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Copyright: © David Law and Catherine Whitaker
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.
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On the eve of the last traditional Davis Cup by BNP Paribas final, David and Catherine are joined by Grad Matt in Lille to preview France vs. Croatia.
For the second year in a row, Yannick Noah sprung a surprise at the draw ceremony, this time selecting Jeremy Chardy ahead of Lucas Pouille. What does that decision say about both players? Can Noah sprinkle his magic dust on this French side to overcome the strongly-favoured Croatian team? Will Jo-Wilfried Tsonga be able to replicate Henri Leconte’s heroics from 1991? And which team will prefer the clay?
Later, listen to Grad Matt’s interview with ITF President David Haggerty about the new-look Davis Cup for 2019. What does Haggerty make of the reaction to the reform? Does he feel threatened by the ATP Cup? And does he agree with Chris Kermode that it would be “insane” to have two team competitions? Find out if there’s a realistic chance of a combined team event in the future, and the reaction of David and Catherine in this week’s show.
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.
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Alexander Zverev delivered on his gargantuan talent in London to add a straight sets win over Novak Djokovic to his one against Roger Federer the day before. It landed him the ATP Finals title, and Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts got together to discuss it on The Tennis Podcast.
With The O2 Arena being disassembled around them, the trio talked about where the final was won and lost, what changed since Djokovic’s 6-4, 6-1 win over Zverev in the round-robin stages, and what the result might mean for 2019.
Could Zverev-Tsitsipas be the next compelling rivalry on the ATP circuit? Will it feature some of the aggro that has been in evidence between the two in recent months?
There’s also a look at the doubles final, won by Jack Sock and Mike Bryan.
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.
In the immediate aftermath of Alexander Zverev’s victory over Roger Federer, David is joined by Simon Briggs and Grad Matt to discuss Zverev’s excellent performance, the moment of controversy that overshadowed the ending, and the crowd’s reaction.
Firstly, was the incident with the ball-boy handled correctly? Was Annabel Croft right to step in and tell the crowd off for their booing? Could Zverev’s humble response endear him to more people? And what did both players say about the incident in their press conferences?
None of the controversy should detract from Zverev’s efforts. David, Simon and Matt agree he played brilliantly. Did we see the Lendl effect on his forehand? Has he found extra pop on his serve this week? And what happened to
Federer’s serve in the tight moments?
In the second half of the pod, David and Grad Matt catch their breath after Djokovic’s dismantlement of Kevin Anderson. Is Djokovic playing better than ever? Does Zverev stand a chance in tomorrow’s final?
The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly in association with Telegraph Sport, and daily at the Grand Slam tournaments.
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As Alexander Zverev reached the last four of the ATP Finals for the first time, Leon Smith joined David and Grad Matt to talk all about him.
What does Leon make of Zverev’s progress? When will he start breaking through at the Grand Slams? Are we expecting too much too soon, bearing in mind he’s still up against the likes of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer? What will Ivan Lendl bring him? And has he possibly played the Lendl card too soon?
Leon also looks ahead to Saturday’s semi-finals at the O2. Will Federer’s variety be too much for Zverev? What makes Djokovic such a brilliant returner?
Finally, Leon shares his thoughts on the ATP Cup launch and reminisces about captaining Britain to Davis Cup glory.
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.
The 1976 French Open champion Sue Barker is our special guest as we digest the launch of the ATP Cup and what it means for the Davis Cup finals in the future.
What did the power-brokers say in response to Novak Djokovic’s assertion that it could lead to two ‘average’ events? What does Sue, Catherine Whitaker, Simon Briggs and David Law make of it all? And should Davis Cup have changed in the first place? Sue isn’t so sure.
The BBC’s long-time tennis presenter also talks about the matches at The O2, gives her predictions for the next few days, her thoughts on whether Andy Murray will make it back to the top of the game, and whether Johanna Konta can return to her peak.
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.
Alexander Zverev has already won a trio of Masters 1000 titles, been ranked as high as No.3, and qualified for the ATP Finals for two straight seasons. He’s a major player in the sport, and promises to be for years to come. We know he isn’t afraid to complain about the length of the season and the content of interview questions, but do we really know what he’s like?
To find out more about him, David chats to his long-time friend and colleague Andrej Antic, a German tennis writer who has worked for Tennis MAGAZIN for over two decades.
How is Zverev viewed in Germany? Could he create a tennis boom in the country, like during the days of Boris Becker and Steffi Graf? And what is his relationship like with Ivan Lendl? Antic reveals all before discussing his own career. How has his job of producing a magazine changed in the era of social media?
On court today, Zverev was beaten by Novak Djokovic. What happened in the match? And are we entering ‘foregone conclusion’ territory with Djokovic this week? In the evening session, Marin Cilic won just his second ever match at the ATP Finals, closing out John Isner in the tournament’s first singles three setter. Bearing in mind his recent lapses when playing with the lead, how important will this win prove to be for Cilic?
Finally, there’s a moment to pay tribute to Agnieszka Radwanska who has announced her retirement. How will she be remembered? And did she under-achieve or maximise her potential?
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.
Catherine is back! And there’s plenty to talk about…
Does Roger Federer receive preferential treatment from tournament directors? That was the allegation made by Julien Benneteau on French radio last week.
On today’s podcast, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Simon Briggs discuss the ins and outs of the story, including Federer’s relationship with CEO of Tennis Australia Craig Tiley, the conflicts of interest within the sport, and the importance of market forces in all this.
Later in the podcast, hear from Federer himself as he answered Benneteau's reported allegations. David and Grad Matt, who were both there, describe the atmosphere in the room. David says it was one of the steeliest looks he’s ever seen Federer give.
On court, Federer was a comfortable winner against Dominic Thiem. How much better did he play than on Sunday night? And how bad was Dominic Thiem? Less bad than Kei Nishikori, who was thumped 0-6, 1-6 by Kevin Anderson. What are the qualification scenarios for that group? And why have there been so many one-sided matches?
There’s also a look ahead to tomorrow’s play. How can Alexander Zverev possibly trouble Novak Djokovic? And what makes John Isner the slight favourite against Marin Cilic?
The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly in association with Telegraph Sport, and daily at the Grand Slam tournaments.
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Former British doubles player Colin Fleming spent the day at the O2 arena as a fan, and afterwards he joined David and Charlie Eccleshare on The Tennis Podcast. Beers in hand, they start by discussing a masterclass from Novak Djokovic who dispatched John Isner in the evening session.
How did he handle the Isner serve so easily? And can anyone realistically stop Djokovic this week?
The day’s other singles match saw Alexander Zverev defeat Marin Cilic. It was a match in which Cilic once again let a lead slip. Why does this keep happening? And how can he stop it?
As for Zverev, how well did he play? Why was he talking to his coaching team so often? And what does Fleming think of Zverev’s partnership with Ivan Lendl?
Finally, discussion turns to the Next Gen Finals, and specifically the different format showcased. Fleming was in Milan for the event and is a big proponent of many of the innovations. Why does he believe short sets could add intrigue to the ATP Tour?
He defends his views against a host of counter-arguments. Do short sets not take away the ebb and flow of a set? Do they not introduce an unwanted element of randomness?
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.
London arrived in numbers to celebrate another year of Roger Federer, but his fans left disappointed as Kei Nishikori became the first man to beat him in straight sets in the round robin stages of the ATP Finals.
After a tumultuous, but error-strewn night, David Law was joined on The Tennis Podcast by Grad Matt Roberts to discuss what happened. What happened to Federer? Why did he lose his temper with umpire Damien Steiner? And what did Nishikori do differently to beat a man he had trailed 2-7 in head-to-head meetings?
Earlier, David and Matt were joined by Simon Briggs of the Telegraph to cover the afternoon’s match between Kevin Anderson and Dominic Thiem. Why does Anderson always beat Thiem, and how much further can he go?
Memories of O2 events gone by are discussed, including the Federer-Wawrinka-Mirka saga, and Andy Murray reaching World No.1 in 2016.
In the Fed Cup final, the Czech Republic defeated the United States 3-0, but the third rubber was an absolute epic. Why are the Czech’s such an amazing tennis nation?
In coaching news, World No.1 Simona Halep and Darren Cahill parted ways. Find out what the podcast team make of it all.
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.
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