Episodit
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Lucy and Eugene, joined by friends of the pod Tumaini Carayol and Uche Amako, go through the highs and lows of the 2024 season.
Does tennis have a doping problem? Iga Swiatek serving a quiet ban was not the best look, nor was Jannik Sinner testing positive earlier in the year.
The Grand Slams (and the Olympics) provided a lot of joy, especially the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open – shout out all the winners and Jasmine Paolini for reaching back-to-back finals.
Naomi Osaka was involved in a match-of-the-year contender as were Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.
Outlandish takes for 2025 include a new major winner on the women’s side and someone coming out of retirement to play doubles at Wimbledon.
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Myles David (@TunedIntoTennis) joins Lucy and Eugene to talk all things WTA Finals but before getting into festivities in Riyadh, flowers are duly given to Almaty runner-up Gabriel Diallo and Basel champion Giovani Mpetshi Perricard.
This year’s elite eight on the WTA Tour are all either Grand Slam champions or WTA 1000 titleholders. The Purple Group is made up of Jasmine Paolini, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Zheng Qinwen. The Orange Group contains Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula and Barbora Krejcikova.
Taylor Townsend will also be making her debut at the Finals in the doubles event with Katerina Siniakova. The Wimbledon champions are in the Green Group. Paolini will also compete with Sara Errani, the Olympic gold winners are in the White Group.
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Puuttuva jakso?
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Lucy and Eugene talk Laver Cup where Team Europe were victorious, but Team World’s Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton did record impressive singles wins over Daniil Medvedev.
Changes in the coaching camps for Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek. Brand Patrick Mouratoglou joins up with Osaka and while technical guru Matt Daly steps into Gauff’s camp – exciting times ahead.
Asian Swing has already provided us with a champion after Arthur Fils’s epic run in Tokyo where the Frenchman secured his second ATP 500 crown of the season. The 20-year-old beat multiple top 20 players en route, including a dramatic encounter against Shelton.
Gauff did her thing in Beijing (had not played the final at the time of recording) played great tennis at the WTA 1000 including comeback victories in the latter stages of the tournament.
We also shout out Hailey Baptiste, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Eliakim Coulibaly, and close with WADA's appeal against Jannik Sinner. -
In recognition of Black History Month in the UK, Black Spin Global got to record a special episode at Wimbledon to showcase the achievements of black tennis players at SW19 from the past to the present.
Althea Gibson, the first black player (male or female) to win a Grand Slam; Arthur Ashe, the last black man to reach world No 1; storied sisters Venus and Serena Williams; father and son duo Bryan and Ben Shelton; teenage phenom Coco Gauff and doubles champions Taylor Townsend and Heather Watson are all spotlighted in this one-off episode.
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*Disclaimer: this interview was recorded during the 2nd week of Wimbledon 2024.
Coach John B Williams joins us to talk about his latest book The Champions Code: 5 Attributes of Winners. Find out what the inspiration was, what the writing process entailed and some of the takeaways to expect.
“Knowledge/information serves no purpose if it’s not shared and it’s not applied.”
Williams also reviews Taylor Townsend’s 2023 season where she achieved career success in Cincinnati which she would go on to top this year at Wimbledon.
In closing Williams gives credit to Daniil Medvedev and Jasmine Paolini, two players who have impressed him in 2024.
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Retiring Donald Young and Taylor Townsend take the runners-up crown in mixed doubles after falling in straight sets to Italian third seeds Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. We appreciate Townsend acknowledging the significance of the presence of black players in the latter stages of the tournament during the trophy presentation.
Frances Tiafoe’s nerve got the better of him in a thrilling all-American semi-final against eventual runner-up Taylor Fritz. Big Foe was the better player for the majority of the match but he admirably admitted afterwards the occasion caught up with him towards the end of the match.
We salute women’s singles winner Aryna Sabalenka who beat Jessica Pegula in the final and Jannik Sinner who saw off Fritz in straights in the men’s final.
Listen out for post-match snippets from Young, Townsend and Tiafoe and to close we share our favourite fits, matches and moments from this year’s Open and discuss whether Honey Deuce is actually better than Pimm’s.
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Lucy and Eugene sit down with #ChristopherEubanks in New York to catch up on his 2024 season which has been challenging but rewarding in equal measure.
Among other things, the American talks us through his Davis Cup debut at the start of the year, the Paris Olympics where #CocoGauff was the star attraction, adjusting to life as an ATP Tour regular and his "excellent commentary" work for #ESPN at this year’s #USOpen where he’s starred in the booth and on-court with the mic in hand.
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Jasmine Paolini falls to Karolina Muchova in straight sets – the talented Czech was the more solid player throughout the encounter. Been a good Grand Slam season for Paolini who reached the fourth round or better at all the majors this year. Enjoyed her comments about having Anna Wintour watch her match.
Frances Tiafoe, yet again, rises to the occasion and sees off Grigor Dimitrov who was forced to retire in the middle of the fourth set. Big Foe can look forward to his second US Open semi-final and an all-American matchup against Taylor Fritz.
The Donald Young-Taylor Townsend feelgood story reaches the final of mixed doubles where Young will retire.
Listen out for post-match press snippets from Paolini and Tiafoe and hear our thoughts on stewards allowing kids to run down and wait courtside for player autographs. -
Coco Gauff goes down to Emma Navarro again, but this time in three. The 2023 champion’s serve deserted her at crucial times and she spoke openly about getting “other opinions” to help remedy the issue.
Frances Tiafoe put on another show under the lights, fending off a comeback by the in-form Australian Alexei Popyrin in four quality sets. Big Foe is now looking forward to his third consecutive quarter-final in New York where ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov awaits.
In the junior competition, Akasha Urhobo, Tyra Grant, Christasha McNeil and Matthew Forbes all secured first-round wins. And in women’s doubles, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova ousted Heather Watson and Asia Muhammad.
Shout out to Anastaia from Ground Pass Pod for joining us. -
Jasmine Paolini booked her place in the fourth round in comfortable fashion, seeing off fellow shorty Yulia Putintseva in straight sets. The Italian used the word “solid” to describe her performance which is exactly what it was. She has now reached the second week at all the Grand Slams in 2024 and is the first Italian woman in the open era to achieve that feat.
Gabriel Diallo, playing in the third round of a major for the first time, showed he belonged at this level, going down in four sets to world No 14 Tommy Paul of America. The Canadian, ranked 143 in the world coming into New York, is on the brink of cracking the top 100 for the first time after a great US Open run and solid Challenger results in the lead up.
Listen out for post-match presser snippets from Paolini and Diallo.
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Coco Gauff stayed the course against Elina Svitolina, coming back from a set down in similar fashion to the match she played against the Ukrainian in Auckland earlier this year. Good to see the reigning champ find good form heading into the second week in New York.
Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton provide box office, primetime entertainment in the afternoon on Ashe as Tiafoe registers his first win against his compatriot. Novak Djokovic will not be his next opponent.
Madison Keys fell in three and we also had a few casualties in women’s doubles. Taylor Townsend and Donald Young did get their mixed doubles campaign off to a winning start though.
Listen out for interview snippets from Gauff, Shelton and Tiafoe. -
Jasmine Paolini was through to the third round before we even got to the grounds after Karolina Pliskova retired due to a rolled ankle. Gabriel Diallo vs Arthur Fils did not disappoint and produced a result that we did not see coming.
Two-time champion Naomi Osaka fell to last year’s semi-finalist Karolina Muchova but had her chances in the two-set defeat – she was in relatively good spirits afterwards during her post-match press conference.
Listen out for interview snippets from Paolini, Diallo and Osaka.
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We had Madison Keys get things off to a winning start on Arthur Ashe, where Frances Tiafoe followed and looked impressive before Alexander Shevchenko retired. We’re getting the third-round matchup we all wanted after Ben Shelton got the job done against Roberto Bautista Agut. Coco Gauff played her first night match and handed Tatjana Maria a bagel en route to victory.
The day did start (and end) with a defeat after Taylor Townsend fell to Paula Badosa on Louis Armstrong. Rain and thunder halted Gael Monfils and Casper Ruud but play did resume as we were recording – La Monf eventually falling in four.
Listen out for interview snippets from Tiafoe, Shelton and Gauff.
We also address the Marketa Vondrousova cornrows situation.
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Day 2 was special! Naomi Osaka provided two shows, a fashion show and a tennis show, on Louis Armstrong as she saw off Jelena Ostapenko in straights. Arthur Fils and Gabriel Diallo will do battle in round two after both won their first-round matches in four.
There were defeats for Felix Auger-Aliassime and 18-year-old wildcard Matthew Forbes who looks like he has a bright future ahead.
Listen out for interview snippets from Osaka, Fils and Forbes. -
Our first day at the US Open is in the books, and boy… what a day it was!
Ben Shelton, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys and Taylor Townsend all won in straight sets, while Gael Monfils and Frances Tiafoe took the four-set route.
There were defeats for debutant Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Christopher Eubanks who went down in five, and Sloane Stephens who fell after dishing out a bagel.
Listen out for interview snippets from Shelton, Gauff and Townsend. -
Lucy and Eugene big up Frances Tiafoe for making it to his first Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati – the American, back inside the top 20, fell to Jannik Sinner who escaped a ban after testing positive for a steroid that was unknowingly administered by his physio. Hear our thoughts and opinions.
The final Grand Slam of the year (#USOpen) is here and we dive into the draw – Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Madison Keys are all seeded, third, fifth and 14th respectively. Seeds on the men’s side include Ben Shelton (13th), Felix Auger-Aliassime (19th), Tiafoe (20th) and Arthur Fils (24th).
Notable first-rounds include two-time champion Naomi Osaka taking on 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko, Paolini against 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu. Shelton opens against 2020 champion Dominic Thiem and is projected to meet compatriot Tiafoe in the third round.
As is tradition for Slam review pods, we reveal our picks for the men’s and women’s titles.
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Black Spin Global had the pleasure of being the official podcast partner of the 2024 Tennis Black List awards. The event, in its second year, was supported by the LTA, Barclays and YC Sports.
We won the Media category, which was a huge honour, and were able to speak to some of the award winners including Tatenda Makoni, recipient of the Game Changer in the Community award as well as Leonard Ogbanna, who was also recognised for the work he does in his community.
We also spoke to co-founders Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey-Addo who shared their thoughts on how the evening went and to close, the brilliant Alexis Simms, LTA EDI Development Partner, told us about his role at the LTA and the importance of such an event.
Follow Tennis Black List on X and Instagram (tennisblacklist).
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Lucy and Eugene shout-out Arthur Fils, Alycia Parks and doubles pair Taylor Townsend and Asia Muhammad who all picked up titles since we were last on.
We share our thoughts on the Olympics and the huge role tennis played in the opening ceremony – great to see Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Amelie Mauresmo represent and what a time for Team USA flag bearer Coco Gauff alongside LeBron James.
Props to Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani who won women’s doubles gold for Italy, Felix Auger-Aliassime who secured mixed doubles bronze with Gabriela Dabrowski for Canada – FAA also made it to the bronze-medal match in singles.
American Swing is well and truly underway and Townsend is having herself a time in singles. Frances Tiafoe confirmed he is now working with David Witt, Naomi Osaka is back on familiar ground and continues to show good signs (admirably played Cincinnati qualifying).
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Ladies’ finals day did not disappoint, but it was not to be for our girl Jasmine Paolini who lost out to 31st seed Barbora Krejcikova in three quality sets.
Paolini more than gave a good account of herself in a match that was a great advert for women’s tennis and doubles, as both had their moments with great net play.
The Italian, understandably not as upbeat in press afterwards, was still positive about her incredible Wimbledon campaign and her remarkable 2024 season.
In the doubles final, fourth seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova secured the title after beating second seeds Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski in two tiebreak sets on Centre Court.
First-time Grand Slam doubles champion Townsend was emotional afterwards and both ladies were in great form in press. -
Day 11 saw Jasmine Paolini book her place in her second consecutive Grand Slam final, and first at Wimbledon, after a three-set epic against Donna Vekic.
The Croatian was the first to settle and took the opening set before Paolini upped it in set two to draw level and then persevered in the third to take it in the match tiebreak.
The Italian was good vibes in press, as always, and spoke about how “crazy” it is to make two major finals in a row and also the prospect of facing Elena Rybakina or Barbora Krejcikova in Saturday’s championship match.
We look ahead to Day 12 where Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova will be in ladies’ doubles semi-final action and Lucy reveals what she expects to see from the men in the singles semi-finals. - Näytä enemmän
