WTA Insider Podcast

On this episode, WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen reviews the final weekend of the Miami Open, where Victoria Azarenka continued her incredible start to the 2016 season by beating Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets to win Miami. You'll also hear from Azarenka in our Champions Corner, in a segment we'd like to call "Champions in Cars". But we won't.

Finally we bring you a conversation with 18-time major champion Martina Navratilova for her thoughts on the unpredictable season so far, preview the upcoming clay court season, and she racks her brain to determine her dream lineup for the 2016 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore.

On this special Dropshot Edition WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen and WTA Web Editor David Kane preview the Miami Open final featuring the hottest player in 2016 in Victoria Azarenka against resurgent Russian veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova. The match starts at 1pm EST on Saturday.

Can Azarenka make history by becoming the first woman since 2005 to complete the Sunshine Double by winning both Indian Wells and Miami? Or will history repeat itself, with Kuznetsova once again stopping a bid for the double by winning Miami. She did it once in 2006. A decade later, she could do it again.

On this special Dropshot Edition of the podcast you'll hear from WTA founder Billie Jean King and 18-time major champion Chris Evert. King and Evert held an impromptu press conference last week at the Miami Open to discuss the issue of Equal Prize Money and equality.

King and Evert, along with current WTA player Nicole Gibbs, discussed their reaction to the comments, which triggered an unfortunate avalanche of discussion regarding the merits of equal prize money at tennis' biggest tournaments. The 45 minute conversation was educational, enlightening, and inspiring, and given the fan interest in the press conference, I thought I'd just post the discussion in full.

Here are Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, and Nicole Gibbs:

And that's a wrap on Episode 10 of the WTA Insider Podcast. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on any podcast app of your choice and reviews are always helpful, so if you like what you've heard so far, leave us one. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider and we'll of course post the podcast on the WTA website at wtatennis.com.

Thanks for listening! We'll talk to you soon.

This episode comes to you from Miami, Florida where the Miami Open is already underway. Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen is joined by WTA Web Editor David Kane to discuss Victoria Azarenka's big win over No. 1 Serena Williams at the BNP Paribas Open. What does the win mean for Vika and how well does it set her up for the rest of the season? You'll also hear from Vika herself in our Champion's Corner.

Then David and Courtney turn to the Miami Open and take a deep dive into the draw. Will Serena, who is 0-2 in finals this year, turn things around on familiar turf to win her 9th Miami title? Can Azarenka become the first woman since 2005 to complete the Sunshine Double and win both Indian Wells and Miami? Or is there a spoiler lurking in the draw?

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or any podcast app of your choice. Reviews are always helpful so if you like what you're hearing leave us a review. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider and we'll of course post the podcast on the WTA website at wtatennis.com.

What makes a rivalry? Is it a close head-to-head record? Is it compelling matches? Is it facing off time after time with big titles on the line?

WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen and WTA Web Editor David Kane preview the BNP Paribas Open final in Indian Wells, which will see Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka renew their rivalry for the 21st time. Can we call Vika a proper rival when she's only won three of their matches? Courtney and David debate.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or any podcast app of your choice. Reviews are always helpful so if you like what you're hearing leave us a review. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider and we'll of course post the podcast on the WTA website at wtatennis.com.

WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen checks in from Indian Wells, California where the biggest WTA tournament of the season is underway at the BNP Paribas Open. WTA CEO Steve Simon joins the podcast for a lengthy discussion of his first few months at the helm of the tour. We discuss Maria Sharapova's stunning announcement last week, his take on the first two months of an unpredictable WTA season, and his desire to see the current circuit structure changed to ensure the tour can consistently deliver for its tournaments while ensuring the players remain healthy through the end of a long and grueling season.

In our second segment it's five-time WTA Fan Favorite winner Agnieszka Radwanska to discuss how she became the WTA Hot Shot Queen. She talks about the surprising results last week in Indian Wells, the importance of improvisation on the tennis court, and her worst trip ever.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or any podcast app of your choice. Reviews are always helpful so if you like what you're hearing leave us a review. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider and we'll of course post the podcast on the WTA website at wtatennis.com.

On this episode the WTA Insider team looks back at the Qatar Total Open in Doha, where Carla Suarez Navarro emerged from the beaten and battered draw to win the biggest of her career. We also talk about the impressive week from 18-year-old Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, who tore through the Doha draw to make her second WTA final, and debate the mixed emotions surrounding, Agnieszka Radwanska, Garbiñe Muguruza and Andrea Petkovic's Doha campaigns.

Courtney and David also break down the action at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, where Sloane Stephens and Dominika Cibulkova played one of the best matches of the year in the final, which saw Sloane edge it out to become the first woman to two titles this year.

After two months of unpredictable results, what does it all mean as the tour prepares for the grueling high-stakes tournaments in tennis' version of March Madness in Indian Wells and Miami? We do our best to tee up the big storylines upcoming storylines.

Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen and Web Editor David Kane reconvene to discuss the nutty happenings in the Middle East, which have seen a slew of upsets at both last week's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and this week's Qatar Total Open. Were the upsets anything more than one-offs and bad luck? Or are there deeper problems underlying the first two months of hte season?

Courtney and David also bow down to this Golden Generation of Italian women and discuss their impact on the tour and the legacy they are set to leave behind.

On this episode we recap last week's action at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy and Taiwan Open, where two veterans put their stamp on a week that was all about the youth. You'll hear from St. Petersburg champion Roberta Vinci, who may have revise her 2016 retirement plan, as well as Brazil's No. 1 Teliana Pereira, who talks about the Olympics, the importance of tennis in Brazil, and the shadow of Gustavo Kuerten.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or any podcast app of your choice. Reviews are always helpful so if you like what you're hearing leave us a review. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider and we'll of course post the podcast on the WTA website at wtatennis.com.

On this episode it's all about the Russians. We preview this week's tournaments in St. Petersburg and Taiwan and look to the new generation of Russians -- Margarita Gasparyan, Elizaveta Kulichkova, and Daria Kasatkina, who are eager to put their stamp on the tour. All three are in action this week and after a solid last six months, they are all in the Top 100. You'll be seeing more of them in the main draw at tour events this year. So now's the time to get to know them.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or any podcast app of your choice. Reviews are always helpful so if you like what you're hearing leave us a review. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider and we'll of course post the podcast on the WTA website at wtatennis.com.