Roland Garros Day 12 - Semis reviewed, Alcaraz-Djokovic previewed with Mary Carillo

The day after the pre-tournament favourite Petra Kvitova went out of Wimbledon she was followed onto the sidelines by her compatriot Karolina Pliskova.That means The Tennis Podcast team’s two picks for the women's title are not going to win the event, and so our predictions lie in tatters …Was Pliskova losing really that big a shock? What does that mean for Jo Konta? Is she, as some bookmakers have suggested, now the clear favourite for title? It’s a question that led to BBC Radio 5 Live colleagues and Tennis Podcast presenters Catherine Whitaker and David Law having a massive argument on the show.All other significant day 4 results are covered, including straightforward wins for Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. And finally, we wish Bethanie Mattek Sands a quick recovery after her awful fall at Wimbledon yesterday.The Tennis Podcast is a downloadable tennis radio show which is produced in association with Telegraph Sport and Eurosport. A new Tennis Podcast will be out after play every night during Wimbledon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Juli 201733min

The Tennis Podcast team reckon Jo Konta entered the consciousness of more British people than at any time in her career thanks to her classic 10-8 final set win on Wimbledon’s Centre Court against Donna Vekic. An Australian Open semifinal, a title win in Miami and a Top 10 ranking were enough to get year-round tennis fans on-board, but Wimbledon is where stars are made and this was a perfect setting. How did Konta do it? Was it a Vekic capitulation, or did Konta wrestle the win away from her? Presenters Catherine Whitaker and David Law, who are part of the BBC 5 Live Wimbledon team, discuss.What did they make of the form of Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, who were both straight sets winners?Flying ants, a Daniil Medvedev meltdown, and a big old argument about who should be on Centre Court on Friday are also part of the show, particular after Heather Watson set up a showdown with Victoria Azarenka. The prediction of Law that Petra Kvitova would win the women’s title is also thrown under the microscope. She lost in round two …The Tennis Podcast is a downloadable tennis radio show which is produced in association with Telegraph Sport and Eurosport. A new Tennis Podcast will be out after play every night during Wimbledon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Juli 201738min

The Day Two Tennis Podcast from Wimbledon is dominated by discussion of injury retirements and whether the Grand Slam tournaments need to change their rules to stop players taking to the court with physical problems to ensure they still get a £35,000 first-round loser cheque.The team quote Andy Murray from the US Open 2015. He seems to have the solution.Meanwhile, presenter David Law gives us an insight into new Team Novak Djokovic. The three-time champion practised with his new coaching team of Andre Agassi and former Wimbledon semifinalist Mario Ancic. Afterwards, they fist-bumped and before going their separate ways, Ancic spoke to Law about the set-up of the new team. Law and fellow BBC Radio 5 Live broadcaster Catherine Whitaker also discuss the comments of Bernard Tomic, who admitted after a straight sets defeat that he took an injury time-out to try to change the flow of his match and interrupt his opponent’s momentum. He also claimed to have ‘no motivation’ at Wimbledon. The Tennis Podcast is a downloadable tennis radio show which is produced in association with Telegraph Sport and Eurosport. A new Tennis Podcast will be out after play every night during Wimbledon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Juli 201736min

US Open champion Stan Wawrinka lost, Andy Murray’s hip looked fine, he revealed his penchant for watching Peppa Pig, and Jo Konta was calm personified in a first-round win. Those were the headline talking points on The Tennis Podcast after day one at Wimbledon.Presenters Catherine Whitaker and David Law, who are part of the BBC Radio 5 Live team at Wimbledon, convened to talk through a cracking opening day. Everyone was watching Murray’s movement closely, and he looked bemused by the interest after his straight sets win over Alexander Bublik. Rafael Nadal looked awesome against John Millman. Can Marin Cilic really see off both Murray and Nadal to reach the final, as Law has picked him to do in their pre-tournament predictions?Petra Kvitova had played only a couple of tournaments since returning from a knife attack in her home at the start of the year, yet she’s the favourite for the title with the bookmakers. How did she look on day one?And Whitaker and Law also discuss a marathon win for Aljaz Bedene over the giant Croatian Ivo Karlovic, the big wins for Konta and Heather Watson, and the sorry tale of Stan Wawrinka on grass - he was beaten by the very promising young Russian, Daniil Medvedev. The Tennis Podcast is a downloadable tennis radio show which is produced in association with Telegraph Sport and Eurosport. A new Tennis Podcast will be out after play every night during Wimbledon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Juli 201737min

Andy Murray has a sore hip, Novak Djokovic isn’t in the form of 12-18 months ago, Rafael Nadal hasn’t reached the Wimbledon quarters for six years and Roger Federer is closer to 40 years of age than 30. But according to Federer, on the pre-Wimbledon edition of The Tennis Podcast, the Big Four are still the players to beat in the men’s draw. “Andy, Rafa and Novak are the clear favourites to me,” Federer told podcast host Catherine Whitaker. “Andy is the champion and Rafa is coming off an unbelievable run at the French Open. He comes with a lot of confidence even if he doesn’t have the matches on grass. Novak is going to pick up his game. Once he gets rolling and into the second week things are going to look very different - both in terms of how you guys in the media look at him and in the locker room. The same thing for Andy. The last five months have been good ones for me, I feel healthy, which is where I wanted to be for Wimbledon. I’m very excited.”Whitaker also interviews Nadal on his hopes at Wimbledon, John McEnroe on the fitness of Murray, and the returning Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka. All can be heard on this pre-Wimbledon edition of the Tennis Podcast.Whitaker and co-host David Law will both be part of the BBC Radio 5 Live Wimbledon coverage this fortnight, and they record this edition of The Tennis Podcast overlooking the practice courts. They go through the various runners and riders, and make their predictions. Neither with much confidence. A new Tennis Podcast will be out after play every night during Wimbledon. It is produced in association with Telegraph Sport and Eurosport, who have a highlights show every night from Wimbledon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Juli 201733min

The final Tennis Podcast from the Aegon Championships at The Queen’s Club features the men of the hour, live.The champion Feliciano Lopez tells Catherine Whitaker and Gigi Salmon just what becoming the oldest man in the Open era means to him.“It’s the best week of my life,” says Lopez. “Not only to win at Queen’s but to beat those players (Stan Wawrinka, Tomas Berdych, Grigor Dimitrov and Marin Cilic in the final). It makes it so special. I take a lot of pride in being the oldest champion in the Open era. It’s a dream for me. This tournament is so special, and outside of the four Slams this is the tournament I wanted most to win.”After that, the vanquished Cilic joined the podcast to talk about the pain of losing 7-6 in the third after holding match point. In lighter moments, he revealed that his encouragement to himself during matches is to shout ‘Emperor’ in Croatian, that he didn’t mind Goran Ivanisevic calling him second favourite for the Wimbledon title - “So, there’s a... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Juni 201727min

The final of the Aegon Championships is upon us, and although it might lack the top 3 seeds Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic, who all lost on Tuesday, the Tennis Podcast team is predicting an emotional day.The previous final appearance of Feliciano Lopez, in 2014, ended in an agonising loss in a final set tie-break. That was after he had held match point, and it hurt the Spaniard more than just any other loss in his career. 'I’ve wanted to win this tournament so badly throughout my whole career," Lopez told Catherine Whitaker. "Now I have another chance," she saiidMarin Cilic has reached the final before, and won the tournament. The only problem is that nobody can remember any of the tennis in it. On that day, his opponent, David Nalbandian was disqualied for kicking a wooden sponsor box that injured the leg of a lines judge. Cilic is in for a very busy day. After the singles final he plays the conclusion of his doubles semifinal against Jamie Murray and Bruno... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Juni 201726min

While the world discussed the positive test of Dan Evans on Friday, Grigor Dimitrov, Feliciano Lopez, Marin Cilic and Gilles Muller were making their way to the semifinals of the Aegon Championships.In the latest Tennis Podcast, we hear the statement read by Evans after his positive test for cocaine. One of the semifinalist at Queen’s - Gilles Muller - joins presenters Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) and Gigi Salmon (BBC) to celebrate National Luxembourg Day, talk about the first two titles of his career at the age of 23, and how his driving force to play through injuries had been to play in front of his two young sons. We also hear from Dimitrov, who is getting closer to the title he won three years ago, and Lopez, the man that he edged out in three tie-break sets three years ago. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Juni 201731min