The Tennis Podcast

As the sunshine swing draws to a close in Miami the latest Tennis Podcast reviews an extraordinary pair of titles for American players Sloane Stephens and John Isner. Stephens has endured a disappointing run of form since becoming a surprise US Open winner in September last year, but her exceptional performances in Miami lead the podcast team to speculate whether she may always be a player that experiences high peaks and low troughs. Stephens’ beaten final opponent Jelena Ostapenko is also discussed, as she embarks upon the build-up to defending her own surprise Grand Slam title of 2017 on the clay in Paris. Meanwhile, in the men’s final Isner proved that being older than Catherine & taller than David is no barrier to winning an ATP Masters 1000 title. At 32 years of age and 6ft 10in tall, the American’s thrilling thee set victory over Alex Zverev anointed him the oldest ever debut Masters champion, and the tallest-ever, full-stop. Also covered is the breaking news that Andre Agassi has left his role as coach to Novak Djokovic, in what sounds like a less than mutual agreement. How can 12-time Grand Slam Champion Djokovic reverse his slump and become a relevant force in the sport once again?The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with Telegraph Sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Federer and Serena fall early in Miami, David & Catherine discuss the future for both; will we ever see Federer at the French Open again now he's announced he'll skip the clay once more, and how long is Serena's road back to full match fitness post pregnancy? And speaking of long roads back, Andy Murray has been spotted on the practice court for the first time since his hip surgery, but if Novak Djokovic's current form is anything to go by, returning from injury can be a bumpy ride for former world number ones.The pair also discuss the developing stand-off between Caroline Wozniacki and the Miami Open over abuse she alleges she and her family received from the crowd during her defeat last week to Monica Puig, and they throw in their two cents on the McEnroe/Navratilova pay gap story.The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with Telegraph Sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Juan Martin Del Potro and Naomi Osaka mixing up tennis’ natural order in Indian Wells, Catherine & David meet in the Putney Exchange to discuss what the pair’s respective victories mean for the future. Does Osaka have the desire and ruthlessness to propel her to World Number One? And how powerful a role model could she end up being? Can Del Potro continue his rise back up the rankings? And will Federer maintain his Number One status, and beard, in Miami? And how good was that final??Also discussed is the ATP and ITF ‘arms race’ to stage the definitive tennis team competition. Is further division the last thing tennis needs? Plus Catherine gets a long-awaited chance to talk about her love affair with gin and tonic. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with Telegraph Sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the Sunshine Swing well underway in the Californian Desert, Catherine and David address all the key talking points from week one of Indian Wells, including Serena Williams’ so-far impressive return to post-baby action, and Novak Djokovic’s inverse fortunes on the comeback trail. Other developments in the tennis world include Maria Sharapova’s split with long-time coach Sven Groenveld, and Goran Ivanisevic rejoining the coaching carousel alongside Canadian Milos Raonic. Plus with 16 year old Amanda Anisimova and 17 year old Felix Auger-Aliassime recording ground-breaking victories in Indian Wells, Catherine & David put the spotlight on some of the outrageously young players taking the sport by storm.The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with Telegraph Sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a Tennis Podcast Extra, we have an exclusive interview with World No.3 Marin Cilic who has some strong views on the ITF’s proposals for the Davis Cup.David Law also asks him how long it took to recover from his heartbreaking final loss to Roger Federer at Wimbledon, how long he thinks it will take for Andy Murray to return to the top once fully fit, and his impressions of Britain’s Kyle Edmund.Cilic was speaking on the day that he, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov all announced their intention to play in The Queen’s Club Championships, 18th-24th June. Tickets are now available - po.st/QueensGeneralSaleThe Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with Telegraph Sport and Eurosport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a four week podcast hiatus to cover doubles luge and the like (men lying on top of one another and flinging themselves down an icy hill), Catherine reunites with David just in time to discuss the newly proposed sweeping reforms to the Davis Cup that some are welcoming with open arms, and some are heralding as the 'death of the Davis Cup'. David & Catherine delve into the depth of strong opinion on the future of the competition as well as addressing some of the big results and stories from the tennis world this week, including a breakthrough title for Juan Martin Del Potro (could he win a Slam this year?), an injury-enforced lay-off for Rafael Nadal and a 'hefty' settlement for Genie Bouchard in her civil suit against the USTA.Plus there's chat about ferret couture, romantic billboard declarations and whether or not 1998 Australian Open Champion Petr Korda has ever received an invitation to the Oscars.The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with Telegraph Sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Catherine Whitaker on her way back from the Winter Olympics in Korea, here's our second listener-questions show, guest edited by Grace Onions.Catherine and David Law answered the best of them, such as what tennis life will look like after Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal retire, whether players should steer clear of off-court issues in press conferences, and their current favourite rumours. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roger Federer has spent more than half of his life as a professional tennis player, becoming in the eyes of most people, and according to most stats, the best male player ever to pick up a racquet. After becoming the oldest person to reach World No.1 since the rankings began, two men that have covered every one of Federer’s 20 years playing the sport got together on the latest Tennis Podcast to reminisce and assess his latest feat.Presenter David Law (BBC 5 Live) asks guest Christopher Clarey (New York Times) for his early memories of Federer, where he believes the Swiss stands in the pantheon of all-time sporting greats, what he’s really like, and whether he thinks Federer has decided on a retirement plan. They also discuss the comeback of Serena Williams, the state of the WTA Tour, and the issues of ‘grunting’ raised by Caroline Wozniacki.The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with Telegraph Sport and Eurosport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have thrown the next two editions of The Tennis Podcast over to our listeners to fire their questions at hosts Catherine Whitaker and David Law.This week, with Guest Editor Jim Boyle in the chair to choose the questions and throw in a couple of his own, Catherine and David are put on the spot to reveal the players that are the most challenging to interview, which tournaments are the best to cover and why, and what they would give as advice to players about how best to handle social media. Should there be an ATP-1000 tournament on grass? Is it time to reassess the late-night scheduling of matches at Grand Slams, and if so, in what way? And who is C.Burel?All of those questions and more are addressed on the latest show.David also takes us through what has happened over the course of the last week in tennis, and what is to come. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with Telegraph Sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Great Britain might have gone out 3-1 in the first round of the Davis Cup to Spain, but the talk of The Tennis Podcast was the performance of Cameron Norrie, who beat Roberto Bautista Agut and pushed Albert Ramos Vinolas all the way.Just who is this 22 year-old who had never previously played a professional clay court match before he discomfited two players that had been brought up on the surface? Can he take this form into his ATP World Tour career? And has he shown that college tennis is the way forward for aspiring young British players?His captain, Leon Smith, has been guiding the Great Britain team for the last eight years. We hear from him in conversation with presenter David Law about this latest tie in Marbella, and then the Telegraph’s Charlie Eccleshare joins to ponder just how impressive Smith’s reign has been. Smith’s time in charge is compared to that of Jim Courier, who took over the United States in 2010 and has yet to reach a Davis Cup final. After America’s comfortable win in Serbia, is this the year they go all the way?Away from Davis Cup, wins for Petra Kvitova and Kei Nishikori are discussed, as is the ‘small medical intervention’ Novak Djokovic reported that he had undergone for his troublesome right elbow.The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with Telegraph Sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.