The AO Show

AO 2023 women’s finalists Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina renew hostilities in the semifinals of Madrid, while Iga Swiatek battles Madison Keys for the other spot in the final — Casey Dellacqua and Simon Rea preview the last four for the women’s draw discuss the outlook for the men’s draw, which lost top two seeds Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz with injury concerns weeks out from Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal has another four matches under the belt as he looks to take the next step towards Roland Garros in Rome, and as Alize Cornet prepares to bid au revoir, we look back on her momentous quarterfinal run at AO 2022. AusOpen.com iHeart Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone with more passion for tennis than Paul McNamee, a Davis Cup and Wimbledon champion who later became Australian Open tournament director. Atypically for an Australian, McNamee's favourite surface is clay — a love-affair he documents in his book Welcome to the Dance. Matt and Viv sit down with McNamee to discuss the nation's relationship with clay, his favourite clay-courts around the world, and who he most loves watching compete on the surface today. AusOpen.com iHeart Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Host handles: @Viv_Christie @MattyAT See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jelena Dokic joins The AO Show for our 200th episode! After conquering Iga Swiatek en route to the title in Stuttgart, Elena Rybakina claims she can win a Grand Slam on any surface — our panel discusses her chances ahead of Roland Garros and who stands in her way of a second major crown, Casper Ruud claims his biggest title of his career in Barcelona and is back Grand Slam title contention, Rafael Nadal takes the next step in his Paris preparations in Madrid, and the tennis world bids farewell to Australian Open finalist and two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former-player-turned-super-coach Brad Gilbert has added a showbiz string to his bow after serving as consulting coach for the new tennis movie Challengers. The 62-year-old, with wife Kim, was responsible for turning Hollywood stars Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor into convincing tennis players for the silver screen. And, as Matt and Viv found out during their sit-down, there was a lot more to the role than Brad expected. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stefanos Tsitsipas' emotional triumph at Monte-Carlo has put him back in the frame for a maiden major title — our experts discuss the world No.7's potential to re-establish himself as a Grand Slam contender, Alex de Minaur has become the first Australian to topple Rafael Nadal on clay, booking his spot in the Round of 16 at Barcelona and casting further doubt over the 12-time champion's future, and we have tickets to the new tennis movie Challengers to give away to Australian and New Zealand listeners. T&Cs. AusOpen.com iHeart Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sam Stosur’s obsession with the clay wasn’t always what it is today. As the clay-court season gets underway in Stuttgart, the 2010 Roland Garros finalist sits down with Matt and Viv to discuss how she learned to master the surface, and which European clay court she would most like to have replicated in her own home. AusOpen.com iHeart Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Host handles: @Viv_Christie @MattyAT See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Danielle Collins has taken all before her with back-to-back titles in Miami and Charleston in what will be her last season on tour — or will it? Todd Woodbridge believes the 30-year-old might delay her end-of-year retirement if she continues her fearsome form, Alexei Popyrin has scored his sixth top-10 win to set up an all-Aussie showdown with Alex de Minaur among a star-studded Round of 16 at Monte-Carlo, and Aussie Billie Jean King Cup coach Nicole Pratt joins us from Brisbane to preview Australia's qualifier with Mexico. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1968 Wimbledon singles finalist Judy Dalton was one of the 'Original 9', a group of players who defied the establishment to form the women's professional tour. This week has seen the holding of the longest-running United States tournament from that tour, at Charleston. Dalton remains a passionate advocate for the women's game, and a great storyteller, as Matt Trollope discovered in their sit-down. AusOpen.com iHeart Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Host handles: @Viv_Christie @MattyAT See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios joins Jon and Brie for a candid conversation about his career, public perception, mental wellbeing, the state of the game, and his plans to get back on the court. AusOpen.com iHeart Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sam Stosur joins The AO Show to discuss the latest news including the shock parting of Novak Djokovic and coach Goran Ivanisevic, the latest from Miami where Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz remain on a collision course for the men’s final, Victoria Azarenka is back in the semis — the three-time champion opens up about the evolution of the women’s game over her 20-year career, and Stosur shares what it's like going from player to captain ahead of Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Mexico in April. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marta Kostyuk burst onto the world stage with a run to the third round of Australian Open 2018 — her first Grand Slam main draw appearance — at just 15 years of age. Since then, much has changed for the young Ukrainian star who reached the last eight of a major for the first time at AO 2024. But it's not just on the court where the 21-year-old is all grown-up, as Andrea Petkovic discovered during her sit-down with Marta. AusOpen.com iHeart Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Host handles: @Viv_Christie @MattyAT See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iga Swiatek has collected her second trophy of 2024, while Carlos Alcaraz has captured his first title since Wimbledon downing a string of rivals along the way — Casey Dellacqua joins The AO Show to recap Indian Wells and discuss all the big news from Miami including Simona Halep’s return to the match court, Aryna Sabalenka’s decision to take her place in the draw, and Andy Murray’s unbreakable spirit, plus Victoria Rudnikov pulls back the curtains on US thunderbolt Ben Shelton. AusOpen.com iHeart Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AusOpen.com’s Matt Trollope and Australian Tennis Magazine’s Viv Christie present a new stream of The AO Show called The Sit-Down. First cab off the rank is Jannik Sinner, who — until his loss to Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells — was undefeated in 2024. The world No.3 enjoyed a stellar Australian Open culminating in his first major title after a jaw-dropping five-set final against Daniil Medvedev. But there’s a lot more to the 22-year-old than meets the eye, as Nick McCarvel discovered during their sit-down. AusOpen.com iHeart Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're down to the last eight at Indian Wells with some surprise packets including mum-of-two Caroline Wozniacki — Todd and Casey join Jon and Brie to preview the bumper quarterfinals and discuss some of the biggest results including lucky loser Luca Nardi's upset of Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka's shock loss to Emma Navarro, Simona Halep is set to return from an 18-month hiatus with a wildcard for Miami, while Ursin Caderas gets the low-down on Jannik Sinner from his coaches Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill. iHeart Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify AusOpen.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter are undoubtedly the power couple of world tennis following titles in Acapulco and San Diego respectively — the Australian number one joins The AO Show to reveal the remarkable details of his whirlwind week, Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Indian Wells due to ongoing injury concerns — our expert panel discusses the future of the 22-time major champion and of Simona Halep who’s eyeing a return to the court after winning her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. iHeart Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify AusOpen.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the stage to the screen, Aussie showbiz legend Tim Minchin's creativity knows no bounds. Following the success of his award-winning Matilda the Musical, the multi-talented composer returned to Melbourne during AO 2024 his latest box office smash Groundhog Day the Musical. And while he was in town, he stopped by The AO Show to share his insights on two of the world’s great spectacles, musical theatre and tennis, and how they’re strangely alike. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jordan Thompson has captured his maiden ATP singles title on a remarkable day in Los Cabos that also saw him capture the doubles title with Max Purcell — Wally Masur joins The AO Show to discuss the significance of the 29-year-old's climb to a career-high world No.32, Matt Ebden has eclipsed his doubles partner Rohan Bopanna to clinch the world No.1 ranking— Australian Tennis Magazine’s Leigh Rogers speaks with the 36-year-old about the path he’s forged and the road ahead, and reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff reflects on her teenage years on the tour as she looks forward to adulthood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Week 2 of the main draw was one for the history books: from Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff’s US Open Final rematch to Jannik Sinner’s semifinal dethroning of Novak Djokovic, from Zheng Qinwen’s run to the women's final on the 10th anniversary of Li Na’s 2014 title to Sinner and Daniil Medvedev gripping men's finale — the last seven days of AO 2024 were unforgettable, so let’s relive some of the highlights! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the first nine years of his career, Andre Agassi avoided coming to the Australian Open. So, it was with some trepidation that the two-time major champion arrived in Melbourne in 1995 eager to add a third Grand Slam title to his collection. Much to his surprise, not only was he embraced by the public, but he was spurred on all the way to the championship. In 2024, Agassi returned to Melbourne Park, where his love affair with the AO began almost three decades ago. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Week 1 of AO 2024 produced some remarkable moments: from Novak Djokovic’s first-round survival of dynamite qualifier Dino Prizmic to Anna Blinkova’s extraordinary record-breaking tiebreak against Elena Rybakina, from the seed-slaying heroics of Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova to Andrey Rublev’s “Scary Movie” marathon against Alex de Minaur — the first eight days had something for everyone, so let’s revisit some of the highlights! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.