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The Tennis PodcastThe Tennis Podcast Author: The Tennis Podcast
Your definitive tennis round up, daily at the Slams. Part of the Athletic Network. Named in Time Mag's Top 100 podcasts of all time.Friends of The Tennis Podcast have access to exclusive Q & A's, new editions of Tennis Re-Lived and more bonus content.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Talking ‘The Cruelest Game’ with Matt Futterman
Episode 1543
Monday, 27 July, 2026
For this episode, Catherine, David and Matt are joined in the Wimbledon library by Matt Futterman to talk about his new book, The Cruelest Game. The book is an in-depth and up-close look at the sport’s modern era, its stars, and what it takes to succeed in professional tennis. Using his incredible access, Matt speaks to players and team members on his quest to empathetically figure out why the sport seems to take such a toll on everyone and whether there are any secret codes that will allow players to thrive at the summit of this brutal game.With chapters dedicated to most of the sport’s top players, Matt explores the individual paths taken by them, as well as the unique and shared challenges they all face as tennis emerges from the era of The Big 3 and Serena Williams. We speak to Matt about his inspiration for writing the book, some of the most memorable conversations he had over the past three years while working on it, and the recurring themes such as parent-child coaching dynamics and what makes tennis stand out from other sports when it comes to the price paid by its athletes. The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis comes out on Tuesday August 4th 2026 or is available for pre-order now, with the audiobook read by Catherine. For ad-free listening and bonus content, Become a Friend. Check out our new merch shop! Talk tennis with Friends on The Barge! Sign up to receive our free Newsletter (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more)Follow us on Instagram (@thetennispodcast) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
