The Sit-Down

Australian legends Ken Rosewall and Mal Anderson are two players whose tennis careers overlapped in both the amateur and professional eras, and who continue to remain connected today. Rosewall, then 37, beat 36-year-old Anderson to win the ‘golden oldies’ final at Australian Open 1972, and 53 years later he remains the oldest Grand Slam singles champion in the Open era. Rosewall’s longevity has been revisited given the achievements of Novak Djokovic, who last week became the oldest Wimbledon men’s semifinalist behind Rosewall in the Open era and who has received multiple Australian Open trophies from Rosewall at Rod Laver Arena. Matt sat...

Australian coach Craig Tyzzer sat down with Viv and Matt in the days ahead of Wimbledon, a tournament where he helped guide Ash Barty to the 2021 title. The victory, which saw Barty achieve a life-long dream, came amid a challenging season with COVID-19 protocols and quarantine requirements forcing Tyzzer, Barty and their team to remain on the road for nine straight months. He reflects on that experience and how his career focus shifted when Barty retired in March 2022, just six weeks after her iconic Australian Open singles triumph. Tyzzer, who has coached at the elite level since the 1990s...

On the eve of Wimbledon, Tim Henman sits down with AusOpen.com's Jackson Mansell to discuss his memories of his most storied Grand Slam. From watching his idol, Bjorn Borg, on Centre Court as a six-year-old to reaching the semifinals on four occasions, the All England Club has become a second home for the former world No.4. Years after Henman carried the hopes of a nation at his home Grand Slam, new British No.1 Jack Draper leads a strong British contingent. Henman speaks about Draper’s chances at Wimbledon 2025, his memories of playing in Australia and his upcoming involvement wit...

Almost exactly a year ago, Storm Hunter appeared as a guest on The Sit-Down in the midst of rehabbing a ruptured Achilles. While the tennis tours were in the throes of the grasscourt season, Hunter was watching from afar, in the middle of Melbourne's winter. After nine months out of the game the Aussie star is back on tour, and within a short period has boosted her doubles ranking back inside the world's top 100 after falling as low as No.1482 in March. Viv and Matt wanted to check back in with her, and Hunter joined the podcast during her...

Todd Woodbridge jumps into the hosting chair to chat to doubles-rival-turned-partner — and long-time friend — Jonas Bjorkman. The Swede was a star in both singles and doubles, rising as high as No.4 in singles shortly after reaching the 1997 US Open semifinals, and peaking at No.1 in the tandem game, winning a total of nine Grand Slam doubles titles. Five of those came with Woodbridge in a fruitful period from 2001-2004, during which the pair claimed three consecutive Wimbledon trophies as well as the Australian Open 2001 crown in just their second tournament together. Bjorkman has since transitioned to a successful post-tennis care...

Italian great Nicola Pietrangeli always thrived during the claycourt season. He is a two-time Roland Garros champion from his four finals appearances, and a two-time Italian Open champion, winning his 1961 final against Aussie legend Rod Laver. In fact, his name is forever associated with the Rome Masters given one of the show courts there is named in his honour. Frequently lauded as the world's most beautiful tennis court thanks to its sunken position, marble terraces and surrounding statues, it was where producer Ursin Caderas caught up with Pietrangeli during the prestigious tournament. One of the game’s great players an...

The timing couldn't be better to feature Garbine Muguruza, who sat down with Viv and Matt before she was due to fly to Paris for the closing stages of Roland Garros -- a tournament she won in 2016 to cement her status as a tennis superstar. Not long after that is Wimbledon, where the Spaniard also won in 2017 to hoist her second major singles trophy. Muguruza reflected on those peaks, as well as how it felt to reach world No.1, something she achieved a month after her Wimbledon victory. After some challenging years on tour Muguruza rebounded to reach the...

Thanasi Kokkinakis joins Viv and Matt in Pod Laver Arena as he continues his rehab from pectoral attachment surgery. It’s the perfect time to talk to the Australian star coinciding with the start of Roland Garros — the site of his best Grand Slam results and a thrilling succession of five-set epics in 2024. This time around, he's making his commentary debut, joining Nine’s Wide World of Sports team to cover the Roland Garros action from Australia. Kokkinakis also opens up about his enduring Australian Open memories, connections with fellow Aussies on tour, and the lessons he's learned throughout a see...

This week's guest is Patrick McEnroe, who joined Viv and Matt in the studio during AO 2025 for a wide-ranging chat about his unique tennis career. The Australian Open is his favourite event, the tournament where he broke through for his first Slam singles semifinal in 1991 and also reached that year's doubles final. He also upset Boris Becker en route to the fourth round in 1995, making Melbourne Park the happiest of hunting grounds. Since his playing days McEnroe became the longest-serving US Davis Cup captain, remains a veteran tennis broadcaster and is now president of the International Tennis Hall of...

Australian star Destanee Aiava is this week's guest on The Sit-Down, just days before she flies to Europe ahead of her main-draw debut at Roland Garros, where she has been awarded a wildcard. Aiava, 25, has enjoyed a brilliant nine-month span, starting when she qualified at the US Open last August. She replicated that feat at Australian Open 2025, an unforgettable run where her match-point-saving exploits, iconic outfits and ultimate loss to Danielle Collins created global headlines. Her results have helped her return to the brink of the world's top 150 and just a few spots shy of her career-high ranking of...

Australian rising star Maya Joint is this week's guest on The Sit-Down, speaking to Matt in Brisbane in what was her very first podcast interview. Joint was in the Queensland capital as part of Australia's Billie Jean King Cup team and was selected thanks to impressive form; in 2025 she has cracked the top 100 and at one point was the world's second-highest ranked teenager. The 19-year-old grew up and developed her game in the US city of Detroit but now represents Australia, where her father -- a pro squash player -- was born. We hear Maya's perspective on her stunning...

This week Viv and Matt bring you their chat with Sandra Zaniewska, notable for being one of the few women coaching at the elite level on the professional tour. Zaniewska, a former pro player from Poland, transitioned into coaching when she began an informal partnership with friend and fellow pro Petra Martic. The 33-year-old has gone on to coach multiple WTA players and now works with Marta Kostyuk, the rising Ukrainian star who under Zaniewska's guidance has risen as high as world No.16 and this week will feature in the fourth round of the Madrid Open. In this reflective...

Ahead of this week's upcoming Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier in Brisbane, we sat down with Team Australia's Ellen Perez. A member of the Australian team who reached the 2022 Finals, Perez is now one of the nation’s most experienced players. The hard-hitting baseliner recently held a top 10 doubles ranking, has won two ITF singles titles and has reached 10 Grand Slam quarterfinals across the doubles and mixed doubles events. As a member of the WTA Players' Council, Perez is passionate about representing her peers. She tells Viv and Matt why she loves this off-court commitment and the reason Australia is...

We caught up with former top 10 star Chanda Rubin when she was in Melbourne as part of the AO commentary team, returning to a tournament site where she reached the 1996 semifinals -- her best Grand Slam result. That year Rubin beat Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in a record-breaking quarterfinal before teaming with the Spaniard to win the women's doubles title. Yet while that, plus her peak world No.6 ranking, both occurred in 1996, Rubin believes she was at her best in 2002 and 2003, when she competed in one of the strongest periods in women's tennis and even scored a win over world No.1...

Former world No.4 Tomas Berdych joined Viv and Matt in the Pod Laver Arena studio during Australian Open 2025, an event where Czechs Jiri Lehecka, Tomas Berdych and Jakub Mensik all reached at least the third round. This was especially pleasing to Berdych, who in September took on the role as Czech Davis Cup captain after earlier working as Lehecka's coach. This evolution in his tennis journey followed a playing career which ended in 2019 and delivered highs such as 13 ATP titles, the 2010 Wimbledon final -- where he beat Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic along the way -- and back-to-back Davis...

This week we're joined by former world No.1 Kim Clijsters, who spoke to Matt from Indian Wells -—a tournament where she is a two-time champion. Clijsters was in the Californian desert in her role as honorary president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where she met with some of this year's inductees as well as connecting with local student athletes as part of the ITHOF's Be Legendary program. Clijsters' current role is one of many she continues to hold within the sport; she has also coached, owns an academy, appeared in legends events and has done media wo...

After his playing career, Sven Groeneveld answered an ad in a tennis magazine that saw him head to Japan and take the first steps in what has become a legendary coaching career. The Dutchman has worked with an incredible roster of Grand Slam champions, including Monica Seles, Mary Pierce, Michael Stich, Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova and Bianca Andreescu. He has also led the Swiss Tennis Federation, overseeing the coaches who developed a young Roger Federer. Groeneveld sits down with Viv and Matt at the Australian Open, which he's attended since 1992, and which has left him with many...

Former world No.3 Ivan Ljubicic sits down with Viv Christie to reflect on a career that delivered highs such as winning the Davis Cup title for Croatia in 2005, a semifinal run at Roland Garros in 2006, qualifying for the ATP Finals in both those years, and the Indian Wells Masters title in 2010. His achievements went beyond the tennis court; Ljubicic was also elected to the ATP Player Council and forged strong relationships with his peers, serving him well as he moved into coaching and player management. He coached Milos Raonic and Roger Federer, guiding the latter to three Grand Slam...

After the most inspired period of her career so far, Kim Birrell has climbed to a career-high world No.75 ranking and is Australia’s new women’s No.1. The Queenslander sat down with producer Victoria Rudnikov to discuss her recent milestones, including a quarterfinal appearance at the Brisbane International, qualifying for the AO 2025 women’s singles draw and a runner-up finish in an all-Australian mixed doubles final at her home Grand Slam. Birrell also looks ahead to the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup qualifier tie in Brisbane, where she will represent her nation in a home tie for the first...

Former world No.2 Magnus Norman has gained recognition as a sought-after coach since his retirement from playing in 2003. During AO 2025, Norman took Viv and Matt back to the beginning of his tennis journey, where he began developing his game during the Swedish tennis boom of the 1980s and drew inspiration from countryman Stefan Edberg. Initially a serve-volleyer, Norman evolved into a world-class baseliner and peaked during a stunning 2000 season, reaching the Australian Open semifinals and Roland Garros final, and coming within one victory of the world No.1 ranking. After experiencing the 'normal' life of office work in the early...

Wang Qiang’s defeat of Serena Williams in 2020 was one of the great Australian Open upsets. Her coach at the time was Thomas Drouet who, from his home in Monaco, joins Matt to relive his protégé’s epic triumph. Wang is one of many high-profile players Drouet has coached; he helped guide Marion Bartoli to the Wimbledon title in 2013, and has worked with AO finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and doubles world No.1 Timea Babos. Having also served as Rafael Nadal’s hitting partner during his Monte Carlo Masters campaigns, Drouet has translated his tennis expertise into ‘The Cards Challenge’, an interacti...

Diana Shnaider is making major moves, rising from outside the top 100 at the start of the 2024 season to a career-high world No.12 by the end of the year. The 20-year-old recently sat down with Viv and Matt at AO 2025 to discuss her growing list of milestones, including multiple titles in singles and doubles, plus an Olympic silver medal at the Paris 2024 Games. Shnaider also discusses her special friendship with fellow phenom—and doubles partner—Mirra Andreeva, her famous bandana, the importance of balance, and why she isn't fussed by the weight of expectation.

iHeart
Spotify
Appl...

From his humble beginnings as a college-level intern, Tony Godsick has forged an unparalleled career as an agent to the stars, representing the likes of Monica Seles, Roger Federer, Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton. Now president and CEO of TEAM8, Godsick sits down with Viv and Matt during AO 2025 to give a rare inside view of his work with some of the world’s most iconic athletes. He shares the origin story of the Laver Cup, and its significance in honouring the sport’s history and illuminating its future. Godsick also provides some sage career and life advice, a mast...

Viv and Matt are joined by Corey Gauff, father of world No.3 Coco, who's through to the quarterfinals of Australian Open 2025. But you won’t see Corey in Gauff's courtside entourage; in 2023 he decided it was more helpful to watch her matches unfold in a room off court – one of many insights gleaned in a fascinating interview with a man who has an incredible perspective on raising and guiding a child phenom who burst to superstardom as a teenager. Corey Gauff, a former collegiate footballer, saw an athletic career for his daughter, but also recognised the importance of education, life...

Few players have as impressive an Australian Open CV as Victoria Azarenka, who joins Viv and Matt ahead her AO 2025 campaign. The 35-year-old first competed at Melbourne Park as a junior 20 years ago when she won the 2005 girls' singles title. And she joined rarified air by winning the women's singles title at the same tournament she'd conquered as a junior, triumphing in 2012 — her first Grand Slam singles title, which catapulted her to world No.1. She defended her title in 2013 and remained the last woman to go back-to-back at the AO until countrywoman Aryna Sabalenka emulated her feat in 2024. Now a...

Pat Rafter is one of Australia’s most beloved athletes; the 2002 Australian of the Year who scaled the highest heights in tennis. The former world No.1 and two-time US Open champion sits down with Matt to reflect on his storied career, which also featured two Wimbledon finals, semifinals at all four majors, two ATP Masters titles, and many other notable milestones. Since retiring in 2001, Rafter still follows the game but has since explored the world beyond tennis. He lives on a farm in rural New South Wales, which he revegetated to improve the habitat for koalas. He is involved wi...

In just a matter of days, Martina Hingis will celebrate the 30th anniversary of her Australian Open debut, where in 1995 she played her first Grand Slam tournament and won her first match at just 14 years of age. Two years later, she won the title, the first of three in a row and an incredible six consecutive AO finals. She loved the conditions so much she installed several Rebound Ace courts at her home and training bases, and fondly recalls her memories of her time and milestones in Melbourne. She set several records with her performances, some of which are...

The Sit-Down is your vantage point to the world of tennis, the latest podcast from AO Originals. Each week, you’ll hear a candid conversation with a notable tennis identity, delving into their achievements, challenges, and career-defining moments. From Grand Slam champions to coaches and tennis insiders, we go beyond forehands and backhands to learn more about some of the sport’s most interesting people. Whether you're a tennis nerd, a passionate fan, or you’re just discovering the sport, The Sit-Down has something for everyone. Listen to Season 1 episodes via The Tennis.

iHeart
Spotify
Apple Po...