The 5 perfect podcasts for any tennis addict

If you're a podcast listener AND a passionate tennis fan, we have generated the list you've been waiting for. Here are our five favourite podcasts which each have their own angle and approach to commentary about the game we all love. 

In no particular order:

1. No Challenges Remaining 

Why we listen
The dynamic duo’s love for the game comes out in their podcast which consists of a wide variety of topics and featured guests. We first found Ben Rothenberg via Twitter and knew from his incisive and often comedic tweets (as he consumes an inordinate amount of matches) that a podcast he was involved with would be first-rate.  

Official summary 
Ben and Courtney were just a couple of passionate tennis bloggers when they met in Mason, Ohio in 2010, but their love of the wacky personalities that make up the sport of professional tennis has made them tennis besties ever since. They enjoy talking about tennis at all hours of the day on any topic that suits them and once a week they turn on a microphone for an hour during one of those chats and post the results. 

Frequency: Weekly (every Tuesday-ish)

Recent episodes
Episode 195: Burning Topics With Lindsay Gibbs (August 1, 2017)
In their words: ‘Long-time friend of the show Lindsay Gibbs joins Ben this week to discuss the intersection of all sorts of societal issues--which she covers in her work as the sports reporter for Think Progress--specifically as they apply to the world of tennis, which has plenty of layers of equality and inequality, both visible and invisible. From equal pay to LGBT visibility, from WTA streaming to athlete activism, from Ilie Nastase to Andy Roddick, we touch it'.

Episode 194: Wimbledon a Wimbledud? (July 16, 2017)
In their words: ‘Wimbledon 2017 is done with two great champions in Garbine Muguruza and Roger Federer...but why does it still feel unsatisfying? On the letdowns that defined the second week of this tournament too often. Ben and Courtney talk about what their wins mean, why scheduling remains a crucial variable for both, and other various stories from the undercard draws at Wimbledon.’

Episode 193: Wimbledon Manic Impressions (July 10, 2017)
In their words: ‘With four rounds of Wimbledon in the books, Ben and Courtney chat about what has happened and what will at a Wimbledon that hadn't been super eventful, really, until Manic Monday clarified some things. What do we make of Angelique Kerber, who will depart the #1 ranking? Should Bernard Tomic face scorn for his comments? Why is Gilles Muller such a dad? All this and more.’
 

2. Beyond the baseline

Why we listen
Jon is a great conversationalist and the podcasts make for entertaining listening. While there is a slight American focus to his content (he does work for Sports Illustrated, after all) he manages to secure all sorts of noteworthy guests. Of particular note are the exchanges with Paul Annacone whose analysis of players, matches and the game in general is on point from our perspective.

Official summary
Sports Illustrated executive editor Jon Wertheim takes fans ‘beyond the baseline’ and between the lines with tennis commentary and exclusive interviews with the top players and newsmakers on the ATP and WTA tours.

Frequency: Weekly

Recent episodes
Ana Ivanovic on retired life in Chicago
Perennial crowd favourite and former #1 Ana Ivanovic talks about embracing her post- professional tennis life. Struggling with injuries late in her career and failing to get the same ROI from her dedication to training as she had in the past, she decided to hang up her rackets. She’s still looped into the tour and following the progress of her friends, but now she has more time for reading, going to art exhibitions and supporting her husband who plays for MLS team Chicago Fire. 

Bethanie Mattek-Sands on injury recovery process, & more
Bethanie suffered a horrific knee injury rupturing her patella tendon during her second round singles match at Wimbledon this year. Speaking from her bed with an impressively positive mindset, she recounts the incident, talks about the rehabilitation process she is going through and what’s next for her.

Paul Annacone from Wimbledon 2017
During the conversation Paul reveals he’s more worried about Novak than Andy in relation to bouncing back to peak performance because his challenges are more mental than physical in character. He thought that Djokovic should’ve given Wimbledon a pass this year to see just how much he missed it. Paul also reflects on Federer’s exceptional year and thinks it’s down to a combination of talent and grit (derived from persistence and work ethic) which is quite a rare combination at the top of the tour. He points out that Fed’s mental toughness is drawn from his ability to not let challenging moments linger on the court. Instead he regains focus and digs in. Fundamentally he ‘understands his mind, body and style of play and he trusts that’.

3. The Tennis Podcast

Why we listen
This is our go-to podcast when we want to get up to date with tennis news. The half hour daily recaps during Wimbledon were the perfect ‘commute soundtrack’ 

Official Summary:
Presented by David Law (BBC 5 Live and BT Sport) and Catherine Whitaker (Eurosport), The Tennis Podcast features big-name guests, interviews, journalists and plenty of chat about the sport.

Frequency: Fluctuates with more episodes recorded during major tournaments

Recent episodes
What’s Happened Since Wimbledon? With Djokovic, Wawrinka Out, Is This Zverev’s Time? Will Sharapova’s Body Allow Her To Return? The Bizarre Case Of Sara Errani (August 9, 2017)
In their words: ‘Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka won’t be in New York. David Law and Catherine Whitaker speculate about whether Roger Federer’s decision not to play again in 2016, followed by such spectacular 2017 results, might have influenced the length of lay-off taken by his two rivals. There’s discussion of the immensely open men’s and women’s draws heading into the US Open, and discussion about whether one of the American players might be able to take advantage’

The Roger Federer Story: A Podcast Special (July 24, 2017)
In their words: ‘In a special edition of The Tennis Podcast, The Roger Federer Story is told through the eyes of BBC 5 Live commentator and Tennis Podcast presenter David Law, who met Federer for the first time the day before his professional debut as a 16-year-old in Gstaad, Switzerland in 1998'.

'We learn of his struggle to come to terms with the death of his first coach Peter Carter in a tragic car accident, and hear from Federer himself in a BBC 5 Live interview with Law less than an hour after his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2003. The ‘Federer Years’ of domination are covered, as are the threats to his throne from Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the moments in 2013 when Law thought Federer was finished, and the comeback that made all those writing him off look stupid. Law and co-host Catherine Whitaker also delve into the debate as to whether Federer should be considered the greatest male tennis player of all time’

Wimbledon Day 13 - Is Roger Federer The Greatest Sports Person Ever?
In their words: ‘After Roger Federer became the only man ever to win eight Grand Slam title singles titles and 19 Grand Slam crowns overall, The Tennis Podcast discussed where he sits in the pantheon of all-time greats - and not just in tennis’

Is he better than Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, and Rafael Nadal (who has a winning record against him)? Are his achievements superior to those of Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Usain Bolt? Impossible questions to answer, perhaps, but that doesn’t stop David Law and the Telegraph’s Simon Briggs and Charlie Eccleshare from trying to on the podcast

4. The Main Draw

Why we listen
We rate this quirky podcast very highly because although the topics are often unpredictable and somewhat unconventional (casting a Bond movie using tennis stars?! Caitlin tries Meldonium?!), they are reliably entertaining. The length of the episodes - they’re all around 30 minutes - make it super easy to fit into your day. 

Official Summary
 A (short) tennis podcast, hosted by Chris Neary and Caitlin Thompson
           
Frequency: Weekly(ish)

Recent episodes
Caitlin takes Meldonium (Maybe) (August 5, 2017)
In their words: ‘A chance encounter gives one of us a shot at performance-enhanced greatness. But at what cost? Plus: we rave over WTA TV and give an update from the start of the American hardcourt season’

Casting Tennis' Bond (July 18, 2017)
In their words: ‘Sure, we talk about Wimbledon, but The Main Draw is for people who like to imagine which tennis stars will populate James Bond's universe or make up the next Battle of the Network Stars. You're welcome’

Wimbledon in Person (July 10, 2017)
In their words: ‘How much better is seeing tennis live in person? It's hard to overstate. Caitlin's back from London with a blow-by-blow’

 

5. The Tennis.com Podcast 

Why we listen
Tennis.com is our go-to website for breaking tennis news on both tours, so we were confident their podcast would be a winner. The bite-sized preview and recaps of each day during Slams are in the must-listen category.

Official Summary
The podcast is produced by Ed McGrogan (Senior Editor of @tennis, TENNIS Magazine & Tennis Industry) and Steve Tignor (Executive Editor at TENNIS Magazine and prolific author for publications including Slate.com, SPIN Magazine and the Village Voice).

Frequency: Weekly(ish) fluctuating around major tournaments

Recent episodes
Catching up before Canada (August 4, 2017)
In their words: ‘Steve and Ed are back after a bit of summer vacation to discuss the biggest stories in the sport, including Novak Djokovic's decision to end his season, what's next for Wimbledon champions Garbine Muguruza and Roger Federer (as well as Rafael Nadal and Venus Williams), and the ruling that Davis Cup singles matches will remain best-of-five sets’

Tennis in 10: Wimbledon Semi-finals (July 15, 2017)
In their words: ‘In Venus Williams vs. Garbine Muguruza and Roger Federer vs. Marin Cilic we have two Wimbledon finals with much in common. Ed McGrogan looks back at how the fortnight's final four got here, and what we can expect over the weekend’

Tennis in 10: Wimbledon Quarter-finals (July 13, 2017)
In their words: ‘The semis are set—and there are certainly some surprises. Ed McGrogan discusses Andy Murray's shortcomings, Simona Halep's exit and CoCo Vandeweghe's flop, and then focuses on the survivors.’

 

Which tennis podcasts do you listen to? Any great episodes you would like to share? Let us know in the comments below.

Also in Tennis Hacks