Tennis Unfiltered

Calvin Betton, James Gray and George Bellshaw answer your questions on all sorts of topics, including some from the very bottom of the mailbag. Here's what we got into... Veteran Athlete: Is there a future for grass court tennis? Wazza: Is it time for Wimbledon to re introduce grass court seeding? Having Swiatek as number 1 seed when she has lack of ability on the surface makes a mockery of the draw in my opinion. Ian Warren: Hi guys question about the BBC coverage of Wimbledon. Do you think it’s time to pension off John McEnroe, Pat Cash and other players winning slams 40 to 50 years ago? As great as it was how many more times do we have to hear from John McEnroe about his rivalry with Borg. JG: Why is no one excited about the Olympics? Jari Jarvinen: Who do you think are best dubs players all time and why? This came to my mind because of Leander Paes Hall of Fame election. He won a lot and with so many different partners, that's a strong case for him. Definitely one of the best dubs volleyers Tennis Ranter: We see tennis players throughout the year jetting off to lots of locations, with air travel being the most used. What would your thoughts be on a carbon cap for players to limit the amount of carbon they use and encourage the use of less carbon intensive transport? Matt Gunner: For the modern great male players, is it the new normal to win 20+ majors? Pundits that played in the 80s and 90s often say how hard it is to win 7 matches over 2 wks and how remarkable it is to see numbers the big 3 have. For me, in the yrs ahead, these numbers will be the norm. Lynney Pin: Not really a question…. Just wanted to say I HATE seeing the ball kids passing the sweaty germ ridden towels to the players. Why the flip have they brought that back??!!! It’s revolting. GB1: Of the current crop of young players (let's say under 25), who has the best tennis IQ ? Would Alcaraz be lost without Juan Carlos ? How far would Ben Shelton get without his Dad's coaching ? For me, the Big Four and Meddy are high IQ players, but what about the next gen ? Also, do you think players like eg Shapovalov, Tiafoe, and certainly in the past Dimitrov, haven't reached full potential because they use their natural game without developing their tennis IQ brains as much ? Sponsored by AG1, click here (https://drinkag1.com/tennisunfiltered) for free Vitamin D3/K2 and 5 travel packs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin, George and James are reunited for the first time since Wimbledon to discuss... Who will challenge Carlos Alcaraz? Is Novak Djokovic on the decline? Would Jasmine Paolini have been a more popular winner than Barbora Krejcikova? Should the Brits be pleased with their championships? What was the Champions' Ball like? And *so much* more. Sponsored by AG1, click here (https://drinkag1.com/tennisunfiltered) for free Vitamin D3/K2 and 5 travel packs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Men's doubles champion Henry Patten joins his coach Calvin Betton and host James Gray to look back at a 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 victory alongside Harri Heliovaara over the Australian pair of Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson. We laughed, we cried, we sat around and couldn't believe what was going on. My favourite podcast of the year. Sponsored by AG1, click here (https://drinkag1.com/tennisunfiltered) for free Vitamin D3/K2 and 5 travel packs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray sets his Wimbledon doubles nerves aside to look back at... How Daniil Medvedev nearly got disqualified from his Wimbledon semi-final Carlos Alcaraz finding an extra gear to seal victory and reach a fourth grand slam final Novak Djokovic barely got booed Lorenzo Musetti gave his best but his best wasn't good enough Sponsored by AG1, click here (https://drinkag1.com/tennisunfiltered) for free Vvtamin D3/K2 and 5 travel packs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton, Wimbledon finalist, joins James Gray to talk about Henry and Harri's brilliant run to the final, and why he was holding up one finger at the end of the match. Plus, Donna Vekic in tears during defeat to Jasmine Paolini and Barbora Krejcikova's comeback against Elena Rybakina. Sponsored by AG1, click here (https://drinkag1.com/tennisunfiltered) for free Vvtamin D3/K2 and 5 travel packs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw comes out of hiding to join James Gray to discuss the first week of Wimbledon, including... Emma Raducanu's run to the fourth round Emma Navarro's shock win over Coco Gauff Carlos Alcaraz and his inability to win in straight sets Who will win Wimbledon? How much will anyone care? And more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Friday… - Carlos Alcaraz survives a thriller against Frances Tiafoe - Emma Raducanu beats Maria Sakkari in shades of the US Open with a draw that is yawning wide open - Jannik Sinner continues his serene progress in the draw, while there were defeats for Bianca Andreescu and Gael Monfils Then on Saturday… - Emma Raducanu dominates headlines by pulling out of the mixed doubles and inadvertently retiring Andy Murray - World No 1 Iga Świątek is beaten by Yulia Putintseva, yet another underperformance at Wimbledon by the Pole Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw joins James Gray to discuss the fourth day of action at Wimbledon on and off the court. Andy Murray and his brother Jamie were beaten in doubles and Centre Court took its chance to say thank you to its two-time champion Cam Norrie surprised Jack Draper Katie Boulter blew her chance against Harriet Dart The draw is opening up for Emma Raducanu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at the second day of action at Wimbledon where rain was seen for the very first time and Andy Murray gave in to the inevitable, conceding that he has played his last singles match at Wimbledon. Andy Murray pull out of the singles but confirms he will play doubles with brother Jamie Novak Djokovic proves he has fully recovered from knee surgery Caroline Wozniacki hints at her form Jack Draper goes five sets but pulls victory out Sebastian Korda suffers an upset loss And much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at Day 1 of Wimbledon 2024, and discusses… Carlos Alcaraz’s title defence getting underway Emma Raducanu playing her first match at Wimbledon for two years Coco Gauff thrashing Caroline Dolehide Jannik Sinner arguing about the roof but winning in four PLUS: Dramatic wins for Lloyd Harris, Frances Tiafoe and Brenda Fruhvirtova. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw helps out in the first half before Calvin Betton joins James Gray in Eastbourne in the second half. They discussed... Jack Draper beats Carlos Alcaraz at Queen's to secure the biggest win of his career but... He lost to Tommy Paul the day after as the American made his way to the Queen's title, beating Lorenzo Musetti Jannik Sinner won a title too, triumphing over Hubert Hurkacz in Halle to confirm some of his grass-court credentials Emma Raducanu is back and very happy about it Jessica Pegula won a title in Berlin And much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tennis coach Calvin Betton, journalist James Gray and writer/broadcaster George Bellshaw answer your questions about tennis. We talked about everything from doubles to divas, from Olympics to eye contact, and from TV to Fritz tea. This week's episode is sponsored by the Tennis Channel's coverage of every court at Birmingham, Queen's and Eastbourne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calvin Betton, George Bellshaw and James Gray are back together again to look back at the French Open and discuss what it means for tennis more broadly. Carlos Alcaraz now has a grand slam title on every surface, and a total of three - but how many will he go on to win? Has Iga Swiatek ruined women's tennis, on clay at least? How do we fix the night sessions at Roland Garros And so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back after Carlos Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev in five thrilling, if not always high-quality, sets and Iga Swiatek thrashed Jasmine Paolini to claim her fourth French Open. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at an 'underwhelming' day of men's semi-finals as Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in five sets, before Alexander Zverev knocked out an ailing Casper Ruud. Latest French Open fantasy tennis table is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MLjysGmg_c_oRNRAa7yjWkxJ4pspiaO2Px9xXbc5zow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray is joined by Calvin Betton from the National Tennis Centre in London to look back at the women's semi-finals, predict Iga Swiatek's crowning and cast an eye over who might win the men's. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at two women's quarter-finals and Novak Djokovic's knee surgery on a bustling Rue d'Auteuil Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at Day 10 of Roland Garros, where Novak Djokovic pulled out and Ons Jabeur was knocked out, and looks ahead to the last round of quarter-final matches including Mirra Andreeva vs Aryna Sabalenka. To read what Lucie Safarova and Agnieszka Radwanska said about the rise of Andreeva, click here: https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/mirra-andreeva-tennis-emma-radacanu-comparison-french-open-3092320 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Bellshaw joins James Gray to look back at yet another four-and-a-half-hour comeback from Novak Djokovic, who looked done and dusted when behind in the fourth set and struggling with a knee injury. There were also wins for Casper Ruud, Elena Rybakina, Alex de Minaur, Jasmine Paolini, Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka in the rarified atmosphere of fourth-round day at Roland Garros. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray looks back at a packed and lengthy weekend of French Open action at Roland Garros. Novak Djokovic finished at 3am Calvin Betton had to sit on his hands while watching his two players face off Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are eating people for breakfast And more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices