Show Notes
With David away on holiday, Catherine and Matt are joined by The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare for reaction to the week’s results and some bigger picture reflections on the season. Part one - WTA (00:00 - 44:55). We start by discussing Elena Rybakina’s first title as the World No.1 and her impressive performance to beat Leylah Fernandez in the Ningbo final. Charlie reflects on how Rybakina’s rise to the top has coincided with Aryna Sabalenka’s slump and we take a look at the WTA Finals line-up which got confirmed last week. How weird is it not to see Iga Swiatek there? And how might Elina Svitolina be affected by her split from Gael Monfils and, in particular, the horrible online abuse she’s suffered? Part two - ATP (44:56 - 1:16:45). There’s reaction to Lorenzo Musetti’s stunning title run in Lyon, Daniil Medvedev’s resurgence continuing with a title in Almaty, and Tallon Griekspoor overcoming the change of venue in Brussels to triumph there. We also reflect on the careers of Stan Wawrinka and David Goffin as they come to an end while Matt faces the music after his disastrous performance in Wrexham. Part three (1:16:46 - 1:35:12). A look ahead to this week’s action as the Race for Turin heats up with so many players in contention taking part in Vienna and Basel. Will Djokovic qualify? Finally, there’s reaction to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina getting the call-up for Spain’s Davis Cup Finals squad. For ad-free listening and bonus content, Become a Friend. Check out our new merch shop! Cut The Faff t-shirts are here! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more) Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from The Tennis Podcast
Catherine, David and Matt review the final few days of action in Wuhan and Shanghai as Maja Chwalinska and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won their first 1000 level titles. Part one (00:00 - 29:40) We discuss the way Chwalinska has backed up her run to the Roland Garros final, how she came from a set down to defeat Sonay Kartal in an enjoyable final in Wuhan, and the tough task for Iga Swiatek to try to qualify for the WTA Finals. Part two (29:41 - 56:52) We cover Davidovich Fokina’s brilliant title run, the way he’s changed the narrative of his career in the last few months, and his chances of getting called up to Spain’s Davis Cup Finals squad. Elsewhere, there’s more reflection on a dramatic week for Rafael Jodar and we look at the very tight ATP Race to Turin, headlined by Novak Djokovic signing up to play in Basel. Part three (56:53 - 1:17:51) We react to Andre Gaudenzi’s proposals for the ATP Tour in 2028. Do the plans address any of the real issues? Watch Matt in Wrexham’s version of the One Point Slam on Monday 19th October! The YouTube stream starts at 7:30pm UK time - https://www.youtube.com/live/ChUd9kB9_IA For ad-free listening and bonus content, Become a Friend. Check out our new merch shop! Cut The Faff t-shirts are here! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more) Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Catherine, David and Matt catch up on events in Shanghai and Wuhan with both tournaments reaching their climactic stages. Part one - Shanghai (00:00 - 28:34). With lots of players on their last legs at the end of the season, how does Alexander Zverev keep on winning? We discuss his week in Shanghai so far, including a slight ankle concern and an incident where he turned up late to practice. Elsewhere, there’s condemnation of Rafael Jodar’s language and behaviour on court, analysis of Daniil Medvedev’s prospects after a win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, and yet more Davis Cup drama brewing for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Part two - Wuhan (28:35 - 48:56). Another loss for Aryna Sabalenka, this time a thriller against Ann Li, but just how serious is her slump? We dig into that before discussing Iga Swiatek’s quest to qualify for the WTA Finals, the sudden form of Jelena Ostapenko, and a nice week so far for Maja Chwalinska and Sonay Kartal. Part three - News (48:57 - 1:15:29). We react to Gael Monfils being listed as an inactive player, share some memories of his career, and discuss the postponement of the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh which felt inevitable after a series of strikes and attacks there. Support Matt in Wrexham’s version of the One Point Slam on Monday 19th October! Tickets cost less than £10 and are on sale here. For ad-free listening and bonus content, Become a Friend. Check out our new merch shop! Cut The Faff t-shirts are here! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more) Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Catherine, David and Matt discuss Zheng Qinwen’s title at home in Beijing and a shock defeat for Carlos Alcaraz in Shanghai. Part one (00:00 - 26:08) We cover Zheng’s brilliant performance in the final to beat Mirra Andreeva, her post-match karaoke, and what the potential ceiling of her game could be. Part two (26:09 - 53:18) In Shanghai, we react to Zizou Bergs beating an irritable Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev securing the year-end world number one ranking, and a tough set of results for lots of the Americans, especially Taylor Fritz losing out to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Part three (53:19 - 1:06:16) Preview and predictions as WTA Wuhan gets underway. Who needs a big week with the Race to the WTA Finals reaching its climax? Support Matt in Wrexham’s version of the One Point Slam on Monday 19th October! Tickets cost less than £10 and are on sale here. For ad-free listening and bonus content, Become a Friend. Check out our new merch shop! Cut The Faff t-shirts are here! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more) Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Catherine, David and Matt catch up as WTA Beijing heads for an exciting finish and ATP Shanghai is just getting started. Part one - We start with more discussion of the horrible racial abuse that Coco Gauff received, how it affected her on court, and the lack of response from the WTA. We then discuss a brilliant win for Elise Mertens over Iga Swiatek and her upcoming semi-final against home favourite Zheng Qinwen. Why do we often overlook Mertens? And how great is it to see Zheng backing up her US Open form? Part two (23:24) - The other women’s semi-final is an intriguing clash between Mirra Andreeva and Nikola Bartunkova. We discuss how they got there, how that match might go, Bartunkova’s shocking tiebreak record, and whether we see her as a major champion in the future. Part three (38:29) - We run through the main stories from Shanghai so far, including Novak Djokovic losing his opener to Hubert Hurkacz, Flavio Cobolli’s poor form continuing, a good effort from Arthur Fery against Karen Khachanov, and a shock defeat for Lorenzo Musetti against Chinese wildcard Yi Zhou. Support Matt in Wrexham’s version of the One Point Slam on Monday 19th October! Tickets cost less than £10 and are on sale here. For ad-free listening and bonus content, Become a Friend. Check out our new merch shop! Cut The Faff t-shirts are here! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more) Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It’s been a busy few days in tennis so Catherine, David and Matt convene to discuss the end of Jannik Sinner’s 2026 season, titles for Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev’s default, and shock defeats for Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka in Beijing. Part one (00:00 - 17:15) We start with the tough news that Sinner is shutting down his season due to his persistent knee injury. We reflect on what this means for Sinner and what an odd year it’s been for him, as well as some of the knock on effects like Alexander Zverev becoming world number one and a spot opening up at the ATP Finals, with Djokovic potentially poised to capitalise. Part two (17:16 - 51:45) We discuss a wild few days on the ATP Tour, headlined by Djokovic’s extraordinary victory in Beijing, Daniil Medvedev’s default in the semi-finals, and Carlos Alcaraz defending his title in Tokyo. Which of Djokovic’s achievements in Beijing is the most remarkable? Why do the punishments for ball abuse need to get more severe? And is Alcaraz properly back? Part three (51:46 - 1:18:57) The main storylines from an eventful WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing so far, including an injured Elena Rybakina losing her first match as number one, another early defeat for Aryna Sabalenka, a great comeback from Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff calling out racist abuse online following a video review incident in her match, and a thrilling win for Karolina Muchova on her ninth match point against Naomi Osaka. Support Matt in Wrexham’s version of the One Point Slam on Monday 19th October! Tickets cost less than £10 and are on sale here. For ad-free listening and bonus content, Become a Friend. Check out our new merch shop! Cut The Faff t-shirts are here! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more) Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.