The Sit-Down

This week we revisit an episode from the vault featuring our 2025 conversation with newly-minted Australian Billie Jean King Cup manager Casey Dellacqua. A revered name in modern Australian tennis, 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 to tell Matt and Viv about the moment that flipped her career "on its head", victories she claimed through periods of physical and emotional turmoil and her current life with the "best job in the world".

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Since making history at Roland Garros in 2025 as the first Austrian to win a junior Grand Slam singles title, Lilli Tagger has embraced life on the WTA Tour. Joining Matt during her first visit to the China Open, the 18-year-old reflects on a breakthrough season that brought her first WTA title and a place in the world’s top 50. There’s also the story of the grandmother who introduced her to tennis, her love of skiing and the decision to trust her instincts with that striking one-handed backhand. With an AO main-draw debut ahead, Tagger shares what she’s learning in her transition to the upper echelon – and why she’s loving the journey.

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A year ago, Ignacio Buse was outside the world’s top 100. Now ranked inside the top 30 with two ATP titles to his name, the 22-year-old is giving Peruvian fans plenty to celebrate. Only the second man from his country to win a tour-level hard-court title and the third to reach the ATP’s top 30, Buse joined Matt in Beijing during his first visit to China. The Lima-born rising star reflects on his breakthrough season, the growing attention and what his success means back home. He also shares how his tennis journey began and looks to the future as an Australian Open main-draw debut awaits in 2027.

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After a professional playing career that took her into the world’s top 40, Nicole Pratt was determined to give back to the sport that had given her so much. In the second instalment of a two-part interview, Pratt tells Viv and Matt why coaching was a natural next step. Having guided the likes of Casey Dellacqua and Daria Saville – and now Kimberly Birrell and Storm Hunter – she reflects on how those professional relationships developed into lasting friendships. That camaraderie extends to her role as coach of the Australian Billie Jean King Cup team, where Pratt is passionate about building a high-performance culture founded on respect, honesty, trust, authenticity and professionalism. She also discusses the nuances of coaching male and female players and – in an emotional moment – reflects on how tennis has shaped her life.

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Ranked outside the top 100 in 2025, Kamil Majchrzak has charged into the world’s top 50 in the best season of his tennis career. The biggest breakthrough came in s-Hertogenbosch when the Polish player claimed a first ATP singles title at age 30. In an unforgettable run, he claimed upset wins over players including Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur. With Majchrzak in Brisbane for the Davis Cup World Group 1 tie, Tennis Australia writer Liam Petterson took the opportunity to learn more about Majchrzak’s remarkable rise, the inspiration behind it – and how a tennis career that has taken him around the world almost began by chance.

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Nicole Pratt’s tennis journey began on a homemade court in country Queensland, complete with a hitting wall, built by her dad with a bulldozer. From those beginnings came an Australian Open junior champion, top-40 player and WTA champion. In Part 1 of twin episodes of The Sit-Down, Pratt joins Viv and Matt to revisit her fascinating playing journey. She recalls her early experiences at the AIS, winning the Australian Open girls’ title and making a dramatic technical change soon afterwards. There are also memories of facing Serena Williams on her US Open debut, competing against so many greats of the game, and why winning her first WTA title proved a bittersweet milestone. Pratt also reflects on finding some of her best tennis later in her career, the qualities that sustained her and the evolution that would eventually shape her next chapter as a coach to the Australian Billie Jean King Cup team and current players Kimberly Birrell and Storm Hunter.

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The Sit-Down is on location in Brisbane, where producer Rhys de Deugd is joined by Australian coach Mark Draper at Pat Rafter Arena. The timing was perfect, given the two players Draper currently works with – Rinky Hijikata and Adam Walton – were both selected in the Australian Davis Cup team that defeated Poland. A Tennis Australia National Academy coach for 15 years, Draper loves being able to give back to players trying to get the best out of themselves, knowing from experience how difficult it is to make it at the highest level. His own playing career reached a high point in 1998, when he qualified for the Australian Open and Wimbledon and climbed to world No.152, around the same time younger brother Scott was enjoying some of his best results on the ATP Tour. Growing up in Brisbane, Draper’s development was shaped by Australian tennis legend Mal Anderson, whose influence also helped inform his approach to coaching. It’s a philosophy Draper describes as evolving into “talking a little less, listening more, and letting the player take control of their careers”.

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This week we bring you an episode from the vault featuring American youngster Alex Michelsen. In late 2024 he sat at a career-high world No.41 ahead of his campaign at Next Gen ATP Finals, joining Viv and Matt during a rare break at home in California to discuss his meteoric rise. Michelsen began season 2024 ranked 97th and soared thanks to reaching two ATP finals — Newport and Winston-Salem — and winning more than 30 singles matches, including against top-10 opponent Alex de Minaur in Los Cabos. Now, the 22-year-old is on the brink of the top 30 after breaking through for his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open, where he ultimately fell to France’s Tiafoe in a match that ended with one of the 2026 tournament’s most iconic moments. (Episode originally published 16 December 2024)

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This week Viv caught up with Dane Sweeny at the US Open during the Australian’s breakthrough run to the third round of a Grand Slam. His second-round win over 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti, and the prize money boost accompanying his best Slam performance, has been career-altering, boosting the 25-year-old’s belief that he belongs at the top level of the sport. This latest performance, coming after qualifying for the main draw at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, was unthinkable when he walked away from the game in mid 2024 “hating tennis” and unsure if he would return. Yet he soon began to miss it and returned – with a greater focus on gratitude, mindfulness and discipline – to completely alter his career trajectory and tennis story. Coupled with his rise to the cusp of the top 100, Sweeny has been winning fans over, especially in New York, with his athletic, dynamic style and fighting spirit.

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This week’s guest on The Sit-Down is longtime tennis editor, writer and historian Suzi Petkovski, former editor of Australian Tennis Magazine which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. Petkovski spent 10 years at the country’s preeminent tennis publication and has continued covering the sport as a freelancer and historian. In Part I of this two-part episode, Petkovski reflects on discovering tennis as a child in Melbourne, falling in love with and later working in the sport, the big names and storylines she covered during her time at the magazine, and the importance of record-keeping and archives to tell the stories of the sport. Look out for Part II – an Australian Open-themed episode – which is due to come out in the build-up to AO 2027.

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This week we bring you another Grand Slam special edition of The Sit-Down – one focused on the US Open, where qualifying for the 2026 tournament begins today. Over more than two years of episodes, guests have reflected on their greatest career highlights, many of which have unfolded in New York. It’s where Lleyton Hewitt won his first Grand Slam doubles title (2000) and singles title (2001) and where, 10 years later, Angelique Kerber stormed into her first major semifinal when ranked 92nd, setting her on a path toward three Grand Slam titles and the top ranking. It’s where Lindsay Davenport and Kim Clijsters broke through for the first of several Slams – and faced each other on the same courts – and where 1996 finalist Michael Chang came within one point of becoming world No.1. We also revisit a chat with Corey Gauff, the father of women’s star Coco who explained the thinking behind sitting away from her entourage during the North American summer of 2023, which she capped with victory at Flushing Meadows.

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Tennis has been a constant throughout Barbara Schett’s life. Like many before her, she began playing against a wall before her talent was spotted and channelled towards the professional game, where she debuted as a 14-year-old at her home event in Kitzbuhel, Austria. Schett’s career peaked during a memorable WTA era; she finished 1999 inside the top 10 along with Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Serena and Venus Williams, Mary Pierce, Monica Seles and Amelie Mauresmo. She fondly remembers that era – and facing those icons – as well as reaching the 1999 US Open quarterfinals and stunning then-world No.2 Venus in the first round of Roland Garros in 2001. That same year she reached the AO mixed doubles final with Josh Eagle, who later became her husband and saw her move to Australia. She now divides her time between Queensland and Europe, remaining connected to the sport through her successful commentary career and role as WTA tournament ambassador in Linz.

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With the 2026 National Indigenous Tennis Carnival concluding on the weekend, we’re releasing an interview with Evonne Goolagong Cawley, the Aussie legend who supported the creation of the annual event in Darwin. Goolagong chatted with Casey Dellacqua at last year’s Night of Champions in Melbourne, reliving the journey to career heights including seven Grand Slam singles titles and the world No.1 ranking. Celebrated for her graceful all-court play and revered the world over, Goolagong won her final Slam title as a mother at Wimbledon in 1980. After winding down her playing career a few years after that, Goolagong Cawley has stayed connected with the sport while her eponymous foundation creates opportunities for First Nations kids in Australia to discover tennis and thrive through the sport. She was a significant inspiration for Ash Barty, who emulated Googlagong Cawley as a world No.1 and multiple major champion, the final one coming at Australian Open 2022 – where Goolagong Cawley was the surprise trophy presenter.

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Having already played 19 tournaments in the first seven months of 2026, Tristan Schoolkate decided it was time to return home to “get out of the hamster wheel”. Joining Viv and Matt from Brisbane during a training block, Schoolkate said he’d enjoyed the chance to reset and refresh before heading to North America, one of his happiest hunting grounds. It’s where he won his first Grand Slam match at the 2024 US Open, and where in 2025 he reached his first ATP quarterfinal in Los Cabos, beat Joao Fonseca at the Canada Masters, made his top-100 debut and returned to the second round in New York. The 25-year-old Aussie, raised on Perth’s grass courts, recalled those highlights while discussing the slim margins separating ATP and Challenger level, life on tour with his fellow Aussies, how he taps into data and analytics – and what it was like to go toe-to-toe with world No.1 Jannik Sinner under lights at Rod Laver Arena.

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Two years ago, Viv sat down with Barbora Krejcikova on the eve of Wimbledon 2024 – a tournament the Czech star went on to win for her second Grand Slam title after Roland Garros in 2021. We’re bringing that episode back given Czech tennis is again at the forefront of the game, thanks to Linda Noskova’s triumph at the All England Club and last week’s tournament in Prague, where crowds packed the stands in another reminder of tennis’ enduring popularity there. While that’s all been happening Krejcikova has been showing hints of the elite level she can produce. Since June she’s been one of the game’s in-form players, winning 15 of her past 18 matches, returning to the second week of Wimbledon and hoisting her ninth WTA title in Athens earlier this month – her first title since that 2024 victory at SW19. (Episode originally published 15 July 2024).

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Last week, Craig Tiley finished up after more than 20 years with Tennis Australia, where he began as Director of Player Development, then became Australian Open Tournament Director, and later CEO. He joined Viv and Matt in Pod Laver Arena to reflect on the countless highlights and memories in that time, including the exponential growth of the AO, the rise of Australian champions and the legacy he leaves as he departs Australia to begin his new role as CEO of the United States Tennis Association. Famous for his innovative approach, Tiley discusses how tennis can improve and what potentially lies for it. Plus, he recalls his discovery of tennis as a child in South Africa – the beginning of a connection to the sport which has seen him work in all areas of the game and taken him all over the world.

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Acclaimed film director Zach Heinzerling joined Viv and Matt this week to discuss Rafa, the four-part documentary series which premiered on Netflix on 29 May. Rich with extensive archive footage, rare interviews with Nadal’s inner circle and fresh insights on the significant moments which defined Nadal’s storied career, the series almost never happened. Just days into filming, the Spaniard suffered a serious injury that threatened to derail the project. Heinzerling discusses how the documentary took shape from that point, the elements of Nadal’s personality and story which captured his interest, and what it was like to work with Nadal’s family and rivals – and the man himself – throughout the two-year production.

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In the second part of our interview with Todd Woodbridge, we focus on the Australian legend’s Wimbledon memories and milestones. The storied tournament is where Woodbridge achieved some of his greatest career highlights, from winning the 1993 men’s doubles title – the first of five in a row with Mark Woodforde – to triumphing in nine of 10 men's doubles finals, plus reaching the singles semifinals in 1997. The fact he thrived at the All England Club is a testament to the power of a dream, former as a child when he would watch Wimbledon on the TV at night in front of the heater during the Australian winter. In other nuggets from this chat, we hear how he played his first main-draw singles match on Centre Court in 1988, beat Pete Sampras in the American great’s Wimbledon debut in 1989, and scored a rare triple bagel in qualifying in 2001. Catch Part I here: Todd Woodbridge (Part I): Records, recollections, and a legacy beyond tennis

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In this special edition of The Sit-Down, we delve into our archives to revisit our guests’ favourite Wimbledon moments. We hear from Brits Tim Henman and Katie Boulter, who have thrived on home support at the All England Club and, in Henman’s case, have a spectators' vantage point named in his honour. We chat to Australian legends Pat Cash, Lleyton Hewitt, Mark Philippoussis and Pat Rafter about what it was like to feature on the final Sunday. Wimbledon was also significant for former world No.1s Angelique Kerber, Garbine Muguruza and Stan Smith, all of whom reflected on their triumphs at SW19. Viv and Matt also got the inside story of Ash Barty’s 2021 triumph from Craig Tyzzer – the man who coached her to her most coveted title.

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Joanna Garland’s profile exploded at AO 2026 when she won through to the final of the 1 Point Slam at Rod Laver Arena, beating Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios, Maria Sakkari and Donna Vekic along the way. She sat down with Viv and Matt to relive what was one of her greatest professional tennis experiences, and how things shifted for her in the aftermath. In this candid interview, Garland also shares stories from developing her game in Chinese Taipei, how she’s come to be based in the Netherlands, and her connection to the UK, where she was born. And that’s where she’ll be this week, competing in Wimbledon qualifying as she chases her dream of playing in the main draw at the All England Club, and where she hopes to take another step closer to a top-100 debut.

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