US Open Day 11 - Bad, Bizarre, Brilliant: Women’s semis reviewed; Men’s semis preview

It’s getting ridiculous now. After Rafael Nadal takes Roland Garros for the 12th time, Catherine, David and Matt chat on The Tennis Podcast about where the final was won and lost against Dominic Thiem, before trying to put Nadal’s achievements into context. Was the first set one of the best ever in a Grand Slam final? How did Nadal outlast Thiem both mentally and physically throughout the match? And can Thiem take heart from this defeat, knowing that he won a set at least, or was it further evidence that the gap to Nadal on clay is unbridgeable? Looking ahead, will Nadal transfer this form to grass? How many more French Open titles might he be able to win? And can he surpass Federer’s all-time Grand Slam record? There’s also a rundown of all the other significant results from this year’s tournament, and a reflection on what made it such a memorable French Open. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily at the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with The Telegraph. It will be back daily at the Fever-Tree Championships at The Queen's Club, 16-23 June. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Jun 201943min

Ash Barty has become a Grand Slam singles champion, just as David Law predicted would happen this year on The Tennis Podcast over a month ago. We are never going to hear the end of it.On the penultimate day of the 2019 French Open, David is joined by Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts to chat about how Barty did it, and gloat about his prediction. What makes Barty so popular? If clay is not her favourite surface, will she now go on to win more Grand Slams elsewhere, particularly on the grass at Wimbledon? And how much of an impact did the delayed start time have on Marketa Vondrousova? In the men’s event, Djokovic’s quest to hold all four Grand Slam titles for the second time was ended by Dominic Thiem. How did Thiem use his variety to disrupt Djokovic? Why did we not see the relentless brilliance from Djokovic? What did both players have to say about last night’s premature suspension of play? And how will Thiem get on against Nadal in the final? The Tennis Podcast will be produced daily throughout Roland Garros, the Fever-Tree Championships and Wimbledon. It is produced in association with The Telegraph. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Jun 201932min

Day 13 at Roland Garros saw unpredictability and excitement in the women’s draw, the top men’s seeds playing well, rain and wind affecting conditions, and some baffling scheduling decisions. In short, it was in keeping with the themes of this year’s tournament. Catherine, David and Matt are together on the podcast to talk it all through. In the women’s semi-finals, did Jo Konta choke against Marketa Vondrousova? What did Konta have to say about her match being scheduled on Court Simonne-Mathieu? And how did Ash Barty eventually beat Amanda Anisimova in a rollercoaster match? The marquee match of the day was Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal, so why was the stadium so empty at the start? And how did Nadal use the conditions to his advantage? By contrast, why does the wind irritate Djokovic so much? Why was the match stopped early despite there being at least another hour of playable conditions? And will Thiem be able to handle the mental challenge of coming back tomorrow to finish off? Finally, looking ahead to the women’s final, will Vondrousova’s lack of experience on Chatrier harm her chances against Barty? And is it acceptable that they have been given a Not Before start time? The Tennis Podcast will be produced daily throughout Roland Garros, The Fever-Tree Championships and Wimbledon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Jun 201952min

The champions was dethrone and a new star confirmed as Simona Halep was beaten by Amanda Anisimova, the 17-year-old reaching the semifinals of the French Open.How did she do it? Catherine Whitaker is joined by Simon Briggs of the Telegraph to talk it through. Is Halep too content to compete at the level she needs to, or Anisimova simply not give her the chance? Is Anisimova’s backhand the best in tennis, man or woman?The American will now face Ash Barty, who overcame Madison Keys. So who is the favourite now? Is Jo Konta going to go all the way?In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic hammered Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem did the same to Karen Khachanov to set up a semifinal clash. What will happen tomorrow?And then there’s the schedule, which does not put the two women’s semifinals on the Philippe Chatrier court because of yesterday’s rain. Is that really acceptable? Was there nothing more that could have been done? And what are the WTA saying about it?The Tennis Podcast is daily throughout the French Open, the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s, and Wimbledon.It is produced in association with Telegraph Sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Jun 201939min

It’s been 20 years since Andrei Medvedev, ranked No.100 in the world, beat Pete Sampras and Gustavo Kuerten to reach the final at Roland Garros. Matt spoke to him to find out his memories of that run. Is it true that just a few weeks earlier he had told Andre Agassi that he wanted to quit tennis? How did it feel to then be across the net from Agassi in the French Open final? And what caused him to lose a two-set lead on that day? In an in-depth interview, Medvedev also opens up about how his happy love life brought out his best tennis, and whether he has any regrets about his career. Finally, he also gives his views on tennis today. What does he think of on-court coaching? Does he see similarities between himself and Alexander Zverev? What does he make of the Davis Cup changes? Who is he predicting to win this year’s French Open? And how many Grand Slams does he think Federer, Nadal and Djokovic still have left in them? There will be daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout Roland Garros, the Fever-Tree Championships and Wimbledon. It is produced in association with The Telegraph. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Jun 20191h 3min

An exciting day at Roland Garros has set up two tantalising semi-finals: Britain’s Jo Konta will meet 19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova, while Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will renew their rivalry. On The Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker and David Law, who can barely contain their excitement, discuss it all.Has Konta ever played a better match than the one she played to blitz Sloane Stephens? How nice was it to see her looking so happy on court? And how will she cope against the extraordinary variety of Vondrousova?In the men’s draw, why does Kei Nishikori keep disappointing in the big matches? How much of a factor was Wawrinka's fatigue versus Federer? And what might happen when Federer pits his new game against Nadal on clay for the first time?There will be daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout Roland Garros, the Fever-Tree Championships and Wimbledon. *** SOCIAL MEDIA ***Instagram - http://po.st/TTP_InstagramTwitter - http://po.st/TTP_TwitterFacebook - http://po.st/TTP_Facebook Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Jun 201935min

It wouldn’t be a Grand Slam without at least one daily Tennis Podcast featuring Mary Carillo. Joining Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts at the champagne bar at Roland Garros, Mary taps into her mind palace to unleash her usual combination of hilarious anecdotes and piercing tennis wisdom. Does Tsitsipas have what it takes to be the next apex predator of men’s tennis? What improvements can he still make to his serve? What is Madison Keys’ best surface? How has coach Dmitri Zavialoff helped Jo Konta on clay? And why has Federer vs Wawrinka not been scheduled on Court Philippe Chatrier? Elsewhere, all the results from day 9 are covered, including Simona Halep’s convincing win over Iga Swiatek, Alexander Zverev’s best ever win at a Grand Slam, history for teenage sensation Amanda Anisimova, and Karen Khachanov's love affair with Paris.There will be daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout Roland Garros, The Fever-Tree Championships, and Wimbledon. It is produced in association with The Telegraph. *** Social Media *** Instagram - http://po.st/TTP_InstagramTwitter - http://po.st/TTP_TwitterFacebook - http://po.st/TTP_Facebook Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Jun 201955min

It is hard to imagine that we will see a better tennis match than Stan Wawrinka vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas this fortnight, or even this year.Five sets and more than five hours of intoxicating drama, and spellbinding shotmaking which forms the centrepiece of our Day 8 Tennis Podcast from the French Open. How did Wawrinka outlast a man well over 10 years his junior? What state was Tsitsipas in when he spoke about it afterwards? (Matt Roberts went along to find out). And how do Matt and Catherine Whitaker rate Wawrinka’s chances against Roger Federer in the quarterfinals?Elsewhere, Johanna Konta is a 100%, cast-iron member of ‘The Mix’ after her straight sets defeat of Donna Vekic. She now faces Sloane Stephens in the last 8. So who will win? The performances of Federer and Rafael Nadal are also covered, and there’s reaction to Dominic Thiem’s anger at being moved from the biggest interview room to make way for Serena Williams yesterday. The Tennis Podcast will be daily throughout the French Open, the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s, and Wimbledon.It is produced in association with Telegraph Sport.The Rafael Nadal Story - A Tennis Podcast SpecialListen - http://po.st/Nadal_Story Download - http://po.st/Nadal_Download iTunes - http://po.st/Nadal_Apple Spotify - http://po.st/Nadal_Spotify The Tennis Podcast LinksInstagram - http://po.st/TTP_InstagramTwitter - http://po.st/TTP_TwitterFacebook - http://po.st/TTP_FacebookWebsite - https://www.thetennispodcast.net/Shop - http://po.st/TTP_ShopNewsletter Sign Up - http://po.st/TTP_Newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Jun 201936min