The Grand Slam Tennis Online Podcast

Looking ahead: a short message

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 21:23:07 GMT

We hope you have had fun listening to Series 2 of GST as much as we have had making it. Here's a quick message about the future of the podcast.

Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or Acast. If you like what you hear, leave us a review!

Music by Drive Me Home

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Osaka's Stand, US Open Preview and the great David Mercer

Sat, 29 Aug 2020 12:54:54 GMT

Former Sunday Times tennis correspondent Barry Flatman joins Finn to talk Osaka's stand and Pospisil's new players' union. There is also a comprehensive US Open preview: is Djokovic's only enemy himself? Is Serena Williams a favourite? How will Sofia Kenin embrace being top dog?

Barry also gives his memories of the great David Mercer, former umpire and legendary BBC commentator, who sadly passed away this week.

Music by Drive Me Home

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The State of Play with Rowan Ricardo Phillips

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 23:36:29 GMT

Author of The Circuit and award-winning poet Rowan Ricardo Phillips joins Finn to talk about why he is not watching tennis right now.

Phillips unpicks the ethics of tennis' return to his hometown, New York, and tells us why we should celebrate the sport's socially conscious players when tennis so often pretends disengagement from the world. He also reveals how he created his epic, a lyrical record of the bewildering and inspiring 2017 season, and describes what the events of that year - in tennis and the world - mean for him now.

The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey won the 2019 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing and is available from Picador for $17.00.

You can find Louisa Thomas' essay for The New Yorker here.

Subscribe to The Grand Slam Tennis Podcast on Apple and Spotify and leave us a review. You can also find us on the podcast page of Grand Slam Tennis Online.

Music by Drive Me Home

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Alice Marble: A life of fame, fabrication and tragedy

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 16:06:02 GMT

This week New York Times best-selling author Robert Weintraub joins Finn Ranson to tell the incredible story of Alice Marble, who rose to stardom in the late 1930s but has since faded from the history books.

Last month, Robert published the first biography of her life, The Divine Miss Marble. We spoke about the mysteries that inspired him to take her story on and her transformative - and turbulent - relationship with her coach, Eleanor Tennant, who inspired Alice to one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history.

The Divine Miss Marble: A life of Tennis, Fame, and Mystery is published by Dutton and is available from Penguin Random House for $29.00.

Music by Drive Me Home.

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Jonny Marray and the greatest upset in tennis

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 17:49:57 GMT

Before Murray, there was Marray.

In 2012, Jonathan Marray pulled off one of sport's great upsets by winning the Wimbledon men's doubles title with Freddie Nielsen, ranked 111 in the world.

Marray talks about that run and what happened next. He also reflects on his new coaching career and builds his ultimate doubles player.

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify and leave us a review. Find us on the GST website.

Music by Drive Me Home

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A People's History of Tennis

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 10:18:57 GMT

In June, David Berry published a groundbreaking new study: "A People's History of Tennis".

Through the histories of the sport’s clubs and players, David’s book sets out to show that beneath its “establishment image, tennis is a surprisingly radical game”.

He argues that tennis has been a nexus for various social forces, many of them progressive, in Britain and beyond – from feminist protest and reform, to forming new notions of masculinity, to the sport’s emphasis on volunteering and community spirit.

He also underlines those forces in tennis that have sadly not been so inclusive. We talked about the book and how these histories bear on the tennis world today. Can Jack Kramer's tax in the mid-80s become a reality post-Covid? And why should the British Lawn Tennis Association look no further than Phillipe Chatrier's legacy?

A People's History of Tennis is available to purchase from Pluto Press for £14.99.

Music by Drive Me Home

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Exclusive interview with Paul Jubb

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 12:47:20 GMT

Paul Jubb talks to Finn about turning pro, Murray's words of wisdom and what next as tennis hits the comeback trail.

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The Woman who ran Wimbledon

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Finn Ranson spoke to actor and filmmaker Sarah Tullamore about the great Norah Gordon Cleather, who steered Wimbledon through the Second World War and oversaw its peacetime return. She was the last woman to run Wimbledon. Next week, Sally Bolton, new Chief Executive of the All England Club, will become the second.

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Series 2: A taste of what's to come

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 22:14:05 GMT

The Grand Slam Tennis podcast is back for a second series.

From players and coaches, to authors and filmmakers, we’ve spoken to some unique people from across the tennis world about their stories, passions and histories. Here's a taste of what's to come. Music by Drive Me Home

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Interview with 3-time Davis cup Winner Fred Stolle

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 16:08:21 GMT

3-time Davis Cup winner Fred Stolle is back on the pod talking the Madrid Finals, Kyrgios’ return to the Australia team and Barty’s secret weapon. We discuss burnout and scheduling after Nadal's revealing interview, and Fred opens up to us about the circumstances of his own retirement and the importance of friends on tour. But we kick off with his memories of Harry Hopman’s famous Australia team back in the 60s.

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Next Gen ATP Finals

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 11:00:18 GMT

Tennis commentator Tomasz Lorek is back on the pod as we look ahead to the NextGen Finals and get to know this year’s diverse field. We discuss the latest innovation - wearable technology - the continuation of the short set system, and what all of this does for TV audiences. And if you don’t know your Farahs from your Kubots, catch Tomasz’s overview of the World Tour Finals doubles lineup, including how Mike Bryan discovered one of his rivals in Slovakia.

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Basel, Vienna, Paris and a Polish Tennis Round-Up

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 20:41:52 GMT

This week Finn chats with Tomasz Lorek, ATP tennis commentator for Polish sports TV network, Polsat Sport TV. We get his thoughts on Thiem's battling week in Vienna, Federer's highs and Zverev's lows, and the implacable Hubert Hukarcz, plus how a football World Cup winner funded Lukasz Kubot's tennis career.

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US Open Review, Clijsters Returns and Memories of Murray with Barry Flatman

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 14:14:48 GMT

Barry Flatman and Finn Ranson dissect two astonishing finals in New York. There's Kim Clijsters talk as she announces her second renaissance, Barry gives us his memories of the 2015 Davis Cup and a boozy night in Gent, and we ask what the TIU's latest lifetime ban means for tennis.

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US Open Mid-Fortnight Review with Barry Flatman

Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:26:22 GMT

Former Times tennis correspondent and talkSPORT regular Barry Flatman chews over an extraordinary week of off-court incident with Finn Ranson. We talk Gauff and Kournikova, the Youzhny effect, why it's Serena's moment and what Nick Kyrgios thinks of Pat Cash. Plus, Barry gives his honest assessment of Murray's hopes of returning to New York next year.

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NCAA Men's Singles Champion Paul Jubb

Sat, 24 Aug 2019 12:18:02 GMT

Wimbledon wildcard Paul Jubb chats with Finn Ranson about his unique development, what all changed at 15 and planning how to tackle the tour.

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Fred Stolle on Kyrgios, Barty and Winning the US Open

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 08:00:37 GMT

Welcome to the very first Grandslamtennis.online podcast as we head to New York to cover the US Open.

And what a cracker of a podcast to introduce Finn Ranson as he talks exclusively to double Grand Slam winner Fred Stolle about tennis back in the 1960s - John Newcombe, Roy Emerson and many others - Ash Barty’s attempt to add to her French Open title and of course the topic on every tennis fan’s lips - Nick Kyrgios.

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