The Tennis Podcast

After an exhilarating opening day at the Australian Open - featuring dominant performance from the leading women’s contenders and culminating in a five-set epic under the lights - Catherine, David and Matt had plenty to discuss on the pod. In what ways did both Shapovalov and Sinner impress in their late night epic? How did Kyrgios respond to Djokovic’s comment that he doesn’t “respect” him off court? Who sent the biggest statement - Halep, Serena or Osaka? What did Kerber have to say about the impact of 14-day quarantine after her heavy defeat? Why did Gael Monfils get so emotional in his press conference? And how did it feel to watch Andreescu play and win a tennis match again? 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.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*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*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There have been moments over the last few days, weeks and months when the chances of there even being an Australian Open in 2021 have felt slim. But one of the great feats of organisation has been pulled off, some bullets have been dodged, our fingers remain crossed, and play is set to get underway in a few hours. In this episode we wrap up the results from the six lead-in tournaments. What is Dan Evans’ ranking ceiling after he won his first ATP title? Why has Felix Auger-Aliassime not even won a set in his seven finals? Will Jannik Sinner be physically compromised after his efforts this week? In what way did Ash Barty send a statement to the rest of the tour in her victory over Garbine Muguruza? And is Andrey Rublev in the Australian Open mix? We also discuss the major talking points from the pre tournament press conferences, including what Novak Djokovic thinks of Nick Kyrgios, Iga Swiatek’s honesty about how she’s dealing with being a Grand Slam champion, updates on the fitness of Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep, and some feel-good stories from Francesca Jones. 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.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*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*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a 24-hour stoppage with everyone holding their breath, tennis returned again in Melbourne with all six Australian Open warm up tournaments now hurtling towards the finish line. In the first half of the show we discuss the possible motivation behind the large number of retirements and walkovers, assess how concerned we are about Simona Halep and Rafael Nadal’s physical state, marvel at Garbine Muguruza’s form, and cover Dan Evans’ run to the semi-final of the Murray River Open. Then, it’s time to break down the Australian Open draws. What makes the bottom half of the women’s draw so mouthwatering? And in what way does the men’s one look more balanced overall? 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.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*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*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A positive covid test from someone who had worked at the Australian Open quarantine hotel appeared to leave the tournament teetering on a cliff edge last night, with hundreds of players and staff forced to isolate again. After 24 hours of mass testing, however, Craig Tiley says the tournament will go ahead as planned. For now.It’s a situation which has served as a reminder of the precariousness of Tennis Australia’s operation to stage the event and in this episode we talk all about it. We also reflect on what we’ve seen so far from the the lead-in tournaments. Who has impressed at the ATP Cup? How is Iga Swiatek adjusting to life as a Grand Slam champion? How do we feel about the latest Nick Kyrgios circus? And what makes Carlos Alcaraz so good? Finally, we respond to some of the feedback we’ve received about our decision to refer to the second stadium court at Melbourne Park as the Evonne Goolagong Arena. 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.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*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*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With six tournaments all taking place at Melbourne Park this week, we try to get our heads around it all and discuss what we’ve seen so far. How did Serena Williams look in her first match? What about Katie Boulter? What do we expect from Bianca Andreescu in her first tournament for 15 months? Why have the crowds not shown up yet? And will the ATP Cup provide good preparation for the Australian Open? We also reveal our plans to refer to the second stadium at Melbourne Park as the Evonne Goolagong Arena. 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.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*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*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we travel back four years to bask in the wonder that was the 2017 Australian Open. There was so much to cover (hence the length of this show) from shock defeats for Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, exciting runs from Dan Evans and Jo Konta, the re-emergence of Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, controversy surrounding Nick Kyrgios, and ultimately a throwback finals weekend which saw Serena defeat Venus and Roger defeat Rafa. We react to clips from the daily pods, get Mary Carillo's take, and consider the lasting significance of the tournament. 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.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*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*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1995, Pete Sampras was the world No.1, a five-time major winner, and the defending Australian Open champion. He was also a dominant and stoic figure, labelled by many as boring and representative of a sport in decline. All that changed early in the fifth set of Sampras’ quarter-final match against Jim Courier when, overcome with emotion as he thought of his friend and coach Tim Gullikson, who had flown home from Melbourne with serious health problems, Sampras began to weep uncontrollably. He somehow managed to ace his way through the tears and win the match, but it was an extraordinary moment, and one that altered the public’s perception of Sampras. Mary Carillo, who was commentating on the match for ESPN, tells the story from her vantage point, and David remembers how he felt at the time, as a huge Sampras fan watching it all unfold on TV. 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.*SAMPRAS BOOK* Tennis journalist and historian Steve Flink has written the definitive book on Pete Sampras, called 'Greatness Revisited'. It was a valuable resource for our research for this show and you can buy it here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pete-Sampras-Greatness-Steve-Flink/dp/1937559947*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*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*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

These days the Australian Open sits alongside the other Grand Slam tournaments as one of the best and most prestigious tennis events in the world, but it wasn’t always that way. In this episode, we tell the story of its transformative move from Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club to Flinders Park in 1988.Pat Cash, who lost back-to-back five-set finals in 1987 and 1988 talks us through it all, including what Kooyong was like as a venue, why his 1987 defeat to Stefan Edberg feels like the one that got away in his career, why a move to the new site was both necessary and a roaring success, the effect of the new surface known as Rebound Ace, and the epic back and forth he had with Mats Wilander in the classic 1988 final. We also hear from Pam Shriver - who won the women’s doubles title with Martina Navratilova in both years - about her experience. 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.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*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*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With contributions from Billie Jean King, Mary Carillo, Pam Shriver and Pat Cash, we tell Evonne Goolagong’s story, including her upbringing in New South Wales and the discrimination she faced, her early discovery of tennis, her poetic style of play, her Grand Slam successes throughout the 1970s, her crowning achievement by winning Wimbledon as a mother, her charity work for indigenous Australians, and her influence on Ash Barty. 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 PODCAST* If you’re reading this before 8pm in the U.K. on Thursday 21st January, then there’s still time to back our 2021 crowdfunding campaign! If you want to show your support, get yourself a shout-out or an intro, take part in our predictions competition or guest edit a show, or just buy us a beer - https://tennispodca.st/Kickstarter2021wA huge thanks to everyone who has already done so.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catherine is joined by David and Matt to react to her big interview with Billie Jean King. Picking up on some of the points raised by Billie Jean, we discuss the way she makes us feel when she talks about tennis, the way she forces us to challenge our preconceptions, the emphasis she puts on the importance of knowing your history, the lessons she can teach us about not alienating your audience, the place of team events in tennis, and the majors vs. slams debate.We also share our plans for Australian Open Re-Lived week and beyond. 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 PODCAST* If you’re reading this before 8pm in the U.K. on Thursday 21st January, then there’s still time to back our 2021 crowdfunding campaign! If you want to show your support, get yourself a shout-out or an intro, take part in our predictions competition or guest edit a show, or just buy us a beer - https://tennispodca.st/Kickstarter2021wA huge thanks to everyone who has already done so.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.