The Tennis Podcast

This week we’re taking an in-depth look at some Sliding Doors moments in tennis history. In part one, how would Rafael Nadal’s rivalry with Roger Federer have been different if Nadal had been a natural right-hander? Would Martina Hingis have won the calendar Grand Slam if she hadn’t fallen off a horse prior to Roland Garros in 1997? And how might Monica Seles’ career have unfolded if she hadn’t been stabbed by a deranged Steffi Graf fan in 1993? More to come on Thursday. We also discuss the release of the WTA calendar for the start of 2021, react to rumours of the first Australian Open quarantine practice pairings, and pay tribute to Gordon Forbes and Dennis Ralston. *SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCAST* Our Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund 2021 went live on December 1st and we reached our funding goal just two days later.Thank you to everyone that has backed us, sent words of encouragement and kindness, and simply appreciated the podcast for what it is. You have ensured that the pod will continue weekly in 2021, daily at Slams, and with plenty of interviews and Tennis Re-Lived along the way.The Kickstarter will remain open until mid-January, so here's the link if you want to show your support, get yourself a shout-out or an intro, or just buy us a beer - https://tennispodca.st/Kickstarter2021w*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.

In the second half of our ‘Lost in Time’ series, we focus on the opportunism and sudden decline of Juan Carlos Ferrero, the way in which Hana Mandlikova’s achievements were swallowed up by the era defined by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, the gold-medal winner Miloslav Mecir who bamboozled other top players, and how the tennis media did Dinara Safina - and the women’s game - a disservice by making light of her near misses in Grand Slams. There’s also reaction to the release of the ATP calendar for the start of 2021 and the confirmation that the Australian Open will take place in February. 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* Our Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund 2021 went live on December 1st and we reached our funding goal just two days later.Thank you to everyone that has backed us, sent words of encouragement and kindness, and simply appreciated the podcast for what it is. You have ensured that the pod will continue weekly in 2021, daily at Slams, and with plenty of interviews and Tennis Re-Lived along the way.The Kickstarter will remain open until mid-January, so here's the link if you want to show your support, get yourself a shout-out or an intro, or just buy us a beer - https://tennispodca.st/Kickstarter2021w*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.

This week we’re celebrating former players who have been, in one way or another, ‘lost in time’ or under-appreciated. In part one, we discuss Manuel Orantes’ clay court dominance in the 1970s, Mark Edmondson’s Australian Open victory while ranked 212th, how Mary Pierce’s abusive father overshadowed her three peaks, the way in which Arantxa Sanchez Vicario did a lot more than finish in second place all the time, and Wendy Turnbull’s decade of consistency. 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* Our Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund 2021 went live on December 1st and we reached our funding goal just two days later.Thank you to everyone that has backed us, sent words of encouragement and kindness, and simply appreciated the podcast for what it is. You have ensured that the pod will continue weekly in 2021, daily at Slams, and with plenty of interviews and Tennis Re-Lived along the way.The Kickstarter will remain open until mid-January, so here's the link if you want to show your support, get yourself a shout-out or an intro, or just buy us a beer - https://tennispodca.st/Kickstarter2021w* 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.

In this episode, we speak to Chris Kermode to look back on his time as ATP CEO, discuss what he did and still hoped to achieve in the job, reflect on the reasons for his departure, and consider the issues tennis is facing during the covid-19 pandemic. Approx Time Stamps: Start to 7:45 - Catherine, David and Matt catch up7:45 to 38:10 - Chris Kermode interview38:10 to end - Reaction *SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCAST* Our Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund 2021 went live on December 1st and we reached our funding goal just two days later.Thank you to everyone that has backed us, sent words of encouragement and kindness, and simply appreciated the podcast for what it is. You have ensured that the pod will continue weekly in 2021, daily at Slams, and with plenty of interviews and Tennis Re-Lived along the way.The Kickstarter will remain open until mid-January, so here's the link if you want to show your support, get yourself a shout-out or an intro, or just buy us a beer - https://tennispodca.st/Kickstarter2021w* 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.

The time has come for our final look back on 2020 as we hand out our annual awards. Categories include player, match, uplifting moment, peak weird moment, pandemic faux pas, most missed, shock, and podcast moment. You can expect tributes to Naomi Osaka, Sofia Kenin, Dominic Thiem, Coco Gauff, Rafael Nadal and women’s semi-final night at the US Open, as well as takedowns of the Adria Tour, Night Train and the ‘Ultimate’ ‘Tennis’ ‘Showdown’. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. *SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCAST* Our Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund 2021 went live on December 1st and we reached our funding goal just two days later.Thank you to everyone that has backed us, sent words of encouragement and kindness, and simply appreciated the podcast for what it is. You have ensured that the pod will continue weekly in 2021, daily at Slams, and with plenty of interviews and Tennis Re-Lived along the way.The Kickstarter will remain open until mid-January, so here's the link if you want to show your support, get yourself a shout-out or an intro, or just buy us a beer - https://tennispodca.st/Kickstarter2021w* 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.

Part two of our 2020 review begins with a reflection on our Tennis Re-Lived episodes covering the Olympics, Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe. What stood out? And what did we learn? We then move on to the return of tour tennis in August by looking back on how we felt at the time and how it would end up differing from our expectations. Next, we go over the main storylines from the US Open - including the way in which Naomi Osaka combined on court winning with activism, an uplifting night of women’s semi-finals, and Novak Djokovic’s default.Finally, there’s a review of Roland Garros, which was defined by its weirdness, Rafael Nadal’s 13 title there, and Iga Swiatek’s unexpected dominance. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. *SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCAST* Our Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund 2021 went live on December 1st and we’ve been blown away by the response. If you’re one of the many hundreds who have backed us so far, helping us to reach more than 95% of our funding goal, thank you. If you’d like to support, then you can do so here - https://tennispodca.st/Kickstarter2021w Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We realise that re-living 2020 probably isn’t high on your list of priorities, but we can promise that this week’s podcasts are not all doom and gloom as we look back on this strange but momentous tennis year and the way we covered it as a podcast. In this episode, with the help of clips from throughout the year, we reminisce about the Australian Open, the warning signs in February and March that covid-19 was spreading, the sudden shutdown of the world, and the launch of our Tennis Re-Lived series. We will be back on Thursday with part two, covering the return of tennis. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTOur Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund 2021 is now live, here - https://tennispodca.st/Kickstarter2021w Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus edition of the pod, John Millman speaks to David and Catherine from his hotel room in Sydney where he’s quarantining for 14 days following the end of the season and his return to Australia. John talks candidly about his experience of travelling the ATP Tour throughout the pandemic, the mental toll of being in quarantine without even being allowed to open a window, his role on the ATP player council, his views on the PTPA, and the possible scenarios for next year’s Australian Open, including a delayed start time and negotiations to allow players to train in a bio-secure bubble while they undertake two weeks of quarantine.At the end of the pod, Catherine, David and Matt react to what Millman has said as well as Andy Murray’s recent comments about his optimism for the future. 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 will soon launch our campaign to crowdfund the 2021 season of The Tennis Podcast. If you would like an e-mail reminder when our Kickstarter goes live on December 1st, please put your details in here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILX Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniil Medvedev has never followed the crowd, and the manner in which he brought the curtain down on London’s 12-year hosting of the ATP Finals suggested he isn’t about to start now.In an eighth and final edition of The Tennis Podcast from The O2 this week, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts talk about the final between Medvedev and Dominic Thiem, what went on afterwards, what the results this week might mean for the future, the doubles final, and the memories that the pod team will treasure from the London era of the ATP Finals.This is the 140th edition of The Tennis Podcast in 2020. Thanks for listening, and for all your support.*SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCAST* We will soon launch our campaign to crowdfund the 2021 season of The Tennis Podcast. If you would like an e-mail reminder when our Kickstarter goes live on December 1st, please put your details in 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.

Novak Djokovic led Dominic Thiem 4-0 in a deciding set tie-break, Rafael Nadal served for the match against Daniil Medvedev, and Thiem will now face Medvedev in the final.What happened and why? Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts try to work it out.The heartbreak of Joe Salisbury is covered, as are concerns over the Australian Open. And then there’s the moment that Catherine Whitaker became a meme. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments. It is crowdfunded by listeners each December.*SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCAST* We will soon launch our campaign to crowdfund the 2021 season of The Tennis Podcast. If you would like an e-mail reminder when our Kickstarter goes live on December 1st, please put your details in 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.