Tennis Unfiltered

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/ *** By Press Association Andy Murray suffered only his second opening-round defeat at the Australian Open in 16 years on a sobering evening for the Scot at Melbourne Park. The five-time finalist was outplayed by 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry in a 6-4 6-2 6-2 loss that was a far cry from his glory days. His only other defeat in the first round here since 2008 came five years ago in an emotional five-setter against Roberto Bautista Agut after Murray had revealed the extent of his hip problems. A tribute video from his fellow players and global attention accompanied that occasion, with Murray's career thought to be winding to a close. Hip surgery has given him a commendable post-script, but it would be no surprise if this much more low-key exit does signal the 36-year-old's final departure from Melbourne. Murray admitted at the end of last season that he was not enjoying tennis, and it is increasingly hard to see him finding the sort of performances and results that will bring the joy back. This was his fourth defeat in a row dating back to October, while he has now lost seven of his last eight matches, the worst run of his career. *** Two tennis players have defended their decision to play an exhibition event in Russia last month, sponsored by Gazprom, despite pleas from the Ukrainian No 2 not to do so. Adrian Mannarino and Roberto Bautista Agut, ranked 19 and 72 in the world respectively, both took part in the event in St Petersburg on 1-3 December as part of their preparations for the Australian Open. Read more here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/tennis-players-defend-decision-play-event-russia-sponsored-gazprom-2854150 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/ ** Novak Djokovic beat Dino Prizmic in four sets, the match of the day on the opening Sunday of the Australian Open - but is he fully fit? James asked him afterwards if he was suffering from a cold, and here is what he said. "I am a bit under the weather last four, five days. You can probably judge by my voice," Djokovic said. "Look, it is what it is. You just have to try to deal with it and get over it and accept the circumstances and try to make the most of it." ** Amanda Anisimova made a successful return to grand slam tennis on Sunday, downing No 13 seed Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets. The American took seven months off last year citing burnout and mental health concerns, but says she is happy to be back. "The most important thing is that I feel a lot more refreshed," Anisimova said. "I'm enjoying practicing. I'm enjoying every second that I'm out there. Even when I was down today, I was still just enjoying the challenge. "I'm just happy with how I feel coming back. I feel like I was very burned out while I was playing, and that really wasn't a nice feeling. Being able to just reset is really nice." ** Matteo Berrettini's rotten luck at grand slam continues after he was forced to withdraw before the first round with a foot injury. It means the tie of the round - against Stefanos Tsitsipas - is off, but lucky loser Zizou Bergs will hope he can still provide entertainment against the Greek. James interviewed him for inews.co.uk before he played Jack Draper at Wimbledon in 2022: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/zizou-bergs-who-jack-draper-wimbledon-2022-opponent-name-why-zinedine-zidane-1710171 PLUS Andre Agassi is back, but with an unpopular wingman Alina Korneeva, 16, leads the charge of the Russian women Andrey Rublev 'gives up' mentally but wins in five sets Jodie Burrage is the first Brit up - and first Brit out 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

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 James Gray and George Bellshaw sit down to take the Australian Open draw in line-by-line. Calvin will be back for our next episode, bringing with him Henry Patten to talk about life on tour, playing doubles for a living and trying to get his coach to change his mind. Can Novak Djokovic win an 11th Melbourne title? Could Jack Draper cash in on his open section? Is there much for Iga Swiatek to fear? Aryna Sabalenka's run is HARDER than you think? Click here for the full men's draw: https://ausopen.com/draws#!mens-singles Click here for here for the women's draw in full: https://ausopen.com/draws#!womens-singles And if you want to read James's analysis of the routes of the top two seeds it's here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/australian-open-draw-2024-predicted-routes-final-djokovic-alcaraz-and-sabalenka-2848106 And how the Brits might fare is here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/australian-open-draw-2024-who-every-british-player-raducanu-murray-2848101 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

VOTE FOR US in the Sports Podcast Awards: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ As we take a two-week break over the festive season, James Gray turns the spotlight onto Calvin Betton, Tennis Unfiltered's resident tennis coach. Born in south Yorkshire in the 1970s, we talk about the real reason he loves John McEnroe so much, learning to shithouse his brother off the court and an ill-fated trip to a trailer park in Tennessee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Christmas so we are taking some time off, but we have recorded a couple of special episodes to keep you going in the festive period. This week, James turns the spotlight onto George Bellshaw, born in 1992 in Sutton Coldfield to a lawyer and a teacher. Once known as the best tabloid tennis journalist in the UK, he then turned his mind to matters of health and social care in the civil service, but kept his oar in by co-hosting what was then the Love Tennis Podcast and keeping up appearances on TV and radio stations around the world. We talked about playing the trombone, wishing he had been a better person as a youngster and why he might be the most famous person from the town where he grew up. 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

If you have more questions for the pod, send them to [email protected] and we will try to get to them (along with all the others) next week. James Gray, George Bellshaw, Calvin Betton and you the listener vote on the 2023 Tennis Unfiltered Awards - and the winners are... Men's Player of the Year: Novak Djokovic Women's Player of the Year: Iga Swiatek Young Player of the Year: Carlos Alcaraz Most Improved Player of the Year: Jannik Sinner Doubles Team of the Year: Ram/Salisbury Match of the Year: Djokovic vs Alcaraz, Wimbledon final Moment of the Year: Alcaraz winning Wimbledon Worst Moment of the Year: The WTA Finals Coach of the Year: Brad Gilbert Disappointment of the Year: Felix Auger-Aliassime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's awards season! As 2023 comes to a close, James Gray, Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw start to mull over who's hot and who is not after a dramatic 12 months. Maybe the more things change the more they stay the same? Below are the nominations for each award. Head over to our Twitter (@UnfilterTennis) to vote on each one over the week and make your opinion count! Who is your men’s player of the year? Djokovic Alcaraz Medvedev Sinner Who is your women’s player of the year? Swiatek Sabalenka Gauff Rybakina Who is your young player of the year? (Under-22 at start of season) Alcaraz Sinner Gauff Zheng Qinwen Who is your most improved player? Sinner Sabalenka Shelton Wang Xinyu Who is your doubles team of the year? Gauff/Pegula Krejcikova/Siniakova Ram/Salisbury Dodig/Kraijcek What is your match of the year ? Djokovic-Alcaraz Wimbledon Murray-Kokkinakis AO Svitolina-Azarenka Wimbledon Muchova-Sabalenka FO What is your moment of the year? Alcaraz winning Wimbledon Gauff’s USO win Svitolina’s emotional Wimbledon run Sinner winning Davis Cup What is your worst moment of the year ? Nadal failing to make the French Open Widespread support of the Saudi Arabian regime The WTA Finals mess Murray’s missed challenge vs Tsitsipas Who is your coach of the year? Brad Gilbert Darren Cahill Raemon Sluiter Juan Carlos Ferrero Which player who disappointed you most in 2023? Murray Tsitsipas Auger-Aliassime Raducanu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw is still on holiday for one more week so former player turned now presenter, commentator and broadcaster Pippa Horn joins James Gray (inews.co.uk and i newspaper) and Calvin Betton (ATP coach) Italy win the Davis Cup final, powered by the brilliant Jannik Sinner How did he save three match points against Novak Djokovic? Will captains ever learn that singles players are *bad* at doubles? Is Sinner beating Djokovic his Andy Murray 2012 Olympics moment? Is the Davis Cup format finally working? 2024 BJK Cup draw Great Britain are handed France again - this time away in April What surface will they give us? How will the British women fare? Next Gen Finals preview Is this the thin end of the wedge that sees Saudi Arabia take over tennis move into tennis? Jon Wertheim's story is here: https://twitter.com/jon_wertheim/status/1728825313642307777 Is there anything anyone can do? What about the new rules? No on-court warm-up: Matches will start immediately after the coin toss, with a separate practice court available for warm-ups. Shot-Clock Reductions: A new maximum of eight seconds will be introduced between first and second serves. This also applies after a let on first or second serve. As in previous editions, time between points will be reduced from 25 to 15 seconds if the previous point includes fewer than three shots. Each set will be first to four games with a tie-break played at 3-3. Games will be played using the No-Ad scoring format with the server choosing the service box. TV coverage of the professional tennis tours is going back to Sky in the UK Wimbledon’s expansion plans have hit planning permission problems, here is James's in-depth long read on the top https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon-200m-headache-residents-halting-expansion-plans-2770548 AND FINALLY Caroline Garcia breaking the mould by going to Antarctica on holiday rather than the Maldives or Miami Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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

"He was like the Donald Trump of tennis!" Listen on to find out who Calvin Betton was talking about when he said this. Our resident tennis coach was in fine form with George Bellshaw (ex-Metro) and James Gray (inews.co.uk) watching on in awe. First, they answered your questions on... What are the best and worst Masters 1000 event on the ATP Tour and which 500 would you promote if you could? Did losing best-of-five-set finals at Masters change the course of tennis history? Why won't Calvin start a tennis consultancy? Is Novak Djokovic being "undermined" by the media? And they also talked about... Novak Djokovic winning his 97th title in Paris, beating an in-form Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in the final. He is now 12 short of Jimmy Connors’s record, and says he is determined to chase down his tally. Daniil Medvedev flipping off the Paris crowd Why so many singles players pulled out of the doubles The WTA Finals, a bungle to end bungles And more! KEEP IN TOUCH Sign up to our newsletter: https://tennisunfiltered.substack.com/ Follow us on social media: https://twitter.com/unfiltertennis Follow George @BellshawGeorge, Calvin @CalvBetton and James @JamesGraySport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's another weekly tennis round-up featuring tennis coach Calvin Betton, fresh off a German carpet, broadcaster and columnist George Bellshaw, fresh off a practice court, and James Gray (inews.co.uk) is on dog duty. They discussed: Another defeat for a downbeat Andy Murray from match point up against Alex de Minaur Whether Toni Nadal has got a point when he says that tennis players have gone soft these days Why the WTA Finals is such a mess What the PTPA actually *do* Coaching scouting reports Beatriz Haddad-Maia The wedding alternates list And so much 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

Calvin Betton tunes in from Stockholm to join George Bellshaw and James Gray for another look back at the week that was in tennis. What it's like inside the 250 in Stockholm Why was Leylah Fernandez wearing basketball shoes? Does Eva Lys have a point about the ever-changing balls on the WTA? Is Hubert Hurkacz underrated? (He now has more Masters titles than Dimitrov, Wawrinka, Cilic and Del Potro) Has Andrey Rublev turned his life around? Jessica Pegula reveals why her win in Korea was such an emotional one Should we be worried by Carlos Alcaraz actually losing a match? We will do an "Ask Us Anything" in next week's episode. Get involved by sending us an email on [email protected] or head to our X/Twitter, it's www.twitter.com/UnfilterTennis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray, Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw talk about all the biggest issues from tennis last week including... Jannik Sinner beats Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev in consecutive matches to win the Beijing title and move to a career-high No 4 in the world Coco Gauff is beaten, nay thrashed, by Iga Swiatek as the Pole restores her supremacy over the new US Open champion Dan Evans loses a highly entertaining match to Alcaraz in Shanghai Stefanos Tsitsipas sacks Mark Philippoussis and brings back his Dad, but insists nothing has really changed And who really is the best tennis coach in the world? LINKS Here is Hugh Clarke's excellent newsletter about Jannik Sinner, with some brilliant in-depth stats: https://hughclarke.substack.com/p/beijing-wrap This is the super-wholesome Ben Shelton moment Calvin was talking about: https://twitter.com/TennisTV/status/1711258959565529139 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton (@calvbetton), George Bellshaw (@BellshawGeorge) and James Gray (@JamesGraySport) discuss all the latest issues in tennis this week. Including... - How does a tennis coach work from home? - What can video analysis do for you? - Is Wim Fissette wrong to dump Zheng Qinwen for Naomi Osaka? - Was there anything wrong with Jannik Sinner? - Should we ban medical time-outs? - Why doesn't tennis sell any tickets in China? And so much more! How good are these tennis impressions? https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx0F6xVo_-k/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D 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

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

Calvin Betton joins James Gray and (very briefly) George Bellshaw to look back at the US Open and answer as many of your questions as possible in an hour Why did Daniil Medvedev not change his return position? Is Novak Djokovic just cashing in on a weak era? Was the men's final actually interesting? Why isn't Iga Swiatek more marketable? Will Coco Gauff find her own period of dominance? When is Naomi Osaka coming back? And much, much more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw joins James Gray (inews.co.uk/i newspaper) to look back at Coco Gauff's maiden grand slam title and one last preview of the men's final Should we bother interviewing players after finals or just give them the microphone? What next for Coco Gauff? Does Aryna Sabalenka need to learn to handle the crowd? Can Daniil Medvedev use a mental edge to win a second US Open title? Will Novak Djokovic suffer from the pressure like he did two years ago? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's US Open finals weekend! James Gray and George Bellshaw discuss... Two pantomime villains, one more willing than the other, in Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev How Carlos Alcaraz was unpicked by the 2021 US Open champion Whether Coco Gauff can handle the occasion What Aryna Sabalenka can do to overcome the crowd 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 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

James Gray is joined by former player, now broadcaster and commentator Pippa Horn to talk about the latest US Open news including... Coco Gauff thrashes Jelena Ostapenko in just 67 minutes to cement her place as favourite for the title Karoline Muchova reaches her second grand slam semi-final of the year Novak Djokovic screams at his own fans en route to a straight-sets win over Taylor Fritz and a 47th grand slam semi Ben Shelton announces himself as a superstar by beating Frances Tiafoe in four sets We also get to know Pippa and talk about her career, her experiences in tennis and why decided not to pursue a life on tour 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

James Gray and George Bellshaw look back at round two of the US Open 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

James Gray looks back at the second day of action at the US Open where more seeds fell to make it a total of 17 out, more than a quarter, after only the first round. Six British players picked up wins, all in straight sets, to make it 18-0 in the first round Andy Murray saw the first ever use of VAR in a grand slam go awry Grigor Dimitrov came from two sets down to win a 4:40 thriller Caroline Garcia and Donna Vekic crashed out And more! LINKS Laura Siegmund defends herself: https://twitter.com/josemorgado/status/1696528429355827200 Inside Sky Sports Tennis, by James Gray: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/sky-sports-tennis-return-us-open-mnf-studio-rights-2566137 Warning, contains strong language, but non-UK viewers need to be made aware of Neil Warnock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NCCzGM_af4&ab_channel=TomStrong Also more Warnock here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQtWVcFpvHg&ab_channel=poppadomhands Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happened at the US Open on Day 1? Well... In the men’s draw… Holger Rune loses to Roberto Carballes Baena and then complains about the court scheduling (while also claiming he wasn’t) Dominic Thiem wins against Alexander Bublik! His first grand slam victory in 2 years and lost three of last four against top 20 players. Bublik also embarrassed himself rather and overstepped the line with a rant. As predicted, Felix Auger-Aliassime slumps to defeat against Makenzie McDonald Sebastian Korda and Lorenzo Musetti out too Stefanos Tsitsipas is too strong for Milos Raonic Novak Djokovic cruises through, water is wet etc In the women’s draw… Maria Sakkari is out and in pain, saying she may need a break from the game Other seeds to fall were Anhelina Kalinina, Bernarda Pera and Elisabetta Cocciaretto Caroline Wozniacki gets a win on her Grand Slam return Coco Gauff survives an early scare against queen of gamesmanship Laura Siegmund Beatriz Haddad Maia edges Sloane Stephens Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina cruise through Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray and George Bellshaw assess every player's chances at the US Open, going through the men's and women's draw line by line. How easy is Djokovic's draw and is Alcaraz's even easier? Could Andy Murray go deep or will Alexander Zverev stop him in his tracks? What was Iga Swiatek worried about? Who is the WTA dark horse? LINKS Interview with Ben Shelton: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/ben-shelton-tennis-nba-star-us-open-2573842 Interview with Milos Raonic: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/milos-raonic-bitter-losing-murray-wimbledon-sour-taste-2447451 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's featured listener emails are From Heather: "I found your discussion on the transgender issues in tennis really interesting but wonder why this is being treated as something new when in fact, the same issues occurred in the 1970s when Renee Richards tried to enter the US Open. I think that after various court cases, she did eventually win the right to compete there but I don’t remember anything else about her career other than she coached Martina Navratilova at some stage. It would be interesting to see if any of the issues people are concerned about at the moment were around when Renee Richards was fighting for her right to play and to see how and if, they were resolved. Love the podcast!" Andy Lee asks: "As a spectator, I always try and sit opposite the umpire's chair. Why can't someone in 2023 come up with a solution that would give spectators a better view on the players bench side? E.g. a perspex chair or suspended chair umpire? I find it ridiculous that the view of a third of the court is still obstructed from a lower level!" Got a question for the podcast? Email us on [email protected] Meanwhile, this week James Gray, Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw discussed... Novak Djokovic defeats Carlos Alcaraz in another epic that lasted nearly four hours and which the Serb called "definitely one of the toughest matches I've ever played in my life, regardless what tournament, what category, what level, what player" Djokovic also compared this to his rivalry with Nadal. Is Alcaraz-Djokovic perhaps even better? Alcaraz laughed and joked with Djokovic afterwards, but how can he switch from friend to foe so effectively? Coco Gauff wins the women’s title in Cincinnati, the biggest title of her career, not long after getting Brad Gilbert involved in her coaching team Meanwhile, beaten semi-finalst Iga Swiatek says she has no fuel in the tank and needs to rest before the US Open Juan Martin del Potro's potential comeback is over :( A venue for the WTA Finals still not confirmed - nor the Next Gen Finals either AND FINALLY Stefanos Tsitsipas asks for a woman to be removed from the crowd because she’s imitating a bee when he’s about to serve. Really. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tennis coach Calvin Betton joins James Gray (inews.co.uk and the i newspaper) from Poland in part one before George Bellshaw replaces him in part two from the less glamorous Birmingham. They answer questions on Tommy Paul's serve, string tension for amateurs, tournament scheduling, Alcaraz-Rune-Sinner and the race for No 1 between Iga Swiatek. We also discuss... Is Jannik Sinner triumphing in Toronto a watershed moment for his career? Can Alex De Minaur keep going up after reaching the final? Why has Stefanos Tsitsipas hired Mark Philippoussis as his new coach? Will Andy Murray get a game after returning to the GB Davis Cup team? How impressive is Jennifer Brady's comeback? Will Iga Swiatek still start the US Open as favourite? LINKS Milos Raonic interview: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/milos-raonic-bitter-losing-murray-wimbledon-sour-taste-2447451 Cotton Eye Joe: https://twitter.com/some1namedryan/status/1690431039498592257 Collins vs Sakkari: https://twitter.com/BenRothenberg/status/1689516627648192512 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray of inews.co.uk and the i newspaper talks to George Bellshaw (@bellshawgeorge) and Calvin Betton (@calvbetton) about music, Pokemon, walking and occasionally tennis. This week we talk about... A first ATP 500 win for Dan Evans after poor run of form where he’d not won a match since April Similarly in poor form, Coco Gauff gets her season back on track with a title in Washington Nick Kyrgios replied to himself on Twitter presumably (he or others close to him) trying to send praise from a different account, and once again starts a fight about prize money Caroline Wozniacki returns in Canada after coming out of retirement Martina Navratilova criticises USTA for trans policy after a trans woman wins the 55+ national title PLUS Your questions answered on Daniil Medvedev, Andy Murray's volleying and Pokemon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray of inews.co.uk and the i newspaper talks to George Bellshaw (@bellshawgeorge) and Calvin Betton (@calvbetton) about music, Pokemon, walking and occasionally tennis. This week we ask... Is Alexander Zverev establishing himself as a US Open threat after winning the title in Hamburg? Wasn't Marketa Vondrousova vs Ons Jabeur at Wimbledon actually just a refreshing change from the usual power battles on the WTA? What is Max Eisenbud, agent to Sharapova, Li Na and Raducanu, trying to sell us? How hard is it to adapt to different opponents day after day? Is Nick Kyrgios doing anything for the game of tennis? Why do we still love Stan Wawrinka so much? 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

James Gray asks Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw the big questions after Carlos Alcaraz claims his first Wimbledon title and Novak Djokovic misses out on his eighth. Questions like: Has Alcaraz's second serve always been this good? What happened to Djokovic in the tie-break? Is this the beginning of a great rivalry? Who will win the US Open? 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 at the gates of Wimbledon ahead of the women's final to look back at Friday's action and ahead to Saturday's. Novak Djokovic felt he was unfairly called for a hindrance against Jannik Sinner. What do you think? https://twitter.com/jamesgraysport/status/1679872598295937024 Does Carlos Alcaraz have any chance of beating him on Sunday? He says he will not be tired or afraid. Who will become a first-time Wimbledon champion: Ons Jabeur or Marketa Vondrousova? 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 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

Tennis coach Calvin Betton joins James Gray of inews.co.uk and the i newspaper to look back at the first day of quarter-finals at Wimbledon Order of play Centre Court – 1.30pm (6) Ons Jabeur (Tun) vs (3) Elena Rybakina (Kaz) (1) Carlos Alcaraz (Spa) vs (6) Holger Rune (Den) No 1 Court – 1pm (25) Madison Keys (USA) vs (2) Aryna Sabalenka (Bel) (3) Daniil Medvedev (Rus) vs Christopher Eubanks (USA) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray and Calvin Betton look back at a day of shocks that never were - and ask why Wimbledon insists on starting matches so late. Tuesday's Wimbledon order of play on the show courts Centre Court (1.30pm) (1) Iga Swiatek (Pol) vs Elina Svitolina (Ukr) (7) Andrey Rublev (Rus) vs (2) Novak Djokovic (Ser) No 1 Court (1pm) (4) Jessica Pegula (USA) vs Marketa Vondrousova (Cze) (8) Jannik Sinner (Ita) vs Roman Safiullin (Rus) No 2 Court (11am) (15) Marcel Granollers (Spa) & Federico Zeballos (Bol) vs Robert Galloway (USA) & Lloyd Harris (Rsa) (13) Jamie Murray (Gbr) & Michael Venus (Nzl) vs (4) Hugo Nys (Mon) & Jan Zielinski (Pol) Caroline Garcia (Fra) & Luisa Stefani (Bra) vs Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Barbora Strycova (Cze) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at the second ever scheduled Middle Sunday, and ahead to a not so manic Monday, which will feature... Centre Court (1.30pm) (13) Beatriz Haddad Maia (Bra) vs (3) Elena Rybakina (Kaz) Not before 2.30pm, to finish: (2) Novak Djokovic (Srb) leads (17) Hubert Hurkacz (Pol) 7-6, 7-6 (6) Ons Jabeur (Tun) vs (9) Petra Kvitova (Cze) (1) Carlos Alcaraz (Spa) vs Matteo Berrettini (Ita) No 1 Court (1pm) (3) Daniil Medvedev (Rus) vs Jiri Lehecka (Cze) (21) Ekaterina Alexandrova (Rus) vs (2) Aryna Sabalenka (Blr) (21) Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) vs (6) Holger Rune (Den) All courts below start at 11am No 2 Court (25) Madison Keys (USA) vs Mirra Andreeva (Rus) Christopher Eubanks (USA) vs (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) (5) Santiago Gonzalez (Mex) & Edouard Roger-Vasselin (Fra) vs Toby Samuel (Gbr) & Connor Thomson (Gbr) 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 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

James Gray and Michael Hincks look back on Day 4 at Wimbledon, and Denis Shapovalov talks about what it's like trying to beat the SW19 crowd ahead of his clash with Liam Broady Order of play for show courts (All courts start at 11am unless stated) Centre Court (from 1.30pm) (1) Carlos Alcaraz (Spa) vs Alexandre Muller (Fra) (Not before 3pm, to finish) Andy Murray (Gbr) leads (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 (1) Iga Swiatek (Pol) vs (30) Petra Martic (Cro) Stan Wawrinka (Swi) vs (2) Novak Djokovic (Ser) No 1 Court (from 1pm) Varvara Gracheva (Fra) vs (2) Aryna Sabalenka (Blr) (12) Cameron Norrie (Gbr) vs Christopher Eubanks (USA) (6) Ons Jabeur (Tun) vs Bai Zhuoxuan (Chi) No 2 Court Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Blr) vs (9) Petra Kvitova (Cze) (Not before 12.30pm, to finish) (3) Daniil Medvedev (Rus) leads Adrian Mannarino (Fra) 6-3, 6-3, 4-4 (19) Alexander Zverev (Ger) vs Yosuke Watanuki (Jpn) (26) Denis Shapovalov (Can) vs Liam Broady (Gbr) (32) Marie Bouzkova (Cze) vs (5) Caroline Garcia (Fra) No 3 Court Roberto Carballes Baena (Spa) vs (6) Holger Rune (Den) (8) Jannik Sinner (Ita) vs Quentin Halys (Fra) (4) Jessica Pegula (USA) vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto (Ita) Elina Svitolina (Ukr) vs Sofia Kenin (USA) Court 12 Viktorija Golubic (Swi) vs (25) Madison Keys (USA) 14) Lorenzo Musetti (Ita) vs (17) Hubert Hurkacz (Pol) (11) Daria Kasatkina (Rus) vs (19) Victoria Azarenka (Blr) (7) Andrey Rublev (Rus) vs David Goffin (Bel) (Not before 6pm) (1) Barbora Krejcikova (Cze) & Katerina Siniakova (Cze) vs Fang-Hsien Wu (Tpe) & Lin Zhu (Chn) Court 18 Marta Kostyuk (Ukr) vs Paula Badosa Gibert (Spa) Matteo Berrettini (Ita) vs (15) Alex De Minaur (Aus) Alexander Bublik (Kaz) vs Maximilian Marterer (Ger) (3) Rajeev Ram (USA) & Joe Salisbury (Gbr) vs Tallon Griekspoor (Ned) & Bart Stevens (Ned) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray of inews.co.uk and the i newspaper looks back at a wild Wednesday, before asking Grigor Dimitrov about how to unlock the secrets of Carlos Alcaraz. Order of play (British players in bold; show courts only) Centre Court 1.30pm: Liam Broady (Gbr) vs (4) Casper Ruud (Nor) Alize Cornet (Fra) vs (3) Elena Rybakina (Kaz) Andy Murray (Gbr) vs (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) No 1 Court 1.00pm: (19) Alexander Zverev (Ger) vs Gijs Brouwer (Ned) Sloane Stephens (USA) vs (20) Donna Vekic (Cro) (4) Jessica Pegula (USA) vs Cristina Bucsa (Spa) No 2 Court 11.00am: (28) Elise Mertens (Bel) vs Elina Svitolina (Ukr) (7) Andrey Rublev (Rus) vs Aslan Karatsev (Rus) Danielle Collins (USA) vs (14) Belinda Bencic (Swi) (3) Daniil Medvedev (Rus) vs Adrian Mannarino (Fra) No 3 Court 11.00am: (29) Tomas Martin Etcheverry (Arg) vs Stan Wawrinka (Swi) Viktorija Golubic (Swi) vs Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Svk) Leylah Annie Fernandez (Can) vs (5) Caroline Garcia (Fra) Ilya Ivashka (Blr) vs (21) Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) Court 12 11.00am: (16) Karolina Muchova (Cze) vs Jule Niemeier (Ger) Matteo Berrettini (Ita) vs Lorenzo Sonego (Ita) Viktoriya Tomova (Bul) vs Katie Boulter (Gbr) (10) Frances Tiafoe (USA) vs Dominic Stephan Stricker (Swi) (13) Jamie Murray (Gbr) & Michael Venus (Nzl) vs Albano Olivetti (Fra) & David Vega Hernandez (Spa) Court 18 11.00am: Jan Choinski (Gbr) vs (17) Hubert Hurkacz (Pol) Kimmer Coppejans (Bel) vs (15) Alex De Minaur (Aus) (32) Marie Bouzkova (Cze) vs Anett Kontaveit (Est) Mikael Ymer (Swe) vs (9) Taylor Fritz (USA) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices