The Tennis Podcast

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US Open Day 2 - Alcaraz shows tennis what it’s been missing Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts react to Carlos Alcaraz’s round one victory as he made his highly-anticipated return from injury.

Part one - Day session. We discuss Alcaraz’s strong performance to beat Roman Safiullin, how it felt to be watching him play tennis again, and his prospects for the rest of the tournament. Elsewhere, there’s chat about what Arthur Fils needs to do to improve his Grand Slam record after a shock defeat, honesty from Amanda Anisimova about her coaching situation, and a big win for Zheng Qinwen.

Part two - Night session (45:48). We react to Ben Shelton’s recovery from a bad start to beat Tallon Griekspoor and Frances Tiafoe’s impressive grit to defeat Martin Damm Jr. How much did Shelton and Tiafoe feel the home pressure? Plus, a comfortable win for Iga Swiatek and an uncomfortable one for Naomi Osaka.

Part three (1:03:24). We cover the US Open’s controversial new partnership with Kalshi and look ahead to Day 3 which will wrap up the first round.

Thank you to Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours Tours4Tennis.com/Podcast, the Premium Hospitality and Experience provider for supporting our US Open coverage.

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US Open Day 1 - Can Djokovic take much more of this? Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts react to Novak Djokovic’s first ever opening round defeat at the US Open as he vomited, winced and cried during a gruelling loss to Mariano Navone.

Part one - We discuss all the talking points from Djokovic’s exit, including the way Djokovic suffered physically throughout the match, his tears as he was unable to pull through, and why it leaves him facing an uncertain future in the sport.

Part two (20:24) - A round up of the day’s other results and stories including comfortable wins for Jessica Pegula and Daniil Medvedev, defeat for Barbora Krejcikova, and a comeback win for Jaume Munar over Terence Atmane in a dramatic match which brought the rules over cramping into sharp focus.

Part three (51:43) - A look ahead to Monday’s order of play which sees the long-awaited return of Carlos Alcaraz.

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US Open - Federer, Carillo steal show as Day 1 beckons Aug 30, 2026

Show notes

Catherine, David and Matt catch up after an incredible day spent watching Mary Carillo and Roger Federer get inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Part one - We discuss our amazing experience in Newport, why Mary Carillo means so much to us, the moment Mirka introduced Roger, and how the Hall of Fame totally won us over.

Part two (30:29) - We cover some more pre tournament press conferences as the likes of Novak Djokovic, Arthur Fils, Elena Rybakina, Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek spoke to the media. Plus, new USTA boss Craig Tiley was quizzed on some important event issues.

Part three (47:21) - A look ahead to the day one order of play which feels like quite a soft launch.

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US Open Media Day - Alcaraz reassures … he’s ready! Aug 29, 2026

Show notes

After spending the day in the US Open press conference room, Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts react to what the top players had to say as they prepare for the tournament.

Part one - We discuss the way Carlos Alcaraz left us feeling positive about his return from injury, detailing that his wrist has felt fine in practice, that he’s using his experience of being injured in 2024 to help him, and that he plans to play his usual game style. So what can we expect from him this tournament? There’s also chat about how the other men’s contenders - such as Ben Shelton, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz - are largely playing down any talk of this being a big opportunity with Jannik Sinner not in the draw. What do we make of that?

Part two (22:10) - On the women’s side, defending champion Aryna Sabelenka has been struggling for form recently. In what way was she defensive about that in her press conference? And can we read anything into it? Coco Gauff, on the other hand, discussed how she’s in a much better place mentally and with her game compared to twelve months ago, while Alexandra Eala spoke with incredible maturity about understanding her growing influence on the sport.

Part three (43:45) - We cover some of the stories from qualifying, including more heartbreak for 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu, defeat for the retiring 2014 finalist Kei Nishikori, and lots of British success.

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US Open Draws - Is this America’s time? Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts are together inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium to react to the US Open singles draws.

Part one - Women’s draw. We all picked Coco Gauff as our favourite to win the title, so has the draw changed things? We discuss Gauff’s potential route, analyse whether we think Aryna Sabalenka can rediscover her best form, and consider if Naomi Osaka could be in for another deep run.

Part two - Men’s draw (28:47). In the absence of Jannik Sinner, who will benefit? We react to the hand Carlos Alcaraz has been dealt as he returns from injury, discuss the prospects of the leading American men including Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, and debate Novak Djokovic’s chances of winning a 25th major.

Part three (55:45) - We look ahead to some exciting round one matches, including Matteo Berrettini vs Stan Wawrinka.

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US Open - How did Alcaraz look on Mixed Doubles return? Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Catherine, David and Matt are all together in New York to react to the second edition of the revamped mixed doubles competition which was won by Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, and also saw the return to action of Carlos Alcaraz.

Part one (00:00 - 29:51) We discuss the different feel to this year’s mixed doubles event, the way the doubles specialists all lost early, why Muchova and Mensik were worthy winners, and the notable chemistry in the Mirra Andreeva/Andrey Rublev and Flavio Cobollo/Belinda Bencic partnerships. Plus, we analyse how Alcaraz performed on his return alongside Serena Williams and what, if anything, it might mean for singles.

Part two (29:52 - 45:43) We cover some of the results so far in qualifying as well as the news that Stan Wawrinka has been awarded a main draw wildcard after all.

We will be live on the US Open stage reacting to the singles draws on Thursday 27th August at 1pm. Please come along if you’re at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre that day during Fan Week!

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Cincinnati - Gauff, Fils hit form a perfect time Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

Catherine, David and Matt catch up as Cincinnati concludes with two exciting champions putting themselves in a great position ahead of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament of the year.

Part one - ATP (00:00 - 28.13). Arthur Fils has been arriving for a while, but this was his biggest destination yet. A first Masters 1000 title with a victory over Frances Tiafoe on home soil in the process takes some doing. Where does that put him in the Mix for the US Open?

Part two - ATP (28.14 - 49:48). Coco Gauff has been here before - finding form in Cincinnati and then taking it into New York and winning it all. This was as well as she has played for a long time, and Jessica Pegula had few answers in the final. Is Gauff now the favourite for the US Open? Catherine asks the question, Matt and David answer it.

Part three - News (49:49). There’s the full draw for the US Open Mixed Doubles and reaction to the news that Stan Wawrinka is not getting a singles main draw wild card.

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US Open - Sinner OUT, Alcaraz IN! Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

Catherine, David and Matt assembled live on YouTube to react to the dual news from the last 24 hours that Carlos Alcaraz will be making his long-awaited comeback at the US Open, while Jannik Sinner has withdrawn due to his ongoing knee injury.

Part one (00:00 - 48:10) - We discuss how we’re feeling about another slam without both Sinner and Alcaraz there, the strange season that Sinner has had, our expectations of Alcaraz in New York, and what this all means for the rest of the draw. Who will benefit most from Sinner’s absence? Is it mad for Alcaraz to be the favourite? And is this the time for another American man to finally win a major?

Part two (48:11 - 56:28) - We cover the concern surrounding Elena Rybakina after she pulled up with an injury against Iga Swiatek in Cincinnati. What does this mean for her No.1 prospects? And what about Taylor Fritz’s mixed doubles ambitions?

Part three (56:29 - 1:10:10) - The US Open has announced record prize money and the Grand Slams have come together to form a player advisory board. How has it all been received by the group of top players protesting over remuneration?

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Cincinnati - Is Sabalenka’s slump a US Open crisis? Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Catherine, David and Matt catch up as Cincinnati reaches the quarter-finals stage after a Last 16 bonanza which saw both top seeds lose.

Part one - WTA (00:00 - 26:35). We react to yet another early exit for Aryna Sabalenka, this time to the impressive Sara Beljek. We discuss what Bejlek did well but also what is going on with Sabalenka. How much trouble is she in heading into New York? There’s also chat about Elena Rybakina’s chance to seize the World No.1 Ranking, and whether Amanda Anisimova can finally get a win over Jessica Pegula after finding her best form to beat Alex Eala and Linda Noskova.

Part two - ATP (26:36 - 46:36). Taylor Fritz is the only Masters 1000 champion left in the field following Alexander Zverev’s loss from match point up against Tommy Paul. How much of a concern is Zverev’s form ahead of the US Open? We also reflect on Flavio Cobolli’s excellent comeback to beat Rafael Jodar, Lorenzo Musetti’s quiet run of form which he can now put to the test against Frances Tiafoe, and David’s excitement about Arthur Fils is growing.

Part three - News (46:37 - 1:14:37). We react to the US Open mixed doubles field, its wildcard announcements, and Nick Kyrgios testing positive for cocaine.

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Cincinnati - Will beaten Djokovic contend in New York? Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

Catherine, David and Matt catch up on the first few days of action in Cincinnati with the tournament in full swing.

Part one (00:00 - 32:24) - We start with some of the main headlines from the men’s event so far - Novak Djokovic’s struggle in the heat in his defeat to Thiago Augustin Tirante, a loss for Canada champion Ben Shelton against Jaime Faria, and Rafael Jodar’s “shoenanigans” in his comeback win over Denis Shapovalov.

Part two (32:35 - 42:51) - A few other stories from the men’s event including Arthur Fery’s winning return, Taylor Fritz’s quickest-ever racquet smash, and a new entry into the long list of wild Arthur Rinderknech moments.

Part three (42:52 - 1:16:06) - Turning our attention to the women’s draw, we discuss an unconvincing win for Aryna Sabalenka against Talia Gibson, Elina Svitolina saving 7 match points to beat Tereza Valentova, an opportunity for Iga Swiatek to keep it rolling after Canada, whether Venus Williams should still be getting wildcards, the worst drop shot David has ever seen, and a blockbuster night session meeting between Alex Eala and Amanda Anisimova.

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