The Tennis Podcast

Ash Barty is World No.1 and with good reason. Aryna Sabalenka is sweeping quality players aside as if they’re nothing. So what will happen when they clash in the Madrid final on Saturday? Catherine, David and Matt assemble ahead of the business end of the tournament, give their picks, and look at the other big storylines from the men's event in the Spanish capital. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It publishes on Mondays and Thursdays, and daily during Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder when the next campaign goes live, put your e-mail address in here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXOr, if you don’t want to wait and prefer to support us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TheTennisPodcastNEWSLETTERSign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRXEMAILWe

Madrid is bubbling away and Catherine finishes a day of presenting Amazon Prime Video tv coverage of the event by joining David and Matt to pick the bones out of the stories so far. What happened when Ash Barty faced Iga Swiatek? Why has Naomi Osaka yet to transfer her hard court form to clay, and will she in the future? Karolina Muchova - what makes her so dangerous?Dan Evans - maximiser.The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced on Mondays and Thursdays, and daily during Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder when the next campaign goes live, put your e-mail address in here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXOr, if you don’t want to wait and prefer to support us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TheTennisPodcastNEWSLETTERSign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat -&n

In this fragmented week for tennis - with WTA Madrid getting underway while ATP events take place in Estoril and Munich - we’ve split today’s podcast into two halves. We begin by covering the incredible WTA draw in Madrid, Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal, the return to form for Kevin Anderson and Marin Cilic, and news that there will be play on Middle Sunday at Wimbledon from 2022 onwards. Then, in part two, we tackle questions, guest edited by listener and Kickstarter backer Eli Kronenberg, on the biggest threats to tennis as we know it, what a World Cup of tennis could look like, whether the increasing longevity of players will be the new norm, TV camera angles, the potential for a grass court Masters 1000 event, players who would provide for a good coaching opportunity for Andy Murray, and the Grand Slam prospects of Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Aryna Sabalenka and Jen Brady. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced on Mon

Catherine, David and Matt discuss an exhilarating finals weekend of clay-court tennis across Europe. Has Aryna Sabalenka conquered clay now after her run to the Stuttgart final? What is Ash Barty’s best surface? How did Aslan Karatsev save 23 break points against Novak Djokovic in Belgrade? In what way has Matteo Berrettini been a forgotten man? Can Stefanos Tsitsipas take belief and confidence from his performance against Rafael Nadal in Barcelona? Why did victory mean so much to Nadal? And how did Sorana Cirstea win her first title in 13 years?  There’s also news of Bianca Andreescu’s withdrawal from Madrid due to covid and the impressive results of Jenson Brooksby on the ATP Challenger Tour. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced on Mondays and Thursdays, and daily during Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at

With ATP and WTA 500 tournaments in full swing in Barcelona and Stuttgart, Catherine, David and Matt react to the action so far, including what Felix Auger-Aliassime’s win over Denis Shapovalov tells us about both players, a lovely moment between Frances Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz, Fabio Fognini’s disqualification, aggro between Dan Evans and Corentin Moutet, another anxious performance from Rafael Nadal, a cracker between Maria Sakkari and Petra Kvitova, Ash Barty’s first steps on red clay since winning Roland Garros and a first Top 10 win of the season for Anett Kontaveit against Sofia Kenin. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced on Mondays and Thursdays, and daily during Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder on December 1st - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXOr if you don’t want to wait and prefe

After Stefanos Tsitsipas easily beat Dan Evans and Andrey Rublev on finals weekend in Monte Carlo to claim the title, Catherine, David and Matt talk it all through. Why does Tsitsipas’ game transfer so well to clay? How significant was it that he won a Masters 1000 event for the first time? What did we learn about Rublev this week? And what should we make of Rafael Nadal’s first tournament back on his favourite surface? We also cover a career best week for Astra Sharma at Charleston 2, discuss Ons Jabeur’s ongoing quest for a first WTA title, round up the results from the Billie Jean King Cup Play-offs and react to news that Roger Federer will play on clay in Geneva and at Roland Garros this season. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced on Mondays and Thursdays, and daily during Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us o

After Dan Evans stunned Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo for the biggest win of his career, we thought we’d better record a podcast. How much was Evans’ victory down to his inspired play and how much was it due to Djokovic being below par? Can we read anything into this defeat for Djokovic? Where has Evans’ clay court form come from? And in what way is his new approach on the surface similar to the one taken by Tim Henman when he reached the French Open semi-finals in 2004? Elsewhere, we discuss Stefanos Tsitsipas’ unpleasant rant at an umpire, dominant victories for Rafael Nadal, an inauspicious start to life with Toni Nadal for Felix Auger-Aliassime, progress for 15-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova in Charleston, and Wimbledon’s expansion plans. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced on Mondays and Thursdays, and daily during Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shou

Catherine emerges from a day talking to Billie Jean King, Victoria Azarenka, Chanda Rubin, Caroline Weir and Annika Sorenstam on the ITF’s global forum on gender equality to share her experience with David and Matt. If you would like to watch the forum, you can - https://youtu.be/YFnEdyIIycE.After that, Catherine, David and Matt discussed the start of the springtime clay court season, why they love it, and the early storylines. They also pick over the appointment of Toni Nadal by Felix Augur-Aliassime. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced on Mondays and Thursdays, and daily during Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder on December 1st - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXOr if you don’t want to wait and prefer to support us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TheTennisPodcastNEWSLETTERSign

Our guest this week is wheelchair tennis legend Esther Vergeer. One of the sport’s greatest ever champions, Vergeer spoke to Catherine about how turning to sport helped her after she became paralysed from the waist down as a child, why she embraced using a mental coach throughout her career, what it’s like psychologically to be on a 470-match winning streak, the time she almost lost at the Beijing Paralympics, designing her own wheelchair, how she feels about the word “inspirational” to describe disabled athletes, and her hopes for more integration in the future. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced on Mondays and Thursdays, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder on December 1st - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXOr if you don’t want to wait and prefer to support us on Patreon

The final few days in Miami gave Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts much to discuss. In what way did Ash Barty make a statement by defending her title? How much did we miss out on by not seeing a fully fit Bianca Andreescu in the final? Were we surprised by the level of tennis Hubert Hurkacz produced to win his maiden Masters 1000 title? What’s special about Jannik Sinner’s approach to tennis? And did we sit the limit to Andrey Rublev’s game? We also get stuck into the week’s doubles results, examine some of the reasons why we don’t talk more about doubles, cover the latest happy development in G.E.M.S life, and touch on the uncertainty surrounding Roland Garros next month. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced on Mondays and Thursdays, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predi

As the Miami Open reaches the closing stages, Catherine Whitaker and David Law catch up to discuss the tournament’s major storylines from the second week so far: Why are David and Catherine surprised by how excited they are about Sebastian Korda’s potential? How does Roberto Bautista Agut cause Daniil Medvedev problems every time they face off? Was Stefanos Tsitsipas correct when he called his defeat to Hubert Hurkacz a ‘self explosion’? Why is Jannik Sinner Catherine’s candidate to be the future metronomic winner of titles? How well has Ash Barty been playing en route to her second straight Miami final? Could the moment Maria Sakkari saved six match points against Jessica Pegula be a turning point in her career? What on earth happened for Naomi Osaka to lose a 6-0 set as well as her 23-match winning streak? And how has Dan Evans made his way into the doubles final? The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It i

A few days into the Miami Open and we don’t know where to look because there are so many fantastic matches and storylines. Catherine stepped out of the Prime Video studio for a while to join David and Matt to cover the wins for Bianca Andreescu, Ash Barty and Ons Jabeur, as well as a cramping Daniil Medvedev, a resurgent Frances Tiafoe and young Fin, Emil Ruusuvuori.We also cover the latest reaction to Vasek Pospisil’s on-court rant, from several players under the hashtag #PlayersVoice.The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced on Mondays and Thursdays, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder on December 1st - http://eepurl.com/gwWILX.Or if you don’t want to wait and prefer to support us on Patreon -https://www.patreon.com/TheTennisPodcastNEWSLETTERSign up to get our news, offers,

Catherine is presenting live TV coverage of the Miami Open on Prime Video, but that isn’t enough to stop podcast production, and we had plenty to get our teeth into, including the comeback of Ana Konjuh, confidence-boosting wins for Sloane Stephens and Katie Boulter, and Jack Draper's unfortunate retirement. Elsewhere, we dissect the explosive comments of Vasek Pospisil in the direction of ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi, cover Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro's latest injury set-backs, and talk about the man responsible for creating the Miami Open more than 3 decades ago.The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe are crowdfunded for 2021 but if you’d like to receive a reminder e-mail in December when our next campaign goes live, then you can sign up here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXNEWSLETTERSign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s

Catherine, David and Matt round off the results from last week’s slate of tournaments, including debut titles for Aslan Karatsev and Leylah Fernandez, yet another semi-final defeat for Denis Shapovalov, more fireworks from Lorenzo Musetti in Acapulco, a mid-match earthquake, a tense victory for Alexander Zverev over Stefanos Tsitsipas, and the continued resurgence of Daria Kasatkina in St Petersburg. This week, the players (minus Serena Williams and the Big 3) are heading to Miami for the first combined 1000 event of the season. We discuss the withdrawals, the growing number of men’s voices expressing discontent about the current state of tennis, rumours that the PTPA might be planning some sort of action, and Catherine’s interview with Andy Murray for Prime Video. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe are crowdfunded for 2021 but if you

In this mid-week pod, we compare the ceilings of Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev and Denis Shapovalov, apologise to Jeremy Chardy, discuss what’s going wrong for Dominic Thiem at the moment, revel in a big week so far for Lorenzo Musetti in Acapulco, and note the big Russian presence in the St Petersburg quarter-finals. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe are crowdfunded for 2021 but if you’d like to receive a reminder e-mail in December when our next campaign goes live, then you can sign up here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXNEWSLETTERSign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRXEMAILWe hope that the podcast helps to provide some form of escape during these challenging times. If you ever feel like writing to us, our e-mail is open – info@tennispodcast.netSOCIAL MEDIA Twitter - htt

Garbiñe Muguruza has finally turned her fantastic form into a title with victory in Dubai. In what way was she feeling the pressure of ending her title drought? How much of a role has Conchita Martínez played in her improved consistency? And how might her season develop from here? As for the woman she beat in the final, Barbora Krejčíková, David explains why we’ve mistakenly considered her to be exclusively a doubles player up until now, the advice she received from her former coach Jana Novotna, and the way her singles results have improved since tennis re-started last summer. Elsewhere, we discuss the way in which lengthy bathroom breaks in women’s tennis are talked about and whether there needs to be a rule change, we cover a 10th career title for new World No.2 Daniil Medvedev in Marseille, and we dive deep into the playing style, career and hair of Pierre-Hugues Herbert The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly yea

Roger Federer returned to action after 405 days and two knee surgeries with a 3-set win over Dan Evans before a 3-set loss to Nikoloz Basilashvili in Doha. Catherine, David and Matt discuss how it felt to watch him play again, what we made of his two performances, whether we were surprised or in any way alarmed by how quickly he faded physically, and our immediate reaction to his decision to skip Dubai next week. Elsewhere, who has more potential out of Fritz and Shapovalov? How has Rublev reached the semi-finals in Doha without even playing a match? How good was Muguruza to beat Sabalenka for the second week running? And what happened to Pegula against Mertens? The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe are crowdfunded for 2021 but if you’d like to receive a reminder e-mail in December when our next campaign goes live, then you can sign

Roger Federer is back! In this episode, Catherine, David and Matt react to his pre tournament press conference in Doha as he prepares for his first match since January 2020. Did he consider retirement while he was out injured? How confident is he that the knee will hold up? What are his main goals for the season? And is he still motivated by the Grand Slam race?We also cover the main stories from last week, including another step forward for Andrey Rublev, a first victory on home soil for Diego Schwartzman, a dominant week for Petra Kvitova, and a first title for the talented Clara Tauson. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe are crowdfunded for 2021 but if you’d like to receive a reminder e-mail in December when our next campaign goes live, then you can sign up here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXNEWSLETTERSign up to get our news, offe

We discuss what we’ve seen so far this week in Doha and Rotterdam, including a barnstormer between Garbine Muguruza and Aryna Sabalenka, progress for Kei Nishikori, the end of Stefanos Tsitsipas’ losing streak in doubles, and Andy Murray’s 7-5, 6-2 defeat against Andrey Rublev. Hear part of Murray’s fascinating post match press conference in which he explains why he was disappointed in his performance and why he will continue to demand a lot of himself. There’s also news of Marcus Willis’ retirement and the discovery of Juan Manuel Cerúndolo. Then, we move on to answering more listener questions. In best-of-five set matches, should there be a games-won threshold that the losing player must reach after two sets to trigger five sets? Is there such a thing as a straight-sets classic? What is our best prediction of what Federer can achieve when he returns? And if we could choose any current players to face off on any court on any surface, who would we pick? The Tennis Podcast is presented by C

We’re back! Catherine and David catch up and discuss what’s been happening since the Australian Open, including Andy Murray’s comeback in Montpellier, titles for Iga Swiatek and David Goffin, the latest Hall of Fame nominations, and tweets from John Isner about the ATP being a ‘broken system’. Then, in part two, we dive into some listener questions, chosen by guest editor Simon Pearce. Is percentage of second serves won the most underrated but critical statistic in tennis? Who would be involved in our ultimate mixed doubles match? What role did tennis play in rescuing David from the Lost Law Years? Should the tours be regionalised post pandemic to make the sport more economically viable? And should women play best-of-five sets at majors? The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe are crowdfunded for 2021 but if you’d like to receive a reminde