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RG Day 3 - Rybakina imperious on-court, irritable off it; Djokovic dials in
On the final day of round one action at Roland Garros, rain fell for most of it, but once the clouds cleared there were plenty of talking points for Catherine, David and Matt. There's chat about Elena Rybakina's awesome performance on court before a pretty chippy press conference, Novak Djokovic showing some signs of life, a dreadful day for French players, Alize Cornet's retirement, and excitement for a fun order of play on Day 4.
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1413. US Open Mixed Doubles - will the champions be invited back?
50:03||Ep. 1413Catherine, David and Matt are back at Tennis Podcast Towers in New York after watching Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori win the “reimagined” Mixed Doubles championship at the US Open. There’s chat about just how fitting it was for Errani and Vavassori to be champions, how their presence in the draw added to the event for us, and whether the USTA will even want them in the event again. We also discuss the event more generally, including what the experience was like in Arthur Ashe stadium tonight, what we liked about it, the many aspects which positively defied our expectations, and some amendments we’d make. Tickets are now on General Sale for The Tennis Podcast - Live in Wrexham on Wednesday October 22nd! Buy here.Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.1412. Cincinnati - Did finals day change everything for the US Open?
01:07:10||Ep. 1412Catherine, David and Matt were live in New York to look back on the opening day of the US Open Mixed Doubles and the closing stages of Cincinnati. We start by discussing the Mixed Doubles - what worked, what didn’t, how did our feelings about the event evolve, and which teams really stood out? Moving onto Cincinnati, has Iga Swiatek made herself the US Open favourite after her title there? We discuss her victory over Jasmine Paolini in the final, the confidence she’s playing with after Wimbledon, and the way she’s turned her head-to-head with Elena Rybakina around. There’s also chat about where Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are at heading into New York. On the men’s side, how much did we actually learn after Jannik Sinner was forced to retire against Carlos Alcaraz in the Cincinnati final? Finally, we cover the shocking prize money discrepancy that still exists in Cincinnati, a couple of US Open talking points, and the retirement of Kyle Edmund. Tickets are now on General Sale for The Tennis Podcast - Live in Wrexham on Wednesday October 22nd! Buy here.Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.1411. Talking ‘Changeover’ and the Alcaraz-Sinner Rivalry with Giri Nathan
01:07:22||Ep. 1411For this episode, Catherine and Matt speak to Giri Nathan, author of a new book called ‘Changeover’, all about the rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. We talk about how their epic match at the 2022 US Open gave Giri the idea for the book, what separates these two from other players in the post Big 3 era, and how Giri went about capturing all the key moments from the 2024 season for the book. Giri tells the story of his airport encounter with Sinner on the day that Sinner’s doping violation became public, we compare Sinner’s steady rise with Alcaraz’s prodigious results, and there’s consideration of Novak Djokovic’s role in their young rivalry. Finally, we end with some thoughts about the US Open, and a quick fire round of questions about what the future might hold for these two players and this rivalry. Changeover is out in the US on Tuesday 19th August and in the UK on Thursday 11th September. Tickets are now on General Sale for The Tennis Podcast - Live in Wrexham on Wednesday October 22nd! Buy here.Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.1410. Cincinnati - Who's winning this thing?
01:10:33||Ep. 1410With the closing stages of Cincinnati approaching, Catherine, David and Matt convene to look at how the big names are faring with the US Open on the horizon, and who has gatecrashed the party.Part one - ATP Results. With Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton all still in, who is looking like the champion, and what is Terence Atmane doing among them?Part two - WTA Results (32m01s). Aryna Sabalenka is going to have to do things the hard way if she is to win Cincinnati, with Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff all potentially in her path. Will she do it? Part three - (57m57s). We have a lot coming your way over the next three weeks. Catherine, David and Matt are here to tell you all about it.Tickets are now on General Sale for The Tennis Podcast - Live in Wrexham on Wednesday October 22nd! Buy here. Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.1409. Cincinnati - Is tennis losing a generation?
01:24:47||Ep. 1409Catherine, David and Matt are back to talk about the opening stages of Cincinnati which has seen brutal temperatures, a power outage, and plenty of compelling tennis too. Part one - ATP Results. We start by taking stock of the careers of Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud after their struggles continued. There’s also Lorenzo Musetti’s poor form on hard courts, both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz immediately going out to practise after their latest victories, another tricky week for Joao Fonseca, and a surprise defeat for Alex de Minaur. Part two - WTA Results (45m45s). The match of the tournament so far was Aryna Sabalenka’s three hour victory over Emma Raducanu. We discuss Sabalenka’s phenomenal tiebreak record, really encouraging signs for Raducanu, and our impressions of the early glimpses of her coaching partnership with Francisco Roig. There’s also Madison Keys saving match points to win yet again and Amanda Anisimova losing to Anna Kalinskaya. Part three - Details of our live show in Wrexham on Wednesday 22nd October! Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.1408. Canada - Mboko stars, but what to make of Naomi Osaka?
01:28:31||Ep. 1408Catherine, David and Matt were live on Friday night to look back on the dramatic final few days in Canada and ahead to Cincinnati. Part one - WTA Montreal. Rarely have we felt such conflicting emotions watching a tennis match as we did during Victoria Mboko’s victory over Naomi Osaka. For Mboko, what made this run so special? And what does this title mean for her future? But what happened to Osaka? How much criticism should she get for her post match speech? And where does this tournament leave her? Part two - ATP Toronto (43m20s). Ben Shelton won his first Masters 1000 title. What developments did we see in his game this week? What gave him the edge over Karen Khachanov in the final? And what’s his US Open Mix status? Part three - Coaching news and Cincinnati preview (66m57s). We cover Emma Raducanu’s decision to work with Francisco Roig, Holger Rune hiring Marco Panichi, Aryna Sabalenka adding Max Mirnyi as a consultant, and the breaking news that Stefano Vukov has had his WTA Tour suspension lifted. Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.1407. Canada - Who will take their chance with the big names out?
01:29:59||Ep. 1407David is back from holiday to join Catherine and Matt in discussing week one of the Canadian Open, where lots of the big names are out, there has been loads of good matches, and both draws feel pretty open heading into the final few days. Part one - WTA Montreal. We cover Victoria Mboko’s special run to the quarter-finals, Coco Gauff’s recurring double fault issues, Naomi Osaka’s resurgence under new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, compelling matches involving Madison Keys, Elena Rybakina and Marta Kostyuk, the unorthodox game of Aoi Ito, and the decision to give Eugenie Bouchard a wildcard so she could retire. Part two - ATP Toronto (from 49m). How much meaning can we take from a tournament without Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic? That’s the task when assessing the men’s event, which has seen Alexei Popyrin mount an impressive title defence so far, Daniil Medvedev continue to slump, and compelling final set tiebreak wins for Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton. There was also a strange complaint from Alejandro Davidovich Fokina leading to sweet spot social media aggro involving Dan Evans. Part three - US Open news (from 70m15s). With most of the US Open mixed doubles pairings having been announced, we quiz David on his views, and he throws a fun name into the ring for one of the remaining wildcards. There’s also the launch of the US Open’s matchmaker show to discuss. Tickets are on sale now for the Tennis History Conference at Wimbledon on Tuesday 9th December. Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.1406. Washington - Fernandez and De Minaur collect titles as Venus Williams shines again
01:32:40||Ep. 1406Catherine and Matt are joined by The Athletic’s Matt Futterman to discuss an eventful week in Washington and a whole lot of tennis news. Part one - Washington Review. We start by covering an incredible performance from Venus Williams to beat Peyton Stearns and why her wildcard this time felt like a perfect one. Leylah Fernandez’s impressive title run, and where it fits into the narrative of her career, is also covered, as well as Alex de Minaur’s extraordinary victory over poor Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final. Will ADF ever get a title? Part two - News (from 42m20s). We debate Jannik Sinner’s decision to re-hire Umberto Ferrara, and discuss where things went wrong for the Stefanos Tsitsipas-Goran Ivanisevic and Naomi Osaka-Patrick Mouratoglou coaching partnerships. We also give our takes on more US Open mixed doubles pairings being announced, Bill Ackman receiving a wildcard to play in Newport, and Tara Moore’s four year doping ban. Part three - Canada Preview (from 82m25s). How are our excitement levels as the women head to Montreal and the men to Toronto? Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.1405. What's happened post Wimbledon?
01:17:41||Ep. 1405David is away on holiday, but Catherine and Matt are here to wrap up the week’s results and talking points, before an audio montage of Wimbledon highlights. Part one - Catherine and Matt discuss the title winners from last week including Lois Boisson and Alexander Bublik, the spate of withdrawals from Canada, and the upcoming week in Washington which looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun. Part two (24m25s) - If you’re missing Wimbledon, then this will hopefully be just the thing for you. The wonderful Vicki Spreadbury has put together a montage of some of the lighter, funnier moments from the podcast during Wimbledon. Become a Friend of The Tennis PodcastCheck out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.