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WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia - early impressions; Zverev wins Paris, but David holds firm
Catherine, David and Matt convene for a Sunday night pod to review Paris and the early stages of the WTA Finals.
Part one - Zverev thrashes Humbert in Paris final; Humbert-Khachanov aggro; Alcaraz's comments about surface speed; David defends last week's Zverev takes; how much we'll miss Bercy.
Part two (from 26 minutes) - Players and WTA Chief Executive Portia Archer face questions about Saudi Arabia; wins for Sabalenka, Swiatek, Paolini and Gauff discussed.
Part three (from 57 minutes) - Doubles results from Riyadh; the Race to Turin is going down to the wire, but is that a good thing?
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1303. WTA Finals - Goran to guide Rybakina as Draws revealed
52:15||Ep. 1303Catherine, David and Matt bring you a preview of the WTA Finals which begin on Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Part one - Purple Group preview and predictions; Rybakina announces Goran Ivanisevic as her new coach for 2025, can anyone stop Sabalenka in Riyadh? Part two (from 30 minutes) - White Group preview and predictions; Gauff's poor head-to-head against her group rivals. Part three (from 39 minutes) - The doubles draw Join The Barge!Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to also help us to produce the show year-round, receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2024, including Tennis Re-Lived and Grand Slam review shows, read Hannah's Column and watch monthly live shows on YouTube. Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopFollow us on Twitter1302. There's a new #NextGen in town
01:15:33||Ep. 1302It was a big week for lots of the tours’ emerging talents as Catherine, David and Matt discuss titles for Jack Draper in Vienna, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in Basel, and Zheng Qinwen in Tokyo. Part one: ATP Results - Draper takes down Khachanov impressively; Mpetshi Perricard redefines the second serve; young generation get the better of Zverev, Tsitsipas, Rublev et al; an update on the Race to Turin and a preview of Paris Part two (from 36 minutes): WTA Results - Zheng Qinwen improves to 29-4 since Wimbledon with a title in Tokyo; Olga Danilovic wins her first title since 2018. Part three (from 53 minutes): News - Dominic Thiem retires; Iga Swiatek commits to the BJK Cup Finals; The Bryan Brothers and Maria Sharapova will be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2025, but Daniel Nestor won’t be. Join The Barge!Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to also help us to produce the show year-round, receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2024, including Tennis Re-Lived and Grand Slam review shows, read Hannah's Column and watch monthly live shows on YouTube. Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopFollow us on Twitter1301. Saudi Kings cash in, but at what cost?
01:15:28||Ep. 1301Catherine, David and Matt convene to discuss the latest results and news. Part 1: A review of last week’s tour events, including a title for Daria Kasatkina in Ningbo and Tommy Paul in Stockholm.Part 2 (from 25 minutes): Six Kings Slam. Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and friends made millions in Saudi Arabia, but with precious little mention of the spectre of sportswashing. We discuss the subject in depth. Part 3 (from 52 minutes): News - Danielle Collins announces she's not retiring yet, Iga Swiatek hires Wim Fissette as her new coach, and the rankings quirk which means Aryna Sabalenka is World No1. again. Join The Barge!Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to also help us to produce the show year-round, receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2024, including Tennis Re-Lived and Grand Slam review shows, read Hannah's Column and watch monthly live shows on YouTube. Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopFollow us on Twitter1300. Sabalenka-Sinner double again; Djokovic motivation question; Stop scheduling clashes!
01:09:46||Ep. 1300For the fourth time this year, Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner have won titles in the same week. Sabalenka won in Wuhan, beating Zheng Qinwen in a brilliant final, while Sinner became Shanghai champion by beating Novak Djokovic in a rather flat final. Catherine, David and Matt discuss both matches and the talking points from both tournaments, including how Zheng is viewed in the locker room, Coco Gauff’s 21 doubles faults in the semi-final, and whether Novak Djokovic can ever rediscover the edge he needs to beat Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. There’s also a rant about both finals being scheduled at the same time and Matt lauds Tomas Machac. Join The Barge!Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to also help us to produce the show year-round, receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2024, including Tennis Re-Lived and Grand Slam review shows, read Hannah's Column and watch monthly live shows on YouTube. Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopFollow us on Twitter1299. Goodbye Rafa
01:11:03||Ep. 1299The day has come: Rafael Nadal has announced that he will be retiring at the Davis Cup Finals in November. Catherine, David and Matt assemble to react to the news, discuss how it's left them feeling, and share a few Nadal memories. There's also two big announcements from Wimbledon to discuss, reports of a possible ATP-WTA commercial merger, and some appalling behaviour from players towards umpires in Shanghai. Join The Barge!Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to also help us to produce the show year-round, receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2024, including Tennis Re-Lived and Grand Slam review shows, read Hannah's Column and watch monthly live shows on YouTube. Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopFollow us on Twitter1298. Gauff finds final form; Swiatek seeks new guidance; Djokovic returns
01:03:20||Ep. 1298Remember when The Tennis Podcast didn't feature Matt Roberts? No, us neither. But here's a reminder of what we were missing. We did our best with chat about Coco Gauff's Beijing triumph, Karolina Muchova's near miss and the coaching change being sought by Iga Swiatek. Plus, there's a look at the decision to move the Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup back towards home and away ties.Join The Barge!Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to also help us to produce the show year-round, receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2024, including Tennis Re-Lived and Grand Slam review shows, read Hannah's Column and watch monthly live shows on YouTube. Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopFollow us on Twitter1297. Alcaraz vs Sinner delivers; Fils finds new level
01:03:51||Ep. 1297Catherine, David and Matt are back with a bonus pod to react to Carlos Alcaraz’s thrilling win over Jannik Sinner in the Beijing final. There’s chat about why the match was so electrifying and how Alcaraz has gained the upper hand in their rivalry this year. Elsewhere, David gets the chance to wax lyrical about Arthur Fils’ incredible title run in Tokyo, we think about what 2025 might look like for Fils, and there’s a round up of the latest action from WTA Beijing, including an impressive run to the quarter-finals from Yulia Starodubtseva, an unfortunate injury to Naomi Osaka which curtailed her match against Coco Gauff, and lots of excitement for Karolina Muchova vs Aryna Sabalenka. Join The Barge!Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to also help us to produce the show year-round, receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2024, including Tennis Re-Lived and Grand Slam review shows, read Hannah's Column and watch monthly live shows on YouTube. Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopFollow us on Twitter1296. Sinner faces WADA appeal, Wimbledon wins big, Asian swing intensifies
01:19:04||Ep. 1296It’s been a big week of news in tennis and Catherine, David and Matt start by discussing the fact that the World Anti Doping Agency are appealing against the decision to clear Jannik Sinner of blame after he twice tested positive for a banned substance. There’s chat about why WADA have come to a different conclusion to the ITIA and what this means for both Sinner and the sport going forward. Elsewhere, there’s reaction to Wimbledon’s expansion plans being approved, Rafael Nadal being selected for Spain’s Davis Cup Finals squad, Caroline Garcia ending her season early, and pushback from players to criticism about taking part in exhibitions. Finally, we discuss what’s been happening on court in Beijing and Tokyo, including Zhang Shuai finally ending her 24-match losing streak, an all-French final in Japan between Ugo Humbert and Arthur Fils, and a Last 16 clash to savour in China between Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff as both adapt to life with new coaches. Join The Barge!Become a Friend of the Tennis Podcast to also help us to produce the show year-round, receive exclusive access to bonus podcasts throughout 2024, including Tennis Re-Lived and Grand Slam review shows, read Hannah's Column and watch monthly live shows on YouTube. Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, predictions, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast)Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Check out our ShopFollow us on Twitter