Tennis Unfiltered (Tennis Unfiltered)

Wimbledon order of play for Wednesday Centre Court (from 1.30pm BST) Ajla Tomljanovic vs Elena Rybakina Rafael Nadal vs Taylor Fritz No 1 Court (from 1pm BST) Simona Halep vs Amanda Anisimova Nick Kyrgios vs Cristian Garin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray reports live from Paris after Iga Swiatek beat Beatriz Haddad Maia and Karolina Muchova stunned Aryna Sabalenka on women's semi-final day Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray, Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw discuss all the latest news from the tennis world over the last seven days, including... - What Sky Sports said about YOUR feedback on their coverage of the US Open - The WTA make their return to China after a four-year absence and no real political stand - Great Britain edge France to reach the Davis Cup Finals in dramatic fashion - Spain missed out though which means they will host but not play, which could hit ticket sales - An awful 1000-level draw in Guadalajara And more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray reports live from Paris to look back at Day 5 at Roland Garros, as the second round completes. Friday’s schedule (All courts start at 10am BST unless stated; singles only) Court Philippe Chatrier (from 10.45am) Elise Mertens (28) vs Jessica Pegula (3) Kamilla Rakhimova vs Aryna Sabalenka (2) Novak Djokovic (3) vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (29) (Not before 7.15pm) Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Denis Shapovalov (26) Court Suzanne Lenglen Peyton Stearns vs Daria Kasatkina (9) Lorenzo Sonego vs Andrey Rublev (7) Sloane Stephens vs Yulia Putintseva Diego Schwartzman vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) Court Simonne Mathieu Karen Khachanov (11) vs Thanasi Kokkinakis Anna Blinkova vs Elina Svitolina Lorenzo Musetti (17) vs Cameron Norrie (14) Karolina Muchova vs Irina-Camelia Begu (27) Court 14 (Following one men’s doubles match) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Anastasia Potapova (24) Fabio Fognini vs Sebastian Ofner Juan Pablo Varillas vs Hubert Hurkacz (13) Court 7 (Following two women’s doubles matches) Clara Tauson vs Elina Avanesyan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Quiet week in tennis? It will never happen. ATP coach Calvin Betton, The i Paper journalist James Gray and former tennis reporter George Bellshaw sit down to discuss a couple of weighty issues in tennis this week. Jannik Sinner has agreed a three-month ban with Wada after two positive test for clostebol last March. Wada re-stated their acceptance of his excuse, that a member of staff had used it, but would have claimed on appeal that he bore some responsibility for the actions of his team members. Stefano Vukov, somehow still coach to Elena Rybakina, has been handed a one-year ban by the WTA for "mental abuse", calling Rybakina stupid and telling her she would "still be picking potatoes in Russia" if it wasn't for her, as well as pushing her physically to the point that she got ill. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6035283/2025/02/11/stefano-vukov-wta-ban-report-elena-rybakina-coach/ Joao Fonseca has won his first ATP tour title in Buenos Aires Jelena Ostapenko didn't win the title in Doha but has cemented her place as Calvin's "absolutely rock star" of women's tennis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray reports live from Paris Saturday’s schedule (All courts start at 10am BST unless otherwise stated) Court Philippe Chatrier (from 10.45am) Elena Rybakina (4) vs Sara Sorribes Tormo Holger Rune (6) vs Genaro Alberto Olivieri Iga Swiatek (1) vs Wang Xinyu (Not before 7.15pm) Alexander Zverev (22) vs Frances Tiafoe (12) Court Suzanne Lenglen Zhang Zhizhen vs Casper Ruud (4) Mirra Andreeva vs Coco Gauff (6) Fracisco Cerundolo (23) vs Taylor Fritz (9) Olga Danilovic vs Ons Jabeur (7) Court Simonne Mathieu Yoshihito Nishioka (27) vs Thiago Seyboth Wild Ekaterina Alexandrova (23) vs Beatriz Haddad Maia (14) Bianca Andreescu vs Lesia Tsurenko Daniel Altmaier vs Grigor Dimitrov (28) Court 14 (Following a women’s doubles match) Borna Coric (15) vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry Anna Karolina Schmiedlova vs Kayla Day Court 7 (Following a women’s doubles match) Nicolas Jarry vs Marcos Giron Elisabette Cocciaretto vs Bernarda Pera Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw join James Gray for a debrief on the women's final, which saw Marketa Vondrousova become the lowest ranked women's champion in Wimbledon's history, while Ons Jabeur lost her third consecutive grand slam final. It left us asking questions like... Why shut the roof in the wind? Will Ons Jabeur ever win a grand slam? Will Marketa Vondrousova ever win another? Has the women's draw given us more entertainment than the men's? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw joins James Gray live from Paris to look back at the third day of French Open action, and look ahead to the second round. Wednesday’s order of play (All courts start at 10am unless otherwise stated) Court Philippe Chatrier (from 10.45am) Camila Giorgi vs Jessica Pegula (3) Caroline Garcia (5) vs Anna Blinkova Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Taro Daniel (Not before 7.15pm) Novak Djokovic (3) vs Marton Fucsovics Court Suzanne Lenglen Roberto Carballes Baena vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) Marketa Vondrousova vs Daria Kasatkina (9) Iryna Shymanovich vs Aryna Sabalenka (2) Lucas Pouille vs Cameron Norrie (14) Court Simonne Mathieu Storm Hunter vs Elina Svitolina Stan Wawrinka vs Thanasi Kokkinakis Corentin Moutet vs Andrey Rublev (7) Leolia Jeanjean vs Elina Avanesyan Court 14 Jelena Ostapenko (17) vs Peyton Stearns Lorenzo Sonego vs Ugo Humbert Sloane Stephens vs Varvara Gracheva Luca Van Assche vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (29) Court 7 Elise Mertens (28) vs Camila Osorio Liudmila Samsonova (15) vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Tallon Griekspoor vs Hubert Hurkacz (13) Lorenzo Musetti (17) vs Alexander Shevchenko Court 6 Fabio Fognini vs Jason Kubler Yulia Putintseva vs Zheng Qinwen (19) Karen Khachanov (11) vs Radu Albot Leylah Fernandez vs Clara Tauson Court 12 (Following men’s doubles at 10am) Mayar Sherif vs Anastasia Potapova (24) Matteo Arnaldi vs Denis Shapovalov (26) Court 13 Sebastian Ofner vs Sebastian Korda (24) Karolina Muchova vs Nadia Podoroska Roberto Bautista Agut (19) vs Juan Pablo Varillas Magdalena Frech vs Kamilla Rakhimova Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton is in Eastbourne, George Bellshaw is in Birmingham and James Gray is in London to discuss all the latest goings on in the tennis world, including: Carlos Alcaraz beats Alex De Minaur to claim the Queen's title Jelena Ostapenko announces her Wimbledon candidacy in Birmingham Wimbledon wildcards are released Alexander Bublik beats Andrey Rublev to win the biggest title of his career Who are the best up and coming British players? Is Kate Middleton any good at tennis? Are the Saudis taking over? And so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How doubles champions prepare for a late-night final Did Novak Djokovic deserve to be booed off? Does Alexander Zverev have a chance against Jannik Sinner? Has Ben Shelton got any better? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton calls in from the ATP 250 in Lyon, James Gray is packing for Paris and George Bellshaw is here too. We discussed... Emma Raducanu reveals she will not be playing the French Open in order "to do a healthy block before the grass and subsequent hard court seasons", and to prioritise fitness over Roland Garros Jannik Sinner has been under an injury cloud but arrived in Paris this week to suggest he is ready to compete for his second grand slam Novak Djokovic is also battling fitness concerns but has flown to Geneva in search of form Andy Murray is there too but has already lost, beaten by Yannick Hanfmann - and will now head to Roland Garros for singles and doubles And more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton joins James Gray to talk about the first week of the US Open. Is this really the end of Serena Williams? What will Emma Raducanu get out of playing a lower level of tournament? Where is it going wrong for Andy Murray? What next for Harriet Dart? Is Rafael Nadal really in the best shape? What can Daniil Medvedev expect from Nick Kyrgios? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton (coach), George Bellshaw (writer) and James Gray (journalist, inews.co.uk and the i newspaper) talk about the biggest issues of the week in tennis. This week... What Nick Bollettieri did for the game of tennis Did he really invent the tennis academy? Was he a great coach or a great motivator? And how many wives did he *really* have? The LTA have been fined $1m by the ATP, should the AELTC pay the fine? What will they do next summer, ban Russians and Belarusians again? Could they really be expelled from the ATP and the WTA? We'll also answer your questions, discuss the rights and wrongs of playing in Saudi Arabia (again) and look at the latest doping ban in tennis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw and James Gray look back at a thrilling day - or specifically, night - of tennis at Melbourne Park Novak Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz in an instant classic across four sets Djokovic had treatment for a left leg injury, thought to be groin or hamstring, but rallied from losing the first set to triumph just before 1am in Melbourne How will he pull up to face Alexander Zverev, who beat Tommy Paul, in Friday's semi-final? Aryna Sabalenka outlasted Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a wind-swept semi Coco Gauff produced 41 unforced errors in just two sets, mostly on her forehand, as Paula Badosa became a shock semi-finalist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw and James Gray catch up on a busy weekend of US Open action, including... Sky Sports apologise for problems with US Open coverage, raised by Tennis Unfiltered listeners: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/us-open-viewers-frustrated-sky-tennis-coverage-3256452 Video review goes so badly wrong as Beatriz Haddad Maia gets away with one against Anna Kalinskaya: https://x.com/LoveGame_Tennis/status/1830181747281055879 Dan Evans is finally beaten in the US Open, handed two bagels by Alex De Minaur Yulia Putintseva is beaten but more importantly apologises for this behaviour towards a ball girl: https://x.com/MerThomp/status/1829999912399818965 Coco Gauff is knocked out by Olympic team-mate Emma Navarro. Gauff served at 46 per cent and hit 60 unforced errors, but perhaps worst of all hit 19 double-faults and says she will consider a biomechanics expert to break down her service issues. "I definitely want to get other opinions because, you know -- and also I think it's sometimes more of an emotional, mental thing because if I go out on the practice court right now, I would make, like, 30 serves in a row." Who on earth will win the bottom half of the men's draw now? Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz are surely favourites with either Grigor Dimitrov or Frances Tiafoe waiting in the semi-final. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Men's draw in full: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/mens-singles.html Women's draw in full: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/womens-singles.html George Bellshaw and James Gray go line-by-line through the US Open draw for 2024, and try to put together their #FTU teams. They also of course discussed the shock news this week of Jannik Sinner having twice tested positive for a banned substance. If you want to enter Fantasy Tennis Unfiltered, the last of the year, then please do so here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1csjRJTTdquLZiFPgrGogAzXtXMRyRaDxYrWco5mlFvY The concept is simple: pick players you think are going win matches. You have to pick a total of 10 players, five men and five women, one from each category.  The Underdog (30 points per win) - A qualifier, lucky loser or wildcard The Surprise (25 points per win) - Another unseeded player in the draw The Possible (20 point per win) - One of the seeds between No 17 and No 32 The Probable (20 point per win) - One of the seeds between No 5 and No 16 The Star (15 points per win) - One of the top four seeds They score points for every match they win - with 5 bonus points for each match they win in the second week, and 5 more bonus points for winning the tournament overall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw and Calvin Betton join James Gray to answer the big questions in the world of tennis this week, including: What is the point of the Laver Cup? Can it survive without Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and co? Wouldn't it be better as a mixed tournament? How did Brit Liam Broady finally crack the top 100 a few months before his 30th birthday? Is a title in Guadalajara a turning point for Maria Sakkari? Has Elena Rybakina got a point about performance byes? Plus your questions answered and much, much more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rafael Nadal is looking to win a 14th French Open title and maintain his 100 per cent record in the final of Roland Garros Casper Ruud is in his very first grand slam final and has never played Nadal competitively What could possibly go wrong?! And on Saturday Iga Swiatek beat Coco Gauff in straight sets to claim her second French Open title (in front of Robert Lewandowski), leaving the American tearful but proud of her achievements Both women used their platform during the tournament to highlight causes close to their heart Swiatek was asked many things in her post-match press conference, but also about what make-up she wears, a question that harked back to a bygone era Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Iga Swiatek wins her Australian Open semi-final with ease but not before a controversial double bounce incident (https://inews.co.uk/sport/iga-swiatek-double-bounce-australian-open-emma-navarro-3494688) Jannik Sinner batts Alex de Minaur, guaranteeing 50 years since the last Australian male winner here Ben Shelton books his place in a second grand slam semi-final Madison Keys outlasts Elina Svitolina SEMI-FINAL PREVIEWS Iga Swiatek vs Madison Keys Aryna Sabalenka vs Paula Badosa Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev Jannik Sinner vs Ben Shelton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin and James raw and unedited on Saturday's action at Roland Garros Jessica Pegula is the highest ranked seed left in the women's draw except for Iga Swiatek Who can challenge the Polish world No 1? Is Aryna Sabalenka ever going to win a grand slam? What does Andrey Rublev add to the draw? Why did we never believe that Daniil Medvedev could be good on clay? What is Holger Rune's deal? James will be taking no questions about the football now and for some time afterwards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton and James Gray look back at the women's semi-finals and ahead to the men's on Friday night... What has Coco Gauff *actually* done with her forehand to add racket head speed? How Aryna Sabalenka became world No 1 The gameplan Ben Shelton needs to overcome Novak Djokovic What Daniil Medvedev could do to upset Carlos Alcaraz's rhythm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray is joined by brand expert and editor-in-chief of PRWeek UK Danny Rogers to talk brand Wimbledon, as well as looking back at a rain-affected second day of the Championships Wednesday's order of play (All courts start at 11am unless otherwise stated) CENTRE COURT (1.30pm) Daria Kasatkina [11] vs Jodie Burrage (GBR) Iga Swiatek (POL) [1] vs Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) Jordan Thompson (AUS) vs Novak Djokovic (SRB) [2] No 1 COURT (1pm) Daniil Medvedev [3] vs Arthur Fery (GBR) Heather Watson (GBR) vs Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) [10] Jannik Sinner (ITA) [8] vs Diego Schwartzman (ARG) No 2 COURT Maria Sakkari (GRE) [8] vs Marta Kostyuk (UKR) Yannick Hanfmann (GER) vs Taylor Fritz (USA) [9] 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 2-3 to finish Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) [5] 6-3, 3-4 to finish Alexander Zverev (GER) [19] vs Gijs Brouwer (NED) (Not before 4:30pm) Nadia Podoroska (ARG) vs Victoria Azarenka [19] No 3 COURT Frances Tiafoe (USA) [10] vs Yibing Wu (CHN) George Loffhagen (GBR) vs Holger Rune (DEN) 6-7(4), 0-0 to finish Sonay Kartal (GBR) vs Madison Keys (USA) [25] Jasmine Paolini (ITA) vs Petra Kvitova (CZE) [9] (Not before 4:30pm) Andrey Rublev [7] vs Aslan Karatsev COURT 12 Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) [13] vs Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 2-0 to finish Denis Shapovalov (CAN) [26] vs Radu Albot (MDA) 5-7, 2-2 to finish Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 13 vs Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 14 6-7(5), 0-0 to finish Karolina Muchova (CZE) [16] vs Jule Niemeier (GER) (Not before 4:30pm) Jan Choinski (GBR) vs Hubert Hurkacz (POL) [17] COURT 18 Sho Shimabukuro (JPN) vs Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) [21] Katie Boulter (GBR) vs Daria Saville (AUS) 5-6 to finish Karolina Pliskova (CZE) [18] vs Natalija Stevanovic (SRB) Kimmer Coppejans (BEL) vs Alex De Minaur (AUS) [15] (Not before 4:30pm) Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) [14] vs Jaume Munar (ESP) COURT 4 Shuai Zhang (CHN) vs Donna Vekic (CRO) [20] Ysaline Bonaventure (BEL) vs Zhuoxuan Bai (CHN) 6-7(0), 0-4 to finish Shintaro Mochizuki (JPN) vs Tommy Paul (USA) [16] Matteo Arnaldi (ITA) vs Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP) COURT 5 Camila Osorio (COL) vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA) Alexandre Muller (FRA) 3 vs Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) 7-6(5), 1-0 to finish Christopher Eubanks (USA) vs Thiago Monteiro (BRA) Marco Cecchinato (ITA) vs Nicolas Jarry (CHI) [25] (Not before 4:30pm) Xinyu Wang (CHN) vs Sofia Kenin (USA) COURT 6 Anett Kontaveit (EST) vs Lucrezia Stefanini (ITA) Varvara Gracheva (FRA) vs Camila Giorgi (ITA) Marcos Giron (USA) vs Hugo Dellien (BOL) 7-6(2), 1-2 to finish Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) vs Anna Blinkova (Not before 4.30pm) Tomas Barrios Vera (CHI) vs David Goffin (BEL) COURT 7 Dominic Stricker (SUI) vs Alexei Popyrin (AUS) Madison Brengle (USA) vs Sara Errani (ITA) 6-3, 3-0 to finish Adrian Mannarino (FRA) vs Alexander Shevchenko (Not before 4:30pm) Maximilian Marterer (GER) vs Michael Mmoh (USA) COURT 8 Sorana Cirstea (ROU) vs Tatjana Maria (GER) Benjamin Bonzi (FRA) vs Harold Mayot (FRA) 3-6, 3-5 to finish Bernarda Pera (USA) [27] vs Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) 7-6(3), 0-1 to finish Maxime Cressy (USA) vs Laslo Djere (SRB) (Not before 4:30pm) Alexander Bublik (KAZ) [23] vs JJ Wolf (USA) COURT 9 Lloyd Harris (RSA) vs Gregoire Barrere (FRA) Ilya Ivashka vs Federico Coria (ARG) Christopher O'Connell (AUS) vs Hamad Medjedovic (SRB) 7-5, 1-0 to finish Viktorija Golubic (SUI) vs Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) (Not before 4:30pm) Alycia Parks (USA) vs Ana Bogdan (ROU) COURT 10 Jaqueline Cristian (ROU) vs Lucia Bronzetti (ITA) Roman Safiullin vs Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) [20] 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-7(4), 0-0 to finish Nao Hibino (JPN) vs Alize Cornet (FRA) Borna Gojo (CRO) vs Jiri Vesely (CZE) 4-6, 7-6(4), 0-0 to finish (Not before 4.30pm) Stefano Travaglia (ITA) vs Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Since we last recorded, Wimbledon turned the tennis world upside down by banning Russian and Belarusian players from the grass-court grand slam. The decision divided opinion in the tennis world, and between George Bellshaw, Calvin Betton and James Gray. Part one of this pod is entirely dedicated to the issue, so if you're sick of that by now, skip the first half hour. In part two, you'll find Iga Swiatek, Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andy Murray and much, much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw and James Gray go through the French Open draw line by line and highlight their picks for Roland Garros glory. To sign up for Fantasy Tennis Unfiltered, click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_Gm_DiUpvzODXG3UUXKFo82UQekz0PR4RQZiABgxivI/ Follow the leaderboard here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MLjysGmg_c_oRNRAa7yjWkxJ4pspiaO2Px9xXbc5zow/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at Wednesday's action - all of which took place indoors - and featured Iga Swiatek scraping past Naomi Osaka, Carlos Alcaraz beating Jesper de Jong and Stan Wawrinka leaving Roland Garros in tears Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

EMERGENCY PODCAST with James Gray (inews.co.uk) and Calvin Betton (ATP tour coach) to talk about the alleged Saudi Arabian takeover of tennis, and the games reaction to it. We are indebted to Simon Briggs of the Telegraph, friend of the podcast, for breaking this story and writing some brilliantly detailed stories about it. Read his original pieces below.. On the Premium Tour: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2024/03/11/wimbledon-aeltc-equal-prize-money-atp-wta-contender-tour/ On Saudi Arabia's bid: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2024/03/12/saudi-arabia-launches-tennis-takeover-1-billion-pound-offer/ On the civil war brewing in tennis: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2024/03/13/tennis-civil-war-saudi-arabia-pif-wta-atp-tour/ We will do a full podcast on this on Monday when we will know more, but in the meantime please send your questions to tennisunfiltered@gmail.com and we will try to answer them, or at least discuss them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tennis coach Calvin Betton returns to the UK and talks to George Bellshaw and James Gray about... The secret to Henry Patten and Julian Cash's record-breaking year, in which they've won nine Challenger titles and are on the verge of Australian Open qualification The ethical issues of playing in Saudi Arabia vs allowing Russian players to play in the UK Why Felix Auger-Aliassime can use Davis Cup success to kick on at grand slams - and why Denis Shapovalov can't What Rafa Nadal is doing in South America NOTES Here is a link to the allegations made by Polish MP Katarzyna Kotula against Mirosław Skrzypczyński (TW: sexual abuse): https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/katarzyna-kotula-prezes-pzt-to-seksualny-predator-krzywdzil-mnie-gdy-bylam-dzieckiem/qj0rnet And Iga Swiatek's response: https://twitter.com/iga_swiatek/status/1595077207130787840 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton, George Bellshaw and James Gray are back behind the microphones to look at all the biggest stories of the week - and celebrate Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara's victory in Marrakesh. The WTA has confirmed that its biggest tournament, the WTA Finals, will be held in Riyadh for the next three years in a deal worth around $50m in prize money Rafael Nadal is out of the Monte Carlo Masters saying his body 'simply won't allow me' Danielle Collins wins her second title in a row, this time in Charleston, and has only lost two sets in the last three weeks. We talk about her incredible numbers on return of second serve It was a good week for the big servers as Ben Shelton, Hubert Hurkacz and Matteo Berrettini all won titles on clay across three different continents But it was a bad start to the clay season for the Brits with Dan Evans and Cam Norrie both bounced out in the first round in Monaco LINKS Calvin's week in crazy Marrakesh: https://www.instagram.com/p/C5ehdtLN5-QeJTvUq00oTY_TOTHje-QD50BMYY0 James ran a half-marathon on Sunday, raising money for his local community cricket club. You can donate here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/james-runs-london-1 Jeff Sackmann has written this excellent blog on Danielle Collins's second serve return: https://www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2024/04/03/danielle-collins-destroyer-of-second-serves/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The pod is still coming down from the highs of Saturday night (and early Sunday morning) but there is the small matter of a men's final to discuss as Jannik Sinner dismantled Alexander Zverev to claim his third straight hard-court grad slam title. He becomes the most successful Italian player, male or female, of all time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Once more with feeling... for the last time this year, our Tennis Unfiltered crew get together for an hour of discussion, laughter and, occasionally, tennis. To help you navigate the last "live" episode (there will be two specials over Christmas and New Year) of the season, here is a topic-by-topic runthrough of the episode... 01:04: Reflecting on the dramatic year of tennis 03:33: Pre-season at the NTC 04:43: Discussion on Australian Open balls 10:04: Recap of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown Grand Final 11:20: Review of the UTS format 16:07: Jack Draper's UTS victory and Australian Open prospects 18:00 onwards: MAILBAG 18:35: Ana Ivanovic's potential comeback 27:37: Differences in playing deuce and ad in doubles 32:23: Appearance fees and prize money 39:01: Reviewing our predictions in players who made a leap in rankings 44:44: The controversy surrounding Patrick Mouratoglou's $7,500 coaching sessions 50:26: The debate over Tim Henman's coaching and performance 56:36: The value and duration of warm-ups 01:01:47: The financial relationship between the All England Club and the LTA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We'll be doing daily podlets from Paris to cover off each day's play and preview action from the next day. We hope you enjoy! If you want to watch James' video diaries, head to instagram.com/jamesgraysport Ons Jabeur left the women's draw even more wide open when she lost to Magda Linette Garbine Muguruza can't buy a win and the last person she needed to face was Kaia Kanepi Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is supposed to be good on clay! Plus: Could Nadal REALLY lose in R1? Could Djokovic REALLY lose in R1? (No and no.) How will the Brits fare on Monday? Will it just rain all day and what happens if it does? The show courts on Monday are as follows... Court Philippe Chatrier Play starts at 11am BST Iga Swiatek (1) vs Lesia Tsurenk Diane Parry vs Barbora Krejcikova (2) Jordan Thompson vs Rafael Nadal (5) Not before 7.45pm: Novak Djokovic (1) vs Yoshihito Nishioka Court Suzanne Lenglen Play starts at 10am BST Amanda Anisimova (27) vs Naomi Osaka Stan Wawrinka vs Corentin Moutet Anett Kontaveit (5) vs Ajla Tomljanovic Lloyd Harris vs Richard Gasquet Court Simonne Mathieu Play starts at 10am BST Ocean Dodin vs Andrea Petkovic Cameron Norrie (10) vs Manuel Guinard Linda Noskova vs Emma Raducanu (12) Benoit Paire vs Ilya Ivashka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray, George Bellshaw and Calvin Betton get round the microphones again and wonder if there is anything to talk about this week... Andy Murray has agreed to join Novak Djokovic's coaching team for pre-season the Australian Open at least, just three months after retiring from playing (James wrote this piece for the i paper if you're interested: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/andy-murray-coaching-novak-djokovic-storyline-netflix-3397499) Oh, also Rafael Nadal retired this week as Spain crashed out of the Davis Cup to the Netherlands Italy retained their title thanks to Jannik Sinner, who ends the year without losing a match in straight sets And they also won the Billie Jean King Cup, powered by the extraordinary doubles pair of Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani, the underarm-serving legend Britain blew their big chance in the semi-finals, losing having been a set away from a straightforward win over Slovakia And finally... the USA made the same mistake all over again in their clash with Australia, dropping their doubles specialists for the deciding clash with Jordan Thompson and Matthew Ebden, only to see Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton beaten in straight sets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Please tell your friends and tennis partners about the Love Tennis Podcast. We will be releasing new episode EVERY DAY over Wimbledon, and it would be a great shame if we didn't get any new listeners for our trouble. You are our greatest asset, our greatest supporters and the reason we do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray, George Bellshaw and Calvin Betton are back together to look back at a dramatic week off the court (and occasionally on it), discussing the following... Rafael Nadal pulls out of Indian Wells at the last minute, citing an injury issue - although he seemed fine at The Netflix Slam... Simona Halep gets a successful ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, her doping ban reduced from four years to nine months and a verdict that she had not deliberately ingested a banned substance Katie Boulter follows up the best result of her career with... a first-round defeat to Camila Giorgi Andy Murray beats David Goffin and then loses a one-sided match to Andrey Rublev Netflix follows up its first live tennis event by cancelling its behind-the-scenes documentary  Queen's is set to host a WTA 500 event from 2025, according to the BBC Calvin calls out the ATP on the doubles entry system - and gets a lot of blowback on Twitter LINKS Calvin's viral tweet: https://twitter.com/Calvbetton/status/1766779797554762071 James's piece on Simona Halep and doping: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/simona-halep-doping-tests-reform-tennis-2945955 George's interview with Tim Mayotte: https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/24/tim-mayotte-bemoans-conflict-ridden-tennis-after-snub-from-noval-djokovic-and-player-council-9648485/ Full story on WTA and Queen's: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/68497148 Stu Fraser's piece on Netflix cancelling tennis: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/netflix-cancels-break-point-tennis-documentary-series-kbx0t9fzm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray, Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw debate the merits of the BBC's Wimbledon coverage and why British tennis has had such a poor tournament. Order of play for Sunday Centre Court (1.30pm) (7) Andrey Rublev (Rus) vs Alexander Bublik (Kaz) (1) Iga Swiatek (Pol) vs (14) Belinda Bencic (Swi) (17) Hubert Hurkacz (Pol) vs (2) Novak Djokovic (Ser) No 1 Court (1pm) (4) Jessica Pegula (USA) vs Lesia Tsurenko (Ukr) (8) Jannik Sinner (Ita) vs Daniel Elahi Galan (Col) (19) Victoria Azarenka (Blr) vs Elina Svitolina (Ukr) No 2 Court (11am) Marketa Vondrousova (Cze) vs (32) Marie Bouzkova (Cze) Not before 12.30pm, to finish: (21) Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) leads (10) Frances Tiafoe (USA) 6-2, 6-3, 1-2 Roman Safiullin (Rus) vs (26) Denis Shapovalov (Can) No 3 Court Not before 12pm: Mirra Andreeva (Rus) vs (22) Anastasia Potapova (Rus) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray and Calvin Betton are joined by Michael Hincks, freelance sports journalist who got to witness the Laver Cup and The Roger Federer Show up close and personal. They ask: Did Roger Federer overshadow his own event? Does it matter? What was Ellie Goulding doing there? Who was our Laver Cup MVP? Is Frances Tiafoe the future of the tournament? Should we be asking the Laver Cup to help grow the game internationally? What would we change about the tournament format? Plus the latest from the tour, including a fresh injury problem for Emma Raducanu and Alexander Bublik being... Alexander Bublik. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is there any way of stopping Iga Swiatek? How on earth did Coco Gauff get so mature at 18? How can Alexander Zverev beat Rafael Nadal? Is Nadal's foot going to be alright? Where did Marin Cilic's form come from? What can Casper Ruud do in the tennis world? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Please tell your friends and tennis partners about the Love Tennis Podcast. We will be releasing new episode EVERY DAY over Wimbledon, and it would be a great shame if we didn't get any new listeners for our trouble. You are our greatest asset, our greatest supporters and the reason we do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James finally tracks down Calvin Betton, who is still recovering from third-round defeat for Henry Patten and Julian Cash to Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden. We talked about... Whether sushi is the root of all the illness at the US Open What it's like to hit on Arthur Ashe How Ben Shelton hits 149 mph serves for fun and why we should never change that (Read James's interview with him here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/ben-shelton-tennis-nba-star-us-open-2573842) Iga Swiatek is starting to look like she has a mental block against Jelena Ostapenko Why Calvin is NOT wrong about Coco Gauff's forehand despite her QF run And much, much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw and James Gray look back a rain-affected first day of the Australian Open, talking about Kei Nishikori, Emma Raducanu, Jiri Lehecka and more! An interview with Andrey Rublev: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jan/12/andrey-rublev-i-dont-feel-any-more-that-crazy-anxiety-and-stress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton, Wimbledon finalist, joins James Gray to talk about Henry and Harri's brilliant run to the final, and why he was holding up one finger at the end of the match. Plus, Donna Vekic in tears during defeat to Jasmine Paolini and Barbora Krejcikova's comeback against Elena Rybakina. Sponsored by AG1, click here (https://drinkag1.com/tennisunfiltered) for free Vvtamin D3/K2 and 5 travel packs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the singles in Atlanta with a knee problem but did then win the doubles alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis, the Australian Open winning pair Alex de Minaur wins the singles title, beating Jenson Brooksby in the final Jannik Sinner beats Carlos Alcaraz again to claim his first ATP title on clay - how many times are we going to see that match-up in their careers? Also titles for Roberto Bautista Agut, Caroline Garcia and Marie Bouzkova Goran Ivanisevic says Novak Djokovic is targeting 30 grand slams, but has he worked out the visa implications? Serena Williams has been playing the part of hitting partner to Venus in Washington, but do either of them have that long left? Emma Raducanu has a new coach - on trial - in Dmitry Tursunov, although he is not available for the whole US swing. Needless to say, we have opinions... but he has at least got her playing doubles, it seems. Kyle Edmund is back! He beat Yosuke Watanuki 6-4 7-6(8) to claim a first victory at ATP level since US Open 2020 AND FINALLY Ash Barty got married. Nice one Ash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On a day when Andy Murray was finally put away by the Spanish wall and Novak Djokovic limped his way into the fourth round, James Gray of inews.co.uk and the i newspaper gives you the lowdown from Down Under. Murray had a debt of lactic and energy to pay after his late-night finish against Thanasi Kokkinakis and the interest rate was too high as he was beaten 6-1 6-7(7) 6-3 6-4 by Roberto Bautista Agut. Djokovic's hamstring has been troubling him all week but one leg was enough to beat Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets Magda Linette sprang an upset to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova Caroline Garcia is a dangerous No 4 seed and overcame a scare to beat Laura Siegmund SUNDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY (All times GMT) Rod Laver Arena Doubles match Not before 1.30am: Iga Swiatek (1) vs Elena Rybakina (22) Hubert Hurkacz (10) vs Sebastian Korda (29) 8am: Stefanos Tsitsipas (3) vs Jannik Sinner (15) Victoria Azarenka vs Zhu Lin Margaret Court Arena Doubles match Not before 2am: Jelena Ostapenko (17) vs Coco Gauff (7) Not before 4.30am: Jiri Lehecka vs Felix Auger-Aliassime (6) John Cain Arena Doubles match Doubles match Not before 3.30am: Yoshihito Nishioka (31) vs Karen Khachanov (18) Not before 6am: Jessica Pegula (3) vs Barbora Krejcikova (20) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton calls in from Bucharest to chat with James Gray and George Bellshaw in London about... Calvin's team win another title! Stefanos Tsitsipas has now won Monte Carlo three times, more than Novak Djokovic even (although we all acknowledge he is probably more successful at other tournaments...) ... but perhaps Jannik Sinner should have beaten him, except for a blown line-call overrule by the umpire Sinner was not the only player to suffer from a bad call over the last two weeks: Nuno Borges got an extraordinarily bad call in Estoril against Cristian Garin so we ask... Is it time to bring in video reviews for almost anything that happens on a tennis court? Emma Raducanu is back, winning two ties for Great Britain against France to qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals Good news out of Andy Murray's camp that he is not having surgery on his ankle and is due back hitting this week Great Twitter shithousing from Corentin Moutet, Holger Rune and more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have to start with an apology: James was hit by serious technical gremlins this week that mean his audio died just a few minutes into the podcast and we have had to rely on the emergency back-up. Hopefully it does not ruin your enjoyment and you can still listen to the musings of Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw in full HD! We discussed... Emma Raducanu's BBC interview in which she claimed that some coaches couldn't "keep up" with her questioning in training Boris Becker returns to tennis as he is signed by Holger Rune to replace Patrick Mouratoglou Saudi Arabia is in line to buy the licence for a Masters 1000 event Petros and Stefanos Tsitsipas win their first ATP doubles title Ben Shelton wins his first ATP singles title in Tokyo Titles too for Alexander Bublik, Katerina Siniakova, Tamara Korpatsch and Elise Mertens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Please tell your friends and tennis partners about the Love Tennis Podcast. We will be releasing new episode EVERY DAY over Wimbledon, and it would be a great shame if we didn't get any new listeners for our trouble. You are our greatest asset, our greatest supporters and the reason we do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic: who are we more convinced by? Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev: who are we less convinced by? Can anyone stop Iga Swiatek and is it worth trying? How do we rate the British effort? Plus a look ahead to how the quarter-finals might be shaping up and why Irina-Camelia Begu was not disqualified from the tournament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

- Nick Kyrgios wins singles and doubles title in Washington to announce himself as a challenger for the US Open title. He will be seeded for the singles draw and is probably playing at a top-10 level, isn't he? - Daniil Medvedev also won a title this week in Los Cabos, beating Cam Norrie in the final after another strong week for the British No 1 - Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka faced off in San Jose, but where is this rivalry going? - Afterwards, Naomi Osaka Tweeted and deleted about not having rich parents. Is that where all tennis players' motivation comes from? - Daria Kasatkina is third in the WTA Race after winning the title, beating Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa and Shelby Rogers; (worth noting Gauff is no. 4 in the race) - Terry White asked what we think about not allowing second serves? "Too many serve bots in the game. Has this been tried before?" he wrote on Twitter - Elena Tsourdi asked us about Iga Swiatek's defeat to Carolina Garcia, particularly her destruction on second serve, and whether that concerns us about her form going forward AND FINALLY - Pickleball and padel both got prominent coverage on US and UK TV this week - can tennis get anything out of people picking up these sports? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new voice joins us to talk about all things tennis as Anna Smith, former player and now coach, commentator and broadcaster, replaces George Bellshaw (for this week at least) in the third chair. She chats with James Gray and Calvin Bellshaw about this week's latest tennis news, including titles for Cam Norrie, Carlos Alcaraz and Jelena Ostapenko, a return to the public eye for Novak Djokovic and three Brits winning titles at lower levels to suggest the future is very bright on home soil Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Live from Antwerp, James Gray joins Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw to discuss all the latest from the tennis world. Why Andy Murray *really* pulled out of the European Open What's the deal with indoor courts? Is Felix Auger-Aliassime the next Andrey Rublev? What does Coco Gauff have to do about her forehand Whether Iga Swiatek needs to take a look hard look at herself, or if the 'hindrances' are just part of the game And much, much more! Key links You need to follow this guy (https://twitter.com/juanignacio_ac) on Twitter. Just do it. Here is JI's brilliant guide to WTA Finals permutations this week: https://twitter.com/juanignacio_ac/status/1581988629475254274 This is the compilation of what some people are calling Iga Swiatek's pattern of behaviour: https://twitter.com/tennisooc/status/1581891202705596416 This is Anastasia Gasanova's series of posts, dating back years. Fair warning, there's lots of grim stuff in there: https://twitter.com/ukrtennis_eng/status/1581212917390712837 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James reports live from New York (well sort of - he definitely is there but since this is a podcast, it can't really be called live), talking all things US Open from the last 48 hours. This is a podlet, so sometimes he'll be alone, sometimes he'll be with a guest or two, and it will almost always be quite raw. No music, no editing, just pure, unadulterated mind dump. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Grand-slam winning tennis coach Calvin Betton, tennis writer George Bellshaw and The i Paper's sports news correspondent James Gray are all back for another episode of the award-winning Tennis Unfiltered podcast. They discussed... Emma Raducanu is on a four-match losing streak after another defeat in the first round, this time to Ekaterina Alexandrova in Abu Dhabi - but what next for her in the coaching corner? Two-time grand slam champion and former world No 1 Simona Halep is retiring at the age of 33 Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic remain in talks about their future together as coach and player Lucas Pouille says he may have played his last match Belinda Bencic won a title, her first after returning from maternity leave four months ago Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton joins James Gray to talk about winning two doubles matches in the space of a few hours, look back at a busy (if wet) week of tennis at Roland Garros. Plus James predicts Alcaraz vs Korda - and is immediately proved wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

VOTE FOR US in the Sports Podcast Awards: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ We're back! Welcome to 2024 - where we hope we do not encounter as many technical issues as we did in the opening episode... Calvin Betton is (briefly) live from rainy Adelaide, James Gray is frantically packing for Melbourne and George Bellshaw is... staying in London. He will be our constant as James and Calvin try to take over the world in Australia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray of i newspaper and inews.co.uk is joined by writer George Bellshaw and tennis coach Calvin Betton to talk about all the latest tennis news, including: Simona Halep has been provisional suspended after failing a drugs test Dan Evans says he should have been playing doubles for Great Britain in the Davis Cup and could quit if he is not given the chance to do so. Is he right? (Read the original story in full here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/dan-evans-threatens-quit-davis-cup-1918744) Felix Auger-Aliassime wins back-to-back 250 titles - has he levelled up again? Dominic Thiem says his backhand, serve and movement are all there now, but can he still function properly without a fully firing forehand? Jessica Pegula beats Maria Sakkari in Guadalajara to cement her place as No 3 in the world, where does she sit in the eight-strong field for the WTA Finals in Forth Worth? Arise the Next Next Gen as Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune both win titles Filmmaker Cosmin Andrei talks to James about "OUT! The Untold Truth of Tennis", a film he wants to make in order to highlight the issues behind parental coaching in tennis (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andreea-costea/out-the-untold-truth-of-tennis) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vote for us! https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

VOTE FOR US, because time is running out to help us win best tennis podcast at the Sports Podcast Awards: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ Enter #FTU (Fantasy Tennis Unfiltered) for FREE: https://shorturl.at/krT37 Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a doubles player on tour? Or what it's like travelling with Calvin Betton? Wonder no more. Here is Henry Patten, world No 73 and long-time charge of Calvin's, to tell us all about it on a rainy Melbourne afternoon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton, George Bellshaw and James Gray are back together again to look back at the French Open and discuss what it means for tennis more broadly. Carlos Alcaraz now has a grand slam title on every surface, and a total of three - but how many will he go on to win? Has Iga Swiatek ruined women's tennis, on clay at least? How do we fix the night sessions at Roland Garros And so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw delays his holiday to join James Gray and Calvin Betton to look through another full week of tennis news Andy Murray and Ivan Lendl have split for a third time Novak Djokovic's win over Holger Rune seals year-end world No 1 *again* Week-old tennis news but Iga Swiatek has also claimed that title after thrashing Jessica Pegula, a disappointing finish to an awful WTA Finals Leylah Fernandez, Marina Stakusic and, surprisingly, Eugenie Bouchard lead Canada to Billie Jean King Cup victory Emma Raducanu pulls out of her proposed comeback at an exhibition in China but is still on track to play in Australia And much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray, Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw are back together again - but you might wish they weren't... Here is an extended episode featuring: Carlos Alcaraz's Monte Carlo win The struggle to sell the Billie Jean King Cup Why Novak Djokovic has lost the hunger Ben Shelton's doubles beef A home win in Monaco PLUS Some absolute first-rate nonsense about soft drinks, a terrible quiz performance and your emails answered as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tumaini Carayol of the Guardian sits in for Calvin Betton, alongside George Bellshaw and James Gray as per usual. Jessica Pegula has revealed her mother has been fighting for her life, a sub-plot that has left her struggling mentally for months (Read her story here: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/jessica-pegula-tennis) Nicolas Mahut picks a fight over the Davis Cup Novak Djokovic is two weeks away from going past Steffi Graf’s record for most weeks at No 1 - does that bolster his GOAT credentials? And why is he asking for vaccine exemption again? Jannik Sinner has the seventh title of his career, where does he stand in the current pecking order? Is this the worst line call in tennis history? https://twitter.com/therealjakemosz/status/1622699415130587136 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emma Raducanu says she will manage her schedule differently going forward after "learning a lesson" in defeat to Sofia Kenin Raducanu had played just one tournament since Wimbledon and flew back to the UK instead of playing qualifying in Canada or Cincinnati, traditional warm-ups for the US Open. She said: "I know when I have a lot of matches, just like every player, you feel really good, you feel like everything's automatic. So yeah, I think I can learn from it and manage my schedule slightly differently." Here is something James wrote about Emma Raducanu in the wake of her defeat to Kenin: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/emma-raducanu-us-open-comments-reveal-sadder-truth-3248144 UK viewers complain about the "mess" that is Sky Sports+ is a mess for lots of users Temperatures hit 34 degrees Celsius in New York City with the heat rule in place, but there is nothing against Tomas Martin Etcheverry throwing up on himself mid-match, and still winning! Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova is out Defending champion Novak Djokovic is through after a Laslo Djere retirement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tennis coach Calvin Betton joins James Gray to review the women's semi-finals (Vondrousova vs Svitolina and Jabeur vs Sabalenka) as well as look ahead to the men's last four (Djokovic vs Sinner and Alcaraz vs Medvedev). To sign up for our live text chat on a new app called Circus on Friday, you need to download two apps. First of all, download Test Flight: https://t.co/UAjqwtpRFa Then download Circus: https://testflight.apple.com/join/R83MjeGY When we go live during Djokovic vs Sinner, you'll see Tennis Unfiltered in there. Join us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray and George Bellshaw look back at the US Open quarter-finals and make their predictions for the semis Can anything, or anyone, stop Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz from reaching the final? What does Ben Shelton have to do to stop his first ever grand slam semi-final into a procession? Is Alexander Zverev BACK? What does Coco Gauff have left in the tank? Did anyone predict Madison Keys to make it this far? (Yes, Martina did.) And much, much more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tennis coach Calvin Betton, journalist James Gray and writer and broadcaster George Bellshaw look back at a busy week of news in tennis as well as take a broader look at what happened at Wimbledon having had a week to reflect on the tournament. We pick our awards including best moment, worst moment, biggest surprise and biggest disappointment. We also ask: Is Carlos Alcaraz working too hard? Are the Brits working at all? What on *earth* happened in that Toth-Zhang match? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Check out the men's draw in full and the women's draw in full to see how the brackets might unfold, and make sure to study them carefully before entering our fantasy tennis game, which you can play by clicking here. This week, George, Calvin and James (from NYC) discuss the impact of Novak Djokovic finally withdrawing from the US Open, why grand slam prize money should be REDUCED and how Emma Raducanu might fair in her maiden grand slam title defence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray and Calvin Betton look back at the second set of Wimbledon quarter-finals as Ons Jabeur beats Elena Rybakina, Carlos Alcaraz tonks Holger Rune, Daniil Medvedev outlasts Christopher Eubanks and Aryna Sabalenka cruises past Madison Keys. To sign up for our live text chat on a new app called Circus on Friday, you need to download two apps. First of all, download Test Flight: https://t.co/UAjqwtpRFa Then download Circus: https://testflight.apple.com/join/R83MjeGY When we go live during Djokovic vs Sinner, you'll see Tennis Unfiltered in there. Join us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray gets Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw to break down all the action from the first Friday of Wimbledon, including Andy Murray finally losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Saturday’s order of play (All courts start at 11am unless stated) Centre Court (1.30pm start) (1) Carlos Alcaraz (Spa) vs (25) Nicolas Jarry (Chi) (6) Ons Jabeur (Tun) vs Bianca Andreescu (Can) Katie Boulter (Gbr) vs (3) Elena Rybakina (Kaz) No 1 Court (1pm start) (3) Daniil Medvedev (Rus) vs Marton Fucsovics (Hun) Anna Blinkova (Rus) vs (2) Aryna Sabalenka (Blr) (19) Alexander Zverev (Ger) vs Matteo Berrettini (Ita) No 2 Court Natalija Stevanovic (Ser) vs (9) Petra Kvitova (Cze) Laslo Djere (Ser) vs (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) (10) Frances Tiafoe (USA) vs (21) Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) No 3 Court (13) Beatriz Haddad Maia (Bra) vs Sorana Cirstea (Rom) (31) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spa) vs (6) Holger Rune (Den) (22) Anastasia Potapova (Rus) vs Mirra Andreeva (Rus) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Novak Djokovic appears to have been given the softer end of the Wimbledon draw Rafael Nadal will have to battle but the podders still reckon he'll make it through Who is the dark horse to come out of a wide-open bracket and reach the quarter-finals? Is there anyone Iga Swiatek should be scared of? How glad is Ons Jabeur to have avoided her half of the draw? How many Brits can make it through? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray and George Bellshaw look back on the second round of the US Open on Wednesday where... - Zhang Zhizhen became the first Chinese man to beat a top-five opponent in ATP rankings history, stunning last year's runner-up Casper Ruud - No 7 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was knocked out by Dominic Stricker, world No 128 and a qualifier, in five exhausting sets - A Brit finally lost as Lily Miyazaki was beaten 6-3, 6-3 by Belinda Bencic, a dark horse for the title (James insists) - Venus Williams was battered 6-1, 6-1 by Greet Minnen - and we ask at what point she still deserves a wildcard - There were also defeats for Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Magda Linette, Francisco Cerundolo and Chris Eubanks PLUS All the latest from fantasy tennis, the league table is here: https://shorturl.at/azJRW Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton, James Gray and George Bellshaw answer your questions on all sorts of topics, including some from the very bottom of the mailbag. Here's what we got into... Veteran Athlete: Is there a future for grass court tennis? Wazza: Is it time for Wimbledon to re introduce grass court seeding? Having Swiatek as number 1 seed when she has lack of ability on the surface makes a mockery of the draw in my opinion. Ian Warren: Hi guys question about the BBC coverage of Wimbledon. Do you think it’s time to pension off John McEnroe, Pat Cash and other players winning slams 40 to 50 years ago? As great as it was how many more times do we have to hear from John McEnroe about his rivalry with Borg. JG: Why is no one excited about the Olympics? Jari Jarvinen: Who do you think are best dubs players all time and why? This came to my mind because of Leander Paes Hall of Fame election. He won a lot and with so many different partners, that's a strong case for him. Definitely one of the best dubs volleyers Tennis Ranter: We see tennis players throughout the year jetting off to lots of locations, with air travel being the most used. What would your thoughts be on a carbon cap for players to limit the amount of carbon they use and encourage the use of less carbon intensive transport? Matt Gunner: For the modern great male players, is it the new normal to win 20+ majors? Pundits that played in the 80s and 90s often say how hard it is to win 7 matches over 2 wks and how remarkable it is to see numbers the big 3 have. For me, in the yrs ahead, these numbers will be the norm. Lynney Pin: Not really a question…. Just wanted to say I HATE seeing the ball kids passing the sweaty germ ridden towels to the players. Why the flip have they brought that back??!!! It’s revolting. GB1: Of the current crop of young players (let's say under 25), who has the best tennis IQ ? Would Alcaraz be lost without Juan Carlos ? How far would Ben Shelton get without his Dad's coaching ? For me, the Big Four and Meddy are high IQ players, but what about the next gen ? Also, do you think players like eg Shapovalov, Tiafoe, and certainly in the past Dimitrov, haven't reached full potential because they use their natural game without developing their tennis IQ brains as much ? Sponsored by AG1, click here (https://drinkag1.com/tennisunfiltered) for free Vitamin D3/K2 and 5 travel packs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Please tell your friends and tennis partners about the Love Tennis Podcast. We will be releasing new episode EVERY DAY over Wimbledon, and it would be a great shame if we didn't get any new listeners for our trouble. You are our greatest asset, our greatest supporters and the reason we do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a late-night finish from Tsitsipas and Musetti, this podcast needs no introduction. Also it's very late and I'm very tired. Instead, here is Benoit Paire's introduction to his press conference. **** I would like to talk about Wimbledon. I would like to know if ATP defends more players or Russia. This is why I wanted to talk with you guys. Because we are going to play a tournament without any points. When some people had COVID, we didn't say, Oh, okay, we should cancel the tournament altogether. But then we have three or four Russian players, including Medvedev, and we are rallying against Wimbledon. I think it's a pity, because if we were to listen to all the players, players do not understand this decision. 99% of players, they want to have points and to play the tournament as it was before. So I want to know if ATP wants to defend players or Russia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Calvin Betton (coach of Henry Patten and Luke Johnson) and James Gray (inews.co.uk) are joined by Ben Lewis (Match Point Canada) subbing in for George Bellshaw to look back at the ATP World Tour Finals in Turin and ahead to the Davis Cup Finals. They talked about all this and more... How have Canada won all these team titles? Can they do it again in Malaga? Why is Milos Raonic back again?! Will Andy Murray's absence be so keenly felt by Britain? Can Novak Djokovic win as second Davis Cup title? How did we rate his ATP Tour Finals win over Jannik Sinner? And should Sinner have tanked his match against Holger Rune? PLUS: Calvin answers your questions on... Alcaraz and Djokovic practising together Stefanos Tsitsipas's 'regression' Court speeds Best-of-five for women Expensive tennis balls Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton, James Gray and George Bellshaw are all at home for once and ready to answer your questions on... Momentum shifts in tennis The perfect tennis body The new format of doubles in Madrid They also discuss... Anne Keothavong's criticism of Emma Raducanu Rafael Nadal's run in Madrid Whether Pedro Cachin should have waited to ask for his shirt And so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray, George Bellshaw and Calvin Betton dig into the biggest issues of the week in tennis. 1:35 - Daria Kasatkina reveals she is dating a woman, and her concerns about the taboo over same-sex relationships in Russia. The Russian No 1 also said she wanted "war to end", a significant statement both for its anti-war sentiment and even for defining the invasion of Ukraine as a war, something the Russian regime continues to call a "special military operation". 14:53 - Lleyton Hewitt is inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport, giving an emotional speech in which he said he never expected to be a HoFer, that is was something for his idols. How did the Australian make it so far? And what about that Wimbledon win in 2002? 23:55 - Maxime Cressy wins the title at Newport, serve-and-volleying his way to victory over Alexander Bublik. What is his ceiling? He will now probably be seeded at the US Open, which could make him a tricky early-round opponent for someone. And Calvin's got another theory about the return of S&V in modern tennis... 38:45 - Serena Williams reveals her plans for the summer will take her to Toronto and Washington before New York. How much work does she need to put in to be competitive at the US Open? 45:18 - Inside the secret world of tennis umpires, a Guardian long read. LINKS Daria Kasatkina puts it better than we ever could: https://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/tennis-world-showers-daria-kasatkina-with-love-after-star-comes-out-as-gay/news-story/8b0b38bfb57cce0876552a94e2b9e976 Read William Ralston's brilliant piece on umpires here: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jul/07/tennis-umpires-secret-world-you-cant-be-the-players-friend A cricket umpire puts Stuart Broad in his place: https://twitter.com/ClubRespectTeam/status/1546611539523751939 Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lovetennispod And YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv_pnF_62lE5rqd9qopYXcg And you can email us lovetennispod@gmail.com It's never been easier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray, Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw waited for the dust to settle... and then promptly started kicking it up again. Jannik Sinner wins the title in New York to become the king of hard courts Aryna Sabalenka is the queen too, or is she? Jack Draper gives a fine account of himself but hasn't impressed Martin Keown Have Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz both hit their ceiling PLUS Nick Kyrgios shows his true colours Vasek Pospisil defends the PTPA Calvin ducks the Davis Cup The final results of FTU: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AB0u6pxiTiaY3kZMfjZZI60lSZ7g3GpJawK5bWxtsoI/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw returns to join James Gray (inews.co.uk) and Calvin Betton (ATP tennis coach) to discuss a controversial week on and off the court. Andrey Rublev was DQed for abuse of an official on Friday - but had his points and prize money reinstated on Monday after appealing to the ATP (More on that story here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/andrey-rublev-line-judge-default-120k-prize-money-2938316) Carlos Alcaraz "beat" Rafael Nadal to win "The Netflix Slam" in Las Vegas, but was it more circus than spectacle? Katie Boulter won the biggest title of her career, coming from behind to beat Marta Kostyuk to the WTA 500 title in San Diego (For an opinion piece by James, click here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/katie-boulter-emma-raducanu-british-tennis-2938499) Titles also for Alex De Minaur, Yuan Yue, Ugo Humbert and Sebastian Baez Corentin Moutet with the best shithousery of all-time: https://twitter.com/juanignacio_ac/status/1763732566526321120 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw looks back on a day of US Open action where there really was only one place to start as Novak Djokovic was stunned by Alexei Popyrin as the men's draw continues to disintegrate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

VOTE FOR US - NOW (voting closes April 6): https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/shortlist-category James Gray of inews.co.uk and the i newspaper is joined by tennis coach Calvin Betton and tennis writer/broadcaster George Bellshaw to chat through some of the biggest stories of the week, including: Daniil Medvedev's incredible run of 19 titles in 19 different cities The Alcaraz vs Sinner rivalry Kvitova "the has-been" beats Rybakina to the Miami title Bianca Andreescu tears two ligaments in her ankle YOUR QUESTIONS Lorraine asks why Robbie Koenig thinks everything is "filthy" Wazza wants to know if tennis loses credibility with matches that start after midnight Nikos thinks Americans should start covering the courts during rain delays Vince wonders why anyone bothers with a clothing deal LINKS Those Andre Agassi trainers: https://twitter.com/AndreAgassi/status/1642629205862260737 Vansh vs Craig Gabriel vs Alcaraz: https://twitter.com/vanshv2k/status/1642191012943794176 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Molly McElwee (Substack here: https://mollymcelwee.substack.com/) joins James Gray, Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw to talk about a busy and often fraught week of tennis. Emma Raducanu was approached by a stalker in Dubai, who allegedly followed her across four tournaments, and burst into tears on court, triggering widespread discussion of women's safety in tennis On the court, Mirra Andreeva won the title, beating Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek back to back Andrey Rublev won the men's title in Doha, beating Jack Draper in the final - but it was Stefanos Tsitsipas's remarkable defeat to Hamad Medjedovic that really caught the eye Reilly Opelka says it's time to get rid of doubles - and it backfired badly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton dials in from Italy to join George Bellshaw and James Gray of the i newspaper and inews.co.uk to talk all things tennis, including: Will Novak Djokovic ever age? Is he already the greatest 35-year-old in the history of sport? Will he surpass Roger Federer's record of six ATP Finals titles? Do we read much into Rafael Nadal's defeats to Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz? Could he still win the Australian Open next year? Is Casper Ruud sneakily the most consistent player on tour? Or is he just 'a Poundland Djokovic'? Can we possibly agree with Stefanos Tsitsipas on Andrey Rublev's 'very few tools'? Coaching questions for Calvin How gambling on tennis ruined my life, by Hannah Jane Parkinson: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/nov/20/gambling-addiction-tennis-bet365-online-betting-hannah-jane-parkinson WHO IS THE WORST MUSICIAN ON THE ATP? Stefanos Tsitsipas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHiwNG2HVQ&ab_channel=StefanosTsitsipas-Topic Denis Shapovalov - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iu64p6RAWc&ab_channel=ShapoMusic-Topic Andrey Rublev - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9OUNt7gjDY&ab_channel=SummerAfternoon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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As always, if you enjoy the podcast, please leave us a five-star review to help us reach more listeners and devote more time to the pod. - Are we over Ash Barty? The WTA’s new No 1 and the biggest star of the women's game met in Miami final, and gave us all plenty of reasons to be cheerful - Can anyone beat Iga Swiatek? She was far too strong for Naomi Osaka and now heads to the clay where she won her grand slam title. - Naomi Osaka is back: we are pleased to see her and she seems please to see us. A rivalry to define an era? - There’s no escape from Alcaraz as Carlos wins his first Masters title. How many slams will he win? Could he win one *this year*? - Casper Ruud certainly played his part in Miami as looks a complete top-10 player. Is he a major threat at RG? (But he's not just about the clay.) Do we see him as more than just a sometime semi-finalist at slams? - Daniil Medvedev is a doubt for the French and for Wimbledon all of a sudden: minor surgery on a hernia is going to keep him out for most of the clay and The Daily Telegraph say the All-England are ready to ban over Russian invasion of Ukraine… - We also look at Jack Draper's run of wins, Cameron Norrie's move into the top 10, new world No 1 Joe Salisbury, Nick Kyrgios drawing a telling off from the ATP boss for all the players, Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka returning and the Emma Raducanu effect on UK TV right! Phew... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Order of play for Tuesday (All times UK) Court Philippe Chatrier 11am: Martina Trevisan vs Leylah Fernandez (17) Followed by: Coco Gauff (18) vs Sloane Stephens Followed by: Alexander Zverev (3) vs Carlos Alcaraz (6) Not before 7.45pm: Novak Djokovic (1) vs Rafael Nadal (5) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

VOTE FOR US. We have once again been short-listed for a Sports Podcast Award in the tennis category - but now we need YOU to help us win it. Time is running out as voting closes on January 28th. Vote for us NOW: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ Coco Gauff was beaten 7-6 6-4 by Aryna Sabalenka, who won her 13th straight match in Melbourne and reached the final for the second year in a row, the first female player to reach back-to-back slam finals since Serena Williams in 2017 Gauff served eight double-faults and has been attacked on second serve by almost all her opponents at this year's Australian Open. James wrote something about why, and what Roddick did to try and fix it: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/coco-gauff-andy-roddick-serve-2872771 Meanwhile, Zheng Qinwen became the first Chinese woman since Li Na here in 2014 to reach a grand slam final, beating Dayana Yastremska 6-4 6-4 in a nervy encounter On Friday Novak Djokovic will play Jannik Sinner, hoping to avenge the three match points he failed to take (remember that match here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/jannik-sinner-match-points-novak-djokovic-davis-cup-2777778) The winner will face Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev, two players who really don't like each other. Here's why: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/daniil-medvedev-alexander-zverev-crying-2872703 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Live from Paris, James Gray looks back at a busy first Monday at Roland Garros... Novak Djokovic wins and writes a political message about Kosovo on the camera Carlos Alcaraz also picks up victory on Day 2 Jack Draper is 'mentally destroyed' after yet another injury Why Cam Norrie was furious with an 'absurd' umpiring decision despite victory over Benoit Paire Tuesday’s order of play (All courts start at 10am BST unless otherwise stated) Court Philippe Chatrier (from 10.45am) Lucia Bronzetti vs Ons Jabeur (7) Thiago Seyboth Wild vs Daniil Medvedev (2) Iga Swiatek (1) vs Cristina Bucsa (Not before 7.15pm) Gael Monfils vs Sebastian Baez Court Suzanne Lenglen Elias Ymer vs Casper Ruud (4) Rebeka Masarova vs Coco Gauff (6) Elena Rybakina (4) vs Brenda Fruhvirtova Richard Gasquet vs Arthur Rinderknech Court Simonne Mathieu Anhelina Kalinina (25) vs Diane Parry Alexander Zverev (22) vs Lloyd Harris Holger Rune (6) vs Christopher Eubanks Victoria Azarenka (18) vs Bianca Andreescu Court 14 Rebecca Peterson vs Fiona Ferro Hugo Gaston vs Alex Molcan Clara Burel vs Sara Sorribes Tormo Michael Mmoh vs Taylor Fritz (9) Court 7 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs Genaro Alberto Olivieri Lesia Tsurenko vs Barbora Krejcikova (13) Quentin Halys vs Guido Pella Erika Andreeva vs Emma Navarro Court 6 Tommy Paul (16) vs Dominic Stricker Selena Janicijevic vs Oceane Dodin Emil Ruusuvuori vs Gregoire Barrere Petra Martic vs Shelby Rogers (32) Court 8 Andrea Vavassori vs Miomir Kecmanovic (31) Zhu Lin vs Lauren Davis Thiago Monteiro vs Yannick Hanfmann Court 9 Yoshihito Nishioka (27) vs JJ Wolf Court 10 Mirra Andreeva vs Alison Riske Olga Danilovic vs Kateryna Baindl Court 11 Xinyu Wang vs Marie Bouzkova (31) Alexander Bublik vs Giulio Zeppieri Court 12 Max Purcell vs Jordan Thompson Arantxa Rus vs Julia Grabher Francisco Cerundolo (23) vs Jaume Munar Ylena In-Albon vs Claire Liu Court 13 Nicolas Jarry vs Hugo Dellien Linda Noskova vs Danka Kovinic Sorana Cirstea (30) vs Jasmine Paolini Timofey Skatov vs Grigor Dimitrov (28) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray and Calvin Betton look back at some of the highlights from the second half of the first round of the US Open, including... Holger Rune promises his fans he "will not let you down any more" after being well beaten by Brandon Nakashima in the first round of the US Open. Karolina Muchova and Bianca Andreescu both produce early shot of the tournament contenders, Muchova's here https://x.com/usopen/status/1828459066626044039 and Andreescu's here https://x.com/usopen/status/1828586747438956844 Katie Boulter is through despite losing the first set to Aliaksandra Sasnovich, complete with white bodysuit. Felix Auger-Aliassime is beaten by improving teenager Jakub Mensik while Stefanos Tsitsipas is blown away by Thanaski Kokkinakis Danielle Collins ends her US Open career (in singles) but refuses a bunch of flowers at the end and says she had requested no presentation on the court Dan Evans grabs an unlikely win, beating Karen Khachanov in a match that lasted more than five-and-a-half hours, the longest in US Open history Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Merry Christmas! (Or just happy Wednesday if you don't celebrate.) VOTE FOR US: It's the Sports Podcast Awards next month and Tennis Unfiltered is up for best tennis show. We came third two years ago and second last year, so would mean a lot if you added your vote and helped us complete the set! https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ While the lads take a well-earned week off over Christmas, we pre-recorded an episode with Tom Corrie of the excellent Tennis Insights to talk about how they generate their data, what it means, how they use it and a whole lot more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Abigail Johnson returns as guest contributor alongside George Bellshaw and Calvin Betton to look over this week's biggest stories, including: - A statement week for Daniil Medvedev after winning his third title of the season and, more significantly, beating Novak Djokovic fairly comfortably and ending a 21-match win streak. - Novak Djokovic will not be in Indian Wells or Miami despite his request for an exemption gaining support from US senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, and the USTA. Carlos Alcaraz will return to world No 1 if he wins IW as a result... - Alex De Minaur won his first ATP 500 in Acapulco, beating Tommy Paul in the final and picking up a strong win over Holger Rune en route. - Naomi Osaka, who is on a career break after announcing her pregnancy, has been spotted on court with Andre Agassi watching on! - Marta Kostyuk is at last a WTA champion, winning the title in Austin and reaching the top 40 in the world for the first time. - Donna Vekic beat Caroline Garcia in the Monterrey to move to No 20 in the world, just one place short of her career high. We also answer some of your questions, including: Wazza asks on Twitter: At the Australian Open many players were complaining about the balls and I read similar comments in Dubai. What can be done to fix this issue? Rahul Misra asks on Twitter: Who are the players (both ATP and WTA) outside the top 50 who could make a giant leap up the rankings this year? This is your opportunity to line yourself up for an "I told you so" in December Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rafael Nadal has announced that he will miss the French Open through injury and will spend several months away from the tennis court. Nadal wants to give his hip as much time as possible to heal because 2024 will probably be his last season. He said: “I’m going to try to make my last year not just a party, I'm going to try to compete at the highest level, give myself the option to try to compete and win tournaments on this clay tour. The reality is that we'll have to wait for that." Will he realistically be able to make a meaningful comeback or will this be a farewell world tour? ***** LISTENER QUESTION: Tino from Hamburg asks "how are players like Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev able to recover from those severe injuries and potentially get back to the top, given that they face stronger opponents in the first rounds of bigger tournaments, are used to continuous success (and a place within the top 10), still lack physical strength and even lack of trust in their bodies?". ***** Elena Rybakina benefits from not one, not two but three walkovers en route to the Italian Open title, where her final started after 11pm local time, the crowd booed her and they forgot to present her with the trophy. But she moves to No 4 in the world and further into contention for the French Open title, where Iga Swiatek faces a race against time to be fit after suffering a thigh injury in Rome. "A couple of days off for sure. And booking my flight to Paris, so fingers crossed, please," Swiatek wrote on social media. ***** Daniil Medvedev cemented his status as a clay-court threat and a shithouse of the highest order as he won the Italian Open. First he produced some abysmal dance moves to mock Stefanos Tsitsipas's own dance from a previous encounter, and then outplayed a fatigued Holger Rune to win in Rome. “I always want to believe in myself and I always try to do my best I want to win the biggest tournaments in the world. But in the same time honestly I didn’t really believe much I can win a Masters 1000 on clay in my career because usually I hated it,” Medvedev said afterwards. “I don’t think I love it. I love hard court. My only love… in tennis! But I definitely like clay courts much more now.” ***** Andy Murray has pulled out of the French Open to concentrate on the grass after failing to win a tour-level match on clay. He did win a Challenger title - and will return to the Challenger Tour in Surbiton instead of playing at Roland Garros. Is it the right decision? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton (ATP tennis coach), George Bellshaw (writer and broadcaster) and James Gray (journalist) all gather round the microphone once again to discuss the biggest issues in tennis. On the eve of "the fifth slam", there has been plenty of off-court controversy... Calvin reacts to Andy Roddick's claim that Rohan Bopanna being a good person and helping other people "doesn't necessarily make doubles a use case" as well as insisting that "a singles player might have done the same or even more" George breaks down the VAR controversy in Dubai where Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alexander Bublik clash over a "hindrance" video replay call James posits a theory on Stefanos Tsitsipas's resurgence Gerard Pique says he has more ideas on how to improve the sport because "tennis needs to evolve to adapt to the current speed and attract those young people who are tempted to watch many other things like HBO or Netflix" Emma Navarro records a double-bagel victory in the Merida final while Jessica Pegula makes it two titles for the American women with victory in Austin Tomas Machac serves his way to a maiden ATP title And everyone gets ill in Acapulco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anna Smith once again joins James Gray and Calvin Betton to talk all things tennis. We start with the horrific Russian invasion of Ukraine, brought into the tennis world by the likes of Elina Svitolina and Andrey Rublev this week with strong statements of their views. Will the WTA, ATP and ITF follow suit? We await with interest. Elsewhere, Cam Norrie reached final and beat Stefanos Tsitsipas along the way but lost to Rafael Nadal. Beating Tsitsipas was only his third ever victory over a top-10 player: a landmark win or a right place, right time victory? And what about Nadal? The man who keeps defying time, and now seems happy to play a relatively full schedule too. How many Slams do we see him winning based on this latest resurgence? Emma Raducanu continues to struggle for momentum with yet another injury hampering her. Is criticism of her for “doing too many photoshoots” unfair? There are a lot of points to defend later in the year, if any of these injuries are serious and she slips back down the rankings, how will that impact her progress overall? Jack Draper has won his third Challenger of the year, and is up into the top 150 in the world. How far do we see him going in 2022? And finally, Alexander Zverev smashes up a chair, gets fined and kicked out of the tournament - but should he get banned by the ATP as well? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw comes out of hiding to join James Gray to discuss the first week of Wimbledon, including... Emma Raducanu's run to the fourth round Emma Navarro's shock win over Coco Gauff Carlos Alcaraz and his inability to win in straight sets Who will win Wimbledon? How much will anyone care? And more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw, James Gray and Calvin Betton are back round the microphone to discuss Andy Murray picks up two valuable wins in Miami - but then tears two ligaments in his ankle while losing to Tomas Machac Simona Halep loses on return and gets into a fiery spat with Caroline Wozniacki over wildcards and doping bans There were defeats for Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Christopher Eubanks Holger Rune was thrashed by Fabian Maroszan (and blamed illness for winning just two games Denis Shapovalov wins the battle of the one-handers with Stefanos Tsitsipas Naomi Osaka is beaten by Caroline Garcia again and Katie Boulter picks up a couple of wins including beating Beatriz Haddad Maia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tennis coach Calvin Betton and (belatedly) George Bellshaw join James Gray, journalist for i newspaper and inews.co.uk, to answer your questions and look at the biggest news in tennis this week. Listener topics include: Why team tennis in Europe makes players money (but will never work in the UK) Cam Norrie crashes out in R1 for the second tournament in a row Dominic Thiem has split with his coach Nicolas Massu after yet more on-court struggles Why is the women's game so inconsistent And we also talk the latest from Monte Carlo, more injury concerns for Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, the return of Novak Djokovic and Billie Jean King Cup selection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carlos Alcaraz is handed a shock US Open defeat by Botic van de Zandschulp Alcaraz said afterwards he is "not strong enough mentally" and has taken steps back in that regard. Van de Zandschulp meanwhile was proud of his "emotionally stable" approach to the match, impressive for a man who nearly decided to retire just a few months ago at the age of 28. The Dutchman came to the net 35 times in the match, winning all bar seven points when he did so, perhaps revealing a blueprint for beating Alcaraz in the future. It leaves a wide open section of the draw where one of Jack Draper, Dan Evans, Alex de Minaur or five others who have never made a USO semi-final is guaranteed to make the last four Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thank you so much for listening to all the podlets over Wimbledon. It has been our record fortnight, with thousands of you tuning in to listen. We really, REALLY appreciate it, even if you don't always agree with us. That's why we're here, in the end, to stir the pot a bit! Anyway, weekly pods will be back after Wimbledon - and if you want to play me at Matchpoint Tennis Championships, just drop me a DM... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Tennis Unfiltered, James Gray, George Bellshaw, and Calvin Betton discuss everything that has been going on in the world of tennis and more from coaching techniques and the Wimbledon dress code to scheduling and the recent Miami Open. Jakub Mensik defeated Novak Djokovic, even though the Czech teenager almost withdrew from the tournament before his first-round match. Djokovic did not appear to be 100 per cent with a swelling under his right eye and trouble moving behind the baseline, but said Mensik deserved the win. In the women's final, Aryna Sabalenka snapped her run of two straight defeats in finals (AO, IW) by beating Jessica Pegula to claim her first Miami title: she has now won three of the last four top-level American hard-court events, cementing her place as runaway world No 1. Still somehow No 2, Iga Swiatek's challenges and mental resilience have been in the spotlight, targeted by an abusive member of the public in practice and then shocked by breakout star Alex Eala. It was also a good week for Emma Raducanu and her temp coach Mark Petchey, a bad one for Alexander Zverev and a decent one for French tennis... PLUS: Ongoing developments from the PTPA legal case and a new coach for Andrey Rublev that Calvin doesn't like Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices