WTA Insider Podcast

Belinda Bencic captured her first clay title at the 2022 Credit One Charleston Open, holding off Ons Jabeur in three sets in the final. The win comes eight years after the Swiss star marched her way to her first WTA semifinal as a teenage qualifier ranked No.140 in the world.

World No.13 Jessica Pegula joins the podcast from the Credit One Charleston Open to dish about the highs and lows of her hard court season, marvel at Iga Swiatek's rise to No.1, and laugh about being a rookie on the WTA Player Council.

New World No.1 Iga Swiatek and her sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz join the podcast to reflect on the 'Swiatek Sweep', after Swiatek dominated the Miami Open to become the youngest player to win the Sunshine Double and first to ever win the first three WTA 1000 events of the season. On Monday, the 20-year-old will become Poland's first-ever World No.1.

Undefeated on the season and firmly entrenched as the World No.1 Ashleigh Barty stunned the world after announcing her retirement from the Hologic WTA Tour. Barty joins the podcast to discuss her decision to hang up her racquets.

WTA Web Editor Alex Macpherson returns to discuss Iga Swiatek, Maria Sakkari, and the biggest storylines from the BNP Paribas Open and look ahead to the Miami Open presented by Itaú.

Iga Swiatek captured her second straight WTA 1000 title on Sunday, defeating Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-1 to win the BNP Paribas Open. The 20-year-old Pole is now on a career-best 11-match win streak and will rise to a career-high No.2 on Monday. Swiatek joins the WTA Insider Podcast to try and process what's she's accomplished so early in the season. Doubles champions Yang Zhaoxuan and Xu Yifan also sit down to reflect on their 'lucky' title run.

WTA Web Editor Alex Macpherson joins the podcast to reflect on the lessons learned from the Middle East and Mexican swings and preview the BNP Paribas Open, a WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells, California. Note: This episode was recorded before top seed Barbora Krejcikova withdrew due to elbow injury.

In their fourth tournament together, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula captured their first team title and it was a big one. The American duo came from a set down to win the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, a WTA 1000 event, defeating No.3 seeds Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova in the final. Gauff and Pegula join the podcast to discuss their team chemistry, how they handle pressure in both doubles and singles, and how the win sets them up for the Sunshine Swing.

Iga Swiatek captured her second WTA 1000 title at the 2022 Qatar TotalEnergies Open, defeating Anett Kontaveit, 6-2, 6-0. Playing a more aggressive game style, the 20-year-old Polish star defeated three Top 10 opponents at a single event for the first time in her career. Swiatek joined the podcast by phone from Doha to explain the changes she's made to her game under new coach Tomasz Witkorowski.

Anett Kontaveit has no idea how she's doing it, but she's doing it. The Estonian extended her indoor winning streak to 20 matches after a resilient comeback to defeat Maria Sakkari in the final to win the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. It's the longest indoor winning streak in over a decade and it earned Kontaveit her sixth career title. Kontaveit joined the podcast from St. Petersburg to reflect on her winning week.

How dominant is Ash Barty right now? Who left a lasting impression in Melbourne? What does it all mean for the remainder of the spring hard-court season? WTA Web Editor Alex Macpherson joins the podcast to break down the 2022 Australian Open.

Ashleigh Barty capped off a perfect fortnight in Melbourne by becoming the first homegrown singles champion at the Australian Open, capturing her third major title with a straight-set win over Danielle Collins in the final. The World No.1 joined the podcast after a whirlwind media tour in Melbourne to explain why her Melbourne run was different from her first two major wins and what's next after a dominant start to the year.

Paula Badosa finds her comfort on the clay. Which is why her victory at the Sydney Tennis Classic cemented the Spaniard as an all-court threat. Badosa joined the podcast after her hard-fought victory to reveal the adjustments she's made to her game to succeed on quick hard courts.

After a short hiatus, the WTA Insider Podcast is back! WTA Web Editor Alex Macpherson joins the podcast to ring in the new 2022 WTA season. We break down the key takeaways from the first two weeks of the season, dive deep into the draw for the Australian Open, and analyze the favorites, dark horses, and match-ups that matter.

Iga Swiatek captured her second title of the 2021 season and third overall with a stunning week at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, defeating Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-0 in the final to capture her first WTA 1000 title. The 19-year-old saved match points in the third round and went on to tally two Top 10 wins to book her own spot in the Top 10 for the first time in her career. Swiatek joined the podcast after her dominating final performance to reflect on a week of winning ugly that ended with perfection.

Aryna Sabalenka won her 10th career title at the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open, defeating World No.1 Ashleigh Barty 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 to capture her first title on clay. As a result, the 23-year-old will rise to a career-high No.4 in the rankings and zoom up to the No.3 position on the Porsche Race to Shenzhen Leaderboard. Only Barty and Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka have earned more points this season. Sabalenka joined the podcast after her Madrid win to discuss her magical week, why she needed it, and what she expects with Roland Garros around the corner.

World No.1 Ashleigh Barty tallied her 11th career title and a tour-leading third of the season at the 2021 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, rallying from a set down in her last three matches to take the title in her tournament debut. Barty reflects on the success of her long overseas trip so far, which has seen her win titles in Miami and Stuttgart and race to No.1 on the Porsche Race to Shenzhen Leaderboard.

Petra Kvitova captured her 28th career title at the 2021 Qatar Total Open, defeating Garbine Muguruza 6-2, 6-1 in the final. With the win, Kvitova won her first title since 2019 Stuttgart and tallied her tour-leading 20th victory in Doha. Kvitova joins the podcast to break down the keys to her Doha title run. The Czech star also discusses her two Wimbledon titles and explains why her 2014 title run may have been career-defining.

Iga Swiatek captured her first hardcourt title and second career title, winning the 2021 Adelaide International with a 6-2, 6-2 win over No.2 seed Belinda Bencic in the final. Everything came together perfectly for Swiatek in Adelaide, where she steamrolled through the field to drop just 23 games over five matches, finishing her successful week by winning her final 18 service games. Swiatek joins the podcast from Adelaide to reflect on what went right in Adelaide and explain how her mind, which craves logic and rationality, can produce a game that is so unpredictable.

Naomi Osaka captured her fourth major title at the Australian Open, defeating Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3 to win her 2nd title in Melbourne. Osaka has now pulled off the New York-Melbourne double twice in her young career, and she will leave Australia riding a 21-match winning streak. Osaka joined the podcast by phone from Melbourne to reflect on her win and look ahead to her prospects at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Aryna Sabalenka can't lose. The 22-year-old Belarusian finished the 2020 season with back-to-back titles and she kicked off her 2021 season with another, defeating Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 6-2 to win the Abu Dhabi WTA Women's Tennis Open. Her winning week extended her career-best winning streak to 15 matches, secured her third consecutive title and ninth of her career, and will propel her to a new career-high ranking on Monday at No.7. That's not a bad week of work. Sabalenka joined the WTA Insider Podcast from Abu Dhabi and reveals how losing her father put her tennis in perspective and how she plans to deal with the heightened expectations as she heads to the Australian Open as the hottest player on tour.

Julia Goerges has announced her retirement, ending a 15-year career that that saw her break into the Top 10, make a Wimbledon semifinal, capture seven WTA singles titles, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder alongside Germany's Golden Generation of talent, with Angelique Kerber, Andrea Petkovic, and Sabine Lisicki. Goerges leaves behind a legacy of professionalism and respect that left an indelible mark on the WTA locker room, as evidenced by the outpouring of well-wishes from her colleagues and friends. Goerges joins the podcast to reflect on her decision to hang up her trusty Babolat racquets, detail what it was like playing in the long shadow of Stefanie Graf, and why her straight-shooting ways left a mark on the tour's younger generation.

Aryna Sabalenka came back from the brink at the J&T Banka Ostrava Open to become the first player to sweep the singles and doubles titles at a Premier-level or higher since 2016. After being five points from losing in her first two rounds of the tournament, Sabalenka dominated down the stretch, defeating Victoria Azarenka to win her 7th WTA singles title, and then teaming up with Elise Mertens to capture the doubles title. Sabalenka joins the podcast after her successful week to reflect on what she learned from her slow starts and what she needs to do to apply this successful tour-level formula to the Slams.

The youngest Roland Garros champion since Monica Seles. The most dominating Roland Garros title run since Stefanie Graf. The first Grand Slam singles champion from Poland. 19-year-old Iga Swiatek checked off quite a few boxes in Paris, where she lost just 28 games to capture her first major title. The thoughtful teenager joins the podcast to reflect on her triumphant fortnight, reveal the keys to her nerveless play, and what her future holds.

Simona Halep extended her winning streak to 14 matches by finally capturing the one big clay-court title that has eluded her. The World No.2 came through in her third final in Rome to win the Internazionali BNL d'Italia for her third title of 2020 and 22nd title overall. Halep joins the podcast to reflect on her seven-year journey in Rome, the site of her breakout tournament in 2013, and looks ahead to Roland Garros.

Naomi Osaka became the youngest woman to capture her third major title since 2008, rallying from a set and a break down to defeat Victoria Azarenka in the final of the 2020 US Open. Osaka joins the podcast to reflect on her 11-match win-streak in the New York bubble, the keys to her title run, and how she hopes her concurrent activism will impact the sport and the world at large.

On this episode we continue our series on the 50th anniversary of the Original 9, who came together on September 23rd in 1970 to sign a one dollar contract with promoter and World Tennis Magazine founder Gladys Heldman to form the first women's professional tour, a precursor to the WTA which would be formed three years later in 1973. Today, thanks to our friends at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, we are excited to share a wonderful radio interview with Gladys Heldman herself, which was done during her induction to the Hall of Fame in 1979. As Billie Jean King has said, "Without Gladys Heldman, there wouldn't be women's professional tennis. She was a passionate advocate for women tennis players and, as the driving force behind the start of the Virginia Slims Tour in 1970, she helped change the face of women's sports."

Victoria Azarenka ended a 12-month winless drought in style at the 2020 Western & Southern Open, not only capturing her first main draw match win since the summer of 2019, but her first title since 2016 and her first title since returning to the tour as a mother. Azarenka joins the podcast to reflect on her resurgent week in New York, why she came close to retirement in January, and why, no matter whether she's winning or losing, we just can't stop talking about her.

Simona Halep and and Jennifer Brady join the WTA Insider Podcast to reflect on their successful season restarts, which were punctuated by title runs at the Prague Open and Top Seed Open in Lexington, respectively. World No.2 Halep extended her winning streak to nine matches after coming through a pair of early scares in Prague to win her 21st career title. American Jennifer Brady captured her 1st WTA Title in dominant fashion, rolling through the Lexington field to win the title without losing a set and being broken just three times all week. For both Halep and Brady, their title runs last week simply underlined their fabulous starts to the season. Not even a five-month shutdown could derail their progress.

Billie Jean King will never stop fighting. As part of the WTA's month-long celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month, the WTA Legend and founder joins the podcast to reflect on how far the tennis LGBTQ community has come and where it still needs to make further inroads. King also discusses her recent conversation with Roger Federer on the topic of tennis unity, what it was like to juggle her tennis career with her advocacy, and what she hopes today's generation of WTA players understands about the tour's groundbreaking history.

Aryna Sabalenka rediscovered her game en route to the 2020 Qatar Total Open title, defeating tricky opponents, and mind-numbing wind, and Petra Kvitova in the final, 6-3, 6-3, to capture her first title of the season. The 21-year-old joins the WTA Insider Podcast to reflect on what went right during her Doha debut, what could have gone terribly wrong, and why her reunion with coach Dmitry Tursunov yielded immediate results.

Top seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Barbora Strycova dominated the tour's swing through the Middle East, becoming just the second doubles team to ever sweep the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and Qatar Total Open. Hsieh and Strycova rebounded from their quick Dubai turnaround to power through to their third title of the season at in Doha, defeating No.6 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Jelena Ostapenko, 6-2, 5-7, 10-2 in the final. Hsieh and Strycova join the WTA Insider Podcast to discuss their scintillating 2020 season start, what it means to them to complete a rare sweep, and dish on the difficulties of celebrating the phenomenal achievement.

The WTA Insider Podcast is excited to kick off our Original 9 podcast series, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the iconic One Dollar Photo and the formation of the Virginia Slims Tour in 1970, which led to the foundation of the WTA three years later. To kick off the series, we head down to Melbourne to sit in conversation with former World No.7 Judy Dalton, one of the two Australians to break away to join ranks with the Original 9. Dalton reflects on her decision to risk it all to join the Virginia Slims Tour, the encouraging results of the survey on women's tennis she administered at Forest Hills, and what it's like to see an Australian World No.1 collect the biggest prize money check in professional tennis history.

Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic picked up right where they left off in 2019. Having capped off the season by winning the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, the duo became the first team since 2004 to win the Australian Open title without dropping a set, extending their win streak to 11 matches. The pair catch up with WTA Insider after their title run in Melbourne, to go deep on how their true friendship was formed and why, without it, Team Babos/Mladenovic would not exist.

Sofia Kenin became the youngest Australian Open champion since one of her idols Maria Sharapova and is set to become the youngest American to make her Top 10 debut since her other idol, Serena Williams. Now she's ready for her close-up after winning her maiden Slam by defeating Garbiñe Muguruza 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Karolina Pliskova became the winningest player in Brisbane International history after becoming the first woman to win the title three times, defeating Madison Keys to capture the first Premier title of the season. Pliskova joins the podcast to discuss what made her 2020 title run her toughest (she also won in 2017 and 2019) and looks ahead to how she'll prepare for the Australian Open with a new team in her box.

World No.1 Ashleigh Barty sealed her outstanding WTA season by winning the 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, defeating defending champion Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-3 to tally her tour-leading 56th win of the season and fourth title of the year. For her efforts, the Queenslander took home over $4.4 million, the biggest prize money check in the history of professional tennis. The 23-year-old reflects on her evolution into one of the most clutch players in the game and looks ahead to 2020, which will kick off under the intense spotlight of the Australian summer.

The season-long Porsche Race to Shenzhen is over and it's Australia's 23-year-old phenom Ashleigh Barty who takes the checkered flag. The World No.1 joins the WTA Insider Podcast to reflect on her standout season, which saw her win three titles on three different surfaces, including her maiden major at Roland Garros and Premier Mandatory at the Miami Open, and finish the regular season as the tour leader in match wins.

Naomi Osaka extended her win-streak to 10 consecutive matches since the US Open, defeating World No.1 Ashleigh Barty 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win the China Open. The title is Osaka's third of the season and fifth of her career, paving the way for a resurgent fall as the reigning Australian Open champion eyes her final event at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen in three weeks. Osaka joins the podcast to reflect on the key to winning her second Premier Mandatory title, which included tough wins over Barty and US Open Champion Bianca Andreescu, and how some soul-searching after a disappointing summer has steeled her resolve.

Aryna Sabalenka successfully defended her Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open title, defeating Alison Riske 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to win her second title of the season and move her undefeated record in Wuhan to 12-0. Sabalenka joins the podcast to discuss the lessons learned from her rocky sophomore season, what she wished she knew on January 1st of this season, and how a change in mindset triggered her dominant run to the title.

Former No.1 and four-time major champion Kim Clijsters joins the WTA Insider Podcast to discuss her decision to return to the tour over eight years since retiring in 2012. A popular player in the locker room and fan-favorite all over the globe, the 36-year-old Belgian reflects on her path back to competitive tennis, what she defines as success, and how she plans to juggle family life and tour life.

19-year-old Bianca Andreescu made Canadian history at the 2019 US Open, becoming the first Canadian singles Slam champion ever with her 6-3, 7-5 win over Serena Williams in the final. After starting the season ranked No.152m, Andreescu will rise to No.5 in the WTA Rankings on Monday and zoom up the Porsche Race to Shenzhen at No.4. Andreescu joins the podcast after her title run to reflect on her breakout season, how she'll redefine her goals for the remainder of the season, and reveal the US Open playlist that inspired her to victory.

Madison Keys blasted 245 winners, including 45 in her 7-5, 7-6(5) win over Svetlana Kuznetsova to win the Western & Southern Open and return to the Top 10. The 24-year-old defeated four Slam champions - Garbiñe Muguruza, Simona Halep, Venus Williams, and Kuznetsova - en route to her 5th title of her career and 2nd of the season. Keys joins the podcast to discuss her breakthrough week of controlled, aggressive tennis, her mindset going into the pressure-filled fortnight at the US Open, and how her grandparents felt after witnessing her triumph from the sidelines.

Simona Halep played the match of her life to defeat Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 to win 2019 Wimbledon. The World No.7, who will rise to No.4 on Monday, dropped just one set over the fortnight to become the first Romanian to win the Wimbledon singles title, her second major title in the last two years. Hear Halep address reporters after her big win and then sit down with WTA Insider for a candid chat about what triggered her renewed mindset at Wimbledon and what it portends for the future.

Former World No.2 Andrea Jaeger joins the podcast at Wimbledon after the launch of her Little Star Foundations Global Art Competition, to discuss how she grappled with the platform her early success gave her and offers advice for current athletes on how to give back to the communities the sport touches on a weekly basis. Jaeger also weighs in on the story of the tournament so far, 15-year-old Coco Gauff. Jaeger turned pro when she was 14-years-old and made two major finals as a teenager before stepping away from the sport due to injury.

Ashleigh Barty's first overseas trip from Australia took her to Paris 10 years ago as a 13-year-old. Now, the 23-year-old, who will rise to No.2 in the rankings on Monday, is the 2019 French Open champion. Barty became the first Australian woman to win a major since Samantha Stosur at the 2011 US Open and is set to become the highest-ranked Australian woman since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1976. Barty joins the podcast the day after her big win to reflect on the journey to her maiden major, which included a stint away from the sport and a heartbreaking moment right here on Court Philippe Chatrier two years ago.

Karolina Pliskova came to Rome with zero expectations and she leaves with the biggest clay title of her career. The Czech, who will rise to No.2 on Monday, rewrote her history in Rome, defeating Johanna Konta in the final to win the Internazionali BNL d"Italia. The plain-speaking champ joins the podcast to reflect on the evolution of her game, her title run in Rome, and what it's like to travel the world with her husband Michal.

Kiki Bertens became the first woman to ever win the Mutua Madrid Open title without losing a set, defeating reigning Roland Garros champion Simona Halep 6-4, 6-4 to win the biggest title of her career. The 27-year-old will make more history on Monday, when she rises to No.4 to become the highest-ranked Dutchwoman ever. That's not a bad week's work. Bertens and her coach Raemon Sluiter join the podcast to reflect on their monumental title run, and preview what's next as Roland Garros looms.

In the end, Petra Kvitova raced away with her first Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title in Stuttgart, defeating Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 7-6(2) to win her 27th career title. It wasn't always easy sailing for the Czech, who is set to return to No.2 on Monday, but Kvitova leaves Stuttgart with a load of confidence after winning her first clay title of the season in her first clay event.

Julie Heldman, a member of the Original 9, marvels at what the WTA Tour has become in the 49 years since her brave cohorts signed the famous one dollar contract to form what would become the WTA. But she also wants the world to know that it wasn't all fun and games. The author of "Driven: A Daughter's Odyssey", joins the podcast to the difficult dualities of her life on tour. From her fraught relationship with her mother Gladys Heldman, one of the instrumental figures in the formation of the tour, her battles with mental illness, to finding inspiration in being surrounded by a hard-nosed group of outcasts, Heldman candidly discusses her truth and her experience in hopes of educating the masses.