Next Gen, Politics and 2024

Serena Williams’ dream of becoming the first tennis player to win a calendar-year Grand Slam in 27 years was dashed by Roberta Vinci, who had never previously taken a set from her, never gone beyond a major quarterfinal, and lost more tennis matches than she had won in 2015 prior to the US Open. Afterwards, the Telegraph’s Tennis Correspondent Simon Briggs joined BBC Radio 5 Live commentator David Law on the Tennis Podcast to try to make sense of it all, and answer the question ‘was this the biggest tennis upset ever?’.  Earlier, Flavia Pennetta set up an all-Italian final, and so the Tennis Podcast spoke to Vincenzo Martucci, veteran tennis writer of 37 years for Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. In his final year in the job, he suddenly found himself covering the biggest story of his career. There’s a preview of a mouth-watering men’s singles final on Sunday - the 42nd edition of Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic (the head-to-head is 21-20), and Jamie Murray’s quest for a first Grand... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Sep 201511min

After a frustrating day of rain at the US Open on Thursday, the silver lining is Fantastic Friday, with all four of the men’s and women’s semifinals played on the same day. The Tennis Podcast’s David Law (BBC Radio 5 Live) and Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) get together to look forward to the action, with special guests Mark Philippoussis - the 1998 US Open runner-up, and Goran Ivanisevic - coach of defending champion Marin Cilic.  Philippoussis looks back on when he was the first ever opponent of Roger Federer in a Grand Slam tournament 12 years ago, assessing his incredible longevity, while Ivanisevic talks about the chances of his man Cilic against Novak Djokovic.  And back by popular demand (or, if we’re honest, in spite of no demand whatsover), Catherine and David give their predictions for the four semifinals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Sep 201525min

A run of 18 straight Grand Slam quarterfinals came to an end for Andy Murray as Kevin Anderson reached the last 8 of a major tournament for the first time in his career. What did the Telegraph’s tennis correspondent Simon Briggs make of it? He joined the Tennis Podcast’s David Law (a BBC 5 Live commentator) and Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) to reflect on Murray’s exit, discuss the main reasons for it, and whether it will prove a silver lining for Britain’s hopes in next week’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas semifinal against Australia in Glasgow. In a strange turn of events, Britain’s Johanna Konta went out just 20 minutes earlier, but her run was reason for celebration according to our Tennis Podcast team. And what of Venus against Serena Williams in the quarterfinals. Can Venus cause a sensational upset by ending her sister’s calendar Grand Slam dream? Who will the crowd pull for? Catherine, David and Simon preview that and reflect on the rest of a tournament which has been as exhilarating as it... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Sep 201523min

After Andy Murray and Johanna Konta reached the last 32 of the US Open in 3-hour + epics, The Tennis Podcast discussed their post-match moods, which could hardly have been more different. While Konta celebrated the best win of her career - over the Wimbledon runner-up Garbine Muguruza - Murray went two sets down before roaring back to beat Adrian Mannarino in 5 in draining humidity. Telegraph tennis correspondent Simon Briggs joined presenters David Law (BBC Radio 5 Live) and Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) to reflect on the British  victories, discuss how Murray looked ‘a shell of himself’ in Catherine’s post-match interview, and how Konta seems like a different player to the one that has languished well outside the Top 100 for years.  Will Murray bounce back to go all the way? Can Konta cause another shock against the 18th seed Andrea Petkovic? And how have the big names looked in the first few days? The Tennis Podcast discusses it all. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Sep 201516min

Will Serena clinch the Calendar Grand Slam? What now for injured Sharapova? And could Belinda Bencic cause an upset? And on the men's side, can Federer win a magical 18th Major? Will Djokovic seal his place among the greats? Could Murray muscle in on the action? Or will 'the walking headline' Nick Kyrgios take him out in the first round?David Law is joined by The Telegraph's Tennis Correspondent Simon Briggs to preview the 2015 US Open! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Aug 201531min

With a week to go until the US Open, Roger Federer has joined Andy Murray in beating Novak Djokovic in a big final to throw the year’s final Grand Slam tournament wide open.In the latest Tennis Podcast, produced in association with The Telegraph, presenter David Law talks to co-host Catherine Whitaker, who was courtside at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, about Federer’s latest age-defying feat.After 17 years as a professional, he appeared to ‘invent’ new strokes in Cincinnati, while playing more aggressively at the net than at any other time in his career. Could this lead to an extraordinary 18th Grand Slam title in New York? We hear his post-match reaction as he explains why he is hitting his backhand better than ever, and how he decided to celebrate with his twin daughters.Meanwhile, are these worrying moments for Djokovic fans? After the final, he explained how short of form he feels and therefore how well he did to reach the final at all. Catherine and David... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Aug 201544min

Andy Murray has beaten Novak Djokovic for the first time since the 2013 Wimbledon final to win the Rogers Cup in Montreal, and in an interview with Tennis Podcast presenter Catherine Whitaker immediately afterwards, he talked about the significance of the victory. Had the two-year, eight-match losing streak against Djokovic had been preying on his mind? Does the win give him belief that he can make it to World Number One? And what was his reaction to the news that his coach Amelie Mauresmo gave birth to a baby boy on the morning that he won the final? All of those questions are answered in this interview on the Tennis Podcast. Whitaker and co-presenter David Law (BBC 5 Live) give their views about the significance of the win, review the performance of Belinda Bencic who beat six Grand Slam finalists and champions in a row to win the title in Toronto. Also discussed is the fall-out from the words uttered on court by Nick Kyrgios.  The Tennis Podcast is produced in association... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Aug 201523min

The Tennis Podcast is back after a few weeks of holiday, and before we get into the fall-out from Nick Kyrgios and cover the latest from both the Tours, here’s an exclusive interview with the great Pete Sampras. This week, Sampras has been in Knokke, Belgium playing in the Optima Open, one of the tournaments on the ATP Champions Tour. Today he meets Xavier Malisse in the final. Our reporter Stuart Fraser caught up with him to ask if he thinks Roger Federer can win another Grand Slam, whether Rafael Nadal can come again, and the rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Plus, can he see Serena Williams wrapping up the calendar Slam in New York? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Aug 20156min