Is Anisimova the favourite for the WTA finals?
The groups have been drawn for the WTA Finals in Riyadh and Catherine, David and Matt are here to preview the tournament and reflect on the opening stages of the ATP 1000 event in Paris. Part one - WTA Finals singles preview. We break down the groups and make predictions for the week ahead. How will Iga Swiatek fare against the big hitters? What will happen when Coco Gauff faces Aryna Sabalenka for the first time since Roland Garros? And can Amanda Anisimova keep up her superb form? Part two - WTA Finals doubles preview and Paris results so far (32:26). We cover Carlos Alcaraz’s loss to Cameron Norrie, the latest instalment of the cousin clash between Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech, and how Lorenzo Musetti’s defeat leaves the Race to Turin. Part three - Jannik Sinner calls out the Grand Slams for delaying player welfare and prize money talks (51:58). Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
30 Loka 20251h 7min
Sinner survives, Fonseca fires and Saudi footprint grows
Catherine, David and Matt round up the latest tour results before Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic joins to discuss the news that Saudi Arabia will be hosting an ATP Masters 1000 tournament from 2028. Part one - Results. We cover lots of Jannik Sinner talking points, including his victory over Alexander Zverev in an excellent Vienna final, his repeated cramping issues, and his decision not to play the Davis Cup Finals. There’s also chat about Joao Fonseca’s win in Basel, the ongoing heartbreak for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina as he tries to win his first title, Belinda Bencic’s victory in Tokyo and her remarkable season coming back from giving birth, and Elena Rybakina booking her place at the WTA Finals. Part two - Charlie Eccleshare reports on the ATP’s announcement that a 10th Masters 1000 event will be added to the schedule in 2028 and that it will be held in Saudi Arabia (41:50). We don’t yet know all the details, but Charlie explains how this might affect the rest of the tennis calendar, the growing power that Saudi Arabia will hold in the sport, and why we mustn’t ignore the human rights abuses. Part three - News and a look ahead (1:08:50). We pay tribute to John Beddington and chat about the Paris Masters. We’ll be back on Friday with a full preview of the WTA Finals. Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
27 Loka 20251h 29min
Rune’s horror injury overshadows end-of-season race
Catherine, David and Matt catch up on all the latest tour results as the races for the year-end finals heat up. Part one - WTA Results. We start with Elena Rybakina’s title run in Ningbo, including her impressive turnaround in the final against Ekaterina Alexandrova and where that leaves the Race to Riyadh. Jasmine Paolini has qualified, but why is Mirra Andreeva not playing this week? There’s also chat about Leylah Fernandez’s victory in Osaka over Czech rising star Tereza Valentova. Part two - ATP Results (24:30). We cover Daniil Medvedev’s first title in 29 months in Almaty, Felix Auger-Aliassime making a late charge for Turin, Holger Rune’s horrific injury, Casper Ruud’s awesome form in Stockholm, and the meaninglessness of the Six Kings Slam. Part three - The week ahead including our trip to Wrexham! (01:05:30) As mentioned in this episode, The Athletic’s Monday Tennis Briefing is always worth a read. Tickets are now on General Sale for The Tennis Podcast - Live in Wrexham on Wednesday October 22nd! Buy here.Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
20 Loka 20251h 13min
Cousins Prove Dreams Can Come True
Catherine, David and Matt recap a week headlined by a family fairytale in Shanghai and Coco Gauff’s title run in Wuhan. Part one - ATP Shanghai. Valentin Vacherot became the lowest-ranked player ever to win a Masters 1000 title, doing so by beating his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, in the final. We cover all the elements that made this story so special and wonder what might be next for both players. There’s also chat about the notable weeks that Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev both had. Part two - WTA Wuhan (41:06). We discuss Gauff’s remarkable ability to bounce back from adversity and the smart, tactical tennis that helped her to lift the trophy. There’s also appreciation for Jessica Pegula breaking Aryna Sabalenka’s tiebreak streak and for Jasmine Paolini earning her first ever victory over Iga Swiatek. Plus, an update on the WTA Finals Race. Part three - News (57:22). We react to Jack Draper’s decision to hire Jamie Delgado as his new head coach, the ITIA’s support programme for players facing integrity investigations, and the revamping of the One Point Slam. Have they taken away the spirit of the event? Tickets are now on General Sale for The Tennis Podcast - Live in Wrexham on Wednesday October 22nd! Buy here.Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
13 Loka 20251h 22min
Is this the Amanda Anisimova era?
Catherine, David and Matt are finally back together on a Monday to talk all about Amanda Anisimova’s title in Beijing and events so far in Shanghai. Part one - WTA Beijing. We discuss Anisimova’s final three matches in Beijing en route to the title, analysing how she’s become such a consistent force at the top of the sport. How helpful could this title be in turning her into a major champion? And what’s left to improve? There’s also chat about Linda Noskova’s extraordinary semi-final win over Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff’s struggle for form, and Emma Navarro winning a final set bagel against Iga Swiatek. Part two - ATP Shanghai (38m16s). The heat and humidity have been the main talking points in Shanghai so far and we focus on the large number of retirements, headlined by Jannik Sinner’s against Tallon Griekspoor. There’s also chat about what a chance this is for Novak Djokovic to win another big title, the other possible contenders for the title, and Alexander Zverev’s controversial comments about court speed on tour. Part three - WTA Wuhan Preview and News (64m55s). We look forward to Aryna Sabalenka’s return in Wuhan, there’s a moving statement from Daria Kasatkina as she shuts down her season, and we celebrate Mary Carillo’s Hall of Fame nomination. Tickets are now on General Sale for The Tennis Podcast - Live in Wrexham on Wednesday October 22nd! Buy here.Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
6 Loka 20251h 24min
Alcaraz and Sinner circle each other with titles
Catherine, David and Matt discuss titles for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as well as the opening stages of the WTA 1000 in Beijing. Part one - Men’s results. We start by reacting to Alcaraz’s triumph in Tokyo, despite an injury scare. Is this the best tennis of Alcaraz’s career? We also discuss Alcaraz’s decision to withdraw from Shanghai and the over-saturation of two week Masters 1000 events as the injuries and retirements pile up. Over in Beijing, Sinner experimented with his game en route to the title and Lorenzo Musetti got booed and was forced to apologise after a rant about Chinese fans. Part two - Women’s results (54m). With the quarter-finals taking shape in Beijing, we cover Amanda Anisimova’s comeback victory over Karolina Muchova, the impressive Eva Lys and Sonny Kartal, and some aggro in the match between Belinda Bencic and Coco Gauff. Part three - News (72m30s). There’s chat about Gael Monfils announcing his farewell tour in 2026 before looking ahead to ATP Shanghai. Tickets are now on General Sale for The Tennis Podcast - Live in Wrexham on Wednesday October 22nd! Buy here.Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 Loka 20251h 28min
Has Laver Cup won us over?
Catherine, David and Matt are here, unusually, on a Tuesday to look back on Laver Cup, Iga Swiatek’s title in Seoul, and a couple of ATP events in China. Part one - Laver Cup. We start by hearing from The Athletic’s Matt Futterman who spent the weekend in San Francisco at Laver Cup. He explains why and how he entered the week with skepticism only to be won over by the crowds, the format and the vibe of the event. After that, despite promising not to get into an existential discussion about Laver Cup like we always do, we get into an existential discussion about Laver Cup. Part two - Tour results (36m41s). We cover Iga Swiatek’s victory in Seoul, her gutsy performance to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova in a dramatic final, and the race for year-end #1 on the WTA Tour. On the men’s side, there’s chat about Alejandro Tabilo’s sudden resurgence to triumph in Chengdu, the utter devastation for beaten finalist Lorenzo Musetti, and whether Alexander Bublik can qualify for Turin after his fourth title of the season. Part three - Preview of the week ahead (59m47s). We discuss what to expect from a stacked field for the WTA 1000 in Beijing as well as two ATP 500 events in Beijing and Tokyo. Tickets are now on General Sale for The Tennis Podcast - Live in Wrexham on Wednesday October 22nd! Buy here.Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
23 Syys 20251h 14min
BJK Cup - Italy's Dynasty
Catherine, David and Matt were live to review Italy’s 2-0 triumph over USA which saw them defend their Billie Jean King Cup title in Shenzhen. Part one - Italy d. USA 2-0 Review. How good were the victories for Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Jasmine Paolini? Were Emma Navarro and Jessica Pegula a bit flat or Italy just too good? Did the scheduling favour Italy? What's the solution which will allow the USA to leverage its strength in depth? And what’s the secret to Italy’s current domination of tennis? Part two - Reflections on the event as a whole (33m35s). We cover the calendar slot, new format and new home in Shenzhen. How do we feel about it all? And what, if anything, can be done to make this event what it should be?Tickets are now on General Sale for The Tennis Podcast - Live in Wrexham on Wednesday October 22nd! Buy here.Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
21 Syys 202559min
