2018 has been a turbulent year for tennis, with warring factions and uncertainty over where the sport is heading. In this week’s podcast, Simon Briggs joins David and Catherine to discuss the political state of the sport.

How optimistic can we be that the governing bodies will eventually find a solution that works best for tennis rather just their own agendas? Will the sport produce a Davis Cup that works as well as golf’s Ryder Cup? And what will happen about on-court coaching?

Briggs reveals the contents of his recent conversation with Wimbledon’s Phillip Brook, who admitted to him that the level of political tension within tennis may be at an all-time high. 

Despite the ongoing background noise, there has been lots of compelling action throughout Asia in the past week, including a title for Aryna Sabalenka in Wuhan. Catherine and David are really impressed by her immense appetite for the sport. Can she rule the women’s game for years to come? Plus, with the WTA Race to Singapore coming to an end, what are her chances of sneaking into the top eight?

Bernard Tomic was also a title winner last week, in Chengdu. His ups and downs have been well-documented, but Catherine and David agree that it’s nice to see him become a force once again. The wins of Yoshihito Nishioka and Margarita Gasparyan, who have both suffered serious injury in the past, are also discussed.

Finally, there’s reaction to the viral clip of Fernando Verdasco giving short shrift to a ball boy in Shenzhen. Why should ball kids have to pick up players’ towels? And will this incident lead to much-needed change?

The Tennis Podcast is uploaded weekly throughout the year and daily at the Grand Slam tournaments. It is produced in association with Telegraph Sport.

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