The Sit-Down

Many people will know Stan Smith as the man behind the iconic adidas Stan Smith shoe, which is not surprising given there have been more than 100 million pairs sold and collaborations with the likes of Pharrell Williams and Stella McCartney. But Smith is also known for his legendary tennis career – among his seven Grand Slam titles were two singles majors (Wimbledon and the US Open) and he rose to world No.1 in the early 1970s. He was also a part of seven triumphant US Davis Cup teams, many times battling it out with a golden generation of Australian legends in...

Ten years ago, Angelique Kerber won the Australian Open in a result that changed the course of her career. The German star, with Polish roots, had long been a top player. But a magical fortnight in 2016 saw her save a match point in the first round, beat Victoria Azarenka for the first time in seven tries in the quarters, then stun Serena Williams in a thrilling decider – the only time Serena ever lost an AO final. Not only did the triumph set the stage for a season that Kerber finished at world No.1, but it made the lefty an en...

Aussie Billie Jean King Cup captain 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.

Originally published on 15/04/2024

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Valentin Vacherot joined Matt and Viv in Pod Laver Arena when he was the 30th seed at Australian Open 2026 – his first seeding at a Grand Slam tournament. This was staggering, because just over three months earlier, the Monégasque was ranked outside the top 200. Everything changed in Shanghai, where Vacherot qualified for the main draw, then upset five consecutive seeded opponents — including Novak Djokovic in the semifinals — to reach his first ATP Masters final. There, he faced cousin Arthur Rinderknech, and won that match too, to become one of the sport’s unlikeliest champions in just his seventh tour-level event. Th...

Jelena Ostapenko’s biggest career highlight came almost 10 years ago, days after turning 20, when she broke through for her first tour-level title at Roland Garros while ranked 47th. During AO 2026, when she sat down with Viv and Matt, the Latvian star revealed her career might have been easier to navigate had she won that Slam title at an older age. Still, Ostapenko’s journey has continued to deliver success; she peaked at world No.5 not long before reaching the Wimbledon semifinals in 2018, and she’s reached a total of six major quarterfinals, plus won eight more WTA titles since her Pa...

Tennis icon Lindsay Davenport joined Viv and Matt during AO 2026 to reflect on a career that delivered three Grand Slam singles titles, the world No.1 ranking in both singles and doubles, and an Olympic gold medal. Davenport’s prodigious ball striking and clean power made her a standout figure among a WTA golden generation. She often battled fellow legends including Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, and Venus and Serena Williams in her Grand Slam finals. The last major final was in 2000 at the Australian Open, a beloved tournament where many of her career milestones came. Since retiring in 2008, Davenport has co...

Teen sensation Joao Fonseca sat down with Viv at the Brisbane International in January. One of the game’s most exciting rising stars, the Brazilian began 2025 outside the top 100 and surged to a peak world No.25 on the back of two ATP titles and third-round finishes at two Slams. After an injury-marred start to 2026, Fonseca reminded onlookers of his potential when he powered into the Indian Wells fourth round — his best result at a Masters tournament. Armed with explosive power and an impressively mature outlook for a 19-year-old, Fonseca opens up about the players he’d love to face, the ri...

At just 20 years of age and in only his second full year on tour, Learner Tien is striking a rare balance: keeping a level head while embracing the game’s biggest stages. Joining Viv and Matt on The Sit-Down during Australian Open 2026, Tien reflected on the qualities that have boosted his rapid rise into the world’s top 25. In just his second main-draw appearance in Melbourne, Tien strengthened his growing reputation against the game’s biggest names, stunning Daniil Medvedev for a second straight year to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. With plenty already achieved, the grounded young star r...

Fresh from claiming her fourth WTA singles title in Ostrava, Katie Boulter joins The Sit-Down to reflect on her return to the world’s top 100, and the challenges—and rewards—that have shaped her journey. The popular Brit speaks to Matt Trollope about her time spent with Princess Catherine at Wimbledon, the current state of British tennis, her new coach, and why she is determined to speak out against online bullying. With her marriage to Alex de Minaur approaching, Boulter also reveals what she loves — and what she suspects she’ll never quite love — about Australia, and why she believes 202...

In her first podcast interview, Alexandra Eala joins The Sit-Down as she continues a brilliant start to 2026. Fresh from her semifinal finish in Auckland, Eala sat down with Matt and Viv in Pod Laver Arena as she was preparing to make her Australian Open main-draw debut. The 20-year-old has gone on to win 10 of 16 matches this year and surged from outside the top 50 to a career-high No.31 since January. The rankings peak follows a memorable week in Dubai where she upset top-10 player Jasmine Paolini en route to the quarterfinals. It came less than a year after the breakthrough...

When Lorenzo Musetti joined Viv and Matt during AO 2026, he was flying. The Italian had entered the event as a new top-five star after his run to the final in Hong Kong to begin the season, and continued his vein of form through to the last eight in Melbourne. In his first Australian Open quarterfinal, he led Novak Djokovic two sets to love before injury intervened. Musetti has now reached the quarterfinals at all four majors, as his hardcourt game evolves to match the success he has already experienced on clay and grass courts. The 23-year-old discusses that evolution...

For the first time in more than 20 years, Jennifer Capriati returned to the Australian Open, a tournament that produced some of her greatest career success. She was in Melbourne to present the women's singles trophy on the 25th anniversary of her maiden Australian Open title and first Grand Slam triumph. Capriati's AO 2001 came more than a decade after she emerged as a teen prodigy, only to suffer burnout and spend significant time away from the game. Also in 2001, she won Roland Garros and rose to world No.1, and in 2002, returned to Melbourne Park to defend her title in an...

In our first episode of 2026, Viv and Matt are joined by Stan Wawrinka for a live-recorded interview on the Grand Slam Oval fan stage. Wawrinka is embarking on his final season on tour, drawing a close to a glittering pro career of more than 20 years. That career vaulted to the next level when the Swiss star broke through for his first Grand Slam singles title at Australian Open 2014, beating Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal along the way in a famous victory. Wawrinka would go on to win Roland Garros and US Open trophies to cement himself among the legends...

In our final episode of The Sit-Down for 2025, Viv and Matt are joined by Daria Kasatkina, who in March made the switch to representing Australia. It was a big decision in an emotionally intense season that the 28-year-old ended early due to burnout. Now more refreshed, Kasatkina chatted from her base in Spain, where she is preparing for her first Summer of Tennis representing the green and gold. She takes listeners right back to the beginning: how her parents, both professional athletes themselves, set her up for success, and how she developed her crafty, nuanced style of play. She...

Carolyn Broderick joins Viv and Matt in Pod Laver Arena to give listeners an insight into her role as Chief Medical Officer at Tennis Australia and for the Australian Open. Hundreds of tennis players are soon to arrive in Australia in January, the majority from a Northern Hemisphere winter. It means they face a huge adjustment — after having traversed multiple time zones — when they begin preparing and competing in the Australian summer. We learn about the “self-sufficient medical centre” that operates for four weeks at the AO, staffed by a multi-disciplinary team that offers physical and mental health services, plus ann...

After a brief off-season, 2026 preparations are already underway for Alex de Minaur, who joined Viv and Matt on this week’s episode from his base in Monte Carlo. The Aussie No.1 enjoyed the chance to reflect on his 2025 season, during which he reached his first AO quarterfinal and won his 10th career ATP title in Washington DC – while also overcoming burnout and shifting perspective – to achieve his highest year-end ranking. Those performances saw him nominated once again for the prestigious Newcombe Medal, awarded to Australia’s most outstanding player and ambassador for the sport. ‘Demon’, as he is affectionately known, also...

Wheelchair tennis star Heath Davidson, whose profile exploded after he and partner Dylan Alcott claimed quad doubles gold for Australia at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, joins Viv and Matt this week in Pod Laver Arena. Davidson’s prominence in the sport, and wheelchair tennis advocacy, have helped shape the upcoming summer of tennis; January will see wheelchair events integrated into the United Cup and the Brisbane and Adelaide Internationals leading into Australian Open 2026. More motivated than ever to compete during the new-look summer, Davidson remains a fixture in the top 10 at age 38, all the more inspiring given the hurdles he wa...

American Patrick Kypson joined The Sit-Down this week in a great place in his career. The 26-year-old sits at a peak ranking of No.117, thanks to results on the Challenger circuit which also helped him secure a main-draw wildcard at Australian Open 2026. After missing three months of 2025 due to a foot stress fracture and dropping outside the world’s top 450, Kypson soared when he returned, winning four ATP Challenger titles and benefitting from a commitment to more aggression and a better transition game to compliment the counterpunching instincts he honed from childhood on the green clay courts of North Car...

A revered name in modern Australian tennis, Casey Dellacqua is universally admired for her on-court achievements, commentary insights and humility through success. The West Australian-turned-Sydneysider played eight Grand Slam finals through her peak, claiming the French Open mixed doubles title in 2011. A famous partnership with Ash Barty delivered finals at all four Slams, but her name first went up in lights after a defeat of Amelie Mauresmo and a fourth-round run at AO 2008. Her singles career is oft underappreciated; Dellacqua progressed to at least the third round at every major. The former world No.26 stepped into Pod Laver Arena...

The last time Maya Joint sat down with us, in April, she was the world No.78 preparing to make her Billie Jean King Cup debut for Australia. Seven months on, she's a two-time WTA title winner, ranked 32nd and was the first player selected to lead the Culture Amp Australian Billie Jean King Cup team into action for this week's Play-offs in Hobart. Joint's return to The Sit-Down gave us a chance to chat to the teenager about just how far she's come, and the fact she's put herself in contention for a Grand Slam seeding in 2026. Now living...

In the second part of Matt's chat with Judy Murray, the Scottish matriarch talks about her passion for the investment in and visibility of women's sports. Inspired by the Billie Jean King quote, "if you don't use your voice, nobody will hear you," Murray discusses her work in the women and girls space, including with the WTA to foster more tennis opportunities at a grassroots level in Saudi Arabia — current home of the WTA Finals — and in her previous role as British Fed Cup captain, where she brought more women into high-performance roles. Be sure to check out Part 1 of T...

Mark Philippoussis joins Viv Christie in Pod Laver Arena to reflect on a career that saw him crack the top 10, reach two Grand Slam finals and star in two triumphant Australian Davis Cup teams. The Melburnian's star soared when he stunned world No.1 Pete Sampras as a teenager, in his home city, at Australian Open 1996, and two years later appeared in his first major final at the 1998 US Open. Philippoussis admits his second major final defeat, to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2003, was more painful to process. Yet just a few months later he ended that year on a...

Viv and Matt are joined by not one, but two guests: Daria and Luke Saville. During a rare week at home in Melbourne together in 2024, the Savilles left dog Tofu with Dasha's mum and sat down for their first proper interview together. In a wide-ranging chat, they recall how they met as juniors, Daria's relocation to Australia, and how their professional tennis careers have unfolded in tandem: hitting together, offering each other advice, and learning from one another, shining a light on their various strengths as players, and their respective coaching ambitions. Also, Viv refreshes Luke's memory with his...

Since making his ATP-level debut on home soil in Antwerp, Belgian Zizou Bergs has made methodical progress in his career. From his position outside the top 500 then, to cracking the top 50 this year, Bergs has emerged as a compelling player on court with a well-rounded attitude to life off it. In this week’s episode, we share Jackson Mansell’s interview with Bergs in Sydney at last month’s Davis Cup tie, when Bergs helped Belgium to a 3-2 win over Australia at Ken Rosewall Arena. In a wide-ranging chat we learn of the origin of his name, his dedica...

Having competed on tour for the better part of a decade, 27-year-old Priscilla Hon is enjoying her best season to date. The Queenslander this week made her top-100 debut, reward for a purple patch of form during which she has flourished on the biggest stages. After qualifying for Wimbledon, Hon did the same at the US Open, going on to reach the third of the main draw in a career-best Slam performance. She then headed to the China Open and powered into the third round, her best WTA 1000 result. Hon joined Viv and Matt on screen from Beijing — where sh...

In his burgeoning pro career, Rinky Hijikata has shone on the doubles court. At just 21 years of age, he combined with fellow Aussie Jason Kubler to win Australian Open 2023, and in 2025 reached the Wimbledon men’s doubles alongside Dutchman David Pel. Those results have given Hijikata invaluable exposure to the pressure of huge moments on the game’s biggest stages; experience he hopes to translate to his singles game. As he discusses with Jackson Mansell on this week’s episode, the Sydneysider – who’d made a rare return to his hometown for Australia’s Davis Cup tie against Belgium — was keen to pu...

Judy Murray says it’s ‘incredible’ when she reflects on the fact her sons, Andy and Jamie Murray, emerged from Scotland to become world No.1s and Grand Slam champions in singles and doubles, respectively. Judy began playing the game in Scotland as a child back when the country had barely any tennis infrastructure or elite pathway to follow – and it was one she helped create and grow, at a grassroots level, when she introduced her sons to the game. Murray sits down with Matt on this week’s episode – the first of a two-part chat – to discuss her journey in the...

Yannick Noah, inspired by Arthur Ashe who recognised his talent and nurtured his potential, went on to craft an inspirational career of his own. In 1983, the 23-year-old became the first Frenchman in 37 years to lift the Roland Garros men’s trophy. He became world No.1 in doubles, an Australian Open semifinalist, and peaking at world No.5 in singles, became the highest ranked Frenchman in history. Yet it was team tennis that he cherished most: as Davis Cup captain, he guided France to three titles. Now preparing for the next chapter in his iconic tennis story – leading Team Europe as capt...

David Hall's wheelchair tennis CV makes for heady reading, and at the US Open he sat down with Matt to reflect on a career delivering him Paralympic singles gold, nine AO and eight US titles, six year-end No.1 finishes and induction into multiple Halls of Fame. He was in New York for the 20th anniversary of the US Open wheelchair tournament's inaugural edition at Flushing Meadows, the first time he'd returned to the city since that 2005 US Open – his last Slam campaign in a professional career spanning more than 15 years. Although he initially struggled in the early stages of re...

Rennae Stubbs is an icon of tennis, both in Australia and the US. Now a commentator for ESPN, Stubbs earned her credentials through a No.1 doubles ranking, Olympic representation in four consecutive Games and six Grand Slam titles in the early 2000s. The last major final of her distinguished career was a loss to Venus and Serena Williams - the latter of whom she went on to coach. Stubbs has also worked with Karolina Pliskova, Sam Stosur and Eugenie Bouchard, consistently delivering ranking rises if not major titles. In this conversation during the 2025 American swing, the Sydney-born champion reflects...

Michael Chang stepped into the ATP Tour in 1988 - an era in which US tennis wasn't short of headliner prospects. By 1989 though, at 17 years old, he'd roared past the likes of Jim Courier, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras to become the first American of his generation to claim a Grand Slam title. The Roland Garros champion remains the youngest man to win any major but, as he reveals in this Sit-Down, the Californian performed best on the North American hard courts. Chang won two and reached four consecutive finals in Cincinnati, as well as lifting trophies in Toronto, Indian...

Ahead of this week’s International Tennis Hall of Fame Induction — where Maria Sharapova and the Bryan brothers join the sport’s elite — president Patrick McEnroe joined The Sit-Down to discuss the power of tennis history. A former Australian Open semifinalist, Roland Garros doubles champion and record-breaking Davis Cup captain, McEnroe is passionate about the game’s rich past and reminding fans that greatness isn’t measured by Grand Slams alone. He shares his vision for the Hall of Fame, reflects on his role in the creation of the Laver Cup, explains why players feel “inspired” by it, and why fulfilling o...

Christian and Casper Ruud are among the most successful father-son duos in professional tennis history. Christian put Norwegian tennis on the map in the 1990s, becoming the first player from his country to crack the top 40 and reach the second week of a Grand Slam in the Open era. These were milestones Casper matched in the early 2020s, then surpassed by appearing in three Grand Slam finals and peaking at world No.2. Christian and Casper joined Viv and Matt on this week's episode to discuss their respective journeys, and how the lessons Christian learned during his time on tour...

When Jelena Dokic stunned Martina Hingis in the first round of Wimbledon 1999, the Australian qualifier became a global superstar, ultimately peaking at world No.4 in one of the strongest eras of women’s tennis. Dokic has since gone on to become a highly-respected broadcaster and this week won a Logie -- an Australian television award -- for her documenary Unbreakable. Dokic sat down with Matt and Viv to relive her careers highs, recounting her upset of Swiss superstar Hingis in vivid detail, her experience of competing against so many WTA icons, and how her run to the medal rounds of...

In an episode originally published in 2024, Alexei Popyrin was riding a sweet wave after his ATP Masters 1000 triumph in Montreal, a result meaning he entered the US Open with a career-high ranking and seeded at a major for the first time. The rising Australian star sat down with Viv Christie and Jon Hoevenaars to talk milestone breakthroughs, Aussie inspiration, and the sacrifices that helped to turn his long-held tennis dreams into reality. 

Originally published on 26/08/2024

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In a coaching career spanning several decades, Brad Stine has guided Jim Courier to multiple Grand Slam titles and the world No.1 ranking, while also enjoying fruitful partnerships with the likes of Mardy Fish, Sebastian Grosjean and Kevin Anderson. Now, during a vibrant era for American tennis, Stine is the long-time coach of Tommy Paul, who has reached multiple career milestones under his mentorship. In this edition of The Sit-Down, the highly respected coach reflects on his beginnings in the sport, his award-winning career, and shares some core principles of his highly successful coaching philosophy.

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In a coaching career spanning four decades, Greg Crump has guided a trio of Australians to the world No.1 wheelchair tennis ranking and provided a multitude of players to a life-changing start in the sport. With an enduring passion for creating opportunities through wheelchair tennis, Crump is now guiding a new generation of competitive players and was recently named ITF Wheelchair Tennis Coach of the Year. Crump caught up with Viv and Matt to discuss his long career in wheelchair tennis, and some bold ideas for its future growth. 

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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...