The Tennis Podcast

“History was thwarted not with a spectacular act of violence, but with a half volley. Roberta Vinci tiptoed near the net and barely brushed the ball with her racket, depositing it gently on Serena's side of the court, where it bounced multiple times and died a quiet death.” That was Sports Illustrated’s take on the final act of one of tennis’ biggest ever where-were-you-when moments as Roberta Vinci ended Serena Williams’ quest for the Grand Slam at the US Open in 2015. In this episode, we remind ourselves of how Serena had dominated since turning 30, look back at her title runs at the first three majors of 2015, explain the story of her emotional return to Indian Wells that year, reminisce about the hype in New York as she went for history, and analyse how it all went wrong in the semi-finals. What were the signs that Serena was stressed? How did Vinci turn the match around? And could Serena have done anything differently? The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David La

“In a performance so casual it was chilling, Safin announced himself as the game's next big thing by dismantling the best player ever.” Those were the words of S.L. Price in Sports Illustrated after 20-year-old Marat Safin beat Pete Sampras to win the US Open in 2000, a story we tell on this edition of Tennis Re-Lived. Why did Chris Clarey think Safin would be a future World No.1 from the moment he saw him? What did Yevgeny Kafelnikov think of Safin when they first met at the Davis Cup? Why was Safin the ideal guy to be front and centre of the ATP’s ‘New Balls Please’ campaign? And how did a coaching change in April 2000 help Safin to rediscover his best form after a glut of bad results at the start of the year? Turning to New York, how much of a contender was Safin going into the tournament? In what way did he struggle in the opening rounds? And why did he need to borrow some socks from Jeff Tarango? We hear from Mary Carillo in the commentary box about what made Safin’s performance in th

This episode is a discussion with esteemed New York Times journalist and friend of the pod Chris Clarey about his new biography of Roger Federer, titled ‘The Master’. Chris speaks to David about the process of writing the book and what he learned along the way, the several exclusives he’s had with Federer over the years, the 82 interviews he conducted specifically for the book, why the likes of Mirka Federer, Peter Carter and Pierre Paganini have been fundamental to Federer’s success, how Federer has changed over the years, and how his rivalries with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have shaped him. We also get Chris to do a quick-fire Federer round and afterwards David chats to Matt about his impressions of the book. You can buy a copy of The Master, here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Master-Brilliant-Career-Roger-Federer/dp/1529342058/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ABL1O2T8YDE5&dchild=1&keywords=the+master+christopher+clarey&qid=1629812297&sprefix=the+master+chris%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-1The Tenni

Ash Barty and Alexander Zverev are the Cincinnati champions, Jil Teichmann and Andrey Rublev had impressive runs to the final, and it was a big week for new types of aggro. Catherine, David and Matt discuss all of that, as well as the pay gap between the ATP and WTA events, Rafael Nadal's announcement that he will miss the rest of the season, and the Chicago final between Clara Tauson and Emma Raducanu.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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder when the next campaign goes live, put your e-mail address in here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXOr, if you don’t want to wait and prefer to support us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TheTennisPodcastNEWSLETTERSign up to get our new

Catherine, David and Matt catch up to discuss everything which has happened in Cincinnati so far this week, including Naomi Osaka’s win over Coco Gauff, her two press conferences, encouraging signs for Andy Murray, a women’s tournament full of great matches, and the news that Dominic Thiem will be out for the rest 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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder when the next campaign goes live, put your e-mail address in here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXOr, if you don’t want to wait and prefer to support us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TheTennisPodcastNEWSLETTERSign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX

As Roger Federer announced that he will be having a third surgery on his knee, saying there is just a “glimmer of hope” of returning to the tour, Catherine, David and Matt reflect on what feels like the end for one of the greatest ever tennis careers. In Canada, there was an unexpected title for Camila Giorgi and a statement title for Daniil Medvedev. Where has this new level of tennis from Giorgi come from? Does Karolina Pliskova have a finals problem? Is either player in the ‘mix’ for the US Open? And what makes Medvedev the biggest threat to Novak Djokovic’s calendar Grand Slam pursuit? There’s also chat about the weeks of Ons Jabeur, Bianca Andreescu, Reilly Opelka and Stefanos Tsitsipas. 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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-ou

While there have been some excellent matches in Toronto and Montreal, we begin by discussing the unfortunate news that none of the Big 3 nor Serena Williams will play again before the US Open, after Rafael Nadal’s ongoing foot problem has forced him to return home and Serena’s leg injury from Wimbledon will prevent her from playing Cincinnati next week. Will New York be last chance saloon? Turning our attention to the week’s tennis, Catherine, David and Matt talk about how nice it is to see Bianca Andreescu and Simona Halep back on court, review a bittersweet week for Johanna Konta, make some big Coco Gauff predictions, explain why Aryna Sabalenka continues to impress, try to figure out why Maria Sakkari keeps losing close matches, and dissect what went wrong for Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov. There’s also a tangential debate about whether there’s too much faff in tennis and what - if anything - can be done about it. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David L

Catherine, David and Matt catch up to discuss all the main talking points from the start of the North American hard court swing. Does Novak Djokovic’s decision to skip Cincinnati feel like the right one? What does Roger Federer’s withdrawal from the US Open lead-in events suggest about the state of his knee? How did Rafael Nadal seem on his return in Washington and how much of a concern is his foot injury? Why is Andy Murray singling out Jenson Brooksby as an exciting prospect? What are the big storylines to watch out for in Canada? How much could Bianca Andreescu do with a strong showing this week? Why was it a big deal that Jannik Sinner won the title in Washington? In what way is Danielle Collins a new player and is she in the US Open mix? 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.SUPPOR

So that’s it for tennis at the Tokyo Olympics. In one final podcast, Catherine, David and Matt look back on the last day of action with the gold medals going to the Czech Republic, Germany and Russia. How is Barbora Krejcikova managing to juggle singles and doubles so successfully? What made the Russian team at this Olympics such good value? In what way did Alexandr Zverev play pretty much the perfect match to win gold against Karen Khachanov? What did Mary Carillo and Darren Cahill say about the allegations against Zverev during their commentary for American TV? And what will we remember about tennis at these Olympics? 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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder when the n

The tennis on Saturday felt more like the Olympics we know and love, with amazing scenes as Belinda Bencic, Elina Svitolina and Pablo Carreno Busta were overcome with emotion after winning medals. Catherine, David and Matt talk through it all. Will this be a springboard for Bencic or could this be the pinnacle of her career? Does Elena Rybakina have a problem with closing out matches? What is it about Carreno Busta’s game which gets under Novak Djokovic’s skin? Should Djokovic have played his mixed doubles match? Will his defeats this week make him more vulnerable at the US Open? And in what way did Laura Pigossi and Luisa Stefani’s bronze for Brazil embody the Olympic spirit? 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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chanc

There will be no Golden Slam for Novak Djokovic in 2021 after he was stunned by Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals in Tokyo. What on earth happened to him when he was leading by a set and a break? And what could this defeat mean for his pursuit of the calendar Grand Slam in New York? Elsewhere, Catherine, David and Matt discuss Karen Khachanov being guaranteed a medal and what it means for his career, a deserved gold for Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic over their Croatian compatriots, a second defeat of the day for Djokovic in mixed doubles, and tomorrow’s schedule which includes the gold medal match between Marketa Vondrousova and Belinda Bencic. 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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions.

Is it just us or has the tennis event at these Olympics been a bit of a disappointment so far? We try to figure out why we’re feeling like that before discussing the main stories since Monday, including Naomi Osaka’s defeat, the change to scheduling which came too late for Paula Badosa, Novak Djokovic’s imperious performance against Kei Nishikori, defeat for Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury, Liam Broady’s fine efforts, great runs to the gold medal match from Marketa Vondrousova and Belinda Bencic, and the start of the mixed doubles 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. It is crowdfunded by listeners each December.SUPPORT THE TENNIS PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder when the next campaign goes live, put your e-mail address in here - http://eepurl.com/gwWIL

With the whole world watching, Naomi Osaka re-emerged into the spotlight, lit the cauldron, and opened the Tokyo Olympic Games in a powerful and significant moment for tennis. Catherine, David and Matt talk all about that, as well as her excellent performances so far, the way in which the conditions are impacting matches, Ash Barty's defeat to Sara Sorribes Tormo, Iga Swiatek's tears, Novak Djokovic's popularity in the athlete's village, Andy Murray's withdrawal from the singles and victory in the doubles, a crazy first round win for Marin Cilic, and much more.Away from the Olympics, there's chat about debut titles for Cameron Norrie, Carlos Alcaraz and Danielle Collins, and yet another great week on clay for Casper Ruud.We will have daily podcasts from Thursday through Sunday to cover the quarter-final, semi-final and medal matches from Tokyo.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 tourna

The Tokyo Olympics - at long last - are almost here! Catherine, David and Matt talk through the draws before answering more listener questions. Should Richard Williams and Oracene Price be inducted into the Hall of Fame? When did we fall in love with tennis? How does watching tennis for a job differ to watching as a fan? Which significant results from recent tennis history would we change? Will Andrey Rublev win a major? And who might be the next Aslan Karatsev? 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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder when the next campaign goes live, put your e-mail address in here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXOr, if you don’t want to wait and prefer to support us on

We’re back! Catherine, David and Matt run through what’s happened since Wimbledon - including the G.E.M.S Life wedding, some fantastic Hall of Fame inductions, Timea Bacsinszky's retirement, more drop outs from the Olympics, and yet another title for Barbora Krejcikova - before moving on to answering listener questions, guest edited by Kickstarter backer Lynn Charles. Was there ever such a thing as a Big 4? What’s the biggest thing that people outside of tennis don’t understand about tennis? Which shot would we like to inherit from a pro? What’s happened to Dominic Thiem this year? Which women would benefit from playing best-of-five? And who will be the next woman to win a maiden major title? 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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, masco

The moment has arrived - Novak Djokovic has tied Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on twenty Grand Slam titles. He did it by winning his sixth Wimbledon crown, coming back from a set down to defeat Matteo Berrettini. On the podcast, Catherine, David and Matt are together one last time at Wimbledon to discuss how he managed it, his comments about his Olympics participation being in doubt, the way in which Goran Ivanisevic is hyping up the calendar Grand Slam, and the general significance of the achievement.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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder when the next campaign goes live, put your e-mail address in here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXOr, if you don’t want to wait and prefer to sup

After Ash Barty achieved her childhood dream of winning Wimbledon, following in the footsteps on her mentor Evonne Goolagong, Catherine, David and Matt convened to discuss the significance of such a special moment. What did she do to beat Karolina Pliskova? How did Pliskova recover from her terrible start? What did Pliskova prove to everyone this fortnight? How has Barty transformed her mindset over the past few years? And what's next for her?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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder when the next campaign goes live, put your e-mail address in here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXOr, if you don’t want to wait and prefer to support us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TheTenn

Friday at Wimbledon saw Matteo Berrettini beat Hubert Hurkacz to reach his first Grand Slam final and Novak Djokovic beat Denis Shapovalov to reach his 30th. Why did Hurkacz freeze? How has Berrettini coped with the pressure on him so well? What is it about his game that's so effective on grass? In what way does it feel like Shapovalov made a step forward despite the loss? How did Djokovic manage the match expertly? And what can we expect on Sunday? Those are all questions for Catherine, David and Matt before they look ahead to the women's final between Ash Barty and Karolina Pliskova.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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder when the next campaign goes live, put your e-mail addres

After a couple of excellent women's semi-finals, Catherine, David and Matt are joined by Pam Shriver to talk all about them. How did Ash Barty put on a tactical masterclass to stop Angelique Kerber? In what way does Barty seem more comfortable than ever in her own skin? Where has this run from Karolina Pliskova come from? How has her movement on grass improved? And will Aryna Sabalenka have any regrets?Looking ahead to tomorrow, who will have the edge between Matteo Berrettini and Hubert Hurkacz? And will Denis Shapovalov be able to make Novak Djokovic uncomfortable? 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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder when the next campaign goes live, put your e-mail address in here - h

Catherine, David and Matt's mood, after watching England reach the Euros final, did not match the mood at Wimbledon, as Roger Federer lost in straight sets to Hubert Hurkacz. What happened? How did Federer explain the result in his press conference? And will we see him again at Wimbledon?Elsewhere, there's chat about Matteo Berrettini living up to expectations, Novak Djokovic doing all he needed to against Marton Fucsovics, and Denis Shapovalov's breakthrough five-set win over Karen Khachanov.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 PODCASTWe crowdfund The Tennis Podcast every December, with shout-outs, mascots and chances to take us on at predictions. For a reminder when the next campaign goes live, put your e-mail address in here - http://eepurl.com/gwWILXOr, if you don’t want to wait and prefer to support u