The Tennis Podcast

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French Open Day 7 - Gauff falls, so who’s in the title Mix now? May 30, 2026

Show notes

Catherine, David and Matt review yet another dramatic day at Roland Garros, headlined by defeat for defending champion Coco Gauff to Anastasia Potapova.

Part one - Women’s draw. We discuss how Gauff’s loss unfolded, the extraordinary level and resilience of Potapova, and where this leaves Gauff going into the grass court season. Plus, all the talking points from Amanda Anisimova’s loss to Diane Parry, including #sneezegate, and a look ahead to Naomi Osaka’s blockbuster clash with Aryna Sabalenka. How much chance does Osaka have? Could it possibly be night session?

Part two - Men’s draw (40:56) We get stuck into the wave of marathon matches, including emotional wins for Matteo Berrettini and Juan Manuel Cerundolo, as well as a massive opportunity for Francisco Cerundolo against Zachary Svajda. The only guy to win in straight sets was Flavio Cobolli. How far can he go?

Part three - Redoing The Mix after a week of carnage and a Day 8 preview, including Swiatek vs Kostyuk and Ruud vs Fonseca (1:08:24).

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French Open Day 6 - Djokovic downed as Fonseca comes of age May 30, 2026

Show notes

At the end of another extraordinary day at this year’s French Open, Catherine, David and Matt are together at Tennis Podcast Towers in Paris to discuss an historically wide-open men’s tournament following Joao Fonseca’s incredible win over Novak Djokovic.

Part one - Men’s draw. How did Fonseca mount his comeback from two sets down against Djokovic? What did it feel like in the stadium? And what does this mean for both players and the rest of this tournament? Elsewhere, we cover Casper Ruud saving match points to survive Tommy Paul by the skin of his teeth, a gritty win for Rafael Jodar, and Jakub Mensik’s remarkable physical revival.

Part two - Women’s draw (50:38). Marta Kostyuk vs Iga Swiatek is on and we’re excited. Can Kostyuk take advantage of being the underdog? We also chat about Jim Teichmann’s upset win over Karolina Muchova, her noisy fan club, and the way she’s returned to the sport after taking a break from it last year. Plus, Sorana Cirstea wins 6-0 6-0, Belinda Bencic and Elina Svitolina have set up a fourth round clash, and more players have spoken out about the hazards at the back of the court after Zeynep Sonmez’s fall.

Part three - A look ahead to the Day 7 Order of Play and the FFT’s statement about sexist remarks made by Adolfo Daniel Vallejo (1:11:01).

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French Open Day 5 - Sinner STUNNED! What happened, and what now? May 28, 2026

Show notes

Catherine, David and Matt react to Jannik Sinner’s loss at Roland Garros, a result which blows the whole tournament wide open.

Part one - Men’s draw. We discuss how Sinner’s dramatic defeat to Juan Manuel Cerundolo unfolded as his 6-3 6-2 5-1 lead evaporated and his body wilted in the heat. How did Sinner explain what happened in his press conference? And what does it mean for the tournament? Ben Shelton, the fifth seed, has already failed to capitalise, while 17-year-old Frenchman Moise Kouame lit up Lenglen again.

Part two - Women’s draw (49:25). We cover another day of convincing wins for Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova, a big win for Naomi Osaka, and more very special scenes involving Oleksandra Oliynykova.

Part three - Mousquetaire of the day and Day 6 Order of Play, including Novak Djokovic vs Joao Fonseca in the day session (1:07:21).

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French Open Day 4 - A frenzy of drama, injuries and upsets May 27, 2026

Show notes

Catherine, David and Matt convene at the end of a quite crazy day at Roland Garros, headlined by Elena Rybakina’s defeat in a final set tiebreak.

Part one - Women’s results. This was a very good day for Iga Swiatek, right? She beat Sara Bejlek, Jelena Ostapenko lost to Magda Linette, and Rybakina was beaten by Yulia Starodubtseva. We discuss all of those matches and their ramifications. Does this propel Swiatek to title favourite? Elsewhere, we cover a devastating injury for Hailey Baptiste, a sad exit for Jasmine Paolini, and some spectacular, no-notes aggro between Tamara Korpatsch and Wang Xinyu.

Part two - Men’s results (27:24). We get stuck into all things Novak Djokovic - his enthralling win over Valentin Royer in almost four hours beneath the blazing hot sun and his punchy press conference afterwards. How much will this match have taken out of him and what could it mean for his tournament? In the next round he’ll face Joao Fonseca who came back from two sets down to beat Dino Prizmic. There’s also some distressing Jakub Mensik scenes, a crazy story about Alejandro Davidovich Fokina being abandoned by his coach, and a big reunion between David and the Drop Shot Dragon.

Part three - Mousquetaire of the day and Day 5 Order of Play (1:00:25)

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French Open Day 3 - Is the sun Sinner’s most dangerous opponent? May 27, 2026

Show notes

It was a bit of a weird day at Roland Garros, bookended by a couple of big upsets, with Daniil Medvedev and Jessica Pegula both losing. Catherine, David and Matt discuss it all as we finally completed round one.

Part one - Men’s results. We cover Medvedev’s loss to Adam Walton and his poor record generally at the French Open. Felix Auger-Aliassime survived in a fifth set tiebreak, but with that part of the draw looking pretty light, can he keep it going and reach his semi-final seeding? Elsewhere, Jannik Sinner eased through, but will he keep getting the night session slot?

Part two - Women’s results (34:06). We react to Pegula’s shock defeat to Kim Birrell, Naomi Osaka’s sparkly outfit reveal, and good starts for Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka.

Part three - Sensation/mousquetaire of the day and a cracking Day 4 Order of Play (53:43).

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French Open Day 2 - Svitolina, Ruud survive scares May 26, 2026

Show notes

Catherine, David and Matt capture another day at Roland Garros which saw Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils say goodbye, Elina Svitolina and Casper Ruud survive, and more players succumb to hot conditions.

Part one - Day session. We cover Svitolina’s hard fought win over Anna Bondar, overcoming her recent difficulties in that match up. What makes Bondar tricky for her? And how did she come through? Elsewhere, there’s chat about Amanda Anisimova’s winning return, a tough day for Zheng Qinwen, and Rafael Jodar’s emphatic victory.

Part two - Night session (38:31). Gael Monfils ended his Roland Garros career with a 6-0 final set loss to Hugo Gaston. Why was this such a weird match? And how will Monfils be remembered? We also pick the bones out of an even more bizarre five-setter between Casper Ruud and Roman Safiullen.

Part three - Mousquetaire of the day and Day 3 Order of Play (56:21).

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French Open Day 1 - Djokovic fights through, but how did he look? May 25, 2026

Show notes

At the end of a hot and steamy day in Paris, Catherine, David and Matt wrap up the main results from Roland Garros, headlined by Novak Djokovic’s win in the night session.

Part one - Men’s results. We cover Djokovic’s four set win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, assess just how much trouble he was in, and whether he can use this performance as a springboard. We also go in depth into Nishesh Basavarredy’s journey after his excellent win over Taylor Fritz. Elsewhere there’s chat about Alexander Zverev’s victory, Joao Fonseca setting up a meeting with Dino Prizmic, a typical Alejandro Davidovich Fokina experience, and our first watery shits moment of the tournament.

Part two - Women’s results (35:17). We start with Hailey Baptiste’s thrilling win over Barbora Krejcikova as she survived two match points against her. How does she keep doing this? There’s also drama to discuss between Magda Linette and Tereza Valentova, an emotional win on a tough day for the incredibke Marta Kostyuk, and reports on Fran Jones and Caty McNally’s impressive comeback wins.

Part three (56:46) - We introduce and crown Mousquetaire of the Day before a look ahead to Monday’s order of play.

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French Open Preview, Arthur’s agony and an extraordinary Oliynykova interview May 23, 2026

Show notes

On the eve of the French Open, Catherine, David and Matt are joined by The Athletic’s Ava Wallace to preview the tournament and make some predictions.

Part one - We react to the sad news that Arthur Fils has withdrawn, talk about what it means for the landscape of men’s tennis as the significant injuries pile up, and provide a further update on the player’s media action.

Part two (15:58) - We talk about some of the main headlines from qualifying and pick out the best matches on the day one Order of Play.

Part three (36:41) - We have an extraordinary interview with Oleksandra Oliynykova who talks about her experience of being a Ukrainian on tour, with a war going on at home. To finish the show, we make our predictions for the tournament. Who will reach the final from the men’s bottom half? And can Coco Gauff defend her title?

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French Open Media Day - A boycott of sorts, but did it work? May 22, 2026

Show notes

Catherine, David and Matt report from media day at Roland Garros as the top players cut short their media commitments in a protest over prize money and treatment from the Grand Slams.

Part one - We discuss how today’s protest played out and whether it met our expectations. Why did it all feel a little bit flat? In what way could it have been successful? And what is next for this movement?

Part two (18:14) - Away from the protest, what did the players have to say in their press conferences? We discuss Aryna Sabalenka’s positive update on her fitness, a huge shift from Emma Raducanu as she detailed working with Andrew Richardson again, how to interpret Novak Djokovic’s comments about his preparation, and Taylor Fritz’s reality check over his knee.

Part three (58:15) - We react to concerning reports about Arthur Fils’ fitness and pay tribute to our colleague, Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press, who sadly passed away earlier this week.

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French Open Draws - Swiatek vs. Ostapenko could be ON! May 21, 2026

Show notes

Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts are in Paris where the Roland Garros draws have taken place as players plan to protest the prize money on offer by limiting their media commitments.

Part one - Carlos Alcaraz is out of Wimbledon (00:00 - 12:57) Our reaction, what it means for Alcaraz, and what it means for men’s tennis.

Part two - Roland Garros draws. (12:57 - 50:07) We break down the main headlines from Thursday’s draw ceremony at The Orangerie. Is this the year Jelena Ostapenko vs Iga Swiatek finally happens here? Which round one matches pop off the page? And can anyone possibly stop Jannik Sinner?

Part three - Players plan media walk out to protest Grand Slam prize money (50:07) How effective could the planned action be?

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