ATP Finals Day 1 - Thiem vs. Tsitsipas reprised, but this time it’s different

The opening singles match of the 2020 ATP Finals was a repeat of last year's closer between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem, a fact which served only to emphasise the differences and remind us of what we're missing. On the podcast, Catherine describes the bittersweet feeling of what it was like to be inside the O2 arena without fans as London hosts the event for the last time.

Still, the tennis was high-quality and we discuss how Thiem managed to get his revenge, the way his game has developed on a hard court, the moment of 'silliness' which cost Tsitsipas dearly, and why it might be a tough defeat to take for the Greek. Elsewhere, we analyse Rafael Nadal's 6-3, 6-4 victory over Andrey Rublev. In what way was there a gulf in class? Are there limits to Rublev's game? Finally, we cover some of the many interesting stories in the doubles event this week, a first ATP title for Jannik Sinner, and a victory in Linz for Aryna Sabalenka in the final WTA tournament of the season.

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. It is crowdfunded by listeners each December.

*SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCAST* 

We are crowdfunded for 2020, but if you’d like to receive a reminder e-mail when we launch our next campaign in December to fund our 2021 season, then you can put your details here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILX

* PODCAST LINK *

If you enjoy listening to The Tennis Podcast, please spread the word and share our link on your social media platforms - https://podfollow.com/the-tennis-podcast

* NEWSLETTER *

Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX

*SHOP*

Let everyone know how you feel with our new I LOVE TENNIS range - https://thetennispodcast.teemill.com/

* EMAIL *

We 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.net

*REDDIT *

We have a sub-reddit page! It's a growing online community where over 1000 listeners chat about the show and all things tennis. Join in - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/

SOCIAL MEDIA *

Twitter - www.twitter.com/tennispodcast 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.