Love Tennis Podcast

Calvin Betton's latest glamorous venue is the Premier Inn Putney, joining George Bellshaw and James Gray for another week of news from the tennis world. First of all, we wish Luke Johnson all the best after a nasty fall and wrist injury at Queen's on Sunday. Listen on for more details... 00:00 - Reaction to our French Open final debate 03:27 - Concerns over court safety at Queen's Club 10:30 - The return of women's tennis to Queen's 14:06 - Tatiana Maria's historic win 19:37 - The state of British women's tennis 30:16 - The rollercoaster of Emma Raducanu's career 47:45 - The great Wimbledon prize money debate 57:40 - WTA's support for female players 01:00:26 - The mental game in tennis rivalries 01:06:15 - Taylor Fritz vs. Alexander Zverev: PIGEON ALERT! 01:12:17 - Taylor Fritz's grand slam journey 01:15:12 - Emerging contenders for the Wimbledon title 01:17:50 - Head-to-Head (George vs Calvin) This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit ⁠⁠⁠tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton, George Bellshaw and James Gray are back together again for a review of the French Open at Roland Garros, culminating in two memorable singles finals for quite different reasons. 01:10 - Alcaraz's Historic Victory: Breaking down Carlos Alcaraz victory over Jannik Sinner in five sets. 04:53 - Debating the Match's Greatness: Where George and Calvin clash on where this final ranks in tennis history 12:15 - Men's final analysis: A deeper dive into tactical approaches and execution under pressure 20:11 - The Impact of Crowd Dynamics: Did the Philippe Chatrier crowd lift Alcaraz to victory or affect Sinner's mindset? 29:47 - Future of Men's Tennis Rivalries: Who can come through, if anyone, to challenge Sinner and Alcaraz? 34:07 - The Women's Final: Coco Gauff beats Aryna Sabalenka in an error-strewn final 46:47 - Sabalenka's press conference was classless or honest?: Analysing Aryna Sabalenka's post-match comments and media reaction 51:34 - Two doubles finals of quality and drama: Calvin breaks down the two doubles finals 55:37 - Hawkeye and Line Calls: The French Open's Technology Debate: Why doesn't Roland Garros use HawkEye? 01:03:26 - TNT Coverage and Commentary Quality: Critiquing broadcast quality and commentary insights after TNT announce they will cover the French Open until 2030. 01:11:25 - Nadal vs. New Generation: Was John McEnroe right that Alcaraz and Sinner would beat prime Nadal, even on clay? The changing of the guard at Roland Garros 01:17:06 - Head-to-Head Challenge: James takes on Calvin in a grass-themed quiz set by George This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit ⁠⁠⁠tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton is back! The double French Open quarter-finalist is back in the UK after a two-week jaunt at Roland Garros, gutted but pleased at the same time. He and James Gray (The i Paper) break down the French Open semi-finals in which Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka set up a high-calibre final, before Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner fulfilled their destiny by reaching a grand slam final against each other for the very first time. This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered⁠⁠⁠⁠ Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit ⁠⁠⁠tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Down to one court, and the singles at Roland Garros becomes a rarefied atmosphere, to say the least. Just ask Mirra Andreeva, who melted under the pressure of playing a home favourite in Lois Boisson. Same could be said of Alexander Zverev, beaten by Novak Djokovic, while Alexander Bublik or Tommy Paul were never expected to stop Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz's inexorable march to the final. All that and more with James Gray and George Bellshaw This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered⁠⁠⁠ Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit ⁠⁠⁠tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11 of 16 top-eight seeds in the quarter-finals! George Bellshaw and James Gray sit down to discuss a loaded second week of the French Open in the men's and the women's draw, the end of the British bid for Roland Garros glory and the return (or is it?) of Iga Swiatek. (Calvin Betton is also winning matches, but what's new?) This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered⁠⁠ Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit ⁠⁠⁠tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered⁠ For the first time since 2003 in Paris all top eight women's seeds have reached the last 16, and in the men's draw seven of the top 10 have done so as well as all the major threats for the title. R4 ones to watch: Swiatek vs Rybakina, Sabalenka vs Anisimova, Paolini vs Svitolina, Andreeva vs Kasatkina, Sinner vs Rublev, Musetti vs Rune, Shelton vs Alcaraz Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit ⁠⁠⁠tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: ⁠⁠⁠http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered Seeds out: (ATP) Ruud, De Minaur, Mensik, Tsitsipas, Humbert, Davidovich Fokina, Shapovalov, Mpetshi Perricard; (WTA) Shnaider, Krejcikova, Vekic, Frech R3 ones to watch: Draper vs Fonseca, Fearnley vs Norrie, Rublev vs Fils; Ostapenko vs Rybakina, Gauff vs Bouzkova, Andreeva vs Putintseva Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit ⁠⁠⁠tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: ⁠⁠⁠http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered ATP seeds out: Medvedev, Fritz, Dimitrov, Cerundolo, Machac, Nakashima, Auger-Aliassime, Hurkacz, Michelsen WTA seeds out: Navarro, Muchova, Haddad Maia, Mertens, Kostyuk, Fernandez, Stearns, Noskova, Kalinskaya Round Two match-up picks: Fearnley vs Humbert, Moutet vs Djokovic, Raducanu vs Swiatek⁠⁠⁠, Paolini vs Tomljanovic Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit ⁠⁠⁠tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: ⁠⁠⁠http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered⁠⁠⁠ Calvin Betton drags himself out of a karaoke bar in Hamburg to join James Gray for a look back at the Italian Open, before Myles David of Tuned Into Tennis dials in from Houston, TX to discuss Jasmine Paolini's victory over Coco Gauff. They talked about the following... Carlos Alcaraz ended Jannik Sinner's 26-match unbeaten run on Sunday to claim the Italian Open title and deny the Rome crowd a home winner in the men's event for the first time since the 1970s, triumphing 7-6, 6-1. It was Sinner's first straight sets defeat since the 2023 ATP Tour Finals against Novak Djokovic. In coaching news, Djokovic and Andy Murray have split after six months working together. Djokovic said: “Thank you, coach Andy, for all the hard work, fun & support over last six months on & off the court, really enjoyed deepening our friendship together.” Murray said: “Thanks to Novak for the unbelievable opportunity to work together and thanks to his team for all their hard work over the past six months. I wish Novak all the best for the rest of the season.” Nick Kyrgios is playing doubles with Jordan Thompson at the French Open Jasmine Paolini is the Rome champion, ending a 40-year wait for a home winner of Italian Open. She was already the first Italian finalist in 11 years but then swatted Coco Gauff aside 6-4, 6-2. Emma Raducanu picks up three valuable wins on the clay Peyton Stearns shrugs off Tom Hill's shock departure to show her class in Rome Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit ⁠⁠⁠tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: ⁠⁠http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered⁠⁠ Calvin Betton joins live from Rome, where he has been busy celebrating the new pope (not), George Bellshaw is at home in north London and James Gray is hanging on to reality after 1000 miles of driving in one weekend. Nevertheless, they got themselves together to talk about... Jannik Sinner's return to tour tennis, whether he is already the French Open favourite and how beneficial this enforced time off might have been What's going on with Novak Djokovic How Iga Swiatek is supposed to recover from yet another awful defeat PLUS: An epic head-to-head between Calvin and George Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit ⁠⁠tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: ⁠http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered⁠ The lads are back together! For the first time in a couple of weeks, James Gray (The i Paper), Calvin Betton (ATP coach) and George Bellshaw (gun for hire) are all in the same (virtual) place at the same time - and it took some time to catch up. They discussed... Jack Draper came within a set of a second Masters 1000 title in four attempts, but was eventually edged out by Casper Ruud in Madrid Aryna Sabalenka stormed to the title once again while Iga Swiatek was knocked out by former pigeon Coco Gauff. What's wrong with the former world No 1? Novak Djokovic has pulled out of Rome but Jannik Sinner certainly hasn't, the Italian making his first appearance this week since serving a three-month ban Carlos Alcaraz says he prefers the one-week Masters events, as does Andy Murray Alexander Bublik says tennis was easy five years ago and now it's hard. Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Zverev think so too. Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit ⁠tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered We got him! Calvin Betton finally has power again so can tell us all about why players were walking nearly two hours back to their hotels - and what he read to pass the time. Plus, James and Calvin discuss the 18-month ban settled by Max Purcell after taking two 500ml intravenous infusions of vitamins, in contravention of the anti-doping rules. Read the full judgment here: fhttps://www.itia.tennis/media/q1hgr0kv/itia-decision-max-purcell-29425-redacted.pdf Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is sponsored by Tide. Visit tide.co/savings, and use the bonus code "tennisunfiltered" to support the podcast and get a great deal Calvin Betton is stranded! The power cut in Spain means we are unable to contact our resident coach, so James Gray and George Bellshaw are taking up the mantle (or trying) in his absence. They discussed... Novak Djokovic was beaten in the second round of the Madrid Open 6-3, 6-4 by world No 44 Matteo Arnaldi, continuing a pattern that's becoming hard to ignore. Statistically, his win percentage this year has dipped below what Rafael Nadal managed in his injury-plagued, farewell-tour year. Patrick Mouratoglou says Djokovic arrived on tour with an "average game". "Even today, at the end of his career, when you look at Rafa's game, Roger's game, Novak's game, it's incredible that Novak is the strongest of the three, the one who broke all the records. It shows that the most important thing is not in the tennis, in the racket." Are Damir Dzumhur and Mattia Bellucci the greatest s**thouses of all-time Emma Raducanu says she's happy with an “informal” arrangement with Mark Petchey, who was coaching her at the Madrid Open. And what IS a good record against top 20 players? Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit tide.co/savings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Tide. If you're interested in one of their savings accounts for businesses - and supporting the podcast at the same time, please follow the link: http://tide.co/offers/tennisunfiltered This week, Calvin is fresh off a Barcelona title, George is prepping for a big vegan night out and James has promised not to entertain any more soft drink chat... Instead, they talked about TENNIS. (Mostly.) Luke Johnson and Sander Arends are the Barcelona champs after beating Britain's top pair in the doubles final Carlos Alcaraz was beaten in the singles final by a resurgent Holger Rune Serena Williams has been in the media after saying in an interview with Time that she would have got "20 years" if she had done what Jannik Sinner did. (Read the whole interview here: https://time.com/7277099/serena-williams-interview-time100-2025/) Alexander Zverev is interrupted by a fan calling him a "wife-beater" - but still beats Ben Shelton to win the title in Munich on his birthday Iga Swiatek STILL can't Jelena Ostapenko - and actually neither can Aryna Sabalenka Harriet Dart causes global ripples with her "deodorant" comment Elina Svitolina wins in Rouen We have the first player born in 2008 to win an ATP tour match And Aryna Sabalenka is in trouble on her phone AND MORE! Save more, earn more—up to 4.48% AER (variable). Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances over £1M. Each tiered rate applies to the portion within that range. New Tide members get these rates free for 6 months; after that, your Tide plan's rates apply. For full offer T&Cs visit tide.co/savings. 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

Calvin Betton, George Bellshaw and James Gray are in particularly nonsensical mood, discussing... The return of the clay-court season Emma Raducanu's decision to skip Billie Jean King Cup duty An epic head-to-head battle between Calvin and George The best tennis court in the world The rise of the super-coach And more! 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

Calvin Betton calls in from Miami and Molly McElwee subs in for Barcelona with George Bellshaw on holiday. The PTPA has finally broken cover on a legal battle with the ATP, WTA, ITF and ITIA across three different territories. The men's tour says it will not be cowed by the players union, but over the weekend the PTPA filed a motion with US judge asking “to prohibit all illegal contact with players by the ATP or any defendant or co-conspirator”. The ATP said it "refutes their assertions". Nick Kyrgios wins his first match on tour since wrist surgery but is then beaten by Karen Khachanov Francisco Comesana and Corentin Moutet both provide unusual entertainment https://www.instagram.com/p/DHeuH7RMkTr/?img_index=2&igsh=MTZjeWc2aGxtNHNoZQ== Jacob Fearnley becomes British No 2 Emma Raducanu parts ways with her trial coach Vlado Platenik and then goes on her best run of the season with Mark Petchey in the box Mirra Andreeva can't back up her Indian Wells title, beaten by Amanda Anisimova, but puts female coaches firmly in the spotlight Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Presented by Calvin Betton, James Gray and George Bellshaw Produced and edited by James Gray At 23, Jack Draper secured his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, defeating four top-15 players, including Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals. This victory propelled him to a career-high world ranking of No 7. Mirra Andreeva matched fellow Russian Maria Sharapova's record by achieving ten consecutive WTA match wins before turning 21, and actually made it 12 to secure her second consecutive 1000 title. Her Indian Wells triumph included a historic comeback against world No1 Aryna Sabalenka, elevating her to world No 6. Iga Swiatek, one of Andreeva's victims, inadvertently returned a ball that nearly struck a ball boy, leading to immediate apologies and a social media statement expressing her regret. She also addressed public perceptions, highlighting the double standards female athletes often face regarding emotional expression on the court. https://www.instagram.com/p/DHTtfobClLE/?img_index=1 The WTA has had a rebrand... but Zheng Qinwen has not https://x.com/kostekcanu/status/1899718881171923033?s=46&t=Rhiq-18RZr7lX_TkDfCsvA And SO much more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw and James Gray are stuck on this side of the Atlantic while Calvin Betton is sunning himself in Tennis Paradise: Indian Wells. We delve into the mailbag for your emails on weird dreams, George's long-term hatred of Indian Wells, the let rule, and comments on coaching by Janko Tipsarevic Emma Raducanu has another coach on trial Nick Kyrgios managed just 1.5 sets on his comeback from injury, beaten by Botic van de Zandschulp... ...who then ruins the party for Novak Djokovic in tough conditions that he said were totally different And there's a great run in IW for Sonay Kartal 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

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

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

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

Thank you SO MUCH for voting for us in the Sports Podcast Awards. After two years of disappointment, we the WINNERS of the Best Tennis and Racket Podcast for 2024. We literally could not have done it without you, so thank you to each and every one of you who voted. James, George and Calvin triumphantly returned to the microphones this week to discuss your questions in the mailbag and... Jacob Fearnley made his debut for Great Britain in a Davis Cup tie against Japan, beating Kei Nishikori but ultimately unable to drag an injury-stricken team over the line There was controversy in Hasselt after Zizou Bergs collided with Cristian Garin during a celebration. The Chilean refused to play on, losing final game of the match and the tie, because of an apparent eye injury. (Full footage here: https://x.com/TennisChannel/status/1886151198207549685) The US Open has expanded to a 15-day tournament, leaving Wimbledon as the only remaining slam to run for "just" two weeks  Felix Auger-Aliassime continues his incredibe record indoors by winning Montpellier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton, George Bellshaw and James Gray are reunited in the wake of a furiously busy grand slam. They discussed Calvin helping Henry and Harri to their second grand slam title and refusing to fly economy class ever again Jannik Sinner wins his third hard-court slam in 13 months and Alexander Zverev vows not to be the best player ever not to win a grand slam Madison Keys denies Aryna Sabalenka an Australian Open hat-trick after beating Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Danielle Collins and Elina Svitolina in one of the great grand slam runs Novak Djokovic posts a picture of the muscle tear that forced him out of the Australian Open semi-final as a rogue pundit claims he is out for months Emma Raducanu is on the hunt for a new coach after Nick Cavaday was forced to step down The Australian broadcasters breath a sigh of relief after multiple rows with players over their coverage. Daniil Medvedev gets a massive fine for his antics in early exit to Learner Tien A winner is crowned in fantasy tennis AND a fair bit more... 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

Henry Patten. Harri Heliovaara. What a team. Two of the last three slams. There is so much work by so many other people that went into that win, but they were the two men standing - or more correctly lying - on court at the end. 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

...but we wanted a Sabalenka vs Swiatek final. Aryna Sabalenka did her part, beating best friend Paula Badosa with ease But then Madison Keys upset the apple-cart, brilliantly hitting Iga Swiatek off the court to reach her second grand slam final, eight years after her first 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

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

Novak Djokovic boycotted Channel 9 interviews after beating Jiri Lehecka, claiming he had been offended by comments made by anchor Tony Jones. Jones appeared to have already apologised on Saturday, but Djokovic said he would not talk to the broadcaster until an official apology had been issued Jack Draper was forced to retire after two sets of his fourth-round clash with Carlos Alcaraz (More on that here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/carlos-alcaraz-message-jack-draper-3489163) Coco Gauff nearly comes a cropper against Belinda Bencic Tommy Paul ghosts his way into the quarter-finals Aryna Sabalenka shrugs off Pam Shriver's scheduling complaints: https://x.com/PHShriver/status/1880498898587836547 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emma Raducanu is thrashed 6-1, 6-0 by Iga Swiatek to end her Australian Open run Gael Monfils shocks Taylor Fritz to reach the fourth round - and then watches his wife do the same thing by beating Jasmine Paolini on the very same court Eva Lys, the lucky loser, continues her dream fortnight by reaching the last 16 and setting up the biggest match of her life against Swiatek Ben Shelton is doing his best to cash in on a soft section of the draw too, beating Lorenzo Musetti in a hard-fought four-setter. LINKS Elo ratings piece here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/stat-proves-emma-raducanu-world-class-iga-swiatek-3485830 And Jeff's excellent Elo ratings here: https://tennisabstract.com/reports/atp_elo_ratings.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NO. SLEEP. TIL. BROOKLYN. James Gray is delirious, Jack Draper is through to round three and it's going off in Melbourne Park. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the fifth day of the tournament and I've finally tracked down Calvin Betton, our resident tennis coach, to chat through the biggest issues of the day - including why the Brits are on the verge of history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tuesday at the Australian Open wraps up the first round of the year's opening major Emma Raducanu beat Ekaterina Alexandrova despite hitting 15 double-faults in an error-strewn performance - but she did win her 7th and 8th tie-breaks in a row A win for Katie Boulter over Rebecca Marino made it six Brits into the second round, a new record But Cam Norrie could not join them, beaten by Matteo Berrettini There was a shock win for Joao Fonseca, the teenage qualifier, over No 9 seed Andrey Rublev And Daniil Medvedev needed five set to see of Kasidit Samrej, the Thai wildcard, marmalising a camera in the process Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jacob Fearnley beat Nick Kyrgios in straight sets on Monday, leaving the Australian questioning whether he would ever play singles at the Australian Open ever again. In his first-round match, Novak Djokovic, now coached by former rival Andy Murray, overcame a challenging start to defeat 19-year-old American Nishesh Basavareddy. After losing the first set, Djokovic rallied to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, marking the beginning of his pursuit for an 11th Australian Open title and a record 25th major title. Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded 11th, was eliminated in the first round by American Alex Michelsen. Michelsen secured the victory with a 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win, marking a significant upset in the men's singles draw. Returning mother Belinda Bencic is back, beating Jelena Ostapenko in straights to catapult her up the rankings from 421 in the world And finally, legendary rugby player Sonny Bill Williams appeared on Court 6 - and it turns out he is coaching Australian wildcard James McCabe. For more, read James's article for The i Paper here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/sonny-bill-williams-coaching-tennis-australian-open-3477653 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

Play FTU, AO 2025 edition sponsored by Raquex NOW: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19oQbG9pcnYnX0oXLGFgDkta5ugKcs5MEizCPmXLC3A8/ [Closes 12 January] James and George go line by line through both draws to suss out the new fantasy tennis format. Don't forget to vote for us in the Sports Podcast Awards either! https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ [Closes 13 January] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

VOTE FOR US: It's your last chance to get a vote in for us in the Sports Podcast Awards, which we would dearly like to win this time after narrowly missing out two years in a row. The deadline is THIS WEEKEND: www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ George Bellshaw (from convalescence after surgery) and James Gray (preparing for a flight to Australia) get together to discuss a genuinely exciting week of pre-grand slam tennis. The off-season is well and truly over! FTU is now LIVE! Enter here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19oQbG9pcnYnX0oXLGFgDkta5ugKcs5MEizCPmXLC3A8 They discussed: Nick Kyrgios returning to court in singles and doubles, and making sure to return to form on Instagram as well. (See Cruz Hewitt's post with Jannik Sinner: https://www.instagram.com/cruzhewitt/?hl=en) Novak Djokovic is beaten by Reilly Opelka, who reaches the Brisbane final just over two years since he had hip surgery Coco Gauff gets another one over on Iga Swiatek as the Americans win a thrilling United Cup (The Brits did okay too, but in truth only won one tie…) Luke Johnson and Sander Arends take the title in Hong Kong, beating Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov in the final to give Calvin yet another title Naomi Osaka gets through to the Auckland final but worryingly retires with another injury while a set up in the final Speaking of big-name Japanese stars and comebacks, Kei Nishikori was back in a final this week too! Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu did not even make the start line in Auckland, pulling out with a back problem, but is already back in training ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne Elena Rybakina's coach Stefano Vukov is suspended by the WTA pending an investigation into an alleged breach of the code of conduct, which he denies (H/t to the great reporting by The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare and Matt Futterman here: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6034236/2025/01/02/rybakina-vukov-coach-suspended-wta-investigation/) Gaby Dabrowski reveals she was diagnosed with cancer in April, but has come out the other side - and played through it to win an Olympic medal and the WTA Tour Finals (Read her incredibly moving Instagram post here: https://www.instagram.com/gabydabrowski/p/DEPGbMNvrCF/?img_index=13) Beatriz Haddad Maia hits one of the all-time bad serves (https://x.com/josemorgado/status/1873229229493764484?s=46&t=Rhiq-18RZr7lX_TkDfCsvA) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

VOTE FOR US! We are desperately trying to beat Dan Kiernan to an award and *really* need your help in doing so. It takes about 20 seconds to vote for us, just head to this link: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ This week, George Bellshaw is a late withdrawal after being called in for surgery on a torn meniscus, Calvin Betton tunes in from Hong Kong (sorry about the satellite delay!) and James Gray is at home for the last time before heading to Australia. They discussed... Jack Draper has been forced to pull out of the United Cup because of a hip injury and will also skip the Davis Cup, but says he is still optimistic of competing well at the Australian Open Emma Raducanu has turned over a new leaf for 2025 and says she is learning to say no more Max Purcell has been provisionally suspended after admitting to a breach of anti-doping rules relating to "a prohibited method" Nick Kyrgios is back, drawn in a big-serving match-up with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in Brisbane 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

Thanks to Chris, Deb and Colum for their questions and comments which we read out this week. You can get in touch by emailing us on tennisunfiltered at gmail dot com - and James does read them all even if they don't all make the pod! If you want to sign up for our newsletter, Substack is the place to do it: https://tennisunfiltered.substack.com/ And finally, have a very Merry Christmas when it comes! As well as our awards this week, we discussed... Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic teaming up to play doubles in Brisbane The LTA bringing in a ban on trans women in female events down to Grade 6 amateur tournaments Got an opinion? Email us. We welcome it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A special BONUS episode from James Gray and George Bellshaw from the UTS Grand Final in east London, held at a sold-out Copper Box Arena. NB: James apologises for the edit and audio quality. An amateur sound engineer at best, this is as good as he can do with the equipment in hand! VOTE in our Tennis Unfiltered 2025 awards: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1aUUOiYvsuDQpALWPEQpJj1v873OP-vk_-7gpQDRZCBg/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton, James Gray and George Bellshaw are in full off-season mode - and spending as much time talking nonsense as possible. No Peaky Blinders chat, this time, although our Spotify Wrapped does get a mention We answered questions from Taz, Jeff, Ben and Nicolas about boring tennis matches, the 2009 US Open and tennis analytics. Plus... Emma Raducanu reveals her pre-season plans (More here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/emma-raducanu-australian-open-plans-glory-3419042) And we preview our awards for 2025 George's newsletter: https://tennisunfiltered.substack.com/p/the-best-and-worst-bits-of-tennis VOTE in our Tennis Unfiltered 2025 awards: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1aUUOiYvsuDQpALWPEQpJj1v873OP-vk_-7gpQDRZCBg/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tennis never takes a week off, does it? And neither (sort of) do James Gray, Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw, who are back to discuss all the latest goings on in a busy week of breaking tennis news. Iga Swiatek is serving a one-month ban after testing positive for trimetazidine or TMZ, a banned metabolic modulator Simona Halep, Nick Kyrgios and Denis Shapovalov have plenty to say about it, as does everyone else Novak Djokovic explains more about his coaching link-up with Andy Murray Hubert Hurkacz has replaced long-time coach Craig Boynton with an unusual combo of Nicolas Massu and Ivan Lendl And Calvin has dug out a stat about the good old days... PLUS Your questions on Jannik Sinner, tennis balls and cats all answered 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

Uh oh, Calvin is not a happy man... but why? Listen on to find out as George Bellshaw and James Gray do their best to keep him in hand while discussing... Jannik Sinner dominates ATP World Tour Finals, not even dropping a set en route to the title in Turin Taylor Fritz moves to a career-high ranking after reaching the final, and continuing his dominance of Alexander Zverev Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter lead Britain into the semi-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup Frances Tiafoe avoids a ban for his sweary outburst at an umpire in Shanghai earlier in the season, but is fined $120,000 Plus your reviews and questions on a fifth slam and foot faults answered Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton calls in from the ATP World Tour Finals in Turin to help James Gray (inews.co.uk) and George Bellshaw (his flat in north London) discuss the latest in tennis Coco Gauff wins the WTA Finals in a dramatic - but not necessarily high-quality - final victory over Zheng Qinwen John Wertheim is forced to apologise for comments about Barbora Krejcikova's "eight-head" Denis Shapovalov wins a first title in five years, but isn't in the mix for ATP Comeback of the Year Daniil Medvedev "loses his head" And finally... Roberto Carbaelles Baena throws his hat into the ring for wettest bloke on tour after beef with Cam Norrie And here is THAT Jannik Sinner stat Calvin was talking about: https://x.com/TennisTV/status/1855594522199150734 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices