Episode 32 - Ross Hutchins Interview

This is a Tennis Podcast in two parts.First of all, David and Catherine recorded almost half an hour of chat about the day session, reflecting on wins for Naomi Osaka, Madison Keys and Novak Djokovic, and looking ahead to the quarter-finals.Then the night session happened. And all hell broke loose. At 2:15am, David and Simon Briggs tried to pick up the pieces following Roger Federer’s shock defeat to John Millman. Federer hit 76 unforced errors, made 10 double faults and landed less than 50% of his first serves. Why was he so off his game? Where does he go from here? In his press conference, Federer admitted that he suffered badly in the heat and humidity. Has he ever sweated so much?Also in the night session, Maria Sharapova endured her first ever defeat under the lights in New York against Carla Suarez Navarro. How much longer will Sharapova put up with not contending for Grand Slams?There will daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the US Open fortnight. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with the Telegraph and sponsored by Amazon Prime Video, the new home of the US Open in the UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Sep 201839min

With no obvious headline on Day 7 at the US Open, David and Catherine start the Tennis Podcast by purring over the form of Sloane Stephens and trying to pin down what makes her such a sublime player. They agree she has a sixth sense, but is she unstoppable at her best? It certainly felt like it against Elise Mertens. Another good performance from Serena is discussed. How well did she do to weather the second set onslaught from Kaia Kanepi? Will the quietly impressive Karolina Pliskova provide her biggest test yet in the next round?Dominic Thiem pulled off the result of the day on the men’s side, beating last year’s finalist Kevin Anderson in straight sets. Did Anderson’s five-setters catch up with him?Thiem’s next opponent is Nadal. The world No.1 was rattled by the brilliance of Basilashvili, with the Georgian adopting a similar aggressive approach to Khachanov. Has Khachanov softened Nadal up? If so, can Thiem deliver the knockout blow?Elsewhere, John Isner and Milos Raonic played a five-set match without any tiebreaks. How on earth did that happen?On Monday, Maria Sharapova has been handed another night session slot. That’s four in a row. Is that fair?There will daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the US Open fortnight. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with the Telegraph and sponsored by Amazon Prime Video, the new home of the US Open in the UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Sep 201831min

Federer vs. Kyrgios may not have lived up to our lofty expectations, but it still delivered a number of talking points for Catherine and David on The Tennis Podcast.It was neither a total capitulation nor a fully-engaged performance from Kyrgios. Why does Catherine believe it was a step backwards? Will he finally get a coach?Federer, meanwhile, produced a shot of genius. You must have seen it. Where does it rank in his long list of memorable moments?Elsewhere, it was a day laden with upsets. The defeats of Angelique Kerber, Caroline Garcia, Lucas Pouille and Alexander Zverev are discussed. David is refusing to talk about Petra Kvitova…Were we expecting too much too soon from the Lendl-Zverev partnership? When will the German solve the Grand Slam conundrum?The devastating form of Naomi Osaka also gets a mention. She’s won three 6-0 sets in a row! There will daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the US Open fortnight. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with the Telegraph and sponsored by Amazon Prime Video, the new home of the US Open in the UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Sep 201831min

After all the off-court drama of the past few days, the excitement on day five at the US Open was to be found on the court. David is joined separately by Simon Briggs and Catherine to talk about it all.Serena vs. Venus was a remarkable occasion, as expected, but Serena’s brilliance made it a one-sided contest. Has she sent a message to the rest of the field?The match of the day was undoubtedly the four-hour epic between Karen Khachanov and Rafael Nadal. Is it time to raise our expectations of Khachanov? How much of a concern is Nadal’s knee for the rest of the tournament?Elsewhere, Saturday’s order of play is another cracker. Eyebrows were raised when Federer vs. Kyrgios was scheduled for the day session, but David is on hand with an explanation. Will the conditions favour either player?There will daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the US Open fortnight. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with the Telegraph and sponsored by Amazon Prime Video, the new home of the US Open in the UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Sep 201831min

Not for the first time, a Nick Kyrgios match dominates discussion on The Tennis Podcast. This time, however, Kyrgios is ceding much of the spotlight to umpire Mohamed Lahyani, whose decision to get down from his chair and apparently give Kyrgios a pep talk has caused a lot of controversy.David and Catherine give their reaction to the incident and its aftermath. Was Lahyani trying to cajole and counsel Kyrgios? Did he overstep the mark? What would be an appropriate sanction for Lahyani? And how would the situation have changed if Pierre-Hugues Herbert had reacted on court?The media storm has covered up the fact that Kyrgios was tanking. Surely he can’t keep doing this? His approach frustrated David and Catherine immensely, but they both agree that he will give his all against Roger Federer in the next round.Elsewhere, Angelique Kerber let a healthy lead slip, but eventually won in three sets. Will coming through this test serve her well later in the tournament?Finally, there’s lots of excitement at the third round line-up. Has there ever been a better one in Grand Slam history? Will Sabalenka beat Kvitova? Can Shapovalov topple Anderson? And why is no one talking up Naomi Osaka’s chances? There will daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the US Open fortnight. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with the Telegraph and sponsored by Amazon Prime Video, the new home of the US Open in the UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Aug 201834min

Andy Murray is out of the US Open. But not without a fight. Not without looking much like his old self in a four-set defeat to Fernando Verdasco.After another scorching day in New York, Catherine joins David on The Tennis Podcast to discuss the match in detail. What made this the most encouraging performance of Murray’s comeback so far? What did Murray say in his press conference? How well did Verdasco do to hold his nerve in that thrilling final game?In the women’s draw, defending champion Sloane Stephens survived a three-setter against the impressive Anhelina Kalinina. Stephens didn’t play her best, but Catherine and David are full of praise for her attitude. They also can’t get enough of her opponent’s name…Elsewhere, a number of fascinating third round matches have been set, including Serena vs Venus. What will the atmosphere be like for that one on Friday?In a packed podcast, there’s also reaction to the statements given by the USTA and the WTA in response to Alize Cornet’s controversial code violation, chat about the latest Twitter activity of Nick Kyrgios, and a look ahead to day four.There will daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the US Open fortnight. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with the Telegraph and sponsored by Amazon Prime Video, the new home of the US Open in the UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Aug 201835min

On a day of extreme heat and humidity at the US Open, when merely breathing was a challenge, Simon Briggs of Telegraph Sport joins David to salute all the players that managed to actually play high-level tennis in such brutal conditions.The decision of the tournament organisers to invoke the heat rule, including one for the men, is praised. But should play have been cancelled altogether?Novak Djokovic was one of a number of players to be seriously affected by the weather, but he battled through in four sets. Djokovic certainly looked exhausted, but isn’t it a good sign that he’s no longer hiding his emotions on court? Elsewhere, David and Simon pick up the pieces from Jo Konta’s straight-sets defeat to No. 6 seed Caroline Garcia. Does Konta need a plan B? Why has her serve become less effective? And how much longer will her coaching relationship with Michael Joyce last?In the night session, Roger Federer cruised through against Yoshihito Nishioka and Maria Sharapova held off Patty Schnyder’s mini-fightback. Finally, there’s a preview of Andy Murray’s second round match against Fernando Verdasco. Murray owns a 13-1 head-to-head record. But conditions are set to be even worse on Wednesday. Who will that favour?There will daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the US Open fortnight. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with the Telegraph and sponsored by Amazon Prime Video, the new home of the US Open in the UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Aug 201828min

Former World No.5 turned Amazon Prime Video UK pundit Daniela Hantuchova joins David and Catherine to review an eventful opening day at the US Open.For the first time in the tournament’s history, the women’s top seed lost in the first round. Where did it all go wrong for Simona Halep against Kaia Kanepi? Why was there no real fightback? Has she become over-reliant on Darren Cahill? Hantuchova thinks she might still need time to recover from the high of winning at Roland Garros.From a British perspective it was a pretty chaotic day, with Andy Murray, Kyle Edmund and Heather Watson all playing at the same time.Murray came from a set down to defeat James Duckworth, with his movement improving steadily throughout the match. Hantuchova gives an insight into what it’s like to return from injury, and draws a fascinating comparison between Halep’s on-court negativity and Murray’s emotional ramblings.Edmund, meanwhile, broke down physically in a four-set loss to Paolo Lorenzi. What happened?Elsewhere, Stan Wawrinka eased past Grigor Dimitrov. Nobody was surprised by the result, but the 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 scoreline was alarmingly lop-sided. Why is Dimitrov struggling so much in 2018? Does he need to become less ‘stubborn’?In the night session, Serena's dress and Nadal's sleeveless top caught the eye.David and Catherine will be back with daily shows throughout the US Open fortnight. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with the Telegraph and sponsored by Amazon Prime Video, the new home of the US Open in the UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Aug 201830min