Tennis Unfiltered

Are you a TUSCer yet? It's the only way to listen to daily episodes from Wimbledon this year. You're lucky, so here is Day 1's extended episode for free.

But remember, it's just £3.60 for the first month to join the Tennis Unfiltered Supporters Club, and it really is a lot of fun. Join here: https://www.patreon.com/c/TennisUnfiltered

***

George Bellshaw, James Gray and Calvin Betton are ALL in Wimbledon (mostly down to the TUSCers) and chatting about the biggest issues in tennis, as well as the first day of Wimbledon.

For ad-free listening, daily grand slam updates and access to group chats with the lads, subscribe to our Patreon from £3.60 for the first month. Tap here to join now: https://www.patreon.com/TennisUnfiltered

***

In the meantime, here are James Gray and George Bellshaw breaking down the Wimbledon draw in the men's and the women's singles.

***

Fantasy Tennis Unfiltered, Wimbledon 2026 is LIVE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Yf28lm97QpO_BhTzFDQGiSGoBe0YDM-XmwfJ8Zuv7Mo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you a TUSCer yet? Join the Tennis Unfiltered Supporters Club for just £3.60 for the first month. TUSCers get ad-free listening to the main pod, an extra episode every Friday, daily coverage of the grand slams and loads more exclusive content.

Sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/TennisUnfiltered

***

This week, George dials in from Mexico while James and Calvin are down in Eastbourne trying to avoid the heatwave.

Here are the stories they discussed

- Serena Williams has been handed a wildcard for Wimbledon, where she will play h...

Are you a member of our Patreon channel yet? It's the only way to get ad-free listening, daily podcasts from Tennis Unfiltered during grand slams, access to weekly bonus episodes every Friday and group chats with other Patreon members.

Join the Tennis Unfiltered Supporters Club here: https://www.patreon.com/tennisunfiltered

****

NB: This podcast was recorded BEFORE the Wimbledon wildcards were confirmed on Tuesday. We can only apologise. Blame the All England Club.

Calvin Betton (west London), James Gray (south London) and George Bellshaw (actual Mexico) are back to go through...

Are you a TUSCer yet? Subscribers to our Patreon get a bonus podcast every Friday outside of grand slams (this week it's our Roland Garros Q&A, answering your questions from the French Open), daily coverage of every grand slam, ad-free listening to our Tuesday pods and access to all the group chats for just £3.60 for your first month.

PRO TIP: To avoid paying extra (and extortionate) Apple Store fees, set up your account and sign up on browser: www.patreon.com/tennisunfiltered. You can then download the Patreon app, log in, go to our page, hit t...

Calvin Betton and James Gray are in Paris, while George Bellshaw holds the fort in London (while dodging celebrating Arsenal fans).

Are you a TUSCer? For ad-free listening, daily grand slam podcasts and group chats with the hosts, join the Tennis Unfiltered Supporters Club for just £3.60 for the first month, just tap the link here: https://www.patreon.com/tennisunfiltered

https://inews.co.uk/sport/tennis/tennis-rich-players-french-open-prize-money-4434620

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you a TUSCer? For ad-free listening, daily grand slam podcasts and group chats with the lads, join the Tennis Unfiltered Supporters Club for just £3.60 for the first month, just tap the link here: https://www.patreon.com/tennisunfiltered

And if you want to play Fantasy Tennis Unfiltered for FREE, then you can enter here before 1pm BST on Sunday: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1gBnATXVxgHeKD-Ihek5woFg0RciA9SaXXiBhHvVjMJE

The basic concept is simple: predict the quarter-finalists. Do that successfully, and play your captaincy chip right, and you'll win!

You must pick o...

Are you a TUSCer yet? Join the Tennis Unfiltered Supporters Club, just £3.60 for the first month. Sign up ON BROWSER for the best price and offer: https://www.patreon.com/tennisunfiltered You can then use the Patreon app to connect the podcast to your existing podcast app.

****

Calvin Betton, James Gray and George Bellshaw are here to look back on Rome and start thinking about Roland Garros favourites...

- Jannik Sinner became only the second man to win every single Masters event since it was introduced in 1990, joining Novak Djokovic in extremely rarefied a...

Calvin Betton calls in from Rome (and a rather echo-y Airbnb) to join George Bellshaw and James Gray for another look back at a week of news leading up to the French Open - and to break some exciting podcast news!

We are launching Patreon channel because we want to bring you even more unfiltered content throughout the year - that means daily podcasts from every grand slam, bonus premium content every other week, group chats with all three of us, the chance to help shape the podcast, and loads more. But that’s not easy - by...

James Gray, Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw are all back around the microphones to discuss another week of tennis news - and as we always say, what a week!

Here's what they talked about

- Jannik Sinner crushed his pigeon Alexander Zverev in the men's final to claim a fifth straight Masters title

- Eight years after breaking through as a 15-year-old, Marta Kostyuk finally won the biggest title of her career and then of course failed to shake hands with her Russian opponent Mirra Andreeva

- Calvin had to coach...

Calvin Betton is in Madrid, George Bellshaw is in recovery again and James Gray is in a dark, lonely Pembrokeshire car park.

They discussed...

- Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the French Open, and perhaps beyond, with an ongoing wrist injury

- Jannik Sinner is now a 70 per cent favourite to win Roland Garros, but who is his closest challenger? Alexander Zverev can't beat him, Novak Djokovic isn't fit... the lads assess the challengers

- Rafa Jodar is on a breakout run and beat fellow young gun Joao Fonseca - m...

Calvin Betton, George Bellshaw and James Gray are all back around a microphone - in different parts of London but nevertheless all in London, yet nowhere near organised enough to get in the same room together.

This week, they are talking about...

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every Tuesday at 6pm, another hour of tennis news, reviews and opinions drops from James Gray, Calvin Betton and George Bellshaw.

This week they discussed...

Calvin Betton, George Bellshaw and James Gray are back to look back at a week of 250s and answer your questions on the tennis world.

Here are the big stories they discussed in this week's episode...

Calvin Betton is on R&R in NYC but he is not MIA - he's bang up to speed to join James Gray in south London and George Bellshaw back from Benidorm for another Tennis Unfiltered podcast.

They discussed most things that happened in tennis over the last week, including...

- Jannik Sinner ended Jiri Lehecka's rather charmed run to the Miami final with a brutal serving performance to complete the 'Sunshine Double', the eighth man to complete the feat

- Sinner has also now won three Masters titles in a row WITHOUT...

Calvin Betton gives us the lowdown on court conditions in Miami... while George Bellshaw updates us on his "internet box". James Gray, as usual, is just trying to hold everyone together.

They discussed...

- Joao Fonseca faced Carlos Alcaraz a week after playing Jannik Sinner, but how much will he learn from his own Sunshine Double?

- Alcaraz won but was them stunned by Sebastian Korda, a Florida native excelling on home soil once again. Is this his moment to arrive again in the top 10?

- Iga Swiatek was beaten by...

Calvin Betton is on training camp in North Carolina, George Bellshaw is dragging himself through Ironman regimes and James Gray is, well, still here.

They're back to talk all about tennis from the last seven days, which included the end of Indian Wells, a whole host of withdrawals from Miami and another glimpse of the new structure of the tennis tour post-Saudi spend.

George Bellshaw is back from India and reclaims his seat, Calvin Betton is still in California and James Gray is holding them all together.

They discussed...

- A new ticketing system at Indian Wells has turned one of tennis's better courts into a ghost town

- There's a rare injury retirement, only the second of her career for Coco Gauff

- Naomi Osaka is dressing to impress

- Venus Williams's return to Indian Wells ends in a bad-tempered rant at tournament staff

- Calvin reveals how Henry...

Calvin Betton gives us the inside scoop on what life in Dubai is like right now with Henry Patten, Harri Heliovaara and Boris Chernov all stuck in the United Arab Emirates, where at time of recording the airspace remains closed until further notice as a result of Iranian air strikes.

And with George Bellshaw away, Ben Rothenberg of Bounces (https://www.benrothenberg.com/) fills in as our resident red head, while James Gray anchors as usual.

They discussed..

- The chaos in Dubai where no one seems to have a good way out...

Calvin Betton is perfectly safe in Acapulco, James Gray is finally home and George Bellshaw is about to head off to India - but for now at least two of the Tennis Unfiltered gang are in the same timezone.

Here are the stories they're talking about this week...

- Carlos Alcaraz only needed 50 minutes to beat Arthur Fils and claim the 26th title of his young career in Doha

- It extends his ranking lead over Jannik Sinner, after he came unstuck against Jakub Mensik in the quarter-finals

- Jessica Pegula...

Calvin Betton is in Delray, James Gray is in Bormio and George Bellshaw is our northern (London) star, constant and unchanging.

They're back round at the microphone to talk about the last week of tennis...

- Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka pull out of the mandatory Dubai tournament...

- ...and the tournament director calls them out on it!

- Victoria Mboko beats Elena Rybakina en route to the Doha final... but then loses to Karolina Muchova

- Destinee Aiava announces her shock retirement with a massive FU to the...

Calvin Betton is back from Turkey, James Gray is now up in the mountains and George Bellshaw still doesn't really know what a pun is.

They discussed...

- Katie Boulter winning the title in Ostrava, claiming her fourth career WTA win

- Emma Raducanu made the final in Cluj but was then battered by Sorana Cirstea...

- ...is she fit enough? Does she need a coach? What now?

- The PTPA's $1bn plans for tennis are scrutinised...

- ...as are Craig Tiley's wild and wacky ideas

The Australian Open 2026 is in the books. Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina are our two singles champions, and we have ANOTHER British doubles champion and everyone can take a deep breath (for a bit).

ATP Tour coach Calvin Betton, The i Paper sports news editor James Gray and tennis broadcaster and writer George Bellshaw are here to look back at it all.

They discussed...

- Is Novak Djokovic a genuine contender in other slams this year or will this prove to be his last hurrah?

- Which slams with Carlos Alcaraz...

Calvin Betton returns, albeit from Turkey, to join George Bellshaw and James Gray to look back at the Australian Open men's final

- Was Novak Djokovic's gameplan the right one?

- How did Carlos Alcaraz turn it around?

- Was Djokovic injured? Will he ever come back as an active player?

All that and more...

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Molly McElwee subs in for George Bellshaw to review the women's singles final at the Australian Open with James Gray.

- Elena Rybakina came from 3-0 down in the deciding set to win her second grand slam title

- World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka has now lost three of her last four major finals, including two in a row in Melbourne

- Rybakina's coach Stefano Vukov was presented with a trophy too, despite his chequered history working with Rybakina

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

- Carlos Alcaraz came through cramps, vomiting and an Alexander Zverev comeback to win his Australian Open semi-final and reach the final in Melbourne for the first time ever

- Jannik Sinner could not join him, denied a three-peat by an inspired Novak Djokovic, who is now just one win away from the 25th grand slam title of his career

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

James Gray and George Bellshaw are back around the microphone after two MORE straight-sets wins

- Aryna Sabalenka saved break points in the opening game against Elina Svitolina but never looked back after that..

- ...except when she was called for a hindrance in the fourth game of the match, a decision she says "p***ed her off" but also inspired her to win the match

- Elena Rybakina came through the challenge of the religiously consistent Jessica Pegula to set up a repeat of the 2023 final

Learn more...

James Gray and George Bellshaw get down to it after a series of last eight matches in which...

- Coco Gauff sparked a privacy row after she complained about her racket smash in a corridor being broadcast to millions

- Novak Djokovic was "going home" after losing two sets to Lorenzo Musetti... and then the Italian pulled out injured

- Iga Swiatek was knocked out by a familiar opponent Elena Rybakina

- Michael Chang's kids turned up in Learner Tien's press conference

Learn more about your ad...

Calvin Betton is back and anything BUT boring... however, is the Australian Open turning into a boring tournament? George Bellshaw and James Gray join him to discuss...

- Ben Shelton knocking out Casper Ruud to add another top-eight seed to the men's quarter-finals, making it seven in total and 13 across the two singles draws

- Lorenzo Musetti sets up a clash with Novak Djokovic by putting Taylor Fritz out of his misery

- All four women's matches end in straightforward straight sets victories for the favourites

AND, as a special treat...

- Novak Djokovic has been handed a free pass into a record 65th grand slam quarter-final after Jakub Mensik pulled out of their fourth-round clash

- Are the stars aligning for Djokovic slam No 25?

- Daniil Medvedev is out, beaten in straight sets by Michael Chang-coached Learner Tien

- Elina Svitolina crushed Mirra Andreeva's AO dream with an efficient performance

- Coco Gauff fought fire with fire to beat Karolina Muchova

And much more!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Rothenberg of Bounces and James Gray look back (mostly) at the seventh day of action at the Australian Open.

- Jannik Sinner lost the opening set to Elliot Spizziri in sweltering conditions, which triggered the heat rule, shut the roof and seemingly swung the match in the Italian's favour

- Madison Keys's title defence goes on in fine style

- And why Daniil Medvedev vs Le-arn-er Tien is the match of the day on Sunday

And loads more!

Go check out Ben's work on Bounces (https://www.benrothenberg...

George Bellshaw is back for his last podcast of the week with James Gray in tow.

- Aryna Sabalenka admits she felt 'disconnected' from her body in a double tie-break win over Anastasia Potapova

- Coco Gauff came from a set down to beat Hailey Baptiste after a tactical adjustment on her forehand side

- Daniil Medvedev delivered on his annual AO five-setter

- The British interest in the singles is over for another year, Cam Norrie beaten in four sets by an imperious Alexander Zverev

- Yulia Putintseva...

James Gray and George Bellshaw look back at the fifth day of action at the 2026 Australian Open.

- No 10 seed Belinda Bencic is shocked by qualifier Nikola Bartunkova, the teenage sensation who served a six-month ban for inadvertently ingesting banned substance TMZ

- Stan Wawrinka kept rolling back the years to beat Arthur Gea in five sets and set up a third-round clash with Taylor Fritz

- Naomi Osaka wound up Sorana Cirstea, knocked her out the tournament and then hung her out to dry. Just watch: https://x.com/tntsports/status/2014296632775336143

James Gray and George Bellshaw are back around the microphones for another review of a relatively drama-free day at the Australian Open, but...

- Emma Raducanu is out after defeat to Anastasia Potapova and seems ready to ditch the tactical overhaul being overseen by Francis Roig

- Cam Norrie is the last Brit standing after grinding out a win over Emilio Nava in rarefied, late-night air

- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Kamil Majchrzak both fell out with the crowd but for different reasons

- Diana Shnaider saves three match points to...

Yes, the hat. Not Brooklyn Beckham, not the actual tennis. Naomi Osaka's incredible hat.

George Bellshaw and James Gray are keen to focus on some other things... eventually. Because THAT. HAT.

It was also a cracking first-round tennis match. But the hat. Where does she go from now?!

LINKS

The hat in question: https://x.com/tntsports/status/2013590606128263313https://x.com/tntsports/status/2013590606128263313

How are you faring in fantasy tennis? Check here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/125MgiVs97Xnbi9OQ5UdXck-VM2liwwxbQMVxeevJIIY/edit?resourcekey=&gid=1734778613#gid=1734778613

<...

James Gray and George Bellshaw look back on the second day of first-round action in Melbourne including...

- Felix Auger-Aliassime retires after cramping just two sets into his match against Nuno Borges

- Iga Swiatek is made to work hard by Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue

- Alexandra Eala fans overcrowd Court 6, but it's not a problem the Australian organisers will have to deal with again this year

- Naomi Osaka lifts the lid on her leaving the Evolve agency

- Why hasn't Carlos Alcaraz won the Australian Open yet?<...

Day 1 of the Australian Open is in the books, a record day at Melbourne Park as more than 100,000 ticketholders streamed through the gates.

The headlines were...

- Qualifier Zeynep Sonmez pulled off the biggest win of her career by knocking out No 11 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova

- Ukrainians Dayana Yastremksa and Marta Kostyuk both also suffered first-round defeats as three WTA seeds fell on Day 1

- Arthur Fery knocked out the only men's seed to lose on Sunday, although Flavio Cobolli called the doctor after one game because of illness and was...

James Gray and George Bellshaw are in St Pancras Station. Yes, really. Don't ask why. Anyway, they are going through the Australian Open draw line by line for your entertainment - and to help you pick your fantasy tennis team!

Enter here: https://forms.gle/vMwznVdH4Yh5HgRx8

DEADLINE: SATURDAY 17 JANUARY 11PM BST

The basic concept is simple: predict the quarter-finalists. Do that successfully, and play your captaincy chip right, and you'll win!

Below, you must pick one player from each section of the draw, and hope that they go as...

Before anything else, our thoughts this week are firmly with teh family of Damian Kust. Damian was a cherished and passionate member of the tennis community whom we lost at the age of just 26. His work covering the Challenger Tour set him apart, but his passion and knowledge was what really made him shine. RIP Damian. Details of his funeral and donations to the foundation his parents have chosen are here: https://x.com/damiankust/status/2009644081207709969

It always feels utterly empty to follow such profoundly sad news with the mundanity of the week's tennis news. Here is...