Tennis Unfiltered

Calvin Betton, George Bellshaw and James Gray get together for the last episode of the 2025 campaign proper. As well discussing the latest news about the Battle of the Sexes, the WTA's $500m (potentially) sponsorship deal and Piers Morgan (!), they picked out the highlights and lowlights of 2025. That includes: - Biggest letdown - Best improvement - Favourite moment - Least favourite moment And more! **** Oh and to watch Luke Johnson teach James a tennis lesson, watch here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSUv0nhidls/?hl=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw, James Gray and Calvin Betton are all in London - but still can't all get in the same room! 🤣 Anyway, they were still able to discuss a week of bombshell news in the tennis world, including... Serena Williams's name appeared in the ITIA testing pool, shortly before she vehemently denied that she was "coming back" to tennis. But why else would she have signed up for whereabouts drug testing? Mika Brunold came out as gay on Instagram this week, the second male professional player to do so in the professional game in the last 12 months. https://www.instagram.com/p/DRpXksmDACU Anastasia Potapova has changed nationality - from Russia to Austria - and in doing so managed to copy Daria Kasatkina's statement virtually word for word on social media... And the BBC has picked up the TV rights for Battle of the Sexes, which will be shown on BBC One, boosting its TV audience They also answered questions tennis at the Olympic Games, Michael Stich and the Davis Cup. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray (The i Paper), Calvin Betton (grand slam-winning ATP coach) and George Bellshaw (tennis writer and broadcaster) answer your questions on all things tennis over the course of an hour. Topics include... - The Big 3/Big 4 era and was it good for tennis? - The Sincaraz dominance - Andy Roddick's scheduling ideas - What happens when doubles pairs break up - The Winter County Cup - Dream coaching jobs - Top 10 predictions for 2026 - Emma Raducanu's pre-season plans And much, much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw for part 1, Calvin Betton for part 2, and the dulcet tones of James Gray back on the airwaves for the whole blooming thing. What more could anyone want? Here are the stories they discussed: - Roger Federer has been voted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, but Juan Martin de Potro and Svetlana Kuznetsova did not make it - The PTPA and Tennis Australia are engaged in "substantive and productive bilateral settlement discussions" to settle their lawsuit in New York, but cases against other tennis bodies including the other three grand slam organisers continue - Katie Boulter says she is choosing between her ranking and her body ahead of the Australian Open because she is in danger of missing out on direct entry - Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from a couple of pre-season exhibitions in January with some light bone bruise in her foot, and has also hired a new physio Emma Stewart, who has previously worked with the successful British Olympic Rowing team - Joe Salisbury is taking six months out of tennis to deal with anxiety-related stress - Italy have won a third consecutive Davis Cup, the first country to do so since the USA in the 1970s Plus so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw grasps the reins as James Gray takes a week off. He is joined by Calvin Betton, fresh from ATP World Tour Finals victory with Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara. Here are six bullet points summarizing this podcast episode: Henry Patten and Harry Heliövaara's ATP Finals triumph: Calvin reflects on their dominant week in Turin, where they became the only pair not to lose serve all tournament and capped off a phenomenal end to the season with victories in Beijing, Paris, and the year-end finals in Turin, all after winning the Australian Open in January. Sinner's indoor dominance continues: Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz 7-6, 7-5 in the ATP Finals, extending his remarkable indoor winning streak to 31 matches (fourth-longest in history) and demonstrating his superiority in fast court conditions. Felix Auger-Aliassime poised for breakthrough: Calvin's bold prediction: FAA will establish himself as the world's third-best player in 2026, citing his newfound confidence, consistent results, injury-free status, and superior talent compared to players like Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz. Zverev's coaching concerns: Despite being world number two, Calvin criticises Zverev's practice sessions as lacking proper structure and technical coaching, suggesting he needs to hire a proven coach rather than relying solely on family members if he wants to win majors. ATP calendar controversy intensifies: Calvin and George discuss Andrea Gaudenzi's plans to expand Masters events and focus on "premium products," with Calvin arguing passionately against taking tennis away from passionate fanbases in places like South America and Italy in favour of lucrative but atmosphere-lacking Middle Eastern venues. Djokovic's reality check: George and Calvin reflect on Novak Djokovic's interview with Piers Morgan, in which he admits the rise of Sinner and Alcaraz has forced him to re-evaluate his goals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices