BJK Cup Finals Day 5 - Sara Errani, what did you just do?!

Hours after David Law joined Catherine Whitaker in Melbourne, Andy Murray came into the interview room, choked up with emotion, and revealed that he could no longer play with the pain that he is experiencing while trying to play tennis. He will retire at Wimbledon, if not before.Afterwards, David and Catherine got together, and instead of dissecting the draws, they reacted to the news that so many had feared was coming.They explain what the atmosphere was like in the room, what he said to Catherine in their Eurosport interview, and Catherine describes an emotional scene with his coach, Jamie Delgado.The Tennis Podcast will be produced daily throughout the Australian Open (and at all the Slams) after our Kickstarter was funded by our listeners.If you would like to chip in and have your name on the Tennis Podcast website backers page, you can, until it closes on Wednesday - http://po.st/TP_Kickstarter2019 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Jan 201933min

The opening week of the 2019 tennis season has come and gone, and there’s a lot for David and Catherine to discuss before they set off to Melbourne for the Australian Open.The Hopman Cup once again proved a big hit. Does anyone actually want the ATP Cup to replace it next year? What makes the Hopman Cup feel more significant than other exhibitions? And shouldn’t tennis be promoting mixed team competitions, not getting rid of the best one?After despairing at the whole situation (04:40), David and Catherine turn their attention to the tennis on display in Perth. Has Federer’s sparkling form boosted his prospects in Melbourne? (09:07) And did Serena Williams show enough to be considered the favourite for the Australian Open? (17:56)Elsewhere, how did Andy Murray perform in Brisbane? Can we look beyond the limp and find reasons for optimism? (23:02)In Doha, Novak Djokovic lost to Roberto Bautista-Agut. Does that defeat make any difference to his chances at the Australian Open? (37:48)David and Catherine also assess title-winning weeks for Kevin Anderson, Karolina Pliskova and Aryna Sabalenka. Where do they all rank in the list of favourites in Melbourne? (40:25)There’s also discussion about Naomi Osaka’s incredibly honest and reflective post-defeat press conference (32:58), and excitement over rising star Bianca Andreescu (44:41).The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with The Telegraph. ***KICKSTARTER 2019***Since last week’s show our Kickstarter has made some serious strides towards our target. We are now 83% funded with over 650 backers! Thanks to everyone who has supported us. The deadline is on Monday 14th January.Kickstarters are all-or-nothing, meaning we won’t get a penny unless we hit 100%. That could make for a nerve-wracking next week or so, but, with your help, we hope to get there.If you’d like to see us reach our funding goal, you can do your bit here: http://po.st/TP_Kickstarter2019Every single backer that wants to will have their name published on our website.There are also lots of rewards available if you’d like to get really involved – including the opportunity to introduce the pod, an invitation to our end-of-year awards show and guest editorship of an episode.Plus, if you think you really know your tennis, you can join over 20 other backers so far who have entered our predictions competition to pit their wits against Catherine and David!***MAILING LIST***If you would like to join our mailing list to be alerted to our news, you can now sign up at the following link: http://po.st/TP_MailingList***SOCIAL MEDIA***Get involved with the podcast by following us on social media! Expect plenty of debate, photos and news all year long! Twitter – https://twitter.com/tennispodcastInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TheTennisPodcast/***CONTACT US***We love hearing from you!If you want to join in one of our discussion points, or write to us about a subject of your own, go ­­­­­here: https://www.thetennispodcast.net/contact/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Jan 201950min

The calendar hasn’t even ticked over to 2019 yet, but the new tennis season is officially here and that can only mean one thing: Catherine and David are back together on The Tennis Podcast to preview it!Most of the top players appear to be in better health than they were twelve months ago, but two men with question marks still hanging over their physical condition are Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal. Is there cause for concern after Nadal withdrew from an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi? (09:56) And what should we make of Murray’s recent comments about his hip injury? (19:50)Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, looked sharp during his matches in Abu Dhabi. Is there anyone in the locker room who won’t feel intimidated by Djokovic’s form and aura ahead of the Australian Open? (14:10)In Brisbane, Jo Konta has yet another difficult-looking first-round match against Sloane Stephens. But could it actually be the ideal time to play the American? (28:48). Stephens is currently “on a break” from her coach Kamau Murray. Is that a wise move? How will Stephens and Simona Halep cope Down Under without their long-term coaches in their corners? (49:29)Looking ahead to the year as a whole, David and Catherine give their wishes and predictions for the 2019 season (54:44).There’s also plenty of reaction to various bits of news from the off-season, including Wimbledon’s expansion plans (38:10) and the WTA rule changes aimed at helping players returning from maternity leave and long-term injury (40:16). The introduction of a 10-point final-set tiebreak at the Australian Open is also discussed (41:29).The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with The Telegraph. ***KICKSTARTER 2019***We really want The Tennis Podcast to be better than ever in 2019. If you’d like that too, our Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign is open for two more weeks. With over 500 backers so far, we’re almost 70% of the way to reaching our target. Thanks to everyone who has pitched in – we’re truly overwhelmed by the level of support. If you are keen to help keep the podcast going and growing in 2019, but haven’t yet chipped in to the Kickstarter, you can do so here: http://po.st/TP_Kickstarter2019Every single backer that wants to will have their name published on our website. There are also lots of rewards available if you’d like to get really involved – including the opportunity to introduce the pod, an invitation to our end-of-year awards show and guest editorship of an episode. Plus, if you think you really know your tennis, you can pit your wits against Catherine and David by entering our predictions competition. ***MAILING LIST***If you would like to join our mailing list to be alerted to our news, you can now sign up at the following link: http://po.st/TP_MailingList***SOCIAL MEDIA***Get involved with the podcast by following us on social media! Expect plenty of debate, photos and news all year long! Twitter – https://twitter.com/tennispodcastInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TheTennisPodcast/***CONTACT US***We love hearing from you!If you want to join in one of our discussion points, or write to us about a subject of your own, go here: https://www.thetennispodcast.net/contact/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Dec 20181h 2min

The first ever Tennis Podcast LIVE took place in London on Tuesday 11th December at Café Rouge as David and Catherine handed out their awards for the 2018 tennis season in front of an audience of Kickstarter backers and friends of the podcast. It was a special evening, and you can now listen to the full show in podcast form! Who was the player of the year? What was the best match? What was the biggest surprise? Who made the best breakthrough? And what was the worst podcast prediction? David and Catherine discuss 15 categories in total. No Tennis Podcast awards show would be complete without an adjudicator, to settle the inevitable disputes between Catherine and David, and this year we were delighted to have the incomparable Mary Carillo on hand via video link to give her verdict for each category. Her word is final, but will she agree more with David or Catherine? Finally, after the results of our year-long predictions competition are revealed, overall winner Greg Gaynor sends us his acceptance speech from Detroit. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with The Telegraph. ***KICKSTARTER 2019***Our Kickstarter campaign for 2019 is in full-swing! After launching on Monday 3rd December, we are thrilled to be almost 50% funded already. Thanks to everyone who has backed us so far. If you would like the podcast to return in 2019, and if you’d like to attend Tennis Podcast LIVE next year, but haven’t yet chipped in to the Kickstarter, you can do so here: http://po.st/TP_Kickstarter2019 ***MAILING LIST***If you would like to join our mailing list to be alerted to our news, you can now sign up at the following link: http://po.st/TP_MailingList ***SOCIAL MEDIA***Get involved with the podcast by following us on social media! Expect plenty of debate, photos and news all year long! Twitter – https://twitter.com/tennispodcastInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TheTennisPodcast/ ***BLOG***Catherine Whitaker has written about how the podcast helped her to find her way in life - https://www.thetennispodcast.net/blog/2018/12/4/tennis-lost-and-found ***CONTACT US***We love hearing from you! If you want to join in one of our discussion points, or write to us about a subject of your own, go here: https://www.thetennispodcast.net/contact/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Dec 20181h 23min

With the support of our Kickstarter backers, 2018 has been an exciting year for The Tennis Podcast. We produced well over 100 episodes, including daily shows at all four Grand Slams, the Fever-Tree Championships, the ATP Finals, and the Davis Cup Final.We love talking about tennis, and we don't want to stop. In 2019, we want to keep the podcast going and growing, making it bigger and better than ever before. But, to do that, we need your help once again.On this mini episode, David and Catherine set out their plans for next year with the launch of our third Kickstarter campaign.See below for details of where to go if you want to chip in and back us on Kickstarter.The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with The Telegraph. ***KICKSTARTER 2019***If you want The Tennis Podcast to return in 2019, you can do your bit here: http://po.st/TP_Kickstarter2019There are some special categories if you want to get really involved, but we are grateful for any contribution and all your support. ***MAILING LIST*** If you would like to join our mailing list to be alerted to our news, you can now sign up at the following link: http://po.st/TP_MailingList***SOCIAL MEDIA*** Get involved with the podcast by following us on social media! Expect plenty of debate, photos and news all year long!Twitter - https://twitter.com/tennispodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheTennisPodcast/***CONTACT US***We love hearing from you!If you want to join in one of our discussion points, or write to us about a subject of your own, you can do so here: https://www.thetennispodcast.net/contact/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Dec 20183min

Croatia are Davis Cup champions for the second time after Marin Cilic clinched the decisive point to earn them a 3-1 win over France. On The Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts react to Sunday’s action, and look ahead to an uncertain future for the competition. Will Marin Cilic and Borna Coric be propelled to even greater heights in 2019 following their flawless performances this weekend? Could France have done anything differently? As the Davis Cup enters a new era, we hear from Lucas Pouille about why he won’t be playing the competition in 2019, and also from Yannick Noah as he delivers an extraordinary speech about why he’s loved the Davis Cup, and why he is “disgusted” at the changes. What do David, Catherine and Matt make of Noah’s comments? And what do they think of the changes? Don’t we all need to give the new format a chance? The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly in association with Telegraph Sport, and daily at the Grand Slam tournaments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Nov 201840min

The 2018 Davis Cup Final will head into Sunday with the tie still in the balance after Saturday’s doubles rubber delivered a thrilling match and a crucial point for France. On The Tennis Podcast, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts react to Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert’s victory over Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic, and we hear from Yannick Noah who explains why he was moved to tears during La Marseillaise. What gave the French pair the edge? How was the atmosphere different from the opening day? What caused the fourth set aggro? What is it about doubles that suits Davis Cup so well? And, with today’s best-of-five set doubles match being the last of its kind in a Davis Cup final, what are some of the best doubles matches in the competition’s history? Looking ahead to Sunday, David, Catherine and Matt agree that Noah will surely select Lucas Pouille. But might he also be tempted to pick Herbert? And how likely is it that France can pull off the comeback? The reverse singles action in the final of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas starts at 12pm GMT on Sunday, with France needing to win both matches. To watch a stream in the UK, go to www.daviscup.com. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly in association with Telegraph Sport, daily during this week’s Davis Cup final, and daily at the Grand Slam tournaments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Nov 201831min

Six sets played, six sets won by Croatia, and the chances of France winning the last Davis Cup final played using the traditional format are looking minuscule.The Tennis Podcast team of Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts, who is courtside in Lille, discuss what went on, and we hear from a happy Croatia captain - Zeljko Krajan.Has Borna Coric come of age? Is Marin Cilic over the jitters that seem to afflict him when he is ahead? And has Yannick Noah dropped a massive clanger with his team selection? The podcast team discuss them all.Looking ahead to the doubles rubber, could France do what the United States so nearly did in the semifinals, and come back from 2 rubbers down to win it in 5?The doubles action in the final of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas starts at 1pm GMT, with Nicolas Mahut and Pierre Hugues Herbert needing to beat Ivan Dodig and Matej Pavic to keep the tie alive. To watch a stream in the UK, go to www.daviscup.com. The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly in association with Telegraph Sport, daily during this week’s Davis Cup final, and daily at the Grand Slam tournaments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Nov 201828min