The Tennis Podcast

It’s getting ridiculous now. After Rafael Nadal takes Roland Garros for the 12th time, Catherine, David and Matt chat on The Tennis Podcast about where the final was won and lost against Dominic Thiem, before trying to put Nadal’s achievements into context. Was the first set one of the best ever in a Grand Slam final? How did Nadal outlast Thiem both mentally and physically throughout the match? And can Thiem take heart from this defeat, knowing that he won a set at least, or was it further evidence that the gap to Nadal on clay is unbridgeable? Looking ahead, will Nadal transfer this form to grass? How many more French Open titles might he be able to win? And can he surpass Federer’s all-time Grand Slam record? There’s also a rundown of all the other significant results from this year’s tournament, and a reflection on what made it such a memorable French Open. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily at the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with The Te

Ash Barty has become a Grand Slam singles champion, just as David Law predicted would happen this year on The Tennis Podcast over a month ago. We are never going to hear the end of it.On the penultimate day of the 2019 French Open, David is joined by Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts to chat about how Barty did it, and gloat about his prediction. What makes Barty so popular? If clay is not her favourite surface, will she now go on to win more Grand Slams elsewhere, particularly on the grass at Wimbledon? And how much of an impact did the delayed start time have on Marketa Vondrousova? In the men’s event, Djokovic’s quest to hold all four Grand Slam titles for the second time was ended by Dominic Thiem. How did Thiem use his variety to disrupt Djokovic? Why did we not see the relentless brilliance from Djokovic? What did both players have to say about last night’s premature suspension of play? And how will Thiem get on against Nadal in the final? The Tennis Podcast will be produ

Day 13 at Roland Garros saw unpredictability and excitement in the women’s draw, the top men’s seeds playing well, rain and wind affecting conditions, and some baffling scheduling decisions. In short, it was in keeping with the themes of this year’s tournament. Catherine, David and Matt are together on the podcast to talk it all through. In the women’s semi-finals, did Jo Konta choke against Marketa Vondrousova? What did Konta have to say about her match being scheduled on Court Simonne-Mathieu? And how did Ash Barty eventually beat Amanda Anisimova in a rollercoaster match? The marquee match of the day was Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal, so why was the stadium so empty at the start? And how did Nadal use the conditions to his advantage? By contrast, why does the wind irritate Djokovic so much? Why was the match stopped early despite there being at least another hour of playable conditions? And will Thiem be able to handle the mental challenge of coming back tomorrow to finish off? Finally,

The champions was dethrone and a new star confirmed as Simona Halep was beaten by Amanda Anisimova, the 17-year-old reaching the semifinals of the French Open.How did she do it? Catherine Whitaker is joined by Simon Briggs of the Telegraph to talk it through. Is Halep too content to compete at the level she needs to, or Anisimova simply not give her the chance? Is Anisimova’s backhand the best in tennis, man or woman?The American will now face Ash Barty, who overcame Madison Keys. So who is the favourite now? Is Jo Konta going to go all the way?In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic hammered Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem did the same to Karen Khachanov to set up a semifinal clash. What will happen tomorrow?And then there’s the schedule, which does not put the two women’s semifinals on the Philippe Chatrier court because of yesterday’s rain. Is that really acceptable? Was there nothing more that could have been done? And what are the WTA saying about it?The Tennis Podcast is daily throughout the French Open, t

It’s been 20 years since Andrei Medvedev, ranked No.100 in the world, beat Pete Sampras and Gustavo Kuerten to reach the final at Roland Garros. Matt spoke to him to find out his memories of that run. Is it true that just a few weeks earlier he had told Andre Agassi that he wanted to quit tennis? How did it feel to then be across the net from Agassi in the French Open final? And what caused him to lose a two-set lead on that day? In an in-depth interview, Medvedev also opens up about how his happy love life brought out his best tennis, and whether he has any regrets about his career. Finally, he also gives his views on tennis today. What does he think of on-court coaching? Does he see similarities between himself and Alexander Zverev? What does he make of the Davis Cup changes? Who is he predicting to win this year’s French Open? And how many Grand Slams does he think Federer, Nadal and Djokovic still have left in them? There will be daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout Roland Garros, the Fever-Tre

An exciting day at Roland Garros has set up two tantalising semi-finals: Britain’s Jo Konta will meet 19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova, while Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will renew their rivalry. On The Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker and David Law, who can barely contain their excitement, discuss it all.Has Konta ever played a better match than the one she played to blitz Sloane Stephens? How nice was it to see her looking so happy on court? And how will she cope against the extraordinary variety of Vondrousova?In the men’s draw, why does Kei Nishikori keep disappointing in the big matches? How much of a factor was Wawrinka's fatigue versus Federer? And what might happen when Federer pits his new game against Nadal on clay for the first time?There will be daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout Roland Garros, the Fever-Tree Championships and Wimbledon. *** SOCIAL MEDIA ***Instagram - http://po.st/TTP_InstagramTwitter - http://po.st/TTP_TwitterFacebook - http://po.st/TTP_Faceb

It wouldn’t be a Grand Slam without at least one daily Tennis Podcast featuring Mary Carillo. Joining Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts at the champagne bar at Roland Garros, Mary taps into her mind palace to unleash her usual combination of hilarious anecdotes and piercing tennis wisdom. Does Tsitsipas have what it takes to be the next apex predator of men’s tennis? What improvements can he still make to his serve? What is Madison Keys’ best surface? How has coach Dmitri Zavialoff helped Jo Konta on clay? And why has Federer vs Wawrinka not been scheduled on Court Philippe Chatrier? Elsewhere, all the results from day 9 are covered, including Simona Halep’s convincing win over Iga Swiatek, Alexander Zverev’s best ever win at a Grand Slam, history for teenage sensation Amanda Anisimova, and Karen Khachanov's love affair with Paris.There will be daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout Roland Garros, The Fever-Tree Championships, and Wimbledon. It is produced in association with The Telegraph. **

It is hard to imagine that we will see a better tennis match than Stan Wawrinka vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas this fortnight, or even this year.Five sets and more than five hours of intoxicating drama, and spellbinding shotmaking which forms the centrepiece of our Day 8 Tennis Podcast from the French Open. How did Wawrinka outlast a man well over 10 years his junior? What state was Tsitsipas in when he spoke about it afterwards? (Matt Roberts went along to find out). And how do Matt and Catherine Whitaker rate Wawrinka’s chances against Roger Federer in the quarterfinals?Elsewhere, Johanna Konta is a 100%, cast-iron member of ‘The Mix’ after her straight sets defeat of Donna Vekic. She now faces Sloane Stephens in the last 8. So who will win? The performances of Federer and Rafael Nadal are also covered, and there’s reaction to Dominic Thiem’s anger at being moved from the biggest interview room to make way for Serena Williams yesterday. The Tennis Podcast will be daily throughout the French Open, the

Naomi Osaka has finally run out of lives. On the latest Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts discuss how her 16-match winning streak at Grand Slams came to an end at Roland Garros against the doubles No.1, Katerina Siniakova. What happened to Osaka? How did she explain the defeat? And how does her exit alter the draw?Later, Osaka was followed out of the tournament by Serena Williams. What made Sofia Kenin such an awkward opponent for Serena? And what does defeat mean in the context of Serena’s quest for 24?Elsewhere, Catherine and Matt chat about all the other action, including yet another five-set win for Alexander Zverev and smooth progress for Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep.Finally, there’s a look ahead to a marvellous Sunday schedule which includes the mouthwatering prospect of Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Stan Wawrinka.The Tennis Podcast will be produced daily throughout Roland Garros, The Fever-Tree Championships and Wimbledon, in association with The Telegraph.  *** SOCIAL MEDIA ***Instag

A day full of stunning matches was marred by crowd chaos and The Tennis Podcast has an insight into a situation that could have been serious, and must be addressed.On the court, Petra Martic and Anastasia Sevastova starred, producing wonderful all-court tennis to knock out Karolina Pliskova and Elise Mertens respectively. The pod team were in awe.Rafael Nadal lost a set of tennis at Roland Garros. Find out against whom, and how, on the pod.His quarterfinal opponent might end up being Kei Nishikori, and we finally chased him down to ask what's happened to the underarm serve he promised Catherine. Matt attended his press conference with one goal in mind ...The Tennis Podcast will be daily throughout the French Open, the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s, and Wimbledon.It is produced in association with Telegraph Sport.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After 16 consecutive match wins in a row at Grand Slam tennis tournaments, we are starting to wonder how it is even possible to beat Naomi Osaka at a major event. The Japanese player has been in trouble a number of times, but against Victoria Azarenka she extricated herself again, and is looking more of a threat as she goes along.What is her secret? How much longer can she keep this up? And why does she fail to perform well until she is nearly down and out? The Tennis Podcast team of Catherine Whitaker, Matt Roberts and Simon Briggs from the Telegraph assemble to talk it through. Elsewhere, Kyle Edmund lost limply, complaining of a knee injury as he retired set 3 against Pablo Cuevas. What’s going on with Kyle?There was also a big win for Amanda Anisimova, scrapes for Dominic Thiem, Belinda Bencic and Simona Halep, and comfortable passages for Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev.And, with the subject of long bathroom breaks coming up after an 11-minuter at the end of set 2 between Osaka

A chaotic hour at the end of day four saw huge disappointment for Kiki Bertens as she was forced to retire, narrow and nervy victories for Grigor Dimitrov and Jo Konta, and late-night drama involving Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Benoit Paire. While it was all going on, Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts soaked up the atmosphere and recorded the latest Tennis Podcast.What happened to Bertens? How will Jo Konta fare against the rising and increasingly prominent Viktoria Kuzmova? And why could neither one of Dimitrov and Cilic hold on to the lead?Elsewhere, what did Stefanos Tsitsipas have to say at the end of his enthralling win against Hugo Dellien? Why does everyone in the men’s draw need to watch out for Stan Wawrinka after his demolition job on Cristian Garín? And why are the grounds so busy but the stands so empty?Finally, straightforward wins for Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Garbiñe Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova are discussed.The Tennis Podcast will be daily throughout the French Open, the Fever-Tree Champ

World No.1 Naomi Osaka stood two points from defeat against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the first round, but the moment she sealed victory half an hour later, Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts were convinced she could win the title.They convened in the media restaurant as usual to debrief on a day full of narrow escapes and drama, with Alexander Zverev surviving in a fifth set against John Millman.Kyle Edmund got the job done after resuming at 5-5 in the fifth against Jeremy Chardy, but Catherine and Matt struggled to take their eyes off what he was wearing.The other notable results of the day are discussed, as is the split between Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, and there's a preview of all the big day 4 matches, including the relegation of 11-time champion Rafael Nadal from the Chatrier Court.The Tennis Podcast will be daily throughout the French Open, the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s, and Wimbledon.It is produced in association with Telegraph Sport.The Rafael Nadal Story - A Tennis Podcast Special

On our 7th birthday, we are back with our Day 2 Tennis Podcast from Roland Garros!Serena Williams has rarely been seen on a tennis court in recent months, but her return to Roland Garros was a welcome one, and she got going eventually. Not before swallowing a 2-6 first set against Vitalia Diatchenko though. So what happened? Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts talk us through from the media restaurant. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic jumped out of the blocks looking every bit the likely finalists in the men’s draw, but Dominic Thiem had a right old scrap on his hands against Tommy Paul. So how did they all look? Catherine and Matt give us the lo-down, with a little bit of assistance from David Law in Solihull. Jo Konta got her first win in the main draw, Pierre-Hugues Herbert followed his old mate Nicolas Mahut in nailing a stunning 5-set comeback and the pod team pay tribute to 19-year-old Paul Jubb, who did something no British player has done before.  The Tennis Podcast will be daily through

As day 1 of the French Open 2019 drew to a close, Catherine, Matt and Simon Briggs got together in the media restaurant to share stories about what they had seen and heard at Roland Garros during an action and people-packed Sunday. What happened to Angelique Kerber, who was dumped out by a teenager in the first match of the day?How did Roger Federer look - tennis and outfit-wise - on his return to Roland Garros after four years away. Opinions differed, particularly when it came to his fashion choice. The performances of Stefano Tsitsipas, Garbine Muguruza and Grigor Dimitrov were examined, and the team look ahead to day 2. The Tennis Podcast will be daily throughout the French Open, the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s, and Wimbledon.It is produced in association with Telegraph Sport.The Rafael Nadal Story - A Tennis Podcast SpecialListen - http://po.st/Nadal_Story Download - http://po.st/Nadal_Download iTunes - http://po.st/Nadal_Apple Spotify - http://po.st/Nadal_Spotify&nbs

A new Court Philippe Chatrier has been built, the draws have been made, and the French Open for 2019 is finally here.Which all means that it’s time for the first daily Tennis Podcast, recorded courtside in the new Simonne-Mathieu stadium, which is lined with greenhouses and foliage Catherine Whitaker is joined by Matt Roberts and Simon Briggs, with Stefanos Tsitsipas practising in front of them, to assess the draws of the leading lights, tell tales from media day and give their impressions of the remodelled Roland Garros.What do they make of the likely roads to the latter stages of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Simona Halep and the rest? Who has got lucky, and who hasn’t? Was Halep underestimating the field when she suggested that there are 10 possible champions in Paris? Is the calendar year Slam a possibility for Naomi Osaka? And what has Dan Evans been saying this time?The Tennis Podcast will be daily throughout the French Open, the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s, and Wimbledon.It is produce

Roland Garros 2019 is just a few days away. Rafael Nadal will be aiming for his 12th title in Paris. It’s mind-boggling to even contemplate. But how did we get here?Starting from the very beginning, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts take you through the story of Rafael Nadal’s career. With stats and anecdotes, they cover his emergence as a teenage sensation, his clay-court dominance, his hold over Roger Federer, his ability to adapt to grass and hard courts, his rivalry with Novak Djokovic, his injury trouble, and his longevity.Along the way they try to answer some key questions. How important was Uncle Toni’s decision to encourage him to play left-handed? Is the 2008 Wimbledon final the greatest match of all time? What makes Nadal so special compared to his biggest rivals? And will he win more Grand Slams in the future?The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily at the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with Telegraph Sport.  *** Follow us on social media ***Inst

While Karolina Pliskova was a surprise first-time winner of the women's title, Rafael Nadal lifted the Rome trophy for a mind-boggling ninth time, defeating his ultimate rival Novak Djokovic in three sets.What has made Pliskova a force on clay? How has the woman she beat in the final, Johanna Konta, gone from a player that couldn't win more than 3 clay matches in a season to a runner-up in one of the biggest red dust tournaments in the world? And where does this leave us in terms of favourites for the French Open title?Rafael Nadal had not won a title all year, until now. But was it fair that Novak Djokovic had considerably less time to prepare for their final? What happened in the final to swing it Nadal's direction? And is the Spaniard favourite for a 12th title in Paris?And what about Nick Kyrgios after his explosive interview on No Challenges Remaining and subsequent default from his second round match in Rome?The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with Telegraph Sport, and daily at the Grand Slam

On this week’s Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts discuss a fantastic tournament in Madrid, headlined by titles for Novak Djokovic and Kiki Bertens.After a lacklustre few months, is it any coincidence that Djokovic has returned to top form when Roland Garros is less than two weeks away? How did he see off the challenges mounted by Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas?As for Kiki Bertens, what’s changed to turn her into a winner of big titles? And where does she rank on the list of French Open favourites?All the other major storylines from Madrid are also discussed. How did Tsitsipas conquer his demons to beat Rafael Nadal for the first time? Should we be worried by Nadal’s form? How did Roger Federer look on his return to clay? And what on earth happened for Viktoria Kuzmova to lose 6-0 6-0 to Simona Halep?Finally, a word on the retiring David Ferrer. How will we look back on his career?The Tennis Podcast will be produced weekly throughout 2019, and daily at the Grand Slam tourname

Catherine Whitaker and David Law begin this week’s show by discussing the aftermath of Justin Gimelstob’s decision to finally stand down from his roles on the ATP board and with Tennis Channel.Will this be used as an opportunity to change the culture of men’s tennis? Who are some of the candidates to replace Gimelstob? Did Stan Wawrinka do the right thing by publishing a powerful letter condemning Gimelstob and the actions of the ATP board? And why were Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all so reluctant to express similar feelings? Turning to actual tennis results, there’s a look at Jo Konta’s improved clay court form, the rise of Cristian Garin, titles for Greek duo Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, and Pablo Cuevas’ new penchant for trick shots.All the major storylines from the first few days of Madrid are also covered, including Roger Federer’s return to clay, Sloane Stephens’ new partnership with Sven Groeneveld, and Felix Auger-Aliassime’s win over Denis Shapovalov.Finally, Catherin