The Tennis Podcast

The US Open men’s semi-finals did not deliver the competitiveness they promised – partly due to Rafael Nadal’s knee, partly due to Novak Djokovic’s brilliance.On The Tennis Podcast, on his birthday, David is joined separately by Simon Briggs of Telegraph Sport and Catherine to talk about it all.Nadal’s knee meant he had to retire when trailing Juan Martin del Potro by two sets. Is it a coincidence that he’s had to pull out of both hard court slams in 2018? How will he manage his body going forward?On a wider scale, Simon points out that a concerning pattern is developing: a number of showpiece matches this year have been compromised by injury or fatigue. Is tennis becoming too physical? Does something need to change? And is the solution to get rid of five sets?Del Potro’s victory was almost lost in all this, but he played well. His powerful-again backhand, in particular, was impressive. But what chance will he stand against Djokovic in the final?Djokovic beat Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Nishikori actually pl

The women’s final is set: Serena Williams will face Naomi Osaka on Saturday. On The Tennis Podcast, David and Catherine discuss how both players got there.Serena beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 6-0. What made this such a formidable performance? David was struck by Serena's net game. Has she ever been forward more? And was it a pre-planned tactic or a mid-match adjustment?Is there a difference between “needing” and “wanting” Grand Slam titles? Catherine wonders whether, with Olympia now in her life, Serena no longer “needs” to win the US Open….but she might just want it more than ever.Naomi Osaka, meanwhile, saved all 13 break points to beat Madison Keys in straight sets. How did she turn the negative head-to-head record in her favour? There’s lots of talk about her improved movement and defence, as well as her loveable interviews.How will Osaka handle the occasion in her first Grand Slam final? She idolises Serena. She also beat her in Miami this year. But this is a different Serena.Looking ahead to the men’s

For the first time in the Open Era there will be a Japanese man and woman in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam after contrasting wins for Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori.Osaka was brilliant again, cruising past an out-of-sorts Lesia Tsurenko. Is she playing the best tennis of anyone in the draw?Nishikori then reeled in Marin Cilic to win in five sets. Was he inspired by Osaka’s victory? Not for the first time, Cilic suffered an alarmingly sudden loss of form and became very agitated. Why does this keep happening?In the night session, David and Catherine lament the 'disrespectful' crowd noise during the Madison Keys vs. Carla Suarez Navarro match. Could the umpire have done more? Does the US Open need to embrace the power of silence?Despite the atmosphere, Keys played well again. Will she beat Osaka tomorrow? In the other women’s semi-final, are there any weaknesses with Serena’s movement that Sevastova could expose?In the Djokovic vs. Millman match, which Djokovic won pretty comfortably in the end, there was a bi

For the second night in a row, the end of The Tennis Podcast had to be recorded at past 2am in New York.That’s because Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem played a marathon match long into the night, with Nadal prevailing in a thrilling deciding set tiebreak.This was tennis at its absolute best, say David and Catherine, and also a brilliant advert for fifth set tiebreaks.Nadal will now face Del Potro in a repeat of last year’s semi-final. Del Potro beat Isner in a match that played out as most people expected. Is there an irresistible force behind Del Potro pushing him to the title?Elsewhere, there was a big surprise in the opening match of the day when Sloane Stephens was beaten in straight-sets by Anastasija Sevastova. How did Sevastova “bamboozle” the defending champion? Did Stephens show mental weakness?Will Sevastova’s variety and court craft trouble Serena Williams in the semi-finals? Serena was a comfortable winner against Karolina Pliskova on Tuesday night. How well did she play?There will be daily edition

This is a Tennis Podcast in two parts.First of all, David and Catherine recorded almost half an hour of chat about the day session, reflecting on wins for Naomi Osaka, Madison Keys and Novak Djokovic, and looking ahead to the quarter-finals.Then the night session happened. And all hell broke loose. At 2:15am, David and Simon Briggs tried to pick up the pieces following Roger Federer’s shock defeat to John Millman. Federer hit 76 unforced errors, made 10 double faults and landed less than 50% of his first serves. Why was he so off his game? Where does he go from here? In his press conference, Federer admitted that he suffered badly in the heat and humidity. Has he ever sweated so much?Also in the night session, Maria Sharapova endured her first ever defeat under the lights in New York against Carla Suarez Navarro. How much longer will Sharapova put up with not contending for Grand Slams?There will daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the US Open fortnight. The Tennis Podcast is produced in

With no obvious headline on Day 7 at the US Open, David and Catherine start the Tennis Podcast by purring over the form of Sloane Stephens and trying to pin down what makes her such a sublime player. They agree she has a sixth sense, but is she unstoppable at her best? It certainly felt like it against Elise Mertens.  Another good performance from Serena is discussed. How well did she do to weather the second set onslaught from Kaia Kanepi? Will the quietly impressive Karolina Pliskova provide her biggest test yet in the next round?Dominic Thiem pulled off the result of the day on the men’s side, beating last year’s finalist Kevin Anderson in straight sets. Did Anderson’s five-setters catch up with him?Thiem’s next opponent is Nadal. The world No.1 was rattled by the brilliance of Basilashvili, with the Georgian adopting a similar aggressive approach to Khachanov. Has Khachanov softened Nadal up? If so, can Thiem deliver the knockout blow?Elsewhere, John Isner and Milos Raonic played a five-set matc

Federer vs. Kyrgios may not have lived up to our lofty expectations, but it still delivered a number of talking points for Catherine and David on The Tennis Podcast.It was neither a total capitulation nor a fully-engaged performance from Kyrgios. Why does Catherine believe it was a step backwards? Will he finally get a coach?Federer, meanwhile, produced a shot of genius. You must have seen it. Where does it rank in his long list of memorable moments?Elsewhere, it was a day laden with upsets. The defeats of Angelique Kerber, Caroline Garcia, Lucas Pouille and Alexander Zverev are discussed. David is refusing to talk about Petra Kvitova…Were we expecting too much too soon from the Lendl-Zverev partnership? When will the German solve the Grand Slam conundrum?The devastating form of Naomi Osaka also gets a mention. She’s won three 6-0 sets in a row! There will daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the US Open fortnight. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with the Telegraph and spons

After all the off-court drama of the past few days, the excitement on day five at the US Open was to be found on the court. David is joined separately by Simon Briggs and Catherine to talk about it all.Serena vs. Venus was a remarkable occasion, as expected, but Serena’s brilliance made it a one-sided contest. Has she sent a message to the rest of the field?The match of the day was undoubtedly the four-hour epic between Karen Khachanov and Rafael Nadal. Is it time to raise our expectations of Khachanov? How much of a concern is Nadal’s knee for the rest of the tournament?Elsewhere, Saturday’s order of play is another cracker. Eyebrows were raised when Federer vs. Kyrgios was scheduled for the day session, but David is on hand with an explanation. Will the conditions favour either player?There will daily editions of The Tennis Podcast throughout the US Open fortnight. The Tennis Podcast is produced in association with the Telegraph and sponsored by Amazon Prime Video, the new home of the US Open in the UK

Not for the first time, a Nick Kyrgios match dominates discussion on The Tennis Podcast. This time, however, Kyrgios is ceding much of the spotlight to umpire Mohamed Lahyani, whose decision to get down from his chair and apparently give Kyrgios a pep talk has caused a lot of controversy.David and Catherine give their reaction to the incident and its aftermath. Was Lahyani trying to cajole and counsel Kyrgios? Did he overstep the mark? What would be an appropriate sanction for Lahyani? And how would the situation have changed if Pierre-Hugues Herbert had reacted on court?The media storm has covered up the fact that Kyrgios was tanking. Surely he can’t keep doing this? His approach frustrated David and Catherine immensely, but they both agree that he will give his all against Roger Federer in the next round.Elsewhere, Angelique Kerber let a healthy lead slip, but eventually won in three sets. Will coming through this test serve her well later in the tournament?Finally, there’s lots of excitement at the th

Andy Murray is out of the US Open. But not without a fight. Not without looking much like his old self in a four-set defeat to Fernando Verdasco.After another scorching day in New York, Catherine joins David on The Tennis Podcast to discuss the match in detail. What made this the most encouraging performance of Murray’s comeback so far? What did Murray say in his press conference? How well did Verdasco do to hold his nerve in that thrilling final game?In the women’s draw, defending champion Sloane Stephens survived a three-setter against the impressive Anhelina Kalinina. Stephens didn’t play her best, but Catherine and David are full of praise for her attitude. They also can’t get enough of her opponent’s name…Elsewhere, a number of fascinating third round matches have been set, including Serena vs Venus. What will the atmosphere be like for that one on Friday?In a packed podcast, there’s also reaction to the statements given by the USTA and the WTA in response to Alize Cornet’s controversial code violation,

On a day of extreme heat and humidity at the US Open, when merely breathing was a challenge, Simon Briggs of Telegraph Sport joins David to salute all the players that managed to actually play high-level tennis in such brutal conditions.The decision of the tournament organisers to invoke the heat rule, including one for the men, is praised. But should play have been cancelled altogether?Novak Djokovic was one of a number of players to be seriously affected by the weather, but he battled through in four sets. Djokovic certainly looked exhausted, but isn’t it a good sign that he’s no longer hiding his emotions on court? Elsewhere, David and Simon pick up the pieces from Jo Konta’s straight-sets defeat to No. 6 seed Caroline Garcia. Does Konta need a plan B? Why has her serve become less effective? And how much longer will her coaching relationship with Michael Joyce last?In the night session, Roger Federer cruised through against Yoshihito Nishioka and Maria Sharapova held off Patty Schnyder’s mini-fightba

Former World No.5 turned Amazon Prime Video UK pundit Daniela Hantuchova joins David and Catherine to review an eventful opening day at the US Open.For the first time in the tournament’s history, the women’s top seed lost in the first round. Where did it all go wrong for Simona Halep against Kaia Kanepi? Why was there no real fightback? Has she become over-reliant on Darren Cahill? Hantuchova thinks she might still need time to recover from the high of winning at Roland Garros.From a British perspective it was a pretty chaotic day, with Andy Murray, Kyle Edmund and Heather Watson all playing at the same time.Murray came from a set down to defeat James Duckworth, with his movement improving steadily throughout the match. Hantuchova gives an insight into what it’s like to return from injury, and draws a fascinating comparison between Halep’s on-court negativity and Murray’s emotional ramblings.Edmund, meanwhile, broke down physically in a four-set loss to Paolo Lorenzi. What happened?Elsewhere, Stan Wawrinka ea

Spirits are high on the new Tennis Podcast with David and Catherine back together on Fifth Avenue to preview the US Open.David may have just stepped off the plane, but Catherine has been in New York for a couple of days. In that time, she’s seen the brand-new Louis Armstrong Stadium, soaked up the joy of Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day and spoken to a number of players at the “Superbowl style” media day, including Andy Murray. What state of mind is he in? And how far can he realistically go this fortnight?On paper, Novak Djokovic has the draw from heaven, while Federer’s is a bit of a nightmare. Will we see them face off in the quarter-finals?We will also get our first look at the new partnership between Ivan Lendl and Alexander Zverev. Will Lendl be the difference-maker? On the women’s side, can Stephens pull off the rare feat (unless you’re Serena Williams) of defending her title? And how will Halep cope without the on-court coaching of Darren Cahill?Angelique Kerber, meanwhile, is looking relaxed. Can she win b

It was a monumental week for tennis as the ITF’s proposals to reform the Davis Cup were approved. The decision sparked a huge reaction, with much of it negative. But is it all doom and gloom? On the new Tennis Podcast, Catherine and Charlie Eccleshare of Telegraph Sport give their take on the news.Can the new Davis Cup and the planned World Team Cup possibly co-exist? Will the $3billion investment help smaller tennis nations? And are some players scared to come out in support of the reforms?On court this week, Novak Djokovic claimed an elusive maiden title in Cincinnati to become the first singles player ever to win all nine Masters 1000 events. How big of an achievement is it? And is he now the US Open favourite?Djokovic beat Federer in the final in Cincinnati. Catherine and Charlie both think that Federer played very poorly in the final, but they disagree about his prospects in New York.On the women’s side, Kiki Bertens produced a brilliant run in Cincinnati. She toppled Wozniacki, Svitolina, Kvitova and th

With David away on holiday, The Telegraph’s Charlie Eccleshare joins Catherine on The Tennis Podcast to review the action from the Rogers Cup in Canada, where world No.1s Simona Halep and Rafael Nadal picked up the titles in Montreal and Toronto respectively.Halep battled past Stephens in a thrilling final. Can the pair now establish a genuine, lasting rivalry at the top of the game? And is it too early to call them the two clear favourites for the US Open?Nadal, meanwhile, withstood the challenge of Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek beat four top-10 players in a row to reach the final, capturing hearts and turning heads in the process. What makes him so exciting to watch? Can he win a Grand Slam title before Alexander Zverev?Speaking of Zverev, he described his match with Tsitsipas as “pathetic” and said his opponent didn’t even play that well. It’s fair to say those comments divided opinion, but what did Catherine and Charlie make of them?Other talking points to come out of Canada included promising signs for J

Unsurprisingly, the eventful return of Andy Murray dominates discussion on this week’s Tennis Podcast.After Murray played and won his first hard court matches since March 2017 by advancing to the quarter-finals in Washington, David and Catherine are on hand to talk all about it.What did we learn about Murray? How well did he play? And why did he end up in tears after beating Marius Copil? The 3:02am finish might have had something to do with it…On that note, the scheduling issues in Washington are discussed, as well as the way in which tournament director Keely O’Brien misguidedly called Murray’s fighting spirit into question.While Murray hogged the headlines in Washington, it was ultimately Alexander Zverev who won the title. Zverev is still officially considered #NextGen, but the way he brushed aside Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex De Minaur emphasised the superiority he has over his contemporaries. When will he start producing such dominant displays at Grand Slams?On the women’ side, tribute is paid to Mihaela

Catherine and David are back with a bumper edition of The Tennis Podcast to reflect on everything that’s happened in the sport since Wimbledon. From Newport to Nanchang, all the noteworthy results and their implications are covered. Can Cecchinato or Fognini reach the ATP World Tour Finals? Who is 17-year-old Moscow titlist Olga Danilovic? And what’s the key to John Isner’s sustained success in Atlanta?Moreover, Britain’s Jay Clarke won the Binghamton Challenger. His prospects are discussed, as well as the proposals to revamp the ATP Challenger Tour from next year. Are the changes a good idea?Elsewhere, Marian Vajda has had some less-than-positive things to say about Pepe Imaz’s influence on Novak Djokovic. Those remarks came shortly after Djokovic wrote an open letter revealing the struggles he’s faced over the last two years. Catherine and David give their take on both subjects.Serena Williams has also made the headlines after tweeting her frustration at the way drug testing is carried out in tennis. S

After producing 39 podcasts in 50 days during the French Open, the Fever-Tree Championships and Wimbledon, Catherine and David have handed over editorial control to the listeners for the latest show.In the fourth instalment this year of Ask Catherine & David, the hosts do their best to answer all the questions selected by executive producer Melanie Bose.What does Rafael Nadal need to achieve to become widely considered the GOAT? Would tennis be better off with a commissioner rather than a committee? Should women be playing best-of-five sets at Grand Slams? And what might Andy Murray do once his playing career is over?Catherine and David get stuck into all that and more.The Tennis Podcast is uploaded weekly throughout the year and daily at the Grand Slam tournaments. It is produced in associated with Telegraph Sport and sponsored by Amazon Prime Video, the new home of the US Open in the UK.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Novak Djokovic has been through some dark times over the past couple of years, but his 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 win over Kevin Anderson in the Wimbledon final proved that he is very much back in the big time. Afterwards, Tennis Podcast presenter David Law was joined by Charlie Eccleshare of the Telegraph to look back on a final that didn't get going until set three, and ultimately proved a step too far for Anderson. Just how good was Djokovic? Where does this leave him for the US Open in a few weeks time? And how many more can Djokovic win? The Tennis Podcast team give their views.As the subject of the men's doubles championships is covered, and the transition from junior tennis to senior success discussed, conversation takes a more troubling turn when the subject of player mental health is brought up. Eccleshare and Law have both discussed the issue with players that have struggled, and those struggles are detailed on the show. The Tennis Podcast is uploaded weekly throughout the year and daily at the Grand Slam tourna

With Royalty in attendance - the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex - Angelique Kerber defeated Serena Williams to win the Wimbledon title, and Novak Djokovic overcame Rafael Nadal in an all-time classic to reach the men’s final.Afterwards, Catherine Whitaker was joined by Charlie Eccleshare of the Telegraph, and later David Law, to review the day.Why was Kerber such a comfortable winner over Williams? How will the final be reported in the pages of the Telegraph? And what next for both players?Where does Djokovic vs. Nadal stand in the list of all-time great contests? Is it the best rivalry of them all? Did Wimbledon get its scheduling decisions right, or do they need to look at it for the future?The Tennis Podcast is produced daily throughout Wimbledon, presented by David Law and Catherine Whitaker.It is produced in associated with Telegraph Sport and sponsored by Amazon Prime Video, the new home of the US Open in the UK.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.