Not many people expected Andre Agassi to win the French Open, especially not in 1999, and certainly not when he fell two sets down in the final against Andrei Medvedev. But then he produced one of the greatest comebacks of all time, recovering to beat Medvedev and complete the coveted career Grand Slam. In this episode we talk through the events which led Agassi to that point. What had happened in his previous two French Open finals? Why did he used to skip Wimbledon and the Australian Open? And...
May 31, 2020•52 min•Ep. 676
Martina Hingis never won the French Open, but the 1999 final was definitely the one that got away as she let slip a comfortable lead against Steffi Graf in a classic match filled with aggro. How did Hingis stir things up before the match with her comments about Graf? What incidents turned the crowd against Hingis and caused her to get a point penalty? And in what way were the scenes at the end of the match - as Hingis returned to the court in tears comforted by her mother - so pathos heavy? We h...
May 30, 2020•50 min•Ep. 675
Almost nobody had heard of Gustavo Kuerten when he entered Roland Garros in 1997, but everyone knew who he was when he walked away as the champion. So, how did he do it? Kuerten tells us about the moment he first felt the love of the French fans, his difficult matches against Thomas Muster and Yevgeny Kafelnikov en route to the final, and just how much tennis still means to him. We also hear from Sergi Bruguera, the runner-up that year, about what it was like to play against Kuerten and his memo...
May 29, 2020•47 min•Ep. 674
Monica Seles’ 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 victory over Steffi Graf in 1992 is widely considered to be the best Roland Garros final of all time. Catherine, David and Matt explain how they felt while watching it and discuss some of the reasons why it was so special. We also hear from Graf’s coach at the time, Heinz Günthardt, who offers insight into why Seles caused Graf so many problems, especially on clay. New York Times journalist Christopher Clarey explains where the match ranks among the best he’s ever wi...
May 28, 2020•43 min•Ep. 673
When Michael Chang beat Stefan Edberg in the 1989 French Open final, he became the youngest man ever to win a Grand Slam title, but it’s his fourth-round match against Ivan Lendl which is most famous. Chang was trailing by two sets to love, but several moonballs, numerous bouts of cramp, and even an underarm serve later, he’d won the match and turned it into the stuff of legend. In an exclusive interview, Chang discusses his tactics to turn the match around, the way he got booed during the tourn...
May 27, 2020•47 min•Ep. 672
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova met 80 times in total, and their 1985 French Open final, won 7-5 in the third set by Evert, was one of their best ever matches. In an exclusive interview, Evert explains why she will be inextricably bound in history with Navratilova, the way they were portrayed as opposites, the reasons Navratilova was the favourite ahead of their 1985 Roland Garros final, why this victory stands out as her greatest, and the way it lengthened her career. The Tennis Podcast is ...
May 26, 2020•49 min•Ep. 671
John McEnroe never won the French Open. But he should have done in 1984. Instead, he lost a two-set lead in the final against Ivan Lendl. So, what happened? Having re-watched the whole match, Catherine, David and Matt give their analysis. In what way did McEnroe allow himself to get distracted? Did he choke? How did Lendl mount his comeback? And what did this match do for both of their careers? We also hear from Mary Carillo who recounts why it hurt McEnroe so much to lose specifically to Lendl,...
May 25, 2020•46 min•Ep. 670
Who better to tell the story of Yannick Noah’s historic victory at the French Open in 1983 than the man himself? In an enthralling, exclusive interview, Noah takes us through it all, including the extra work he put in during the build-up to Roland Garros that year, his nerve-wracking victory over Ivan Lendl, the relief he felt when Jimmy Connors lost, the dream he had before the final, the words he exchanged with his father after beating Mats Wilander to win the title, and why he could never rep...
May 24, 2020•42 min•Ep. 669
We begin this week’s Tennis Re-Lived in 1992 when Gabriela Sabatini won her fourth title in Rome, beating Monica Seles in her prime in the final. How come Sabatini had such a special connection with Rome? In what way did she manage to make Seles’ game seem a bit limited in that match? And why have Sabatini’s achievements faded from tennis conversation? Then, we go back to 2006 to cover Rafael Nadal’s epic five set win over Roger Federer. In what way was Nadal kryptonite for Federer in this perio...
May 18, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 668
We take listener questions on a range of topics, including what can be done to make tennis behind closed doors more enjoyable, Innes Ibbou’s rebuttal to Dominic Thiem’s comments about lower ranked players, results from the past that we’d like to change, the best and worst coaching appointments, and whether doubles should be made more prominent. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, featuring Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand...
May 14, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 667
Catherine, David and Matt return with another episode of Tennis Re-Lived, this time looking back on a couple of classic finals and storylines from Madrid. In 2012, the clay turned blue, and Janko Tipsarevic explains what it was really like to play on, who it favoured, how it affected Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, why it was ditched, and the reason it was slippery. Plus, in what way was the final a microcosm of Tomas Berdych’s career? And how did Federer find his feet when others struggled? Th...
May 11, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 666
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are the three best male players of all time, but they haven’t always been so great... In the final episode of our ‘worst of’ series (for now), we reflect on those rare moments when they struggled on court, including their respective slumps in 2013, 2015 and 2017. Plus, what happened to Federer at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics? How did he lose to Guillermo Cañas in back-to-back tournaments in 2007? Why did Nadal’s Wimbledon results go downhill from 2012...
May 08, 2020•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 665
Our countdown of the Top 10 worst Grand Slam finals of all time, including a weekend of double disappointment in 1983, the only 6-0 6-0 in Open Era history, a couple of Wimbledon finals which prompted change, and a controversial mid-match retirement. ‘Worst of’ fortnight will conclude on Thursday when we discuss the low points in the careers of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, featuring Matt Roberts. It is produc...
May 04, 2020•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 664
If you enjoyed part one of our worst ever predictions podcast, then you’re going to love part two. Our self-imposed humiliation intensifies as we re-play a couple of clips to make Catherine cringe, go deep on David’s wildly changeable views on Nick Kyrgios, and laugh at Matt picking Victoria Kuzmova to do big things. Plus, in a segment on our wildly inaccurate ranking projections, find out which player, who has never been ranked inside the Top 100, David thought would be Top 20 by 2020. ‘Worst o...
Apr 30, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 663
This week we are venturing nervously into the archives to dissect and discuss our worst ever predictions. Part one includes a couple of clangers involving Serena Williams, examples of our overly optimistic outlook on Grigor Dimitrov, and jinxing the big Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal match that everyone wanted to see at the US Open. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, featuring Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tourna...
Apr 27, 2020•59 min•Ep. 662
Catherine speaks to former world No.3 and 22-time Grand Slam doubles champion Pam Shriver, covering the start of her partnership with Martina Navratilova and their many successes together, her memories of the historic 1986 Fed Cup Final, her gold medal winning run with Zina Garrison in Seoul, what it was like to reach the US Open final as a 16-year-old, and her thoughts on when tennis might return. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, featuring Matt Roberts. It is...
Apr 24, 2020•51 min•Ep. 661
We hadn’t planned to record a podcast today, but then Roger Federer tweeted about merging the ATP and WTA, and we were suddenly in emergency podcast territory. Why has it taken until now, during a global pandemic and 50 years after Billie Jean King first proposed the idea, for some of the top men to get behind it? How likely is it to actually happen? And what are the potential stumbling blocks? In the second half of the show, David speaks to John Millman about his life without tennis, the need t...
Apr 22, 2020•55 min•Ep. 660
The second instalment of Tennis Re-Lived sees us travel back to the 1980s and 90s. First, we tell the story of Martina Navratilova’s return to her homeland in 1986 when she represented the USA against Czechoslovakia in the Fed Cup Final. Why was this such an important moment in her life? How was she received by the people in Prague? And just how good was her tennis in the decisive match against Hana Mandlikova? Matt unearths some stories from the week and Catherine speaks to Pam Shriver, Navrati...
Apr 20, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 659
We’re back with another Q&A edition of The Tennis Podcast, answering listener questions about our dream tennis dinner party, the Grand Slam credentials of Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios, how long the unity between the ATP and the WTA might last, and whether it’s okay to support Tennys Sandgren despite his past Twitter support for the far right. Plus, an update on the cancellation of Montreal, a chat about the tennis players we most resemble, and a massive argument. The Tennis Podcast is...
Apr 16, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 658
In a Q&A edition which goes off in various directions, we cover topics such as the players we wish we had seen live, the downsides of the Big 3 dominance, how the prolonged break to tennis might affect certain players differently, whether or not Nick Kyrgios is on the boat, and our predictions from the start of the year about what we *thought* would happen in 2020. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, featuring Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, a...
Apr 13, 2020•57 min•Ep. 657
Catherine Whitaker and David Law set out to examine the way in which covid-19 is impacting tennis players and events. Hear from World No.211 Liam Broady on how he’s coping without tennis as well as the physical, mental and financial challenges he’s facing, LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd on the support package provided to British tennis players, World No.375 Sofia Shapatava on her petition seeking financial assistance from the ITF, and Queen’s tournament director Stephen Farrow on what goes on b...
Apr 09, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 656
To launch Tennis Re-Lived, Catherine, David and Matt look back on two classic Miami finals, starting with the first ever final between the Williams sisters in 1999. What was most noticeable about Venus and Serena’s respective games and personalities at the time? How was women’s tennis talked about in this era? And in what way was Richard Williams front and centre? Turning to Murray and Ferrer’s epic in 2013, how did the match become so dramatic after a ropey start? Has there been a more shocking...
Apr 06, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 655
We knew it was coming, and yet it still felt shocking, and it still hurt. After Wimbledon announced its 134th edition would not take place, and the rest of the grass court season was abandoned because of the Coronavirus, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts were joined on The Tennis Podcast by Simon Briggs, the Tennis Correspondent of The Telegraph. Was there any alternative? What sort of impact will the cancellations have on the tennis world, and those working within it? And when can ...
Apr 01, 2020•37 min•Ep. 654
We begin this week’s show by discussing the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and launching Tennis Re-Lived. That's followed by part two of our Q&A with Mary Carillo as she talks more about her own career – including her memories of the French Open mixed doubles title she won with John McEnroe and the worst match she’s ever commentated on. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments. It is crowdfunded by listeners every December. * ...
Mar 30, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 653
Mary Carillo joins Catherine, David and Matt from Florida to catch up and answer some listener questions. In part one, she talks about how the enforced break due to Coronavirus could affect different players, whether a champion's mentality can be learned, and how Coco Gauff's career might unfold compared to other teenage stars. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments. It is crowdfunded by listeners every December. * NEWSLETTER * Sign up to ge...
Mar 23, 2020•58 min•Ep. 652
The French Open in…September? Catherine, David and Matt are back for a bonus mid-week pod to discuss all the fallout from Roland Garros going rogue in the wake of Coronavirus and re-positioning itself in the calendar for this year. What are the political implications of such a move? Will this actually bring tennis’ fractious governing bodies together? Could it lead to long-term change? And what’s the likelihood of it going ahead like this? There’s also news of David’s AMA on Reddit, Matt quotes ...
Mar 19, 2020•44 min•Ep. 651
Catherine, David and Matt talk about the dramatic developments since Indian Wells’ cancellation, the absence and importance of sport in our lives, the impact this break could have when tennis eventually returns, and which players they would choose to self-isolate with. Plus, Dan Evans and Bethanie Mattek-Sands give insight into what it was like on site at Indian Wells last week, the communication they’ve had from the tours about Coronavirus, how this suspension will impact players, and what they...
Mar 17, 2020•55 min•Ep. 650
Catherine was supposed to be flying to Indian Wells today, but instead she’s chatting to David and Matt all about the fact that the tournament has been cancelled because of Coronavirus. Discussion includes what to make of the decision, how it affects livelihoods in tennis, and the way the situation could potentially escalate to affect more tournaments, The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments. It is crowdfunded by listeners every December. * N...
Mar 09, 2020•48 min•Ep. 649
Catherine, David and Matt are together again to review another busy week in the packed February schedule, one which saw Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal seamlessly return to the tour and win titles, Heather Watson and Dan Evans impress, and the emergence of more teenage stars. What's changed in 2020 for Djokovic to be able to dominate the tour once again? Was it appropriate for Tsitsipas' mum to attend his press conference in Dubai and what does it say about their relationship? And what did we le...
Mar 02, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 648
Maria Sharapova, who beat Serena Williams to win Wimbledon aged 17, completed the career Grand Slam, and then failed an anti-doping test, has retired. In a special edition of The Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker and David Law are joined by the man that broke the news of her retirement, Chris Clarey of the New York Times, to react to the announcement. Why did she stop now? How will her career be remembered? Could she have done more? Is she legacy tainted by the positive test? And what will she ...
Feb 27, 2020•45 min•Ep. 647
