Tennis Unfiltered

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

Calvin Betton wakes up from jet lag to predict the men's and women's final with James Gray ahead of Draper vs Sinner and Tiafoe vs Fritz in the semi-finals. They also looked back at Emma Navarro's defeat to Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula's win over Karolina Muchova, as well as a few thoughts on Iga Swiatek's absence from the latter stages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton is fresh off a flight from New York and talks to James Gray about... Third-round defeat for Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara Why Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Caroline Wozniacki was a great example of how styles make fights… The secrets to Jack Draper's run at the US Open Why there have been so many double-faults at this year's tournament Is this the real reason everyone seems to hate Zheng Qinwen? What got Alexander Zverev's goat? Grigor Dimitrov limps out of perhaps *his* best chance to finally win a slam but allows Frances Tiafoe to guarantee an American man in the final for the first time since 2006 Also, Donald Young is in the mixed doubles final?! And Harri produces one of the all-time great racket smashes: https://x.com/BenRothenberg/status/1830757928166461726 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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

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

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

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

It's the first daily update from Flushing Meadows after Day 1 of the US Open Novak Djokovic becomes the most successful ever player on Arthur Ashe, beating another Roger Federer record, in his easy first-round win over Radu Albot Coco Gauff promises she "will" win the US Open again, but maybe not this year Jack Draper says cheat accusations hurt him Emma Raducanu insists she will keep playing a stripped-back schedule to concentrate on the big events Diego Schwartzman and Dominic Thiem both bow out of the US Open for the last time Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

Calvin Betton checks in from North Carolina to join James Gray and discuss... Jack Draper's controversial match point against Felix Auger-Aliassime Novak Djokovic calls for video replay in the aftermath Umpires come under fire after failing to overrule clear HawkEye failure Naomi Osaka writes a lot... but says very little Frances Tiafoe finds some form from nowhere Carlos Alcaraz hits out (at the ground) And much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton tunes in from Cincinnati, James Gray from back home in London and George Bellshaw from the sharp end of his anecdotal yardstick. Calvin gives us an update on Henry and Harri's bizarre concussion retirement: https://www.atptour.com/en/video/tennis-a-contact-sport-wimbledon-champs-collide-in-montreal Denis Shapovalov is defaulted for swearing at a fan: https://www.skysports.com/tennis/video/12110/13190123/denis-shapovalov-defaulted-after-heated-exchange-with-fan Hunter Reese and partner Scott Duncan are defaulted after ONE game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCONS88kPpo Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper having a blast playing doubles Rafael Nadal to skip US Open because he will not be 100 per cent but will play Laver Cup, is this the end? Stefanos Tsitsipas sacks his Dad as coach Coco Gauff loses to a player who is younger than her for the first time Emma Raducanu skips qualifying in North America and Novak Djokovic is barely going to play before the US Open Greg Rusedski to coach Victoria Azarenka: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/greg-rusedski-coach-victoria-azarenka-3220235 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of our more international podcasts as tennis coach Calvin Betton joins us from the Rogers Cup in Montreal, James Gray from the Olympics in Paris and George Bellshaw... still at home in London. They discussed... Novak Djokovic exacted revenge on Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday and ‘completes tennis’ with Olympic gold. He is just the fifth player to complete the career golden slam, joining Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams and first man to win gold without dropping a set, although it was pretty close in the final. Zheng Qinwen became the surprise women’s champion, beating in-form Donna Vekic. Zheng had an eventful tournament: she retired Angelique Kerber, ended Iga Swiatek’s Roland Garros winning streak and had a fall-out with Emma Navarro after which it became clear that basically no-one seems to like her. Iga Swiatek barely spoke after semi-final defeat to Zheng, says she cried for about six hours after defeat but did come back to win bronze. Andy Murray’s career is finally over, beaten by Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul in the Olmypic men's doubles. Sponsored by AG1, click here (https://drinkag1.com/tennisunfiltered) for free Vitamin D3/K2 and 5 travel packs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First, an apology: James is covering the Olympics in Paris and the technological conditions are challenging to say the least, so his audio is not in great shape this week. However, he has identified the problem and has a solution in place for next week. In the meantime, here is this week's episode with Calvin from Porto, George from London and James from Paris. Calvin talks about Harri Heliovaara wearing a microphone on a live match court Rafael Nadal is drummed out of the Olympic singles by Novak Djokovic Coco Gauff loses her temper in defeat to Donna Vekic Late withdrawals fire Matt Ebden and Petros Tsitsipas into the singles draw Andy Murray and Dan Evans keep the dream alive And SO much more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

Calvin, George and James are reunited for the first time since Wimbledon to discuss... Who will challenge Carlos Alcaraz? Is Novak Djokovic on the decline? Would Jasmine Paolini have been a more popular winner than Barbora Krejcikova? Should the Brits be pleased with their championships? What was the Champions' Ball like? And *so much* more. Sponsored by AG1, click here (https://drinkag1.com/tennisunfiltered) for free Vitamin D3/K2 and 5 travel packs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Men's doubles champion Henry Patten joins his coach Calvin Betton and host James Gray to look back at a 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 victory alongside Harri Heliovaara over the Australian pair of Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson. We laughed, we cried, we sat around and couldn't believe what was going on. My favourite podcast of the year. Sponsored by AG1, click here (https://drinkag1.com/tennisunfiltered) for free Vitamin D3/K2 and 5 travel packs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray sets his Wimbledon doubles nerves aside to look back at... How Daniil Medvedev nearly got disqualified from his Wimbledon semi-final Carlos Alcaraz finding an extra gear to seal victory and reach a fourth grand slam final Novak Djokovic barely got booed Lorenzo Musetti gave his best but his best wasn't good enough Sponsored by AG1, click here (https://drinkag1.com/tennisunfiltered) for free Vvtamin D3/K2 and 5 travel packs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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

On Friday… - Carlos Alcaraz survives a thriller against Frances Tiafoe - Emma Raducanu beats Maria Sakkari in shades of the US Open with a draw that is yawning wide open - Jannik Sinner continues his serene progress in the draw, while there were defeats for Bianca Andreescu and Gael Monfils Then on Saturday… - Emma Raducanu dominates headlines by pulling out of the mixed doubles and inadvertently retiring Andy Murray - World No 1 Iga Świątek is beaten by Yulia Putintseva, yet another underperformance at Wimbledon by the Pole Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw joins James Gray to discuss the fourth day of action at Wimbledon on and off the court. Andy Murray and his brother Jamie were beaten in doubles and Centre Court took its chance to say thank you to its two-time champion Cam Norrie surprised Jack Draper Katie Boulter blew her chance against Harriet Dart The draw is opening up for Emma Raducanu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at the second day of action at Wimbledon where rain was seen for the very first time and Andy Murray gave in to the inevitable, conceding that he has played his last singles match at Wimbledon. Andy Murray pull out of the singles but confirms he will play doubles with brother Jamie Novak Djokovic proves he has fully recovered from knee surgery Caroline Wozniacki hints at her form Jack Draper goes five sets but pulls victory out Sebastian Korda suffers an upset loss And much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at Day 1 of Wimbledon 2024, and discusses… Carlos Alcaraz’s title defence getting underway Emma Raducanu playing her first match at Wimbledon for two years Coco Gauff thrashing Caroline Dolehide Jannik Sinner arguing about the roof but winning in four PLUS: Dramatic wins for Lloyd Harris, Frances Tiafoe and Brenda Fruhvirtova. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw helps out in the first half before Calvin Betton joins James Gray in Eastbourne in the second half. They discussed... Jack Draper beats Carlos Alcaraz at Queen's to secure the biggest win of his career but... He lost to Tommy Paul the day after as the American made his way to the Queen's title, beating Lorenzo Musetti Jannik Sinner won a title too, triumphing over Hubert Hurkacz in Halle to confirm some of his grass-court credentials Emma Raducanu is back and very happy about it Jessica Pegula won a title in Berlin And much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tennis coach Calvin Betton, journalist James Gray and writer/broadcaster George Bellshaw answer your questions about tennis. We talked about everything from doubles to divas, from Olympics to eye contact, and from TV to Fritz tea. This week's episode is sponsored by the Tennis Channel's coverage of every court at Birmingham, Queen's and Eastbourne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

James Gray looks back after Carlos Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev in five thrilling, if not always high-quality, sets and Iga Swiatek thrashed Jasmine Paolini to claim her fourth French Open. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at an 'underwhelming' day of men's semi-finals as Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in five sets, before Alexander Zverev knocked out an ailing Casper Ruud. Latest French Open fantasy tennis table is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MLjysGmg_c_oRNRAa7yjWkxJ4pspiaO2Px9xXbc5zow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray is joined by Calvin Betton from the National Tennis Centre in London to look back at the women's semi-finals, predict Iga Swiatek's crowning and cast an eye over who might win the men's. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at two women's quarter-finals and Novak Djokovic's knee surgery on a bustling Rue d'Auteuil Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at Day 10 of Roland Garros, where Novak Djokovic pulled out and Ons Jabeur was knocked out, and looks ahead to the last round of quarter-final matches including Mirra Andreeva vs Aryna Sabalenka. To read what Lucie Safarova and Agnieszka Radwanska said about the rise of Andreeva, click here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/mirra-andreeva-tennis-emma-radacanu-comparison-french-open-3092320 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw joins James Gray to look back at yet another four-and-a-half-hour comeback from Novak Djokovic, who looked done and dusted when behind in the fourth set and struggling with a knee injury. There were also wins for Casper Ruud, Elena Rybakina, Alex de Minaur, Jasmine Paolini, Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka in the rarified atmosphere of fourth-round day at Roland Garros. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at a packed and lengthy weekend of French Open action at Roland Garros. Novak Djokovic finished at 3am Calvin Betton had to sit on his hands while watching his two players face off Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are eating people for breakfast And more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

James Gray looks back at Thursday's action - all of which took place indoors - and featured Novak Djokovic shaking out the cobwebs, a ban on booze in the stands and some late-night drama Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

James Gray of inews.co.uk and the i newspaper talks through the third day of action as... Dan Evans and Katie Boulter are beaten to knock the Brits out of the French Open before the second round for the fourth time this century David Goffin was spat at and insulted for three hours and 35 minutes as he beat France's own Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard Novak Djokovic beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets but still did not look great Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw checks into the game with James Gray to look back at the day Rafael Nadal (possibly) said goodbye to Roland Garros (in its French Open form anyway) and lost to Alexander Zverev in the first round, plus a bad day at the office for the Brits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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

With George Bellshaw otherwise engaged (football...), freelance journalist Molly McElwee joins James Gray and Calvin Betton to discuss all the latest news in the tennis world. And there was a lot, so sorry we went on so long! Andy Murray is back, playing on the clay in Bordeaux and signing up for Geneva, as well as changing 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem says he will end his career at the end of this season after years spent battling a wrist injury Naomi Osaka is playing regularly and starting to look like a threat on clay - and she's even enjoying press conferences Novak Djokovic was hit on the head by a water bottle and then lost comprehensively to Alejandro Tabilo, seeming to blame concussion symptoms afterwards Tsitsidosa is no more! QUESTIONS FROM THE MAILBAG David asks: "You can pick two former players, one male and one female, that you would like to have seen win Wimbledon. It can be for any reason, a favourite player, unfortunate not to have won etc. The third answer is a wild card, any other player to have won any other grand slam." Elam asks: "What do you guys think needs to be done to address all of the concerns about scheduling in tennis that's been going on recently? With all of the recent chatter from the players and fans about the scheduling issues in tennis, like these 1000 level tournaments being extended to 10 days, all of the recent injuries that have been linked to these lengthened tournaments, and the already busy schedule these players face, how does tennis fix this problem? I've wondered about a shortened calendar, say a 9-month schedule that allows for a longer off season for the players to rest from the game." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton, George Bellshaw and James Gray do their very best to set the tennis world to rights, discussing... Iga Swiatek's continued dominance of the women's game Her Madrid Open victory over Aryna Sabalenka Felix Auger-Aliassime's remarkable run to the final of Madrid and his defeat to Andrey Rublev Jack Draper hires Wayne Ferreira as a coach PLUS your questions answered on... Tennis documentaries French Open night sessions Promoting doubles tennis Shirt-gate follow-ups Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

Calvin Betton and James Gray talk through the last seven days of tennis news while George Bellshaw recovers from food poisoning. (Get well soon, George!) Garbine Muguruza says she didn't miss "the discipline and the difficulty of the life" in her year off tennis and has decided to retire at the age of 30 Novak Djokovic is playing golf, playing with his dogs but not playing tennis after withdrawing from the Madrid Masters for a "non-medical reason" Emma Raducanu picks up two more wins in Stuttgart before a creditable defeat by Iga Swiatek, and now heads to Madrid after picking up a wildcard Rafael Nadal is beaten by Alex De Minaur in Barcelona  Casper Ruud gets his own back on Stefanos Tsitsipas in Barcelona Elena Rybakina shows her form on red dirt PLUS We answer your questions from the mailbag Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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

FACTCHECK FROM JAMES: I said I was watching Charleston on red clay. I was of course watching *Houston*, not Charleston. Houston = reddish brown clay, Charleston = still equals mucky grey-green. Apologies... Calvin Betton joins James Gray (inews.co.uk) and George Bellshaw (man of the people) from the ATP 250 in Marrakesh to discuss a very busy few days in tennis... Danielle Collins is the surprise Miami champion after beating Elena Rybakina in the final, losing the first set of the tournament and then not another one after that But Collins also made headlines after clapping back at the suggestion she might reconsider retirement, due at the end of this year, given she is now playing the best tennis of her life Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands won the women's doubes: an unlikely duo or a force to be reckoned with? Jannik Sinner comfortably beat Grigor Dimitrov in the men's final, having beaten Daniil Medvedev in the semi, their first meeting since the Australian Open final. Andy Murray has chosen not to have surgery on a “full rupture of my ATFL” and a “near full thickness rupture of my CFL” - that is the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) to give them their full names. Novak Djokovic has split with Goran Ivanisevic and does not know if he will replace him. Who would be the perfect coach for Djokovic at this point in his career? Djokovic said: “First of all, Goran is my friend for life, mine and of my family’s. I will always remember that he was there for me as a person, as a human being, first and foremost, and that he brought the right set of values into our relationship. That kind of chemistry was followed by great results. I wish Goran all the best. I still don’t have a clear idea who a new coach would be, or whether there will be one at all. I’ve had coaches since I was a kid, now I am trying to feel by myself what I need, what I feel most comfortable with. You will be informed in case someone joins the team.” PLUS... We answer your questions on Dominic Thiem and whether there really is "a dominant eye". LINKS MENTIONED James's piece on everything we know about Andy Murray's injury: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/andy-murray-wimbledon-injury-hopes-2976945 Novak Djokovic's quotes in full on his coaching situation: www.tennismajors.com/atp/djokovic-trying-to-feel-by-himself-what-he-needs-without-a-coach-for-the-moment-752469.html John McEnroe's penchant for the dramatic: https://twitter.com/Calvbetton/status/1774855117725933985 Hubert Hurkacz loses his mind: https://twitter.com/TennisTV/status/1772784378717823397 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

George Bellshaw, James Gray and Calvin Betton are back to talk about another week of tennis after the final of Indian Wells... Carlos Alcaraz won first title since June, beating Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev along the way - although he was temporarily halted by a swarm of bees... Novak Djokovic was stunned by lucky loser Luca Nardi, his third ever Masters loss to someone outside top 100, and has pulled out of Miami too Iga Swiatek thumped Maria Sakkari in just 69 mins to win Indian Wells for a second time Emma Raducanu picks up valuable points but is beaten well by Aryna Sabalenka Hsieh Su-Wei is the world No 1 in doubles after spending 18 months out of the game Roger Federer says today’s game is starting to lack variety, his goal when he was on tour was to mix things up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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

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

Eleanor Crooks, the Press Association's tennis correspondent, joins James Gray and Calvin Betton (with George temporarily unavailable). They discussed... Andy Murray's first win of 2024 before losing to Jakub Mensik - and then coming back next week and beating Denis Shapovalov. Is this still the game for him? Has he only got a few months left? Ivo Karlovic has finally confirmed his retirement after years out of the game. Was he really just an enormous server and nothing else? What other athletes's freakish size has made them a spectacle to watch? Anna Kalinskaya beat Jelena Ostapenko, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek consecutively to reach the Dubai final. Is she another woman we are going to have to consider in the melting pot of women's tennis? And speaking of, Calvin defends his take on Azarenka-Ostapenko handshake-gate PLUS Wildcards for Irishmen in Dubai, Cam Norrie's struggles in South America and paying $150,000 for a private lesson with Carlos Alcaraz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton, George Bellshaw and James Gray go through all the big tennis stories from the last seven days, including... Iga Swiatek becomes the first woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to win the same WTA title three years in a row, beating Elena Rybakina to win in Doha Maria Sakkari has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in two years Jannik Sinner continues his unbeaten 2024, winning the title in Rotterdam and beating Alex De Minaur Carlos Alcaraz loses to Nicolas Jarry in South America PLUS we answer your questions on: The I formation in amateur doubles Andrey Rublev - the new David Ferrer? Felix Auger-Aliassime's ceiling LINKS The death of the one-handed backhand in The Times (£): https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/death-one-handed-backhand-tennis-roger-federer-pfl2gwwp6 Gay doubles player Demi Schuurs talks about she has to go to Saudi Arabia because if she doesn't, someone else will: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/saudi-arabia-womens-tennis-2874511 Jelena Ostapenko's "handshake" with Victoria Azarenka: https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1757863285339177406 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the Middle East swing and James Gray, George Bellshaw and Calvin Betton are back home in the UK, picking the bones out of the action. They answered your questions too, including: What does British tennis get from players switching allegiance to play under the Union Flag? And why does Kazakhstan do it? (Thanks to Matthew on email for that one) Can you remember anyone doing such a good job of improving on their weaknesses, at least so quickly, as Aryna Sabalenka has on second serve? (Nikos via email) Danny asks "What's the deal with the ITF events held in places like Monastir and Sharm El Sheikh, how do they afford to host tournaments every week of the year without the backing of wealthy federations, at the bottom tier of the sport with no TV or gate money?" And in this week's news Elena Rybakina wins the title in Abu Dhabi Naomi Osaka talks about failure - but then gets the best win of her comeback so far over Caroline Garcia in Doha Emma Raducanu is beaten by Anhelina Kalinina in a one-sided encounter And so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to everyone who voted for us in the Sports Podcast Awards. We came SECOND, a one-place improvement on last year, but still losing out to Dan Kiernan. We shall overcome! We're back as a trio this week, a little later after James took the slow boat home from Australia, answering as many questions as possible from the bulging mailbag. Justin Cerny on Twitter/X asked: “Thoughts on the variety of surfaces & locations for events during weeks like this? (ATP, Challengers, WTA tour & 125s) Does it help bring opportunity & exposure or does it lack a uniform brand for professional tennis? Something in between? Keep up the good work” John Williamson on Twitter/X wrote: “After a joyful 2 weeks of loads of televised #tennis games courtesy of a month’s UK Discovery subscription, the potential spectre of Sky Sports thin pickings is appearing over the horizon – any chance of bluer skys?” Fab Miss Ana asked on Twitter/X: “What are possible penalties for (WTA / ATP) players for complaining about tour or tournament? Have they ever been enforced? Asking as Daniela Hantuchova (now appointed the infamous Madrid WTA director?) criticised players for complaining and asked for penalties to be enforced." Andy Lee on email asks: “Looking at the results from the Davis Cup this weekend, including a shock for Serbia (will that affect Novak's plans post US Open this year?) and to a lesser extent Croatia I noticed the finals group stages venues haven't been announced. I'm completely biased being from here but do the panel think Manchester should be a permanent finals venue as per last year? Yes, there were attendance problems at say Switzerland v Australia but the GB games were bouncing. Fill the other games with schools and club tickets if necessary. We suffer from a lack of top class tennis in the North, we have the Ilkley Challenger and then it's down to Nottingham/ Birmingham pre Wimbledon. This would fit the bill very nicely in my opinion.” We also discussed... Andy Murray's savage reaction to an article questioning whether his current form threatens to "tarnish his legacy" Emma Raducanu is one and done in Abu Dhabi, but with no added injury concerns and a win under her belt Heather Watson is back in the headlines, making a run at AD to return to the top 150 Holger Rune has got rid of Boris Becker and Severin Luthi, and signed for IMG Saudi Arabia is going to offer eight top players up to £5m to play an exhibition there later this year, more on the story here from Simon Briggs of the Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2024/02/06/saudi-atp-rules-6-kings-slam-novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

That's it! The Australian Open is in the books once and for all. Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are the champions (the first men and women's champion at any slam since the early 1990s to share the same first letter of their surname) and James, George and Calvin have (almost) caught up on their sleep. They ask... Having broken his duck, how many grand slams will Jannik Sinner go on to win? Will Daniil Medvedev ever add to his solitary US Open victory? What's going on with Andy Murray? Can anyone stop Aryna Sabalenka? What else has the women's game got to offer? Will Emma Raducanu get back to her US Open heights? Remember to leave us a positive review if you enjoy the podcast - and if you want to ask Calvin a question, email us at tennisunfiltered@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

THANK YOU to everyone who voted for us in the Sports Podcast Awards. The results will be revealed later this year and we look forward to seeing the fruits of your endeavours. To review both singles finals, George Bellshaw in London joins James Gray in Melbourne to discuss... Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3, coming from two sets down to become Australian Open champion and win his first grand slam title Medvedev has now lost five of his six major finals, and twice been two sets up in a final in Melbourne before losing Aryna Sabalenka dominated her Australian Open final, losing just five games to continue her streak of 14 matches unbeaten at Melbourne Zheng Qinwen would rather her first grand slam final had gone better, but does she have what it takes to sustain a lucrative Chinese presence in the top 10? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

VOTE FOR US. We have once again been short-listed for a Sports Podcast Award in the tennis category - but now we need YOU to help us win it. Time is running out as voting closes on January 28th. Vote for us NOW: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ Novak Djokovic lost at the Australian Open for the first time in six years, with Jannik Sinner not facing a single break point along the way. (James's analysis with input from Boris Becker, Darren Cahill and both players is here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/novak-djokovic-slowing-down-sinner-2875415) Daniil Medvedev went two sets down to Alexander Zverev but fought back to win in five and reach his sixth grand slam final Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

TIME IS RUNNING OUT - both existentially but also in terms of voting for us in the Sports Podcast Awards. Please do it, do it now: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ (Apologies for the sound issues here: Calvin's laptop charger got torched by Doha airport so he had to record on his phone on this occasion. Back soon we hope!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vote for us! Seriously. Please. We need your help. Badly. https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ Calvin and James discuss... Calvin's overall impressions of the Australian Open - and a run-in with security Alex de Minaur, hot or not? (Tennis-wise...) Can Taylor Fritz stop Novak Djokovic? Previewing Alcaraz vs Kecmanovic, Norrie vs Zverev and Hurkacz vs Cazaux Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vote for us! https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ Calvin and James discuss... Novak Djokovic finding his best form Cameron Norrie turning into peak Tim Henman Nuno Borges and Arthur Cazaux making shock runs to the fourth round Emma Raducanu trying to tag her opponent on match point Aryna Sabalenka or Coco Gauff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Dickson, the Daily Mail's long-serving tennis correspondent, has died suddenly at the age of 59. Mike was in Melbourne covering the Australian Open for the Daily Mail with his usual gusto and good humour. But on Wednesday, we were given the most awful news imaginable. James and George both knew Dicko, as he was to almost everyone, through working in tennis and have both separately tried to put into words what he meant to them. This obituary from Jonathan McEvoy, who knew Dicko for far longer, is a fitting tribute: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-12975403/Mike-Dickson-Jonathan-McEvoy-tribute-friend-colleague-Mail-Sport-Australian-Open.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

VOTE FOR US, because time is running out to help us win best tennis podcast at the Sports Podcast Awards: https://www.sportspodcastgroup.com/sports_category/best-tennis-podcast/ ** Tonight, James is joined by Eleanor Crooks of the Press Association to talk through the day's play. Here are the highlights. ** Australian Open, Day 3 Jack Draper required five sets to beat Marcos Giron, needed his blood pressure checked mid-match and had to seek out a courtside bin to throw up immediately after sealing victory. "I kind of felt bad because I obviously just beat the guy, and I was saying, 'I need to shake your hand, mate, but I need to get to that bin'," Draper said. Iga Swiatek came through an opening test of fire in her hunt for a first Australian Open title on Tuesday. Poland's world number one Swiatek had been handed a stern opening draw in hot and blustery conditions that made things difficult for players across the grounds. But the four-time Grand Slam champion responded in style and twice fought back from a break down to win 7-6(2) 6-2. "It wasn't the easiest first round," said Swiatek, who is now on a 17-match winning run after triumphs in Beijing and the WTA Finals last year as well as her United Cup heroics where she won five successive singles matches. "I felt off in terms of the timing. For sure the temperature was higher than any match I've played here and I needed to adjust as the balls were flying in these conditions." Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz wrapped up the third day's play with an entertaining victory over French veteran Richard Gasquet on Tuesday. Alcaraz was spared the worst of the heat as he made his return to the tournament after missing it last year. Concluding a balmy night session on Rod Laver Arena against a man who won his first ATP tour match a year before he was even born, the 20-year-old Alcaraz won 7-6(5) 6-1 6-2. The young Spaniard, wearing a sleeveless vest top, was given a run for his money by 131-ranked Gasquet who produced some signature backhand winners to get within two points of taking the opening set in the tiebreak. But Alcaraz responded to reel off three successive points and once he had the first set in his pocket he cruised. "I didn't have good run the years that I played here but I felt really well today," Alcaraz, who is making his third appearance at the year's opening Grand Slam, told American former great John McEnroe on court. "I struggled a bit in the first set and Richard was playing great but in the end I think I played quite a good level." He will face Italian Lorenzo Sonego in round two. And former US Open champion Emma Raducanu made an encouraging return to the Grand Slam stage after surgery as she outplayed American Shelby Rogers for a 6-3 6-2 win. Double Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka was made to work hard by Italian Camila Giorgi before the 18th seed from Belarus prevailed 6-1 4-6 6-3. 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/ *** 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 tennisunfiltered@gmail.com 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 tennisunfiltered@gmail.com 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