For the next two weeks our listeners will be setting the agenda on The Tennis Podcast as Catherine Whitaker and David Law take part in a couple of Q&A episodes. This week’s questions have been chosen by guest editor Keturah Anderssen-Chivers: · Are players damaging their chances of progressing in Grand Slams by regularly requesting on-court coaching on the WTA Tour? (01:09) · Is it better for the sport to have four outstanding players who dominate, or have a range of players competing more e...
Apr 08, 2019•44 min•Ep. 519
This week’s Tennis Podcast starts by addressing the elephant in the room: last week’s prediction that Roger Federer might not even be on the list to win the title in Miami. Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Grad Matt discuss how Federer discovered his best form, the way he dismantled a legion of big servers en route to lifting the trophy, and how he will approach the clay court swing. Elsewhere in the men’s draw, breakthroughs for Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov got everyone talking. ...
Apr 01, 2019•55 min•Ep. 518
The 2019 Miami Open is less than a week old but there’s already been loads of talking points for Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Grad Matt to get stuck into on this week’s Tennis Podcast. First of all, the move away from Crandon Park to the Hard Rock Stadium is discussed. What have the players been saying about the new venue? And how does it come across on television? In the women’s draw, Bianca Andreescu is once again the centre of attention. How is she managing to back up her Indian Wells ti...
Mar 25, 2019•50 min•Ep. 517
Two thrilling finals at Indian Wells produced two surprising winners in the form of Bianca Andreescu and Dominic Thiem. On the Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker and David Law discuss their remarkable performances. In Andreescu, it feels like tennis has a new teenage star, one who embraces meditation and plays with stunning variety. What makes her so special? And how does she compare to the other crop of youngsters who are breaking through so rapidly on the women’s tour? As for Dominic Thiem, ho...
Mar 18, 2019•51 min•Ep. 516
At the end of a week where on-court action has been overshadowed by political turmoil in tennis, Catherine Whitaker and David Law begin The Tennis Podcast by discussing the news that Chris Kermode will leave his role as ATP President at the end of the year, after the players’ representatives on the board voted not to renew his contract. Why has no official statement been released to explain the reasons behind this decision? How have people reacted to the news? And has Chris Kermode been made the...
Mar 11, 2019•50 min•Ep. 515
Andy Murray has spoken to the media, including The Tennis Podcast, for the first time since undergoing hip resurfacing surgery at the end of January, opening up about the details of the operation, his rehabilitation programme, his improved quality of life now that he’s pain-free, and how he still hopes to make a competitive return. This bonus edition of the podcast, recorded at The Queen’s Club, is the only place to hear Murray’s comments in full. Afterwards, David Law and Simon Briggs of Telegr...
Mar 06, 2019•41 min•Ep. 514
At the end of a thrilling week of tennis in Dubai and Acapulco, there was no shortage of talking points for David Law and Catherine Whitaker on The Tennis Podcast. They begin by trying to find new superlatives for Roger Federer after he won his 100th career title. How fitting was it that it came in Dubai, a place where Federer has had his ups and downs? How well did he play throughout the week? What did he do differently to get revenge on Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final? And can he now go on to ...
Mar 04, 2019•52 min•Ep. 513
Three and a half years after an extraordinary title run in Toronto, Belinda Bencic has produced another one, this time in Dubai. On The Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts discuss what makes Bencic such a brilliant player, and wonder whether she can start producing these exceptional weeks more often. Elsewhere in Dubai, Naomi Osaka lost her first match without Sascha Bajin and afterwards gave an emotional press conference. Is there cause for concern? Or are we just not...
Feb 25, 2019•48 min•Ep. 512
After a few weeks apart, David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts are back together on this week’s podcast, and the only place to start is Naomi Osaka’s split with Sascha Bajin. What could be the reasons behind it ? Should we have seen it coming? And how important is it that she’s prioritising her mental health over her on court success? On a similar theme, is Simona Halep on a mission to prove she can win big without a coach? Her trial period with Thierry Van Cleemput was unsuccessful, bu...
Feb 18, 2019•51 min•Ep. 511
This week, The Tennis Podcast is joined by Laura Robson, who is due to make her return to action tomorrow in Shrewsbury after 8 months on the sidelines with hip surgery. Before commentating on a dramatic final Fed Cup rubber in Bath for BT Sport, Robson tells David Law about the emotions she has experienced while watching the British team that she hopes to be part of again, her long physical rehabilitation process, and her hopes for the future. Recorded in the BT Sport make-up room, Robson and L...
Feb 10, 2019•36 min•Ep. 510
Before they left Melbourne to return home following the Australian Open, David Law and Catherine Whitaker recorded another Q&A special edition of The Tennis Podcast, featuring discussion on numerous topical issues within the sport. This one is guest edited by Jim Boyle. - How long will Ivan Lendl maintain patience with Alexander Zverev? (01:25) - Where does Milos Raonic rank in the list of favourites for Wimbledon? (06:45) - Who has more potential – Katie Swan or Katie Boulter? (10:58) - Wil...
Feb 04, 2019•41 min•Ep. 509
As we expected, Novak Djokovic is the Australian Open champion. But the manner of his victory - an emphatic straight-sets thrashing of Rafael Nadal – came as a big surprise. On The Tennis Podcast, David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts discuss the final in depth. What makes Djokovic so effective against Nadal on a hard court? Will he be able to translate the formula to clay and win a fourth consecutive slam at the French Open? And will he end up winning more slams than both Nadal and Fed...
Jan 27, 2019•40 min•Ep. 508
After an exhilarating women’s final was won by Naomi Osaka over Petra Kvitova, David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Grad Matt revel in the brilliance of Osaka. What caused her second set wobble? And how did she manage to recover from losing that set in such crushing circumstances? How significant is it that Osaka has now won back-to-back Grand Slams? And how is she so at ease with her relatively newfound status as a champion? Looking ahead to the men’s final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal,...
Jan 26, 2019•37 min•Ep. 507
In what’s becoming a tradition of the Grand Slam daily pods, Catherine Whitaker and David Law are joined by the great Mary Carillo for a wide-ranging, free-flowing chat over brunch. Who does Mary think will win the women’s final between Kvitova and Osaka? How impressed has she been by Rafael Nadal? Why does she think the scheduling at the Australian Open is ‘terrible’? And what three things would she change in tennis? Catherine and David then return at the end of the show to discuss Novak Djokov...
Jan 25, 2019•52 min•Ep. 506
After chasing him all tournament, David Law and Catherine Whitaker are finally joined by Goran Ivanisevic in part one of today’s podcast. Goran gives an insight into life as Milos Raonic’s coach, compares Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, and explains why he’s strongly against on-court coaching. Also, what qualities are required to be a good coach? How does the feeling of winning as a coach compare to winning as a player? How often does he watch the 2001 Wimbledon final? And why have we n...
Jan 24, 2019•54 min•Ep. 505
After the earliest finish of the tournament so far, David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Grad Matt look back on another dramatic day, headlined by Karolina Pliskova’s victory over Serena Williams. In what way is Karolina Pliskova’s new coaching set-up helping her? How much was Serena’s ankle injury to blame for her final set capitulation? And how much of a missed opportunity was this for Serena in her quest to win a 24th Grand Slam? Pliskova will play Naomi Osaka next after she beat Elina Svitolina...
Jan 23, 2019•38 min•Ep. 504
Moments after Rafael Nadal booked his semi-final spot, David Law and Catherine Whitaker got together on The Tennis Podcast to review all the day’s action. Why was Nadal so emotional about reaching the semi-finals? How did he break down Tiafoe’s game so effectively? And will he have the same joy against Tsitsipas? As for Tsitsipas, how did he find a way past Bautista Agut? How significant is it that he’s now backed up the win over Federer? Was today’s victory actually even more impressive than th...
Jan 22, 2019•33 min•Ep. 503
On day 8 of the Australian Open, all eyes were on Serena Williams vs. Simona Halep, and the match did not disappoint. On The Tennis Podcast, David Law and Catherine Whitaker are full of praise for both players. Was that the best Serena has played since returning from giving birth? How was she able to wrestle control in the decider? And has being without a coach actually helped to liberate Halep this tournament? Alexander Zverev, on the other hand, played very badly in a straight-sets defeat to M...
Jan 21, 2019•29 min•Ep. 502
At 02:30am in Melbourne, David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Matt get together on The Tennis Podcast to discuss a tumultuous day of tennis at the Australian Open. And there's only one place to start: Stefanos Tsitsipas’ thrilling late-night defeat of Roger Federer. What was the key to his victory? How does he manage to play with so much belief? How high was Federer’s level? And does this result signal a changing of the guard? Afterwards, Federer announced that he intends to play on clay in 2019. W...
Jan 20, 2019•36 min•Ep. 501
Why have there barely been any upsets at this year’s Australian Open so far? That’s the big question for David, Catherine and Grad Matt on The Tennis Podcast after another day which saw the top seeds progress. There were shocks brewing in the morning as both Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina found themselves a set down. How did they pull through? Later in the day, Serena Williams and Simona Halep both won to set up their blockbuster Last 16 match. What was Halep like when she spoke to Catherine af...
Jan 19, 2019•34 min•Ep. 500
Shortly after Rafael Nadal had beaten Alex de Minaur on Friday night, David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Grad Matt convened to review day 5 at the Australian Open. Is Nadal playing better than we expected? Does this result tell us anything we didn’t already know about De Minaur? Roger Federer was also a comfortable winner on Friday. Will he have more trouble against Stefanos Tsitsipas? Frances Tiafoe backed up his win over Kevin Anderson by beating Andreas Seppi. Is that indicative of yet another...
Jan 18, 2019•36 min•Ep. 499
The latest ever start to a match at the Australian Open, and one of the latest ever Tennis Podcast recordings, as David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Grad Matt got together at 12:46am, with tennis still being played, to discuss the events of Day 4 at the Australian Open. The day began with Grad Matt’s quarter-final pick Viktoria Kuzmova being beaten. What happened? Is Elina Svitolina playing better than expected? And was it appropriate to ask her about her relationship with Gael Monfils? The match...
Jan 17, 2019•44 min•Ep. 498
Dan Evans didn’t beat Roger Federer, but he pushed him hard, and did himself proud. That’s the view of David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Grad Matt on The Tennis Podcast at the end of day three at the 2019 Australian Open. How did Evans cause Federer problems? Should he have won the opening set? And how confident should we be that Evans has got his career back on track and won’t have another lapse? Elsewhere, the biggest shock of the tournament so far saw Kevin Anderson lose to Frances Tiafoe. Ho...
Jan 16, 2019•36 min•Ep. 496
There was less drama on day two of the 2019 Australian Open, but still plenty for David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Grad Matt to talk about on The Tennis Podcast. The biggest story was Simona Halep’s comeback victory against Kaia Kanepi. Just how significant was that for Halep? What was she like when she spoke to Catherine? And can she now go far in the tournament? Halep might run into Serena Williams in the fourth round. Serena thrashed Tatjana Maria in less than an hour. But why did she not do...
Jan 15, 2019•32 min•Ep. 496
We thought we’d seen it all from Andy Murray, but in what could be his final ever match, he left us spellbound once more. On The Tennis Podcast, David Law and Catherine Whitaker discuss one of the most extraordinary opening days in Grand Slam history, as Murray produced a rousing comeback in a match of unrivalled poignancy and significance. It wasn’t quite enough for him to beat Roberto Bautista-Agut, but it provided hours of compelling drama. What were David and Catherine feeling as they watche...
Jan 14, 2019•34 min•Ep. 495
With less than 24 hours to go until the start of the 2019 Australian Open, the time has come for David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Grad Matt to dissect the draws and make their predictions. There are some potentially dangerous players in Djokovic’s section, but will any of them actually stop him? How will Nadal’s body hold up? And will Zverev reach a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time? On the women’s side, the consensus is that Simona Halep’s draw is as tough as it gets. How will she cope ...
Jan 13, 2019•47 min•Ep. 494
With two days to go before the 2019 Australian Open, the main story in town is still Andy Murray’s announcement that he will retire before the end of the year. Following their immediate reaction to the news yesterday, David Law and Catherine Whitaker were joined for further reflections on Saturday by The Telegraph’s Simon Briggs. The self-proclaimed ‘Andy Murray correspondent’ has spent eight years covering Murray’s career, so what does he make of yesterday’s events? What was Murray like in his ...
Jan 12, 2019•30 min•Ep. 493
Hours after David Law joined Catherine Whitaker in Melbourne, Andy Murray came into the interview room, choked up with emotion, and revealed that he could no longer play with the pain that he is experiencing while trying to play tennis. He will retire at Wimbledon, if not before. Afterwards, David and Catherine got together, and instead of dissecting the draws, they reacted to the news that so many had feared was coming. They explain what the atmosphere was like in the room, what he said to Cath...
Jan 11, 2019•34 min•Ep. 492
The opening week of the 2019 tennis season has come and gone, and there’s a lot for David and Catherine to discuss before they set off to Melbourne for the Australian Open. The Hopman Cup once again proved a big hit. Does anyone actually want the ATP Cup to replace it next year? What makes the Hopman Cup feel more significant than other exhibitions? And shouldn’t tennis be promoting mixed team competitions, not getting rid of the best one? After despairing at the whole situation (04:40), David a...
Jan 06, 2019•51 min•Ep. 491
The calendar hasn’t even ticked over to 2019 yet, but the new tennis season is officially here and that can only mean one thing: Catherine and David are back together on The Tennis Podcast to preview it! Most of the top players appear to be in better health than they were twelve months ago, but two men with question marks still hanging over their physical condition are Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal. Is there cause for concern after Nadal withdrew from an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi? (09:56) And...
Dec 30, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 490
