Tennis Weekly

Roland Garros draw day has arrived at Tennis Weekly HQ, and Joel, Kim and Chris are here to break down the 2026 French Open singles draws quarter by quarter with predictions, picks and some truly questionable calls for Paris. In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner - to pretty much everyone’s relief in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz - landed in opposite halves, sparking debate over whether anyone can stand in Sinner’s way in his pursuit of a Career Grand Slam and if this year’s Roland Garros represents Djokovic’s best opportunity to claim a record 25th Grand Slam title. The trio also discuss why it could be Casper Ruud’s time again for another Grand Slam final and why it just doesn’t feel right having Felix Auger-Aliassime as the fourth seed at a major.

On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff headline the same half, while Iga Swiatek faces a nightmare route to another French Open crown including a potential battle with Latvian H2H nemesis Jelena Ostapenko. There’s also discussion on how much we can really expect from Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka’s tricky opener against Laura Siegemund, and Chris reports live from Paris with behind-the-scenes draw reaction including new pastry snacks. Plus, we unveil our Collect a Set player picks - Djokovic, Monfils, Jodar, Svitolina, Gauff and Andreeva - tell us how far you think they’ll go and enter before play begins on Sunday for a chance to win a Tennis Weekly mug!

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Carlos Alcaraz’s 2026 season has taken a dramatic turn with the two-time Wimbledon champion and reigning Australian Open winner having officially withdrawn from both Queen’s and Wimbledon as he continues to recover from a persistent right wrist injury. At just 23, Alcaraz has already built one of the most remarkable résumés in modern tennis, but this setback raises serious questions about how cautious he must be to protect what could still be a very long and successful career. In this episode, we break down the impact of Alcaraz’s absence on the Wimbledon draw at Tennis Weekly HQ, the growing dominance of world number one Jannik Sinner and whether we can truly call the ATP Tour ‘boring’ right now, and what this means for contenders like Novak Djokovic in his continuing quest for Grand Slam 25. We also discuss the challenges of a two-player rivalry dynamic compared to the era of the Big 3.

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SINsational! At the Italian Open in Rome, Jannik Sinner made tennis history by completing the Career Golden Masters, becoming just the second man after Novak Djokovic to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles. Even more remarkably, the world No. 1 has now won six Masters 1000 titles in a row and swept Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome in the same clay season. Tennis Weekly HQ asks is men’s tennis becoming a bit too predictable at the top? And heading into the French Open, is Sinner’s greatest challenge himself?

On the women’s side, Elina Svitolina delivered one of the most impressive title runs of the season to capture her third Rome crown and 20th career WTA title. The Ukrainian defeated Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff in consecutive matches to put herself in the big mix as a genuine Roland Garros contender. Can Svitolina finally reach her first Grand Slam final, and what has she brought to her game that could propel her all the way?

Elsewhere, we discuss Emma Raducanu’s reunion with Andrew Richardson, the coach who guided her to her 2021 US Open triumph, as they begin a full-time partnership ahead of Strasbourg and the British grass court season. We also unveil our French Open clay-court power rankings, talk about how not to enter court featuring Luciano Darderi and preview the final round of tournaments before Paris in Strasbourg, Geneva, Hamburg and Rabat.

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Breaking news! We’re back at Tennis Weekly HQ to react to the exciting announcement that Andy Murray has joined Jack Draper’s coaching team for the upcoming grass-court season through Wimbledon. In his first coaching role since working with Novak Djokovic, Murray steps in after Draper’s surprise split with Jamie Delgado after just six months together.

We discuss why this feels like a natural partnership between two of Britain’s biggest tennis stars, and whether Murray’s unrivalled experience on grass — including two Wimbledon titles and years at the very top of the sport — can help Draper get his career back on track after yet another injury setback.

We also consider the risks. Murray’s coaching debut with Djokovic offered valuable lessons but ultimately produced mixed results, and with Delgado no longer in the picture, there will be significant pressure on Sir Andy to make an immediate impact. Finally, we debate whether close friendships can successfully transition into player-coach partnerships, and whether this could be the start of a long-term collaboration or simply a fascinating summer experiment. Come on!

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Clay-court chaos reigns in Rome as Tennis Weekly returns with Joel and Chris to unpack a dramatic first week at the Italian Open, where a string of shock exits has raised even more questions (and provided few answers) ahead of Roland Garros. While Jannik Sinner continues to cruise in his bid to complete the Career Golden Masters and claim all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles, Novak Djokovic’s long-awaited return ended abruptly with a surprise opening-match defeat to rising Croatian Dino Prizmic. On the WTA side, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffered her second loss in three matches after letting a dominant position slip against veteran Sorana Cirstea. Can we still consider Sabalenka a clear favourite for the French Open?

Elsewhere, we examine the growing threat of a potential Grand Slam boycott over prize money and debate just how realistic such action would be, including whether tennis can truly be compared to leagues like the NBA and MLB. We also assess the struggles and what’s actually going wrong with the ATP Tour’s chasing pack behind Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, with several top seeds falling early in both Madrid and Rome. Plus, Holger Rune delays his comeback until the grass-court season (phew!), Venus and Serena Williams turn heads at the Met Gala, and Taylor Fritz embraces single life with a trip to a Renaissance Fair.

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***Please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. It really means a lot to us at HQ and helps make it easier for new listeners to discover us. Thanks!***
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