WTA Finals - Goran to guide Rybakina as Draws revealed

While last week’s pod introduced us to a lot of new names, this week was all about the established stars as Iga Swiatek, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz won titles. Catherine, David and Matt discuss all of that as well as more struggles for Dominic Thiem, Novak Djokovic earning the most weeks ever as World No.1, and the incredible story of Matija Pecotic in Delray Beach. ON LOCATIONThis edition of The Tennis Podcast is sponsored by On location, the premium experience and hospitality provider. On Location will be sending us to the BNP PARIBAS Open in Indian Wells on one of Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours packages to produce lots of new podcasts. To check out their packages to Indian Wells, Miami and all of the Grand Slam tournaments, go to tours4tennis.com/podcastLINKSBecome a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows. Friends also get a 5% discount on Steve Furgal's International Tennis Tours.Sign 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)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopRead our New York Times profile Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Feb 20231h 10min

New blood is the talk of the pod this week. Alycia Parks, Wu Yibing and Artur Fils are at embryonic stages of their careers, but goodness me they are exciting. We talk about why, cover all of the main results and news stories that have taken place since The Australian Open, and get pumped for what is to come. ON LOCATIONThis edition of The Tennis Podcast is sponsored by On location, the premium experience and hospitality provider. On Location will be sending us to the BNP PARIBAS Open in Indian Wells on one of Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours packages to produce lots of new podcasts. To check out their packages to Indian Wells, Miami and all of the Grand Slam tournaments, go to tours4tennis.com/podcastLINKSBecome a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows. Friends also get a 5% discount on Steve Furgal's International Tennis Tours.Sign 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)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopRead our New York Times profile Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Feb 20231h 10min

Novak Djokovic is a 10-time Australian Open winner and 22-time Grand Slam champion after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets on Sunday. Catherine, David and Matt discuss the match, why we were a bit disappointed by Tsitsipas' performance, the enormously emotional reaction from Djokovic when he won, what this means for the Grand Slam Race, and much more. *WIN A 3-NIGHT STAY AT THE MIAMI OPEN!*On Location, our Australian Open sponsor, has given us one of Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours packages to the Miami Open presented by Itau, in March to give away to one lucky Tennis Podcast Newsletter subscriber! For full details, go to tours4tennis.com/podcastBecome a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows.Sign 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.

29 Jan 20231h 10min

Wow. We wanted a great final and we got a spectacular one as Aryna Sabalenka came from a set down to beat Elena Rybakina and win her first Grand Slam title. Catherine, David and Matt gather in Garden Square to react to the match, discuss Sabalenka's journey to this point, and consider what it might mean for her career. There's also live reaction to the Sensations - Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler - winning the men's doubles title, a round up of all the results including wheelchair matches and juniors, before a segment with Jim Courier to preview Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas. Our full chat with Jim is available exclusively for Friends of The Tennis Podcast. *WIN A 3-NIGHT STAY AT THE MIAMI OPEN!*On Location, our Australian Open sponsor, has given us one of Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours packages to the Miami Open presented by Itau, in March to give away to one lucky Tennis Podcast Newsletter subscriber! For full details, go to tours4tennis.com/podcastBecome a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows. Sign 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.

28 Jan 20231h 2min

Catherine, David and Matt react to the men's semi-finals which saw Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Karen Khachanov to reach a first Australian Open final and Novak Djokovic beat Tommy Paul to reach a tenth. We discuss the way in which Djokovic still won without his best tennis, how he dealt in press with the controversy surrounding his father and how he made his position clear on the war, the spectacular sight that was Tsitsipas' forehand, and how much their history against one another will affect the outcome on Sunday. We also look ahead to the women's final between Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka. How on earth are we supposed to predict what might happen between two such in form players? And what could make the difference? *WIN A 3-NIGHT STAY AT THE MIAMI OPEN!*On Location, our Australian Open sponsor, has given us one of Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours packages to the Miami Open presented by Itau, in March to give away to one lucky Tennis Podcast Newsletter subscriber! For full details, go to tours4tennis.com/podcastBecome a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows.Sign 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.

27 Jan 20231h

Get ready for power in the women's final on Saturday after Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka set up what promises to be a fearsome showdown on Saturday. How did Rybakina win the first set against Victoria Azarenka despite her first serve going missing? Just how impressive was Sabalenka to overcome her Grand Slam semi-final scar tissue? And how will they match up against each other in the final? Elsewhere, with tennis crossing over into geopolitics in the last 24 hours, after Novak Djokovic's father was filmed posing for photos with Vladimir Putin supporters, Simon Briggs joins Catherine, David and Matt to talk about what Djokovic's response might be and whether players have a responsibility to denounce those scenes. Finally, there's good news for the Australian sensations in doubles, we look ahead to Friday's men's semi-finals, and we celebrate the Original 9 after they were honoured on Thursday. *WIN A 3-NIGHT STAY AT THE MIAMI OPEN!*On Location, our Australian Open sponsor, has given us one of Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours packages to the Miami Open presented by Itau, in March to give away to one lucky Tennis Podcast Newsletter subscriber! For full details, go to tours4tennis.com/podcastBecome a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows.Sign 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.

26 Jan 202358min

As the semi-final line-ups were complete, we were thrilled to welcome Pam Shriver onto the show to talk all about her experience coaching Donna Vekic at this year's Australian Open. Pam opens up about why she's enjoyed the fortnight so much, what she sees as Vekic's potential, how she prepared Vekic for her quarter-final against Aryna Sabalenka, and what happened to Vekic's serve in that match. We also talk about Magda Linette's breakthrough, why Andrey Rublev's match against Novak Djokovic was disappointing, and whether Tommy Paul can fare better against the nine-time champion in the semis. *WIN A 3-NIGHT STAY AT THE MIAMI OPEN!*On Location, our Australian Open sponsor, has given us one of Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours packages to the Miami Open presented by Itau, in March to give away to one lucky Tennis Podcast Newsletter subscriber! For full details, go to tours4tennis.com/podcastBecome a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows.Sign 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.

25 Jan 20231h 5min

It wasn't a vintage day at the Australian Open with three straight sets matches and one retirement, but there was a vintage performance by Victoria Azarenka as she beat Jessica Pegula 6-4 6-1 to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne for the first time since her title run in 2013. Catherine, David and Matt talk all about that, as well as her extraordinary press conference in which she opened up about the fears and anxiety she experienced last year. There's also our take on what went wrong for Jessica Pegula and where it leaves her, and another fearsome display by Elena Rybakina. Is she now the favourite for the title? On the men's side, there's chat about the scintillating form of Stefanos Tsitsipas and how Karen Khachanov has quietly turned himself into a Grand Slam specialist.*WIN A 3-NIGHT STAY AT THE MIAMI OPEN!*On Location, our Australian Open sponsor, has given us one of Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours packages to the Miami Open presented by Itau, in March to give away to one lucky Tennis Podcast Newsletter subscriber! For full details, go to tours4tennis.com/podcastBecome a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to help us to produce the show year-round, and receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2023, including Tennis Re-Lived, listener questions pods, and Grand Slam review shows.Sign 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.

24 Jan 20231h 3min