WTA Finals - Goran to guide Rybakina as Draws revealed

“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 the final so special and Paul Annacone in the coaching box about the moment he knew Sampras had a problem. Afterwards, we reflect on what happened next in Safin’s career, with Marat himself explaining the pressure he felt to win a second Grand Slam title, which eventually came in Australia in 2005, and the injuries which ended his career. Should Safin be considered an underachiever? And in what way did he leave his mark on the sport beyond his results? 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/gbmzRXSOCIAL MEDIA Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Elo 20211h 27min

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 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/gbmzRXSOCIAL MEDIA Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Elo 202159min

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 news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRXSOCIAL MEDIA Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Elo 20211h 1min

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/gbmzRXSOCIAL MEDIA Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Elo 202158min

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-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/gbmzRXSOCIAL MEDIA Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Elo 202156min

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 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/gbmzRXSOCIAL MEDIA Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Elo 202155min

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.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/gbmzRXSOCIAL MEDIA Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Elo 202159min

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 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/gbmzRXSOCIAL MEDIA Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Elo 202147min