The Sit-Down

Australian star Destanee Aiava is this week's guest on The Sit-Down, just days before she flies to Europe ahead of her main-draw debut at Roland Garros, where she has been awarded a wildcard. Aiava, 25, has enjoyed a brilliant nine-month span, starting when she qualified at the US Open last August. She replicated that feat at Australian Open 2025, an unforgettable run where her match-point-saving exploits, iconic outfits and ultimate loss to Danielle Collins created global headlines. Her results have helped her return to the brink of the world's top 150 and just a few spots shy of her career-high ranking of world No.147 -- a mark she set eight years ago as a 17-year-old phenom. A lot has changed in the years since for the Melburnian, who takes Viv and Matt through her tennis journey, her deep appreciation for the sport, and what she's targeting beyond 2025.

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Australian rising star Maya Joint is this week's guest on The Sit-Down, speaking to Matt in Brisbane in what was her very first podcast interview. Joint was in the Queensland capital as part of Australia's Billie Jean King Cup team and was selected thanks to impressive form; in 2025 she has cracked the top 100 and at one point was the world's second-highest ranked teenager. The 19-year-old grew up and developed her game in the US city of Detroit but now represents Australia, where her father -- a pro squash player -- was born. We hear Maya's perspective on her stunning rankings rise, her experience of doing more media, how she approaches facing top players and adjusts to life at bigger tournaments and on larger show courts, and what she's targeting next, all while continuing her studies.

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Host handles:
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This week Viv and Matt bring you their chat with Sandra Zaniewska, notable for being one of the few women coaching at the elite level on the professional tour. Zaniewska, a former pro player from Poland, transitioned into coaching when she began an informal partnership with friend and fellow pro Petra Martic. The 33-year-old has gone on to coach multiple WTA players and now works with Marta Kostyuk, the rising Ukrainian star who under Zaniewska's guidance has risen as high as world No.16 and this week will feature in the fourth round of the Madrid Open. In this reflective interview Zaniewska discusses her career path, her coaching philosophy, who helped her get to this point, her nomadic existence and how she sees the game today. 

Listen to the Sit-Down with Marta Kostyuk here.

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Host handles:
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Ahead of this week's upcoming Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier in Brisbane, we sat down with Team Australia's Ellen Perez. A member of the Australian team who reached the 2022 Finals, Perez is now one of the nation’s most experienced players. The hard-hitting baseliner recently held a top 10 doubles ranking, has won two ITF singles titles and has reached 10 Grand Slam quarterfinals across the doubles and mixed doubles events. As a member of the WTA Players' Council, Perez is passionate about representing her peers. She tells Viv and Matt why she loves this off-court commitment and the reason Australia is well placed leading into this year's Billie Jean King Cup event. 

Book your ticket to the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier here.

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Host handles:
@Viv_Christie
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We caught up with former top 10 star Chanda Rubin when she was in Melbourne as part of the AO commentary team, returning to a tournament site where she reached the 1996 semifinals -- her best Grand Slam result. That year Rubin beat Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in a record-breaking quarterfinal before teaming with the Spaniard to win the women's doubles title. Yet while that, plus her peak world No.6 ranking, both occurred in 1996, Rubin believes she was at her best in 2002 and 2003, when she competed in one of the strongest periods in women's tennis and even scored a win over world No.1 Serena Williams in the midst of the 'Serena Slam' era. These highs capped a successful comeback from double knee surgery, but injuries returned in 2004 and ultimately cut short her career. Following her final match in 2006, Rubin completed a university degree and has emerged as a popular voice in the tennis media, making it especially fascinating to get her views on her career, her rivals, and the sport today.

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Former world No.4 Tomas Berdych joined Viv and Matt in the Pod Laver Arena studio during Australian Open 2025, an event where Czechs Jiri Lehecka, Tomas Berdych and Jakub Mensik all reached at least the third round. This was especially pleasing to Berdych, who in September took on the role as Czech Davis Cup captain after earlier working as Lehecka's coach. This evolution in his tennis journey followed a playing career which ended in 2019 and delivered highs such as 13 ATP titles, the 2010 Wimbledon final -- where he beat Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic along the way -- and back-to-back Davis Cup titles for his country in 2012 and 2013. Berdych enjoyed the chance to reflect on this and other highlights (like AO semifinals in 2014 and 2015) as well as giving his thoughts on the current era of emerging stars in this engaging interview.

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Host handles:
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This week we're joined by former world No.1 Kim Clijsters, who spoke to Matt from Indian Wells -—a tournament where she is a two-time champion. Clijsters was in the Californian desert in her role as honorary president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where she met with some of this year's inductees as well as connecting with local student athletes as part of the ITHOF's Be Legendary program. Clijsters' current role is one of many she continues to hold within the sport; she has also coached, owns an academy, appeared in legends events and has done media work. She's a lifelong fan of the sport and it shines through in this interview, during which she reflects on her glittering career, her incredible comeback as a mother, the last of four Grand Slam titles she won at AO 2011 and the top players she loves watching today. 

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After his playing career, Sven Groeneveld answered an ad in a tennis magazine that saw him head to Japan and take the first steps in what has become a legendary coaching career. The Dutchman has worked with an incredible roster of Grand Slam champions, including Monica Seles, Mary Pierce, Michael Stich, Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova and Bianca Andreescu. He has also led the Swiss Tennis Federation, overseeing the coaches who developed a young Roger Federer. Groeneveld sits down with Viv and Matt at the Australian Open, which he's attended since 1992, and which has left him with many unforgettable memories, including Pierce's breakthrough 1995 title. A passionate student of the game, Groeneveld dives into his coaching philosophy, how he navigates players' needs on the road, and his current roles coaching Sorana Cirstea and Taro Daniel.

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Former world No.3 Ivan Ljubicic sits down with Viv Christie to reflect on a career that delivered highs such as winning the Davis Cup title for Croatia in 2005, a semifinal run at Roland Garros in 2006, qualifying for the ATP Finals in both those years, and the Indian Wells Masters title in 2010. His achievements went beyond the tennis court; Ljubicic was also elected to the ATP Player Council and forged strong relationships with his peers, serving him well as he moved into coaching and player management. He coached Milos Raonic and Roger Federer, guiding the latter to three Grand Slam singles titles and learning some valuable lessons from the Swiss legend along the way. Ljubicic, who was born in Bosnia & Herzegovina before relocating to Italy amid the Yugoslav War, recalls in vivid detail a sometimes-challenging yet ultimately fulfilling career that continues in the sport to this day.

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After the most inspired period of her career so far, Kim Birrell has climbed to a career-high world No.75 ranking and is Australia’s new women’s No.1. The Queenslander sat down with producer Victoria Rudnikov to discuss her recent milestones, including a quarterfinal appearance at the Brisbane International, qualifying for the AO 2025 women’s singles draw and a runner-up finish in an all-Australian mixed doubles final at her home Grand Slam. Birrell also looks ahead to the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup qualifier tie in Brisbane, where she will represent her nation in a home tie for the first time. Following a career that was earlier interrupted by serious injury, Birrell brings hard-gained perspective and a firm appreciation for some inspirational figures – including fellow Australians Sam Stosur and Nicole Pratt – who have helped that rise.

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Host handles:
@Viv_Christie
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