BJK Cup Finals Day 5 - Sara Errani, what did you just do?!

Why have there barely been any upsets at this year’s Australian Open so far? That’s the big question for David, Catherine and Grad Matt on The Tennis Podcast after another day which saw the top seeds progress.There were shocks brewing in the morning as both Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina found themselves a set down. How did they pull through?Later in the day, Serena Williams and Simona Halep both won to set up their blockbuster Last 16 match. What was Halep like when she spoke to Catherine afterwards? And how is she getting on without a coach?In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic beat Denis Shapovalov easily. But what caused his third set wobble? And are we right to be a bit disappointed in Shapovalov’s performance?Looking ahead to Day 7, why does David have a sneaky feeling that Stefanos Tsitsipas might beat Roger Federer?The Tennis Podcast will be produced daily throughout the Australian Open (and at all the Slams) after our Kickstarter was funded by our listeners. It is produced in association with The Telegraph. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Tammi 201933min

Shortly after Rafael Nadal had beaten Alex de Minaur on Friday night, David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Grad Matt convened to review day 5 at the Australian Open. Is Nadal playing better than we expected? Does this result tell us anything we didn’t already know about De Minaur? Roger Federer was also a comfortable winner on Friday. Will he have more trouble against Stefanos Tsitsipas? Frances Tiafoe backed up his win over Kevin Anderson by beating Andreas Seppi. Is that indicative of yet another step forward? Tiafoe plays Grigor Dimitrov next, and Catherine talks about her interview with Andre Agassi. In the women’s draw, we were all blown away by the performance of Amanda Anisimova. Could she possibly win the whole tournament? There’s also a preview to day 6. Why is Simona Halep vs Venus Williams not on Rod Laver Arena? Will Denis Shapovalov have any joy against Novak Djokovic? The Tennis Podcast will be produced daily throughout the Australian Open (and at all the Slams) after our Kickstarter was funded by our listeners. It is produced in association with The Telegraph. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Tammi 201936min

The latest ever start to a match at the Australian Open, and one of the latest ever Tennis Podcast recordings, as David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Grad Matt got together at 12:46am, with tennis still being played, to discuss the events of Day 4 at the Australian Open.The day began with Grad Matt’s quarter-final pick Viktoria Kuzmova being beaten. What happened? Is Elina Svitolina playing better than expected? And was it appropriate to ask her about her relationship with Gael Monfils?The match of the day was Milos Raonic vs. Stan Wawrinka. Did we see Goran Ivanisevic’s influence on Raonic? Despite losing, is Stan Wawrinka properly back now?In the women’s event, Serena Williams and Simona Halep remain on a collision course. But how much is Halep struggling physically?Elsewhere, contrasting late-night wins for Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic are discussed, there’s chat about the new Dunlop balls being used this year, and a look ahead to Day 5.The Tennis Podcast will be produced daily throughout the Australian Open (and at all the Slams) after our Kickstarter was funded by our listeners. It is produced in association with The Telegraph. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Tammi 201943min

Dan Evans didn’t beat Roger Federer, but he pushed him hard, and did himself proud. That’s the view of David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Grad Matt on The Tennis Podcast at the end of day three at the 2019 Australian Open.How did Evans cause Federer problems? Should he have won the opening set? And how confident should we be that Evans has got his career back on track and won’t have another lapse?Elsewhere, the biggest shock of the tournament so far saw Kevin Anderson lose to Frances Tiafoe. How much was Anderson’s injury a factor? And why does this feel like a significant step forward for Tiafoe?Anderson’s loss opens up the draw for Grigor Dimitrov. How did he look today against Pablo Cuevas?In the night session, David’s man-of-the-tournament Roberto Bautista Agut won a second straight five-setter, this time against John Millman. How does he keep doing it? There was better news for home fans when Alex de Minaur held his nerve to win in five. But is he showing signs of fatigue?There’s also discussion about Bob Bryan’s insight into Andy Murray’s hip injury and surgery, news of David (Thomas Fabbiano) beating Goliath (Reilly Opelka - 67 aces and all), and word on Aryna Sabalenka’s victory over Katie Boulter.The Tennis Podcast will be produced daily throughout the Australian Open (and at all the Slams) after our Kickstarter was funded by our listeners. It is produced in association with The Telegraph. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Tammi 201935min

There was less drama on day two of the 2019 Australian Open, but still plenty for David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Grad Matt to talk about on The Tennis Podcast.The biggest story was Simona Halep’s comeback victory against Kaia Kanepi. Just how significant was that for Halep? What was she like when she spoke to Catherine? And can she now go far in the tournament?Halep might run into Serena Williams in the fourth round. Serena thrashed Tatjana Maria in less than an hour. But why did she not do a pre-tournament press conference? Venus Williams was also a winner on Tuesday. Does she get the credit she deserves for her longevity? Is it understandable why she doesn’t give much time to the media?The biggest off-court story was Bernard Tomic’s criticism of Lleyton Hewitt. Why are there so many rifts within Australian tennis?There’s also a look ahead to day three. Can Katie Boulter beat Aryna Sabalenka? And how much will the heat of the day help Dan Evans against Roger Federer? The Tennis Podcast will be produced daily throughout the Australian Open (and at all the Slams) after our Kickstarter was funded by our listeners. It is produced in association with The Telegraph. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Tammi 201931min

We thought we’d seen it all from Andy Murray, but in what could be his final ever match, he left us spellbound once more.On The Tennis Podcast, David Law and Catherine Whitaker discuss one of the most extraordinary opening days in Grand Slam history, as Murray produced a rousing comeback in a match of unrivalled poignancy and significance. It wasn’t quite enough for him to beat Roberto Bautista-Agut, but it provided hours of compelling drama. What were David and Catherine feeling as they watched Murray look like Murray again?They also consider his possible next steps. Have we really seen the last of Murray? What was he like in press? Was this match the perfect send off?It was a day of mixed fortunes for the other six Brits in action. Harriet Dart lost 0-6, 0-6 to Maria Sharapova. Was that a harsh scoreline or did it reflect the match? Since when has Katie Boulter been capable of the gritty, aggressive tennis that saw her beat Ekaterina Makarova? And what about Dan Evans? Catherine’s description of his victory over Tatsuma Ito is not to be missed.There’s also excitement over wins for Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, an analysis of Rafael Nadal’s performance, and David discovers the day’s handshake controversy.The Tennis Podcast will be produced daily throughout the Australian Open (and at all the Slams) after our Kickstarter was funded by our listeners. It is produced in association with The Telegraph.Our Crowdfunding Kickstarter closes at midnight UK today, so you have a few hours to do your bit and get your name on our backers page, intro a show or take on Catherine and David on at their year's predictions - http://po.st/TP_Kickstarter2019 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Tammi 201933min

With less than 24 hours to go until the start of the 2019 Australian Open, the time has come for David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Grad Matt to dissect the draws and make their predictions.There are some potentially dangerous players in Djokovic’s section, but will any of them actually stop him? How will Nadal’s body hold up? And will Zverev reach a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time?On the women’s side, the consensus is that Simona Halep’s draw is as tough as it gets. How will she cope with it? Will the dream quarter-final of Sabalenka against Barty actually happen? And how will Naomi Osaka deal with the new pressure that comes with being a Grand Slam champion?The Tennis Podcast will be produced daily throughout the Australian Open (and at all the Slams) after our Kickstarter was funded by our listeners.If you would like to chip in and have your name on the Tennis Podcast website backers page, you can, until it closes on Monday – http://po.st/TP_Kickstarter2019 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Tammi 201946min

With two days to go before the 2019 Australian Open, the main story in town is still Andy Murray’s announcement that he will retire before the end of the year. Following their immediate reaction to the news yesterday, David Law and Catherine Whitaker were joined for further reflections on Saturday by The Telegraph’s Simon Briggs.The self-proclaimed ‘Andy Murray correspondent’ has spent eight years covering Murray’s career, so what does he make of yesterday’s events? What was Murray like in his half hour sit-down with the British press corps? And has he given himself some wriggle room by talking about a possible hip resurfacing operation?Nick Kyrgios was one of many players to pay tribute to Murray. In an interview with Catherine, he even hinted that he’d like to be coached by Murray one day. How might that work? And what of Kyrgios’ own chances this fortnight?Finally, Simon gives his take on the political storm surrounding tonight’s player council meeting in Melbourne. Why do some players want to eject Chris Kermode from his position as ATP president? Are they actually calling for a players’ union? And how is the situation complicated by the felony charge hanging over Justin Gimelstob? The Tennis Podcast will be produced daily throughout the Australian Open (and at all the Slams) after our Kickstarter was funded by our listeners.If you would like to chip in and have your name on the Tennis Podcast website backers page, you can, until it closes on Monday - http://po.st/TP_Kickstarter2019 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Tammi 201930min