The Tennis Podcast

Catherine, David and Matt catch up on the weekend’s action in Canada with Toronto and Montreal both at the quarter-finals stage.
Part one (00:00 - 15:07) Before we get to Canada, we start with the disappointing news that Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from Cincinnati due to a knee injury. How concerning is this? And what could it mean for the US Open?
Part two (15:08 - 49:22) WTA Toronto. There’s chat about Aryna Sabalenka’s slump continuing, the challenge facing Ekaterina Alexandrova as she attempts to back up that win against Elina Svitolina, an unconvincing display from Elena Rybakina as she looks to close the gap to World No.1, a remarkable turnaround from Iga Swiatek to beat Marta Kostyuk, Alexandra Eala finally hitting the wall, and impressive performances from both Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka.
Part three (49:23 - 1:26:11) ATP Montreal. A last eight made up entirely of players born in the 2000s, the most enticing match up sees Arthur Fils go up against Rafael Jodar. We discuss Fils lighting it up against Cameron Norrie, Jodar’s destructive return of serve, and what might happen in that one. Plus, there’s a review of Ben Shelton beating Joao Fonseca, Brandon Nakashima’s quiet run of form since hiring Wayne Ferreira, and predictions.
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Catherine, David and Matt react to the first few days of action across Canada as the men’s top seeds fall by the wayside.
Part one (00:00 - 44:35) Unfortunately we start with an update on the abundance of injury news on the ATP Tour, including Carlos Alcaraz delaying his comeback and withdrawing from Cincinnati, as well as reports in Italy that Jannik Sinner is dealing with a knee issue. What do we make of all that?
The tournament in Montreal hasn’t been immune to injury woe either and we discuss the sad withdrawal of Felix Auger-Aliassime and the crushing scene of Jack Draper in tears on court.
Moving on to the actual tennis, there’s chat about Alexander Zverev losing to Tallon Griekspoor, a win for Boric van de Zandschulp over Daniil Medvedev, another opportunity missed by Alex de Minaur, a second straight win for Rafael Jodar over the returning Lorenzo Musetti, and our picks for the title from here.
Part two (44:46 - 1:01:45) While the men’s event in Montreal has been defined by big names going out, there hasn’t been many upsets in Toronto, except for Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova losing to Caty McNally. We discuss that result, Aryna Sabalenka doing enough to keep her No.1 ranking, and more incredible scenes at Alexandra Eala’s matches. There’s also reaction to Amanda Anisimova’s dramatic win over Nikola Bartunkova and a look ahead to some of the blockbuster matches which have been set up.
Part three (1:01:46 - 1:16:32) We discuss the first comments from players about the new WTA genetic sex testing policy and take a look at what the WTA appointing IMG as its production partner for broadcast could mean.
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Catherine, David and Matt are back to discuss the delayed finals from Washington which saw Alexandra Eala and Taylor Fritz win the titles.
Part one (00:00 - 29:00) We discuss the way Eala, backed by vociferous Filipino support, turned the final around against Jessica Pegula, the awkwardness and effectiveness of her game against top players, and why her rise is such a big deal for tennis.
Part two (29:01 - 51:06) We cover Fritz winning his biggest title for almost four years and the latest on his ongoing knee injury, before taking stock of Rafael Jodar’s development this season.
Part three (51:07 - 1:11:05) A look at some of the other stories from Washington, including a tough tournament for many Americans and more reason to be concerned about the fitness of Jack Draper and Arthur Fils.
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This show was supposed to be focusing on events at the Washington 500 tournament, but with the finals delayed due to rain, Catherine, David and Matt take the time to catch up on other results and news from the last fortnight.
Part one (00:00 - 38:35) We cover 16-year-old Kristina Liutova winning Memphis in her first WTA main draw appearance, Lilli Tagger’s triumph in Prague, Arthur Gea’s first career title, and a wild week for Bernard Tomic in Los Cabos.
Part two (38:36 - 1:20:35) We discuss an assortment of tennis news, including Carlos Alcaraz’s return to the practice court and new hairstyle, Amanda Anisimova reuniting with Rick Vleeshouwers, the damning full verdict in Marketa Vondrousova’s case, the initial US Open mixed doubles entry list, the 2028 Olympic tennis schedule, and the Australian Open’s decision to cap grounds passes.
Part three (1:20:36 - 1:42:58) A look ahead to the Canadian Open which began with a strong statement from the tournament director towards the ATP Tour after Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal.
We’ll be back with another show tomorrow to cover all things Washington.
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For this episode, Catherine, David and Matt are joined in the Wimbledon library by Matt Futterman to talk about his new book, ⁠The Cruelest Game⁠.
The book is an in-depth and up-close look at the sport’s modern era, its stars, and what it takes to succeed in professional tennis.
Using his incredible access, Matt speaks to players and team members on his quest to empathetically figure out why the sport seems to take such a toll on everyone and whether there are any secret codes that will allow players to thrive at the summit of this brutal game.
With chapters dedicated to most of the sport’s top players, Matt explores the individual paths taken by them, as well as the unique and shared challenges they all face as tennis emerges from the era of The Big 3 and Serena Williams.
We speak to Matt about his inspiration for writing the book, some of the most memorable conversations he had over the past three years while working on it, and the recurring themes such as parent-child coaching dynamics and what makes tennis stand out from other sports when it comes to the price paid by its athletes.
The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis comes out on Tuesday August 4th 2026 or is available for pre-order now, with the audiobook read by Catherine.
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