a brilliant performance and a...
Jan 21, 2018•29 min•Ep. 383
Simona Halep produced an incredible feat of fitness and fire to save three match points and win 15-13 in the final set against Lauren Davis, and afterwards The Tennis Podcast team got together to marvel at it. They were joined by British No.3 Naomi Broady, and while chatting, Andy Murray began a jetlag fuelled Q & A session on Twitter. So, Broady told Catherine Whitaker and David Law about the Andy Murray she knows, and also gave a backstage insight into Nick Kyrgios. Later, Whitaker and Law...
Jan 20, 2018•31 min•Ep. 382
On a day when temperatures exceeded 40 degrees for a second day in a row, the last thing Kyle Edmund would have wanted was a 5-set, near 4-hour match, but that’s what he got, and he came through it. Catherine Whitaker was the first person to speak to him afterwards, for Eurosport, and Simon Briggs sat watching him for the full duration. They give the lowdown on what he went through to reach the last 16 of the Australian Open, and what they make of his chances against Andreas Seppi next. Later, t...
Jan 19, 2018•35 min•Ep. 381
As temperatures exceed 40 degrees celcius on day four of the Australian Open, Catherine & David question why on earth the heat policy wasn't invoked, and indeed whether there should even be a heat policy (some merciless people seem to think there shouldn't!). They also analyse those that survived the withering conditions - including a warrior-like Novak Djokovic, who 'out-bluffed' Gael Monfils in the heat of the day - and those that didn't, including third seed Garbina Muguruza, seventh seed...
Jan 18, 2018•27 min•Ep. 380
Recorded live from the Eurosport Green Room during Grigor Dimitrov's epic five setter with American Mackenzie McDonald, former World No 2 Alex Corretja shares his thoughts on all things Australian Open, including heat waves, big match pressure and who he thinks will win the men's and women's titles. He also joins David & Catherine in talking through the dramatic events of the day, including second seed Caroline Wozniacki snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and a 'highly stressful' thre...
Jan 17, 2018•29 min•Ep. 379
