WTA Insider Podcast

Aryna Sabalenka rediscovered her game en route to the 2020 Qatar Total Open title, defeating tricky opponents, and mind-numbing wind, and Petra Kvitova in the final, 6-3, 6-3, to capture her first title of the season.

The 21-year-old joins the WTA Insider Podcast to reflect on what went right during her Doha debut, what could have gone terribly wrong, and why her reunion with coach Dmitry Tursunov yielded immediate results.

Top seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Barbora Strycova dominated the tour's swing through the Middle East, becoming just the second doubles team to ever sweep the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and Qatar Total Open. Hsieh and Strycova rebounded from their quick Dubai turnaround to power through to their third title of the season at in Doha, defeating No.6 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Jelena Ostapenko, 6-2, 5-7, 10-2 in the final.

Hsieh and Strycova join the WTA Insider Podcast to discuss their scintillating 2020 season start, what it means to them to complete a rare sweep, and dish on the difficulties of celebrating the phenomenal achievement.

The WTA Insider Podcast is excited to kick off our Original 9 podcast series, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the iconic One Dollar Photo and the formation of the Virginia Slims Tour in 1970, which led to the foundation of the WTA three years later.

To kick off the series, we head down to Melbourne to sit in conversation with former World No.7 Judy Dalton, one of the two Australians to break away to join ranks with the Original 9.

Dalton reflects on her decision to risk it all to join the Virginia Slims Tour, the encouraging results of the survey on women's tennis she administered at Forest Hills, and what it's like to see an Australian World No.1 collect the biggest prize money check in professional tennis history.

Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic picked up right where they left off in 2019. Having capped off the season by winning the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, the duo became the first team since 2004 to win the Australian Open title without dropping a set, extending their win streak to 11 matches.

The pair catch up with WTA Insider after their title run in Melbourne, to go deep on how their true friendship was formed and why, without it, Team Babos/Mladenovic would not exist.

Sofia Kenin became the youngest Australian Open champion since one of her idols Maria Sharapova and is set to become the youngest American to make her Top 10 debut since her other idol, Serena Williams.

Now she's ready for her close-up after winning her maiden Slam by defeating Garbiñe Muguruza 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Karolina Pliskova became the winningest player in Brisbane International history after becoming the first woman to win the title three times, defeating Madison Keys to capture the first Premier title of the season.

Pliskova joins the podcast to discuss what made her 2020 title run her toughest (she also won in 2017 and 2019) and looks ahead to how she'll prepare for the Australian Open with a new team in her box.

World No.1 Ashleigh Barty sealed her outstanding WTA season by winning the 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, defeating defending champion Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-3 to tally her tour-leading 56th win of the season and fourth title of the year. For her efforts, the Queenslander took home over $4.4 million, the biggest prize money check in the history of professional tennis.

The 23-year-old reflects on her evolution into one of the most clutch players in the game and looks ahead to 2020, which will kick off under the intense spotlight of the Australian summer.

The season-long Porsche Race to Shenzhen is over and it's Australia's 23-year-old phenom Ashleigh Barty who takes the checkered flag.

The World No.1 joins the WTA Insider Podcast to reflect on her standout season, which saw her win three titles on three different surfaces, including her maiden major at Roland Garros and Premier Mandatory at the Miami Open, and finish the regular season as the tour leader in match wins.

Naomi Osaka extended her win-streak to 10 consecutive matches since the US Open, defeating World No.1 Ashleigh Barty 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win the China Open. The title is Osaka's third of the season and fifth of her career, paving the way for a resurgent fall as the reigning Australian Open champion eyes her final event at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen in three weeks.

Osaka joins the podcast to reflect on the key to winning her second Premier Mandatory title, which included tough wins over Barty and US Open Champion Bianca Andreescu, and how some soul-searching after a disappointing summer has steeled her resolve.

Aryna Sabalenka successfully defended her Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open title, defeating Alison Riske 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to win her second title of the season and move her undefeated record in Wuhan to 12-0.

Sabalenka joins the podcast to discuss the lessons learned from her rocky sophomore season, what she wished she knew on January 1st of this season, and how a change in mindset triggered her dominant run to the title.