2024 is here and what better way to kick-off the new tennis season by taking a trip down memory lane and looking back on all the highs and lows of 2023.
So join us as Joel speaks with The Athletic's Tennis Writer Matthew Futterman to review last year's ATP and WTA Tour seasons, dish out some coveted Tennis Weekly awards and make some intrepid predictions for the next twelve months.
This episode of Tennis Weekly was recorded on 29th November. __________________
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End of 2023 review with The Athletic’s Matt Futterman - reflections, awards, predictions

Brought together by their unified passion for tennis and ability to not take each other too seriously, Joel, Kim &amp; Chris are here every Monday to give their verdict on the biggest stories from everyone’s favourite fuzzy yellow ball sport.
From the sublime to the ridiculous (with the odd bit of trivia thrown in), Tennis Weekly serves an all-court mix of ATP/WTA tour catch-ups, Grand Slam round-by-round coverage and special guests in conversation, to be your definitive tennis companion for the 2024 season.
So whether you’re a casual baller or a full time diehard, it’s time to pick up your headphones and have a listen to our racket. Ready? Play! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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From Madrid to Rome, the Tennis Weekly trio are back to bring you up to date on the Italian Open, which has seen Novak Djokovic face a water bottle scare before being ousted in a shock loss to Alejandro Tabilo. Meanwhile, Rafa Nadal succumbed to Hubert Hurkacz in his quest to find form and fitness before Roland Garros.
On the women's side of the draw, top seed Iga Swiatek continues smoothly through the draw, whilst Naomi Osaka has notched a few promising Top 20 wins before falling to Qinwen Zheng. 
A flurry of retirements also await with Dominic Thiem and Camila Giorgi both announcing theirs (the latter with immediate effect and with questionable motive) and the trio also discuss the latest surge of player fronted Podcasts and whether they're a positive addition to the tennis world.
Kim also tests Joel and Chris with a slightly Eurovision inspired Mysterious Player.

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Rome - Djokovic down but not out, Osaka + Badosa show promise, Thiem to retire

It's finally over! After two weeks of action, the Madrid Masters has come to a close with Iga Swiatek coming through an epic final against Aryna Sabalenka to capture her first Madrid crown, and Andrey Rublev snapping his losing streak and overcome illness to claim his second 1000 event with a battle over surprise finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime.
With Madison Keys finding form to reach the semis, Rafa Nadal earning a few wins in his final (?) Madrid outing, plus retirements and withdrawals aplenty in the ATP draw, the trio chat through the highlights from the past week on tour.
They also look well ahead to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals draw in Seville in November, lament the ending of the TSITSIDOSA relationship recently announced on social media, reflect back on the infamous blue clay Madrid event of 2012 and make quarter by quarter predictions for the upcoming Rome Masters which have already got underway.

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***Please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. It really means a lot to us at HQ and helps make it easier for new listeners to discover us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Madrid - Swiatek seals epic as Big 3 emerge, Rublev glory despite illness + Rome preview

We review Challengers, the tennis romance film from Luca Guadagnino and Justin Kuritzkes starring Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist that has hit cinemas and taken the box office and tennis twitter by storm.
To unpack the film the Tennis Weekly threesome aren't asking for 'three tickets to Challengers please' rather four tickets as Culture Editor, critic and writer Sarah Carson of the The i Newspaper joins to keep them in check.
They discuss the tennis sequences, did we believe Zendaya as a top tennis player, was the film really about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Mirka and ultimately was the film even about tennis? The delve into the topic of love triangles, pancake grips and bisexuality!
A fun Film Club edition and movie review that reveals what we really thought and allows tennis fans and the not so tennis invested to talk about the movie, what they liked and didn't like and ultimately how they rate the film.
ABOUT CHALLENGERS
From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist – West Side Story), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor – The Crown) – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.
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***Please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. It really means a lot to us at HQ and helps make it easier for new listeners to discover us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Challengers Movie Review - Is Zendaya the next Serena, THAT kissing scene and is it based on Mirka Federer?!

Nadal is making magic at the Caja Mágica in Madrid. He turned the tables on Alex de Minaur avenging his loss in Barcelona and Joel, Chris plus special guest Molly McElwee are on hand to unpack his comeback. 
Elsewhere, Sinner and Swiatek have been making serene progress whilst Sabalenka and Tsitsipas have struggled at the Mutua Madrid Open. 
They also touch upon Raducanu’s surprise straight set loss in round 1, after her return to form in previous weeks. Elsewhere there are talking points on WTA Finals as Daria Kasatkina comes out in support of the decision for the finals to move to Saudi Arabia and the Billie Jean King format change and the Davis Cup and ATP Finals clash.
Molly and Chris team up for Joel’s game and put in a strong performance - but can they get over the finish line?

 Follow Molly Substack - ‘But Do You Actually Like Sport?’ here: https://bit.ly/49SQFkA 
X - https://twitter.com/molly_mcelwee 

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Purchase Tennis Weekly Merch through our Etsy store including limited edition designs by Krippa Design where all proceeds go towards the podcast so we can keep doing what we do!
***Please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. It really means a lot to us at HQ and helps make it easier for new listeners to discover us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Madrid - Nadal rebounds, Jabeur resurgent, Raducanu knackered + BJK Finals go knockout

Joel, Kim and Chris are back to round up the latest clay court action from around the tennis world, as Casper Ruud gets revenge over Stefanos Tsitsipas to claim his first ATP500 title in Barcelona, and Elena Rybakina downs World No.1 Iga Swiatek en route to the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix trophy.
The trio also celebrate the return of Rafa Nadal to the tennis court, Emma Raducanu finding form in Stuttgart and Sloane Stephens’s first title on red clay in Rouen. They discuss how Jan Lennard Struff dispatched Taylor Fritz and the cold weather in Munich to clinch his first ATP trophy, debate how complicated the Olympic tennis selection criteria are, and reflect on the career of Garbine Muguruza as she bids farewell to life as a professional tennis player in her recent retirement announcement.
Joel also tests Chris and Kim on their knowledge of WTA Players with short stints at World No.1, and the trio make tentative predictions ahead of this week’s Madrid Masters tournament (Spoiler alert: watch out for Tomas Etcheverry!)

 Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, plus email the show tennisweeklypod@gmail.com.
Purchase Tennis Weekly Merch through our Etsy store including limited edition designs by Krippa Design where all proceeds go towards the podcast so we can keep doing what we do!
***Please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. It really means a lot to us at HQ and helps make it easier for new listeners to discover us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

End of 2023 review with The Athletic’s Matt Futterman - reflections, awards, predictions

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