WTA Finals - Goran to guide Rybakina as Draws revealed

All eyes were on the blockbuster Naomi Osaka vs. Garbine Muguruza and Serena Williams vs. Aryna Sabalenka matches on Sunday, and they didn’t disappoint. How did Osaka manage to raise her game when she needed it most? Did Muguruza get tight at the finish? And where did Serena’s incredible movement and defence come from? We also discuss what makes Su-Wei Hsieh’s presence in the quarter-finals so exciting for the tournament and why Simona Halep seems to be in a really good place. In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic took to the court and beat Milos Raonic for the 12th time. How much did his side strain affect his play? And how might he fare against Alexander Zverev next? Plus, how did Grigor Dimitrov beat Dominic Thiem so easily? And what happened for Aslan Karatsev to come from two sets down to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime? The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*EMAIL*We hope that the podcast helps to provide some form of escape during these challenging times. If you ever feel like writing to us, our e-mail is open – info@tennispodcast.net*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Feb 20211h 8min

Saturday was the quietest day of this Australian Open so far, in all senses of the word. The fans were sorely missed and there wasn’t quite the same amount of drama or fun as previous days. But it was still a Grand Slam day, meaning there was still plenty for us to discuss, including:Silent stadia - pros and consNadal makes progress; Will Fognini stop him?Berrettini wins, but bigger battles awaitTsitsipas enjoys a quiet lifeWhat happened to Daniil Medvedev?Just how good is Casper Ruud?Barty braced for deep run. Who can stop her?'Jen' Brady, perhapsThe curious case of Karolina PliskovaThe Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*EMAIL*We hope that the podcast helps to provide some form of escape during these challenging times. If you ever feel like writing to us, our e-mail is open – info@tennispodcast.net*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Feb 20211h 5min

Well that was one of the most surreal nights of tennis we’ve ever seen. The announcement of a Victoria state lockdown from midnight in Melbourne put the attendance of fans at the Australian Open on a ticking clock and led to one of the most electric atmospheres imaginable for all five mesmerising sets of Nick Kyrgios vs. Dominic Thiem and then to a mass exodus of fans mid-way through Novak Djokovic’s match against Taylor Fritz. The rest of it, as Djokovic struggled on through injury to win in a decider, was played in eerie silence. We did our best to process it all on the podcast. It was also a day which saw Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek set up blockbuster R4 matches against Garbine Muguruza, Aryna Sabalenka and Simona Halep respectively. Their performances are analysed, Su-Wei Hsieh’s post-match interview is praised, and we learn about Aslan Karatsev. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*EMAIL*We hope that the podcast helps to provide some form of escape during these challenging times. If you ever feel like writing to us, our e-mail is open – info@tennispodcast.net*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Feb 20211h 3min

After the joy of Wednesday’s atmosphere at Melbourne Park, Day 4 at the Australian Open had a tough act to follow, but it certainly delivered drama.Why was it not surprising that defending champion Sofia Kenin lost? How did Stefanos Tsitsipas find himself in a five set battle with Thanasi Kokkinakis? Should we be talking about Karolina Pliskova as a title contender? Is Jennifer Brady in the mix now? How did Rafael Nadal react to being given the middle finger by a fan? And what on earth was the post-match aggro between Fabio Fognini and Salvatore Caruso all about? The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*EMAIL*We hope that the podcast helps to provide some form of escape during these challenging times. If you ever feel like writing to us, our e-mail is open – info@tennispodcast.net*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Feb 202159min

Days of tennis don’t come much better than that. In a packed podcast, we cover: The joy of tennis with crowdsKyrgios sending Melbourne Park into a frenzy Inspirational Venus carrying on despite injury, but losing to Errani Hsieh bamboozling Andreescu Tiafoe testing Djokovic on a hot and quick Rod Laver ArenaFucsovics beating Wawrinka in fifth set tiebreak Halep coming back from the brink against Tomljanovic Osaka, Swiatek and Serena easing through Cirstea upsetting Kvitova Tank tops and tennis bodies - a new perspectiveThe Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*EMAIL*We hope that the podcast helps to provide some form of escape during these challenging times. If you ever feel like writing to us, our e-mail is open – info@tennispodcast.net*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Feb 20211h 16min

Even on a relatively quiet day at the Australian Open, there were still significant results and storylines which altered the feel of the tournament. We discuss Sofia Kenin’s nerves, the ongoing talking point about how much hard quarantine is affecting players and impacting results, defeats for Maria Sakkari and Victoria Azarenka which have opened up their quarter, a 6-0 6-0 victory for Ash Barty, an injury for Jo Konta, how Rafael Nadal’s back held up in his straight-sets victory, Dan Evans’ disappointment at losing to Cameron Norrie, and Stefanos Tsitsipas' very awkward post-match interview. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*EMAIL*We hope that the podcast helps to provide some form of escape during these challenging times. If you ever feel like writing to us, our e-mail is open – info@tennispodcast.net*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Feb 20211h

After an exhilarating opening day at the Australian Open - featuring dominant performance from the leading women’s contenders and culminating in a five-set epic under the lights - Catherine, David and Matt had plenty to discuss on the pod. In what ways did both Shapovalov and Sinner impress in their late night epic? How did Kyrgios respond to Djokovic’s comment that he doesn’t “respect” him off court? Who sent the biggest statement - Halep, Serena or Osaka? What did Kerber have to say about the impact of 14-day quarantine after her heavy defeat? Why did Gael Monfils get so emotional in his press conference? And how did it feel to watch Andreescu play and win a tennis match again? The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*EMAIL*We hope that the podcast helps to provide some form of escape during these challenging times. If you ever feel like writing to us, our e-mail is open – info@tennispodcast.net*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Feb 20211h 5min

There have been moments over the last few days, weeks and months when the chances of there even being an Australian Open in 2021 have felt slim. But one of the great feats of organisation has been pulled off, some bullets have been dodged, our fingers remain crossed, and play is set to get underway in a few hours. In this episode we wrap up the results from the six lead-in tournaments. What is Dan Evans’ ranking ceiling after he won his first ATP title? Why has Felix Auger-Aliassime not even won a set in his seven finals? Will Jannik Sinner be physically compromised after his efforts this week? In what way did Ash Barty send a statement to the rest of the tour in her victory over Garbine Muguruza? And is Andrey Rublev in the Australian Open mix? We also discuss the major talking points from the pre tournament press conferences, including what Novak Djokovic thinks of Nick Kyrgios, Iga Swiatek’s honesty about how she’s dealing with being a Grand Slam champion, updates on the fitness of Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep, and some feel-good stories from Francesca Jones. The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments.*NEWSLETTER*Sign up to get our news, offers, predictions and Matt’s Stat - http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX*EMAIL*We hope that the podcast helps to provide some form of escape during these challenging times. If you ever feel like writing to us, our e-mail is open – info@tennispodcast.net*SOCIAL MEDIA* Twitter - https://twitter.com/TennisPodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Feb 20211h 3min