A momentous day for Canada who are Billie Jean King Cup champions for the first time. Afterwards, Matt in Seville, Catherine in Turin and David in Solihull caught up to talk about what happened, and look ahead to the future for their star players Leylah Fernandez and Marina Stakusic. Also on the show, Matt had a moving, important conversation with Billie Jean King about tennis going to Saudi Arabia, and changes that could and should be made to the BJK Cup in the future. Plus, Catherine told us a...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 1178
There have been some truly great individual performances in team competition over the years, but surely none better than what Leylah Fernandez produced on Saturday. On the pod, Catherine, David and Matt dissect her wins over Marketa Vondrousova, and the team of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova in doubles. Plus, they preview Canada’s final against Italy, which promises to be interesting. Could Canada spring a selection surprise? Follow the Billie Jean King Cup Finals on the official webs...
Nov 12, 2023•46 min•Ep. 1177
We got a glorious winner-take-all match in USA vs. Czechia, and Catherine, David and Matt revelled in the matches, drama and talking points. Why did USA make a late change to their doubles team? Was it the right call? And what makes Czechia so special in this competition? The semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup are both previewed, and we also look ahead to the ATP Finals, which starts on Sunday. Follow the Billie Jean King Cup Finals on the official website . OUR LINKS: Become a Friend of the...
Nov 11, 2023•57 min•Ep. 1176
With just one day of the group stages to go, two teams have already qualified for the semi finals, and from the looks of their form so far, both Canada and Italy will take some beating. Kazakhstan struggled without Elena Rybakina, but why was she mysteriously absent? Matt has the scoop. Plus there's a smattering of David Law gems, including a soap box rant about round robin tennis, and an epic anecdote about his would-be life as a reality TV star. Follow the Billie Jean King Cup Finals on the of...
Nov 10, 2023•47 min•Ep. 1175
Led by an inspired Leylah Fernandez, Canada made a winning start to their campaign for a first ever BJK Cup title, but at the expense of hosts Spain. Is the Canadian on her way to capturing the form that took her to the US Open final in 2021? Plus David eats his words about (previously) good draw Jasmine Paolini and Matt tells more tales from the lunch room. OUR LINKS: Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts ...
Nov 09, 2023•54 min•Ep. 1174
Day One of the Billie Jean King Cup finals is in the books and it saw a David and Goliath victory for Slovenia, and a strong start for 11 time former Champions Czechia. Plus Matt tells the tale of how Storm Hunter came straight from a plane to the tennis court, winning her match but losing her luggage. Follow the Billie Jean King Cup Finals on the official website . OUR LINKS: Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus p...
Nov 08, 2023•47 min•Ep. 1173
As a bumpy week in Cancun reaches its conclusion, Catherine and David discuss Iga Swiatek's statement performance in the final and her triumphant return to World Number One. Plus, is this the end of the road for beleaguered WTA CEO Steve Simon? OUR LINKS: Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows. Sign up to receive...
Nov 07, 2023•45 min•Ep. 1172
The Billie Jean King Cup Finals have rolled into Seville and so has Matt Roberts. It's the eve of the finals and Matt has been interviewing players, with some dramatic and amusing results. Plus we digest another dominant week in Paris for seven time Champ Novak Djokovic, and the devastation he inflicted on Grigor Dimitrov in the final. Follow the Billie Jean King Cup Finals on the official website . Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive excl...
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 1171
The group stages of the WTA Finals are over and Catherine and Matt are together to discuss the No.1 being on the line between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, a semi-final to savour between doubles partners Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, the way in which the tournament has been affected by incredibly windy conditions, and the players voicing their frustration. OUR LINKS: Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcast...
Nov 04, 2023•46 min•Ep. 1170
The WTA Finals in Cancun have begun, but the build up to the event was marred by strong player criticism about the venue, with limited practice time and a Centre Court which was only just ready for action. Catherine and Matt are joined by special guest Pam Shriver to discuss how and why this happened, the current state of the WTA, and the possible future of this event. On the court, Karolina Muchova's withdrawal was felt as replacement Maria Sakkari was thrashed by Aryna Sabalenka, and Jessica P...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 1169
In this episode the focus is on Ben Shelton winning his first ATP Tour title in Tokyo. Catherine, David and Matt discuss his apparent freshness at this time of the year, his tactical variation, and his 2023 season as a whole. There’s also chat about titles for Gael Monfils, Alexander Bublik and Katerina Siniakova, the wide open Race to Turin, a breakthrough week for Shintaro Mochizuki in Tokyo, some quotes from Emma Raducanu about her comeback and her approach to coaches, injury concern for Carl...
Oct 23, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 1168
After 12 long days, Shanghai is finally over, and it was won by Hubert Hurkacz over Andrey Rublev in the final. Catherine, David and Matt chat about both players and get stuck into all the other major talking points from the week, including Grigor Dimitrov’s victory over Carlos Alcaraz. On the women’s side, there’s chat about a special victory for Jessica Pegula in Seoul, a thrilling final in Hong Kong which was won by Leylah Fernandez, and Zheng Qinwen’s impressive run of form continuing in Zhe...
Oct 16, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 1167
Catherine, David and Matt are back to talk about Iga Swiatek’s title run in Beijing where she cut out the unforced errors, re-established her dominance over Coco Gauff, and looked free and unburdened on court. On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner went from vomiting in a bin against Grigor Dimitrov to beating Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev in back-to-back matches. Just how impressive were both Swiatek and Sinner? There’s also discussion about the main storylines from Shanghai so far, the Australi...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 1166
Catherine, David and Matt are thoroughly confused by the current tennis scheduling, but there’s chat about a first hard court title for Ons Jabeur, Veronika Kudermetova’s brilliant week in Tokyo, the abuse players receive on social media, poor crowds at many of the matches in China, Alexander Zverev’s good run of form, and Wim Fissette leaving Zheng Qinwen to work with Naomi Osaka again. Plus, if you’ll allow us, a few minutes of smugness to talk about our victory at the British Podcast Awards! ...
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 1165
Catherine, David and Matt convene to discuss a week which saw Maria Sakkari win the biggest title of her career in Guadalajara, the return of tennis to China, and victory for Team World in the Laver Cup in Vancouver where existentialism was a Monfilsism. VISIT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN IN STYLE The Tennis Podcast during the US Open was brought to you in association with AO Travel, who can take care of your flights, premium accommodation, tournament tickets and behind-the-scenes experiences. They can n...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1164
The US Open and Grand Slam season may be over for another year, but the tennis news keeps coming, with Simona Halep receiving a four-year ban following breaches of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme. Catherine, David and Matt react to the 126-page report published by the International Tennis Integrity Agency. Elsewhere, there’s chat about a week of Davis Cup action which saw the very best of the what the competition has to offer as Great Britain beat France in a thrilling tie in Manchester, but al...
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1163
Novak Djokovic is a 24 time Grand Slam winner and Catherine, David and Matt have to find new words to say about one of the sport's greatest ever champions. Reflecting on his victory over Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Sunday night, there's analysis of Djokovic serve and volley tactic, the stubbornness of Medvedev, an extraordinary 1h44m second set where Medvedev had his chances, the resilience of Djokovic, and what to expect from him next season when goals like Calendar Slam and Olympic Gol...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1162
Coco Gauff is the US Open champion, coming from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday's final. Catherine, David and Matt discuss the quality of the match, the way in which Gauff brought it back, Sabalenka's lack of a plan B, the special atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, Gauff's enlightening press conference, and what it might all mean for the future. Join us live on YouTube at 2pm New York time before the men's final on Sunday! Win The Tennis Trip of a Lifetime! As you’ll know if y...
Sep 10, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 1161
Novak Djokovic will face Daniil Medvedev in Sunday's men's final after Djokovic beat Ben Shelton in straight sets and Medvedev stunned Carlos Alcaraz in an incredible night session match on Friday. Catherine, David and Matt discuss how Medvedev solved his match-up problem with Alcaraz, the sweet spot aggro as Djokovic copied Shelton's celebration, and what to expect on Sunday. There's also a round up of all the doubles and wheelchair results as well as a preview of the women's final between Coco...
Sep 09, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 1160
Women's semi-final night at the US Open has delivered guaranteed drama in recent years, and Thursday night was no exception. Catherine, David and Matt discuss Aryna Sabalenka's mental resilience to come back from 0-6 down to win despite all her Grand Slam baggage, whether Madison Keys will have any regrets despite a great performance, how Coco Gauff vs Karolina Muchova went from horror show to absolute thriller, and the climate protest which interrupted play for more than 45 minutes. Our men's s...
Sep 08, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 1159
With all four of Wednesday's quarter-finals finishing in straight sets, it wasn't exactly a classic day, but it has set up a slate of exciting semi-finals. In part one, Catherine, David and Matt get stuck into Aryna Sabalenka's dominant victory over Zheng Qinwen and her consistency at slams, Daniil Medvedev's defeat of Andrey Rublev in brutal conditions and what the sport is confronting with rising temperatures, and the return of Naomi Osaka to the US Open as she spoke on a panel about mental he...
Sep 07, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 1158
In part one, Catherine, David and Matt are joined by Pam Shriver, in between her shifts on ESPN, to talk mainly about Coco Gauff reaching the semi-finals. Pam was courtside for her match against Jelena Ostapenko and shared all her insights, including a chat about scheduling biases and inequalities at major tournaments. Elsewhere, there’s great excitement about the prospect of Gauff meeting Karolina Muchova in the semis, analysis of Novak Djokovic’s victory over Taylor Fritz, and chat about Ben S...
Sep 06, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 1157
After Iga Swiatek’s exit on Sunday, the tournament had a different feel on Monday, and all the more so when Jessica Pegula and Ons Jabeur followed her out of the tournament. Catherine, David and Matt discuss that, review great performances from Zheng Qinwen and Madison Keys, take stock of Pegula’s career, and review the men’s matches which included Carlos Alcaraz putting on a show and Alexander Zverev winning a gruelling battle with Jannik Sinner as the humidity took its toll on both players. Wi...
Sep 05, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 1156
Day 7 at the US Open ushered in a brave new world, in so many ways, for Catherine, David and Matt to discuss. Iga Swiatek will lose her number one ranking after her three set defeat to Jelena Ostapenko, a new women's US Open champion is guaranteed, three American men are into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2005, and Simon Briggs joins to tell us about a possible ATP-WTA merger. Win The Tennis Trip of a Lifetime! As you’ll know if you’ve been listening to our US Open podcasts, The Te...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 1155
It was another glorious day in New York which started with Carlos Alcaraz putting on a show, finished with Daniil Medvedev and Pam Shriver gifting us an all-time great on court interview, and featured big wins for the likes of Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur and Jannik Sinner. Catherine, David and Matt talk through all of that, as well as Jack Draper's best Grand Slam result, more misplaced belief in Grigor Dimitrov, and another bad day for Cameron Norrie. Win The Tennis Trip of a Lifetime! As you’ll...
Sep 03, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1154
It was a great day for Americans at the US Open as Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff all made it through to the second week. Catherine, David and Matt discuss their victories as well as Iga Swiatek’s ruthlessness, another big win for Caroline Wozniacki, Daniil Medvedev’s spectacular aggro and trolling from the night before, defeat for Elena Rybakina, and a late night scare for Novak Djokovic. Win The Tennis Trip of a Lifetime! As you’ll know if you’ve been list...
Sep 02, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 1153
On day four of the US Open, 38-year-old Stan Wawrinka got the big match moment he was looking for, but 36-year-old Andy Murray did not. Catherine, David and Matt discuss those two matches and dig deep into Andy Murray's post match interviews in which he questioned his future. Elsewhere, there's chat about Jack Draper beating Hubert Hurkacz, Jessica Pegula and Elina Svitolina setting up an enticing third round match, the end of John Isner's career, and Carlos Alcaraz bringing some much-needed fun...
Sep 01, 2023•58 min•Ep. 1152
Catherine, David and Matt discuss all the major storylines from Day 3 at the US Open, including Dominic Stricker's defeat of Stefanos Tsitsipas, the sad and sudden retirement of Dominic Thiem, impressive victories for Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz, a five-set loss for last year's finalist Casper Ruud, the best moment yet of Caroline Wozniacki's comeback, a big win for Taylor Townsend over Beatriz Haddad Maia, and wins for Coco Gauff and Elise Mertens to set up a third round encount...
Aug 31, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 1151
There's no point pretending otherwise: Tuesday on the Arthur Ashe Stadium was a complete dud, with two extremely one-sided matches in the day session and two awkward ones at night, including a retirement. But there was still plenty for Catherine, David and Matt to discuss elsewhere, including a perfect day for the Brits, the first use of VAR in tennis which failed spectacularly, Ons Jabeur winning despite being ill, another rough defeat for Caroline Garcia, a comeback victory for Hubert Hurkacz,...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 1150
Day one of the US Open had a bit of everything - dominant displays from Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic, upsets as Maria Sakkari and Holger Rune were beaten, sweet spot aggro between Coco Gauff and Laura Siegemund, a first Grand Slam win in almost three years for Dominic Thiem, and a powerful ceremony with Billie Jean King and Michelle Obama to celebrate 50 years of equal prize money. Catherine, David and Matt discuss it all. AO TRAVEL: Our US Open dailies this year are brought to you in partners...
Aug 29, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 1149
