WTA Insider Podcast

WTA Insider

About

The official podcast of the Women's Tennis Association, hosted by Courtney Nguyen, Senior Writer, WTA Insider. Bringing fans closer to the WTA with weekly analysis and interviews with players, broadcasters, and the men and women behind the scenes who drive women's tennis.

Available on

Community

142 episodes

Champions Corner: Danielle Collins gets her 'happily ever after' in Miami

Danielle Collins couldn't dream up a better farewell tour after her stunning run to the biggest title of her career at the Miami Open. After announcing her decision to retire at the end of this season, Collins is already having one of the best seasons of her career. She joins the podcast after her emotional win to reflect on her bare-knuckled 10-year journey to become a WTA 1000 champion. 

14m
Mar 31
Champions Corner: Iga Swiatek doubles down in Indian Wells

World No.1 Iga Swiatek did not lose a set on her way to winning her second BNP Paribas Open title. After a quick coast-to-coast turnaround, she's gearing up for the Miami Open, where she could become the second woman to win the Sunshine Double twice.  Swiatek joins the podcast to discuss the challenge of trying to do something you already know you can do. 

9m
Mar 22
How Charleston's Emma Navarro became a winning machine

Emma Navarro is living the good life. The 22-year-old from Charleston is closing in on her Top 20 debut after beating No.2 Aryna Sabalenka at the BNP Paribas Open, the biggest win of her career so far. Navarro joins the podcast to discuss the evolution of her self-belief and relive her sobering Hologic WTA Tour debut in 2019.

15m
Mar 14
In Conversation: Anna Blinkova re-lives The Longest Grand Slam Tiebreak

Anna Blinkova is in the midst of an incredible season. The 25-year-old has already beaten two top-five players and won a historic tiebreak at the Australian Open in January. She joins the podcast from the BNP Paribas Open to reflect on her rise, re-live her wild ride on Rod Laver Arena, and discuss her passions for language and literature. 

18m
Mar 10
Jasmine Paolini talks pizza, Poland, and mastering the hard courts

Jasmine Paolini didn't play a hard court tournament until she was a teenager. But the 28-year-old Tuscan found a way to go from dirtballer to shot caller, as evidenced by her run to her first WTA 1000 title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

12m
Mar 04
Coco Gauff's Culture Corner: On Juneteenth, Beyonce and Gen Z

World No.3 Coco Gauff joins the podcast to celebrate Black History Month and shares five inspiring moments or aspects of the culture that have left a lasting impression.

11m
Feb 25
In Conversation: Jelena Ostapenko gets her groove back

After winning titles in Adelaide and Linz, Jelena Ostapenko has her swagger back. Then again, was it ever really gone?  The big-hitting Latvian joins the podcast from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships to discuss her surge, her innate confidence, and her joyous shopping habits.

17m
Feb 18
Champions Corner: Aryna Sabalenka goes back-to-back at the Australian Open

Aryna Sabalenka stormed through the draw to defend her title at the Australian Open. She didn't lose a set -- or her cool -- to capture her second major title. And she looked like she had a whole lotta fun doing it. 

10m
Jan 28
Champions Corner: Coco Gauff wins the US Open

Coco Gauff is the moment. The 19-year-old bested Aryna Sabalenka in a physical three sets to win her first major and become the youngest American to win the US Open since Serena Williams.  Gauff joins the podcast to discuss the star-studded crowds, ASMR sounds, and, yes, the haterade that fueled her in New York.

13m
Sep 10, 2023
Champions Corner: Coco Gauff cements her summer in Cincinnati

Coco Gauff won the biggest title of her career at the Western & Southern Open, sealing a sizzling summer that has seen her win two titles and 11 of 12 matches.  But is she ready for the roiling cauldron of New York City?  Gauff joins the podcast to discuss the highlights of her week, her win over Iga Swiatek, and how she plans to keep things in perspective at the US Open.

12m
Aug 20, 2023
Champions Corner: Jessica Pegula taking it all in stride after Montreal win

Jessica Pegula's week in Montreal didn't start well, but it finished with a flourish. In a week that saw the American defeat No.1 Iga Swiatek and No.7 Coco Gauff en route to her first title of the season and second WTA 1000 title, Pegula kept her cool and went to work. She joins the podcast after winning the Omnium Banque Nationale to discuss her growing comfort at the top fo the game.

9m
Aug 16, 2023
Champions Corner: Iga Swiatek reigns again at Roland Garros

World No.1 Iga Swiatek shut out the noise and the chaos to defend her French Open title, becoming the youngest woman to win four majors since Serena Williams.  Swiatek explains how she managed to keep her mind quiet to win the toughest Grand Slam final of her career.

9m
Jun 11, 2023
Champions Corner: Elena Rybakina's wild ride in Rome

Elena Rybakina won her second WTA 1000 of the season and her biggest title on clay at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia. As the new World No.4 explains, it was a week where everything seemed to break her way. 

8m
May 21, 2023
Champions Corner: Aryna Sabalenka takes Madrid

Aryna Sabalenka took home her third title of the season after fending off No.1 Iga Swiatek to win her second Mutua Madrid Open title.  The World No.2 joins the podcast to reflect on the foundations of her game and how she's evolved into the tour's winningest player this season.

10m
May 07, 2023
Champions Corner: Iga Swiatek loves Stuttgart...and books

No.1 Iga Swiatek stormed through her competitive return to defend her title at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, defeating No.2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4 in the final. Swiatek joins the podcast to discuss her week in Stuttgart, look ahead to the challenge of winning Madrid, and talk about her love of books. 

10m
Apr 23, 2023
Champions Corner: Petra Kvitova wins No.30 in Miami

Petra Kvitova captured her 30th Hologic WTA Tour title at the Miami Open, where she defeated Elena Rybakina 7-6(14), 6-2 in the final. The victory vaults Kvitova back in the Top 10 for the first time since 2021. Kvitova joins the podcast to reflect on her stunning run to the title and explain why practice doesn't always make perfect. 

10m
Apr 02, 2023
Champions Corner: Rybakina rolls in Indian Wells

Elena Rybakina put her stamp on the 2023 Hologic WTA Tour season with a rousing run to the title at the BNP Paribas Open, where she defeated No.1 Iga Swiatek and No.2 Aryna Sabalenka in back-to-back matches to win her first WTA 1000 title.  Rybakina joins the podcast to discuss why her game is coming together and yielding big results in 2023.

10m
Mar 20, 2023
Champions Corner: Aryna Sabalenka wins the Australian Open

Aryna Sabalenka still hasn't lost a match in 2023. The 24-year-old will return to World No.2 after winning her maiden major title at the Australian Open. She joins the podcast to discuss her winning fortnight and how she learned to a new side of her fighting instincts.

9m
Jan 29, 2023
Champions Corner: Sabalenka tames the tiger in Adelaide

The 2023 Hologic WTA Tour season is here and Aryna Sabalenka is already bored. The World No.5 kicked off her season by winning her first title since 2021 Madrid, winning the Adelaide International 1. Sabalenka's title run was not without its adversity, but the 24-year-old showed a calmer, more zen approach to her tennis. She joins the podcast to discuss her evolution. 

10m
Jan 09, 2023
Champions Corner: Jessie Pegula takes control in Guadalajara

Jessica Pegula captured the biggest title of her career at the Guadalajara Open Akron, winning her first WTA 1000 title after defeating Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 in the final.  Pegula joins the podcast to discuss the title that felt like a long time coming, tapping into her ambition, and why she now feels like the main character of her own story.

14m
Oct 24, 2022
Champions Corner: Sizzling Samsonova dominates Tokyo

Liudmila Samsonova captured her third title of the season at the Toray Pan Pacific Open and took her record to 18-1 since the start of August. For the second time this season, the 23-year-old did not lost a set in her title run.  Samsonova joins the podcast by phone from Tokyo to discuss the mental work she's done with her sports psychologist and why she's keeping her blinders on for her last two tournaments of the year.

11m
Sep 26, 2022
Champions Corner: Swiatek conquers New York

World No.1 Iga Swiatek became the youngest three-time major champion since 2008 after winning her second Slam of the season at the US Open. The win is her seventh title of the season and 10th overall. Yet despite her domination this year, which included three hard-court WTA 1000 titles, the 21-year-old had reason to doubt whether she could go deep in New York. Swiatek joins the podcast to explain why. 

13m
Sep 12, 2022
Champions Corner: Caroline Garcia surges in Cincinnati

Caroline Garcia made history at the Western & Southern Open, becoming the first qualifier in tour history to win a WTA 1000 title. The 28-year-old Frenchwoman will return to the Top 20 after capturing her 10th career title and third WTA 1000 title, after defeating Petra Kvitova in straight sets.  Garcia joins the podcast to discuss her return to a more aggressive game and how difficult it was to navigate the five years between her breakout 2017 season and now. 

12m
Aug 21, 2022
Champions Corner: Elena Rybakina stays cool, wins Wimbledon

Elena Rybakina went into Wimbledon wondering if she would ever feel as confident as she felt when she announced herself in the first two months of the 2020 season. She leaves as the first player representing Kazakhstan to win a major title, beating Simona Halep and Ons Jabeur in back-to-back matches to win The Championships.  Rybakina joins the podcast to discuss her doubts, her shock, and her growing belief that she can do it again. 

12m
Jul 10, 2022
Champions Corner: Swiatek reigns at Roland Garros

World No.1 Iga Swiatek's astounding win streak remains intact. The 21-year-old dominated once again in Paris, losing one set en route to her second major title.  Swiatek joins the podcast and tries to find the words to explain how it feels to win 35 consecutive matches and six consecutive titles.

12m
Jun 05, 2022
Champions Corner: Swiatek sweeps through Rome

World No.1 Iga Swiatek continued her winning ways to successfully defend her title at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. The 20-year-old has now won five consecutive tournaments and extended her win streak to 28 straight wins.

7m
May 15, 2022
Champions Corner: Jabeur makes history in Madrid

Ons Jabeur continues to blaze trails. The Tunisian became the first Arab or North African player to win a WTA 1000 title at the Mutua Madrid Open, defeating Jessica Pegula.  Ons reveals the secrets to her success, which include the whispered secrets of the animal kingdom. 

20m
May 10, 2022
Champions Corner: Swiatek races away in Stuttgart

World No.1 Iga Swiatek continued her winning ways at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, winning her fourth consecutive title and extending her win streak to 23 straight matches. But how does she feel about being a meme queen?

14m
Apr 24, 2022
Champions Corner: Bencic comes full circle with Charleston win

Belinda Bencic captured her first clay title at the 2022 Credit One Charleston Open, holding off Ons Jabeur in three sets in the final. The win comes eight years after the Swiss star marched her way to her first WTA semifinal as a teenage qualifier ranked No.140 in the world. 

11m
Apr 11, 2022
Catching up with Jessica Pegula in Charleston

World No.13 Jessica Pegula joins the podcast from the Credit One Charleston Open to dish about the highs and lows of her hard court season, marvel at Iga Swiatek's rise to No.1, and laugh about being a rookie on the WTA Player Council.

19m
Apr 05, 2022