Mats Wilander interview - 'Serena Williams Will Do The Calendar Slam'; 'Nick Kyrgios Can Do What Becker Did'; Heather Watson Has Top Ten Potential'

Iga Swiatek will face Aryna Sabalenka's in Saturday's Madrid final which means the rivalry we've all wanted is officially happening. David, Catherine (in Madrid) and Matt talk through how both players have got there, Swiatek's intensity and focus this week, and the way in which Sabalenka is embracing the prospect of a rematch with the world number one. On the men's side, we look ahead to the Carlos Alcaraz vs Borna Coric and Aslan Karatsev vs Jan-Lennard Struff semi-finals. Yes, you read that correctly, Karatsev and Struff have made it all the way to the last four. We chat about how this run has come out of nowhere for Karatsev, the way in which Struff went toe-to-toe with a jaded-looking Stefanos Tsitsipas, and how much their qualifying match will affect Friday's semi. Elsewhere, we react to the news that Emma Raducanu will be out of action for several months while she recovers from hand and ankle surgery, and we discuss why it's time for Madrid to stop having model ball girls. ON LOCATION:This edition of The Tennis Podcast is brought to you in association with On Location, the premium hospitality and experience provider. On Location took us to Indian Wells last month so we can vouch for the brilliant experiences they provide at tennis tournaments. They provide packages via Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours to all of the four Grand Slam tournaments, including the US Open, which is on sale now, with fantastic seats, hospitality and hotel packages available for the year’s final major event at Flushing Meadows in New York. Go to OnLocationEXP.com/TTP to see what they have to offer. OUR LINKS:Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows. Friends also get a 5% discount on Steve Furgal's International Tennis Tours.Sign up to receive our Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on TwitterFollow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopRead our New York Times profileTennis Podcast Terminology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Touko 20231h 3min

With Madrid well underway, Catherine, David and Matt catch up to discuss everything that's happened so far. There's chat about an impressive win for Maria Sakkari over the improving-but-not-there-yet Paula Badosa, more forehand woes for Coco Gauff, Mayar Sherif becoming the first Egyptian to reach a WTA 1000 quarter-final, and the thrilling run of 15/16 year old Mirra Andreeva to the fourth round. On the men's side, Holger Rune brought the aggro (of course), Dominic Thiem came so close to beating Stefanos Tsitsipas, we all had a fun time watching Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and Carlos Alcaraz has ignited after a slow start. ON LOCATION:This edition of The Tennis Podcast is brought to you in association with On Location, the premium hospitality and experience provider. On Location took us to Indian Wells last month so we can vouch for the brilliant experiences they provide at tennis tournaments. They provide packages via Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours to all of the four Grand Slam tournaments, including the US Open, which is on sale now, with fantastic seats, hospitality and hotel packages available for the year’s final major event at Flushing Meadows in New York. Go to OnLocationEXP.com/TTP to see what they have to offer. OUR LINKS:Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows. Friends also get a 5% discount on Steve Furgal's International Tennis Tours.Sign up to receive our Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on TwitterFollow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopRead our New York Times profileTennis Podcast Terminology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Touko 20231h 14min

There was a feeling of déjà vu this week as Iga Swiatek in Stuttgart, Carlos Alcaraz in Barcelona and Holger Rune in Munich all defended their titles. In what way was this a big statement from Swiatek? Just how dominant was Alcaraz against Stefanos Tsitsipas? And how did Botic van de Zandschulp let it slip in the Munich final? Catherine, David and Matt discuss all of that, as well as a hard-earned title for Dusan Lajovic in Banja Luka, a worrying injury update from Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal from Madrid. There’s also time for a couple of rants - one about the unequal prize money on the ATP and WTA Tours, and the other on the new 12-day Masters 1000 events. ON LOCATION:This edition of The Tennis Podcast is brought to you in association with On Location, the premium hospitality and experience provider. On Location took us to Indian Wells last month so we can vouch for the brilliant experiences they provide at tennis tournaments. They provide packages via Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours to all of the four Grand Slam tournaments, including the US Open, which is on sale now, with fantastic seats, hospitality and hotel packages available for the year’s final major event at Flushing Meadows in New York. Go to OnLocationEXP.com/TTP to see what they have to offer. OUR LINKS:Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows. Friends also get a 5% discount on Steve Furgal's International Tennis Tours.Sign up to receive our Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on TwitterFollow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopRead our New York Times profileTennis Podcast Terminology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Huhti 20231h 4min

The week in Monte Carlo belonged to Andrey Rublev and it belonged to aggro. In this episode we discuss Rublev finally winning his first Masters 1000 title, why it was so deserved, and what it might mean for his career, and we savour the way in which Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune all provided aggro that was right in the sweet spot. There's also a round up of all the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers and a worrying fitness update from Rafael Nadal. ON LOCATIONThis edition of The Tennis Podcast is sponsored by On location, the premium experience and hospitality provider. On Location sent us to the BNP PARIBAS Open in Indian Wells on one of Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours packages to produce lots of new podcasts. To see what they have to offer for Indian Wells, Miami and all of the Grand Slam tournaments, check out their travel packages.LINKSBecome a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows. Friends also get a 5% discount on Steve Furgal's International Tennis Tours.Sign up to receive our Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on TwitterFollow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopRead our New York Times profileTennis Podcast Terminology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Huhti 20231h 4min

Their WTA's suspension of business in China in reaction to the allegations and silencing of Peng Shuai lasted 16 months. In this podcast, recorded a few days later than usual due to Matt's ill health, covers our reaction to that WTA announcement. We also update on Monte Carlo, including a loss for Novak Djokovic and the re-emergence of clay-court Medvedev.ON LOCATIONThis edition of The Tennis Podcast is sponsored by On location, the premium experience and hospitality provider. On Location sent us to the BNP PARIBAS Open in Indian Wells on one of Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours packages to produce lots of new podcasts. To see what they have to offer for Indian Wells, Miami and all of the Grand Slam tournaments, check out their travel packages.LINKSBecome a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows. Friends also get a 5% discount on Steve Furgal's International Tennis Tours.Sign up to receive our Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on TwitterFollow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopRead our New York Times profileTennis Podcast Terminology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Huhti 20231h 17min

Friends of the Tennis Podcast help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout the year, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions, and Grand Slam review shows. Become a FriendSign up to receive our Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on TwitterFollow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Check out our ShopRead our New York Times profile Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Huhti 20232min

The last few days in Miami did not go as expected, with both Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina unable to complete the Sunshine Double. Instead, Petra Kvitova rolled back the years and Daniil Medvedev showed why he's a specialist in hard courts. David, Catherine and Matt are together to discuss an uplifting week from Kvitova, whether fatigue played a role in Rybakina's final performance, the latest epic instalment of the Sinner vs Alcaraz rivalry, why the match up against Medvedev is such a bad one for Sinner, and the physical prowess of Medvedev to do so much winning over the last two months. There's also our reaction to Wimbledon's decision to lift the ban on Russian and Belarusian players. ON LOCATIONThis edition of The Tennis Podcast is sponsored by On location, the premium experience and hospitality provider. On Location sent us to the BNP PARIBAS Open in Indian Wells on one of Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours packages to produce lots of new podcasts. To see what they have to offer for Indian Wells, Miami and all of the Grand Slam tournaments, check out their travel packages.LINKSBecome a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows. Friends also get a 5% discount on Steve Furgal's International Tennis Tours.Sign up to receive our Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on TwitterFollow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopRead our New York Times profileTennis Podcast Terminology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Huhti 20231h 11min

With Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina both still on course for the Sunshine Double, we catch up on the last few days of action in Miami. David and Matt go through the biggest stories, from the run of Christopher Eubanks, some comments by Stefanos Tsitsipas that got everyone checking the ATP rulebook, and the Indian Summer of Sorana Cirstea's career, while Catherine sends voice notes about her impressions from on site in Miami. David also covers the news that Wimbledon has lifted its ban on Russian and Belarusian players for the 2023 Championships. ON LOCATIONThis edition of The Tennis Podcast is sponsored by On location, the premium experience and hospitality provider. On Location sent us to the BNP PARIBAS Open in Indian Wells on one of Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours packages to produce lots of new podcasts. To see what they have to offer for Indian Wells, Miami and all of the Grand Slam tournaments, check out their travel packages.LINKSBecome a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows. Friends also get a 5% discount on Steve Furgal's International Tennis Tours.Sign up to receive our Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on TwitterFollow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopRead our New York Times profileTennis Podcast Terminology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Maalis 20231h 13min