Your definitive tennis round up, daily at the Slams. Part of the Athletic Network. Named in Time Mag's Top 100 podcasts of all time.
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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 (https://wrexhamopentennis.com/experience/one-point-grand/).
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6 Oct 2026
Sinner out for season. Could Djokovic benefit?
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 (https://wrexhamopentennis.com/experience/one-point-grand/).
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2 Oct 2026
Djokovic feels the love, and the pain
Catherine, David and Matt catch up on everything that’s happened so far in Tokyo and Beijing as well as some bits of tennis news.
Part one (00:00 - 40:40) We start by discussing titles for Daniil Medvedev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina before getting in to the tough transition from Laver Cup to the Asian Swing, with lots of early exits for those players. Plus, Carlos Alcaraz wins a fun one against Alex Michelsen and could be on a collision course with Arthur Fils, while Novak Djokovic has struggled through a couple of matches in Beijing in front of an adoring crowd. There’s also updates on how the Race to Turin is shaping up, Felix Auger-Aliassime hiring Ivan Ljubicic, and a special scene in Tokyo for the retiring Kei Nishikori.
Part two (40:41 - 50:10) WTA Beijing still has a long way to go but we discuss some of the main headlines so far, including defeat for Jasmine Paolini and what we can expect from Aryna Sabalenka as the season winds down.
Part three (50:11 - 1:20:35) There’s chat about Alcaraz’s support for best of five set tennis, some subtle changes to the WTA Calendar in 2027, a blow for the slams and tours in their legal battle with the PTPA, and an important and moving post from Emma Navarro about her health struggles.
Finally, 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 (https://wrexhamopentennis.com/experience/one-point-grand/).
For ad-free listening and bonus content, Become a Friend (http://tennis.supportingcast.fm/).
Check out our new merch shop (https://www.thetennispodcast.net/shop)! Cut The Faff t-shirts are here!
Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! (https://tennis.supportingcast.fm/)
Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (http://eepurl.com/gbmzRX) (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 (http://www.instagram.com/thetennispodcast) (@thetennispodcast)
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Inside a recent episode
Live from Wimbledon Day 14 - Sinner seizes second title
Published 12 Jul 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] I talked about him and Tsitsipas yesterday, and the way they've just... diverged as tennis players. But I'm also interested to see Zverev at the US Open because he spoke at the end of his match with Felix Ogierliassime last year as saying that he never had feel with the ball and the conditions there at all during that tournament. And I know he's reached the final before and he nearly won it several years ago. But I never feel like he's that comfortable there. He hasn't looked it to me a lot of the time anyway. So, you know, that's his next challenge, isn't it? Would we think of the amount, the deployment of variety from Yannick Sinner today? […]
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