The Tennis Podcast

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 do next? All answered on the show.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 get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community where more than 700 listeners chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in - https://www.reddit.com/r/th

Catherine, David and Matt catch up to discuss a busy week which saw Roger Federer announce knee surgery, Kim Clijsters impress in her first match for seven years, Simona Halep beat Elena Rybakina in a thriller in Dubai, and Dominic Thiem struggle in Rio. Could Federer’s enforced break actually be a blessing in disguise when it comes to Wimbledon and the Olympics this summer? What makes Rybakina special? And who is 16-year-old Carlos Alcaraz who won a match in Rio?* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community with over 700 members where listeners can chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/ * SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/  See acast.com/privacy

Catherine, David and Matt are back together for the first time since the Australian Open with plenty to catch up on, including an exciting Fed Cup weekend, titles for Kiki Bertens, Gael Monfils and Kyle Edmund, and the impending return of Kim Clijsters. How important is it that home and away ties continue to exist in Fed Cup? Why did Jo Konta not commit to it? And will Monfils build on this form at bigger events? There’s also a chance to look back on our interview with Marion Bartoli, discuss some Fed Cup outfit fiascos, and collectively cringe at some social media #content involving Edmund.* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community with over 700 members where listeners can chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/ * SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - 

Before leaving Melbourne, Catherine Whitaker and David Law spent an hour in the company of Marion Bartoli. What followed was, we believe, one of the most powerful and important podcasts we’ve ever done.Topics include how Bartoli came to play double-handed on both sides, the way tennis affected her relationship with her father and brother growing up, why she felt like a failure after losing the 2007 Wimbledon final, what it felt like to finally win Wimbledon in 2013, her sudden retirement from the sport, the dark place she was in while suffering from anorexia, how she overcame it, the current state of the WTA Tour, whether Serena Williams will overtake the Grand Slam record, and coaching Jelena Ostapenko.* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community with over 700 members where listeners can chat about the show and all thing

Catherine, David and Matt bring you one final Tennis Podcast from the 2020 Australian Open after Novak Djokovic beat Dominic Thiem in five sets to win an 8th title in Melbourne and a 17th Grand Slam overall. There’s chat about Djokovic’s fast start, the way in which the crowd and Thiem started to rattle him, his time violations, his mid-match lull, and his fifth set resurgence. Can he catch Nadal and Federer this year? How will the Olympics affect the Grand Slam race this season? And in what way is Thiem becoming like Andy Murray?*FEVER-TREE CHAMPIONSHIPS (QUEEN'S) VIP EXPERIENCES*This episode of The Tennis Podcast has been sponsored by the Fever-Tree Championships at The Queen's Club, which takes place 15-21 June. Keith Prowse is the tournament's hospitality provider, and offers VIP wining and dining experiences along with premium centre court seats. For more information - https://www.keithprowse.co.uk/queens-club/fever-tree-championships/?sid=6571&utm_source=TennisPodcast&utm_medium=o

Sofia Kenin is a Grand Slam champion. How did she fight back against Muguruza? What boat-worthy character traits does she have? And how will she build on this victory? Catherine, David and Matt discuss all that and more before looking ahead to Thiem vs. Djokovic.* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in the fun - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/* SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After Dominic Thiem beat Alexander Zverev to reach his first Grand Slam final on a hard court, Catherine, David and Matt were joined by The Telegraph’s Simon Briggs to talk all about it. How did Thiem adjust mentally and tactically from the Nadal match? Why did Zverev not play more aggressively? And in what way can Thiem trouble Djokovic? Looking ahead to the women’s final, there’s discussion about why Sofia Kenin hasn’t received much hype, how her career might develop after this run, and Garbine Muguruza’s pre-season Kilimanjaro excursion. Finally, stay for an all-time great anecdote from Simon.* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in the fun - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/* SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theten

The women’s final will be Sofia Kenin vs. Garbiñe Muguruza. How did that happen? Catherine, David and Matt discuss at the end of a scorching hot day in Melbourne. How much of an impact did the conditions have on the women’s semi-finals? In what way were they similar matches? Did Ash Barty choke against Kenin? How much will this defeat have hurt her? And who will have the edge in the final? In the night session, a hampered Roger Federer did take to the court against Novak Djokovic, but was comfortably beaten in straight sets. How did Federer’s fast start briefly distract Djokovic? Why did Djokovic not finish him off more ruthlessly? And who would pose more threat to Djokovic in the final - Thiem or Zverev?* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and all things tennis. Join

Dominic Thiem did it. He proved Catherine, David and Matt right (for once) by beating Rafael Nadal in four pulsating sets. How significant does it feel that he beat Nadal at his own game? What made Nadal look agitated? And can Thiem peak again for the rest of this tournament? There’s also chat about Alexander Zverev reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final with victory over Stan Wawrinka, and the way he’s turned his serve into a weapon again, approached this year’s Australian Open with lower expectations, and kept faith in his father as his coach. Finally, Simona Halep and Garbiñe Muguruza set up an exciting semi-final match. Is Halep playing as well as ever? And in what way is Muguruza on lockdown mode in her press conferences?* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and

Novak Djokovic’s straightforward victory over Milos Raonic in the night session meant a rare early(ish) finish for Catherine, David and Matt. But it was a day with plenty of drama as Roger Federer saved 7 match points to beat Tennys Sandgren. How did he do it? And what state will he be in for his semi-final? Elsewhere, there’s discussion about Ash Barty avenging last year’s quarter-final defeat to Petra Kvitova. In what way did it show how much she’s improved? Will she have her work cut out against Sofia Kenin? And what’s going on with the scheduling that’s seeing women’s matches not get the prime time night session slots? Finally, there’s news of Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe’s protest against Margaret Court’s name appearing on the second stadium at Melbourne Park, and Tennis Australia’s response to it.* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-r

Another night at this year’s Australian Open, another Nick Kyrgios match that had everyone engrossed. This time, he lost against Rafael Nadal in a pulsating four-set contest, but he showed a commitment we’d never seen from him before. Afterwards, Catherine, David and Matt sat down with some beers to digest the match. There’s also chat about Dominic Thiem’s reasons for splitting with Thomas Muster, the awesome sight of Stan Wawrinka in full flight, Garbiñe Muguruza’s ambition, Alexander Zverev’s renewed confidence, and the bizarre scheduling on Ash Barty vs. Petra Kvitova. Plus, David speaks to Goran Ivanisevic for a revealing insight into his role within Novak Djokovic’s team. *FEVER-TREE CHAMPIONSHIPS (QUEEN'S) VIP EXPERIENCES*This episode of The Tennis Podcast has been sponsored by the Fever-Tree Championships at The Queen's Club, which takes place 15-21 June. Keith Prowse is the tournament's hospitality provider, and offers VIP wining and dining experiences along with premium centre court se

Ash Barty has had her problems with Alison Riske, but she scraped past her nemesis to keep hopes of a home title alive. Afterwards, while Roger Federer faced Marton Fucsovics, David and Matt went round to Catherine’s apartment to watch the last match of the day, drink beer and eat snacks galore. Then they recorded the Day 7 pod to look back on the day. How far can Federer go? What aggro went on between Fabio Fognini and Tennys Sandgren? And who will win between Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev.Plus, Mats Wilander spoke to David to assess the state of the men’s game.* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in the fun - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/* SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Twitter

After Friday’s drama at the Australian Open, there was a sense of déjà vu on Saturday with more top seeds going out and another engrossing fifth set tiebreak to end the night, only this time with Nick Kyrgios involved. Catherine, David and Matt sat down to talk it all through. What made Kyrgios’ victory over Khachanov feel like the best and most important of his career? Why does Pliskova keep failing at Grand Slams? And are we witnessing Muguruza’s rejuvenation?* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in the fun - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/* SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt

On a day of snowballing drama, Catherine, David and Matt got together again for a second podcast to capture the excitement of a night session which saw defending champion Naomi Osaka beaten by Coco Gauff, Stefanos Tsitsipas shown up by Milos Raonic, and Roger Federer pushed to the brink by John Millman in a match ending with the first ever fifth set tiebreak on the Rod Laver Arena. It left everyone wondering: has there ever been a better day of tennis?* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in the fun - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/* SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out infor

An extraordinarily dramatic Friday afternoon in Melbourne which saw Serena Williams beaten by Qiang Wang and Caroline Wozniacki sent into retirement by Ons Jabeur called for an emergency edition of The Tennis Podcast. So, Catherine, David and Matt gathered amid the Garden Square hubbub to try to make sense of it all. What happened to Serena? Where does this leave her quest to win No.24? And what did Wozniacki's emotion say about her? * NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in the fun - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/* SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It felt like the 2020 Australian Open came to life on Thursday evening as a series of matches turned into epics under the lights. Afterwards, Catherine, David and Matt met up to talk about them, as well as everything else they'd seen on a breathless day. Why are Kyrgioptimism levels higher than ever before after his victory over Simon? Why did dust force play to stop? And how has Cici Bellis defied her injuries?* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in the fun - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/* SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Caroline Wozniacki will retire from tennis over the next two weeks. But not today. Her comeback win against Dayana Yastremska is discussed on the latest daily pod from the Australian Open, as is another triumph for Coco Gauff, serene progress for the big names, and the prospect of Roger Federer vs. John Millman - the rematch. * LEAVE US A REVIEW *We reached No.4 in the Apple Podcasts charts today. Leave us a review so everyone knows what you think of us! (as long as it's good) - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-tennis-podcast/id530971441* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in the fun - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/* SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Twitter - https://www.instagra

At the end of a day when 88 matches were played at the Australian Open, Catherine, David and Matt were all in desperate need of a beer as they recorded the latest Tennis Podcast from inside the media centre.  They discuss Tiafoe’s encouraging performance in defeat against Medvedev, plenty of British misfortune, whether probation suits Kyrgios and if he will be able to beat Simon, a match which felt like the end of the road for Sharapova, and results which have left predictions in tatters. * NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in the fun - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/* SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/  See acas

As the clock struck midnight and David and Matt prepared to record the pod after day one of the Australian Open, Catherine arrived! Together, they discussed the straightforward days for Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Naomi Osaka, a weirdly scrappy evening session featuring Ash Barty and Novak Djokovic, and a backwards step for Denis Shapovalov.* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in the fun - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/* SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David and Matt sit down to dissect the draws and make their predictions for the 2020 Australian Open, with a few surprising choices and disagreements along the way. Will Serena Williams finally claim No.24? And is this the moment that the Big 3’s Grand Slam dominance will be broken? * KICKSTARTER *There are just a few hours to go in our 2020 crowdfunding campaign. If you'd like to support us, this is your last chance to do so - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thetennispodcast/the-tennis-podcast-in-2020* NEWSLETTER *Sign up to get our news, predictions and Matt’s Stat. Daily at the Grand Slams and weekly throughout the rest of the year - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX* REDDIT *We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community for listeners to chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in the fun - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/* SOCIAL MEDIA *Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Twitter - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ &