Goodbye Hopman Cup? Say It Ain’t So; Andy Murray Returns; Naomi Osaka Opens Up; Who Are The Australian Open Favourites?

The opening week of the 2019 tennis season has come and gone, and there’s a lot for David and Catherine to discuss before they set off to Melbourne for the Australian Open.

The Hopman Cup once again proved a big hit. Does anyone actually want the ATP Cup to replace it next year? What makes the Hopman Cup feel more significant than other exhibitions? And shouldn’t tennis be promoting mixed team competitions, not getting rid of the best one?

After despairing at the whole situation (04:40), David and Catherine turn their attention to the tennis on display in Perth. Has Federer’s sparkling form boosted his prospects in Melbourne? (09:07) And did Serena Williams show enough to be considered the favourite for the Australian Open? (17:56)

Elsewhere, how did Andy Murray perform in Brisbane? Can we look beyond the limp and find reasons for optimism? (23:02)

In Doha, Novak Djokovic lost to Roberto Bautista-Agut. Does that defeat make any difference to his chances at the Australian Open? (37:48)

David and Catherine also assess title-winning weeks for Kevin Anderson, Karolina Pliskova and Aryna Sabalenka. Where do they all rank in the list of favourites in Melbourne? (40:25)

There’s also discussion about Naomi Osaka’s incredibly honest and reflective post-defeat press conference (32:58), and excitement over rising star Bianca Andreescu (44:41).

The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with The Telegraph. 

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