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Day one of the Fever-Tree Championships at The Queen’s Club saw some cracking tennis, no big shocks, and the arrival of Nick Kyrgios.
Ahead of Kyrgios vs. Andy Murray, Catherine Whitaker spoke to the Australian to find out how he’s feeling, where his game and health are at, and how he planned to get a first win over a man he freely admits is ‘a mate’.
We also hear from Dan Evans on his return to the game after suspension, and Grigor Dimitrov tells Gigi Salmon about his visit to see the Duke of Cambridge.
There’s a day one review, and a day two preview.
The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments and The Fever-Tree Championships, in association with Telegraph Sport and Prime Video. It is presented by Catherine Whitaker (Prime Video) and David Law (BBC 5 Live, BT Sport).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Andy Murray is back! After almost a year side-lined by injury, he will make his competitive return at The Queen’s Club against Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday.
In the first of daily podcasts from the Fever-Tree Championships, Murray’s last-minute decision to play dominates discussion.
In an incredibly honest interview, Murray opens up to Catherine about his difficult year and his prospects for the future. How has his relationships with the sport changed? How low did he feel during the long months of rehab? What unfinished business does he have left in the sport?
Hear the full-length interview on The Tennis Podcast.
The other big news is that Novak Djokovic is back at The Queen’s Club for the first time since 2010. Speaking to Gigi Salmon, Djokovic recounts in detail his own struggles over the last twelve months. What lessons has he learned? Have his problems been more physical or mental?
Finally, Cameron Norrie will face Stan Wawrinka on Monday. But what is the Brit’s party trick?
The Fever-Tree Championships at The Queen’s Club will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video in the UK from 11.30am every day. Their coverage is presented by our very own Catherine Whitaker, alongside Ross Dyer, Daniela Hantuchova and Greg Rusedski.
The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments and The Fever-Tree Championships, in association with Telegraph Sport. It is presented by Catherine Whitaker (Prime Video) and David Law (BBC 5 Live, BT Sport).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ahead of his return to The Queen's Club for doubles in the Fever-Tree Championships, Lleyton Hewitt sat down with David Law and Charlie Eccleshare of the Telegraph for half an hour to talk about why he can't and doesn't want to give the sport up, what it was like facing a man arguably even more intense than him - Rafael Nadal on Clay, and why he thinks the plans to try to change the Davis Cup must be stopped.
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Rafael Nadal is the French Open champion. Sound familiar?
On the Tennis Podcast, Catherine and David look back on the way Nadal overcame Dominic Thiem and a bout of cramp to win at Roland Garros for the eleventh time.
The scoreline shows that Nadal won 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Does that reflect harshly on Thiem? Could he have done anything differently? And has his run to the final justified his decision to play such a packed schedule?
As for Nadal, he came through a closely-fought first set and then took control. Is his game more complete than ever? How does he continue to dominate at Roland Garros after all these years?
There was a moment of concern for Nadal in the third set when he had to call the trainer for cramp in his finger. What was going on? Should he have been allowed the treatment he received?
Elsewhere, David and Catherine react to the positive reports about Andy Murray’s recovery, and respond to the rumours that Roger Federer might be switching clothing sponsor.
There’s also a tribute to Brazilian great Maria Bueno who has died at the age of 78.
The Tennis Podcast is produced weekly throughout the year and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments, in association with Telegraph Sport. It is presented by Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) and David Law (BBC 5 Live, BT Sport).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Simona Halep is a Grand Slam champion at last.
Having lost her previous three finals, Halep finally ended her drought by battling past Sloane Stephens in a captivating contest at Roland Garros. On the Tennis Podcast, Catherine and David pay tribute to her resilience.
Trailing by a set and a break to Stephens, who was looking close to unbeatable, it felt like Halep would fall short once again. So how did she turn it around? Did the quality of Stephens' tennis actually help Halep to play more aggressively? Catherine says that Halep had to become "not afraid to lose".
Halep’s win has been greeted by an outpouring of goodwill from fellow players. What makes her such a popular champion? How might she celebrate? And can she now become a multiple Grand Slam champion?
Elsewhere, David and Catherine look ahead to tomorrow’s men’s final. Thiem is the only man to have beaten Nadal on clay in the past two seasons. But can he possibly do it over five sets in his first Grand Slam final? And is the challenge more physical or mental for Thiem? David and Catherine talk up his chances. But do they think he’s going to win?
There will be daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the French Open, in association with Telegraph Sport. It is presented by Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) and David Law (BBC 5 Live, BT Sport)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The one and only Mary Carillo is back!
After debuting on The Tennis Podcast at last year’s US Open, Carillo is at her storytelling best as she joins Catherine from Roland Garros to preview Satuday’s women’s final between Simona Halep and Sloane Stephens.
Carillo is the first to admit that this year’s French Open hasn’t caught fire. But that doesn’t dampen her enthusiasm for the women’s final. Will it live up to expectations?
Find out why Carillo’s nerves are jangling for Halep, how she’s got to know and love the real Sloane Stephens, who she sees as the slight favourite and who she thinks the crowd will be supporting.
As well as all that, there’s time to get Carillo’s thoughts on a range of other topics, including whether she thinks Sharapova is playing to prove that she can win without meldonium.
Carillo also talks about her “jam”, coins a new word, explains her love for Judy Murray, and gives Catherine some advice on how to get more dog-related work gigs. All in the space of 25 minutes. As ever, she’s hilarious and insightful.
Elsewhere, Catherine chats to Simon Briggs about the men’s draw on a day when Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem booked their spots in the final. In truth, the semi-finals were underwhelming. Will the final be better?
There will be daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the French Open, in association with Telegraph Sport. It is presented by Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) and David Law (BBC 5 Live, BT Sport)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Simona Halep has lost all three of her Grand Slam finals. Will she make it fourth time lucky on Saturday at Roland Garros when she faces Sloane Stephens?
On the Tennis Podcast, Catherine and David discuss how both players got there, marvelling at the way in which they handled their big-hitting opponents with relative ease in Thursday’s semi-finals.
Halep put up an impenetrable wall to defeat Garbiñe Muguruza in surprisingly straightforward fashion. Why was it not the blockbuster we were expecting?
Stephens, meanwhile, continued her serene dominance over Madison Keys.
Halep vs. Stephens will be an intriguing clash between two players with similar game-styles, but very different personalities. Who will the crowd be supporting?
As the preview for that match develops, there’s plenty of praise for the way Halep exhibits her human side, while Catherine brings Stephens’ developing relationship with the media into focus.
Who will win? David believes Halep will break her Grand Slam duck eventually. But Catherine wonders how Stephens can possibly be beaten in this form.
On the men’s side, Rafael Nadal was firing on all cylinders on Thursday to quash any remaining threat posed by Diego Schwartzman. But is the pressure of having everything to lose affecting him?
Can Del Potro challenge Nadal in the semi-finals? He certainly has the weapons, but how much does he have left in the tank after a physical 4-setter against Cilic? David says fatigue shouldn’t be a problem. Instead, the biggest factor could be the weather.
The other men’s semi-final features Dominic Thiem and Marco Cecchinato. Above all else, there’s hope that it will display the single-handed backhand in all its glory.
There will be daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the French Open, in association with Telegraph Sport. It is presented by Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) and David Law (BBC 5 Live, BT Sport
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
David and Catherine convene on The Tennis Podcast to discuss another rain-hit day at Roland Garros.
Before play was suspended prematurely, a huge upset was brewing on Court Philippe Chatrier when the free-swinging Diego Schwartzman took the first set against Rafael Nadal.
That’s right. Nadal lost a set. On clay. At Roland Garros. It ended his streak of 38 consecutive sets won on the Parisian clay. Schwartzman also led by a break in the second set and David and Catherine are full of praise for his aggressive game-plan.
Nadal eventually swung the momentum back in his favour, but to what degree was he saved by the rain? And why did he tape up his wrists? Can Schwartzman possibly win another two sets tomorrow?
Elsewhere on Wednesday, the women’s semi-final line-up was completed as Garbiñe Muguruza demolished an erratic Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep displayed great mental fortitude to come from behind and beat Angelique Kerber.
Muguruza and Halep will now meet in a match that will determine who ends the French Open as the World No.1. But who will win? David and Catherine aren’t sure. But it promises to be an absolute belter, doesn’t it?
There’s also a preview of the intriguing contest between Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens. Keys has never won a set against Stephens, but they’ve never played on clay. Who will that favour?
There will be daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the French Open, in association with Telegraph Sport. It is presented by Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) and David Law (BBC 5 Live, BT Sport)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The match of the tournament came a day later than expected at Roland Garros.
Just 24 hours after the Serena-Sharapova non-event, World No.72 Marco Cecchinato stunned Novak Djokovic in an exhilarating encounter, and one that will be remembered for a pulsating fourth-set tiebreak that transfixed everyone watching.
Catherine Whitaker is joined on The Tennis Podcast by The Telegraph’s tennis correspondent Simon Briggs in the immediate aftermath. Speaking from inside the press centre at Roland Garros, they try to make sense of what happened.
First of all, there’s plenty of praise for Cecchinato. The Italian, who was embroiled in a match-fixing scandal two years ago, had never won a match at a Grand Slam prior to this tournament. But he played with heart to defeat Djokovic, impressing everyone with his blend of on-court craft, penetrative groundstrokes and smooth movement.
Can he keep this improbable run going? He will certainly be the underdog against Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals. Thiem brushed aside Alexander Zverev on Tuesday as the German’s exploits finally caught up with him physically.
Then, mid-podcast, there’s a bombshell. News filters through from Novak Djokovic’s terse press conference. Catherine and Simon react to Djokovic’s declaration that he may skip the entire grass court season. Was this a comment borne of frustration? Or was it indicative of deeper issues? It certainly caught Catherine and Simon off guard.
In the women’s draw, Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys set up a semi-final clash. The Americans have both looked convincing on the clay, but who do Catherine and Simon think will prevail?
Finally, there’s an injury update from Andy Murray. The Brit is still hoping to make his comeback on grass in the coming weeks.
There will be daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the French Open, in association with Telegraph Sport. It is presented by Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport) and David Law (BBC 5 Live, BT Sport)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It was the match everyone wanted to see. But in the end, it didn't happen.
Catherine and David come together on The Tennis Podcast to discuss a day of immense frustration at Roland Garros after Serena Williams was forced to withdraw before taking to the court against Maria Sharapova due to a right pectoral injury.
Were there warning signs from Serena’s doubles match yesterday? Should Serena have even played doubles? And when was the last time the tennis world was so disappointed because a match didn’t happen?
Fortunately, there was some tennis to talk about elsewhere as the quarter-final line-ups were confirmed. World No.1 Simona Halep was in blistering form against Elise Mertens and Angelique Kerber breezed past Caroline Garcia. Those two will meet in a mouth-watering last eight clash.
On the men’s side, Rafael Nadal pulverised Maximilian Marterer, whose pre-match chat with Catherine helped him to a flying 2-love start, and then it was all downhill. Marin Cilic just about outlasted Fabio Fognini in 5, and Diego Schwartzmann pulled off the comeback of the tournament to beat Kevin Anderson from 2-6, 1-6.
There's a preview of Alexander Zverev vs. Dominic Thiem tomorrow, and Sloane Stephens vs. Daria Kasatkina.
The Tennis Podcast is produced daily throughout the French Open, and all the Grand Slams, and weekly throughout the year. It is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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