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

It was a surreal day in Glasgow as Great Britain won all three matches in straight sets to defeat Spain and reach the semi-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time since 1981. David and Matt discuss how it happened, from Heather Watson's superb performance to get things going, to Harriet Dart upsetting Paula Badosa, to the relatively unknown duo of Alicia Barnett and Olivia Nicholls combining to win the decisive point. Elsewhere, there's chat about Australia booking their last four spot by beating Belgium, Canada and Czech Republic getting their campaigns going, and lots of excitement for tomorrow's ties.Want to go watch the Bille Jean King Cup Finals this week in Glasgow? Tickets are available now.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.

11 Nov 202248min

Well we got the epic matches we were craving at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, but at the cost of a post-midnight finish in Glasgow.David and Matt chat about deciding set tiebreak wins for Jil Teichmann, Nuria Parrizas Diaz and Danielle Collins, a welcome return to form for Paula Badosa, a disappointing display from Madison Keys, and an emphatic victory for Coco Gauff and Caty McNally, AKA McCoco.We also hear Matt's chat with a cheery Belinda Bencic and Teichmann, we touch on the United Cup releasing its player field, and there's news of David vs Reilly Opelka on Twitter.Want to go watch the Bille Jean King Cup Finals this week in Glasgow? Tickets are available now.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 InstagramCheck out our ShopRead our New York Times profile Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Nov 202243min

Day 1 of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals from Glasgow is in the books and David, Catherine and Matt are all together to talk through Kazakhstan’s victory over Great Britain and Australia’s win against Slovakia. How did Rybakina and Putintseva display their quality over Dart and Boulter? How far can Australia go in this event? And why do we think people will come to love Ajla Tomljanovic when they see her on the Netflix series next year? We hear from Tomljanovic in conversation with Matt after her singles victory on Tuesday. Elsewhere, we review the final day of action in Fort Worth as Caroline Garcia beat Aryna Sabalenka to win the WTA Finals. What made it such a great match? And can Garcia carry this form into 2023? Want to go watch the Bille Jean King Cup Finals this week in Glasgow? Tickets are available now.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 InstagramCheck out our ShopRead our profile in The New York Times Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Nov 202254min

The Billie Jean King Cup Finals by Gainbridge are here, or in Glasgow to be more precise. There for us is Matt, who spent the day in and out of preview press conferences talking to the teams, captains and players.That meant being reunited with the Swiss team, who Matt interrogated after a controversial loss in the final last year. We hear all of the gossip and chat from behind the scenes, despite the lights going out on Matt mid-pod, and try to work out who is most likely to come through each group.Want to go watch the Bille Jean King Cup Finals this week in Glasgow? Tickets are available now. 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 InstagramCheck out our ShopRead our profile in The New York Times Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Nov 202243min

We knew Holger Rune was good, but did we know he was this good?What happened to Novak Djokovic in the final, and what can we expect from them both going forwards?Stefanos Tsitsipas has left the 'sweet-spot' behind. So now what?The WTA Finals final is set, but will Catherine (Sabaelnka) or David (Garcia) win?Plus, lots of news to catch up on.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 InstagramCheck out our ShopRead our profile in The New York Times Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Nov 20221h 4min

With the WTA Finals having reached the last four stage, David and Matt come together to wrap up the Round Robin action which saw some surprising results (Maria Sakkari finding her best form) and some unsurprising ones (Iga Swiatek serving up bagels). There’s chat about Sakkari playing with freedom again, Swiatek dominating everyone, a gripping and dramatic match between Caroline Garcia and Daria Kasatkina with semi-final qualification on the line, and the fact that Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff combined for a 0-9 win-loss record across singles and doubles. Did they just hit the wall? How will this week affect USA in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals next week? And do Pegula and Gauff need to reconsider the amount of doubles they play next year? We also preview the semi-finals and discuss the tricky situation which the WTA finds itself in regarding a host venue for this event after a week of disappointing crowds in Fort Worth. 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 InstagramCheck out our ShopRead our profile in The New York Times Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Nov 202254min

The WTA Finals are here and who better to preview the tournament than 10-time WTA Finals doubles champion Pam Shriver?! Pam joins Catherine and Matt to discuss what to expect from the next week in Fort Worth. What will the conditions be like and who will they favour? Can anyone stop Iga Swiatek? Can Coco Gauff make some headway in her rivalry with Swiatek? Does Ons Jabeur have something to prove? And how is Pam feeling about having a doubles group named after her? We also talk about Daniil Medvedev rediscovering his best form, a hat-trick of titles for Felix Auger-Aliassime and what it all means, the official launch of the United Cup, and how the landscape is looking regarding safeguarding on the WTA Tour, six months on from Pam’s interview with Catherine on the podcast. There’s also time for a quick Paris preview, chat about some WTA coaching changes, and for Pam to roast David. 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 InstagramCheck out our ShopRead our profile in The New York Times Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Okt 20221h 9min

The tennis world was shocked this week by the news that Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance at the US Open. We start this week's podcast by reacting to that news and how it fits into a turbulent year for Halep.Elsewhere, with David away on holiday, Catherine and Matt discuss Jessica Pegula seizing her moment in Guadalajara, the completion of the WTA Finals lineup, and a great week for Gen Z on the ATP Tour with Holger Rune, Lorenzo Musetti and Felix Auger-Aliassime all winning titles impressively. There's also excitement about the progress of both Bianca Andreescu and Dominic Thiem, a review of a chaotic week in Napoli, and a look ahead to this week's events in Vienna and Basel. 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 InstagramCheck out our ShopRead our profile in The New York Times Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Okt 20221h 2min