It was a thrilling finals weekend in Madrid with Aryna Sabalenka getting revenge on Iga Swiatek before Carlos Alcaraz survived a great performance by Jan-Lennard Struff to defend his title. Catherine is back home and she joins David and Matt to review it all. Is Sabalenka-Swiatek now a legitimate rivalry? Will Sabalenka be able to take this form to Rome and Roland Garros? And did Struff provide a blueprint for facing Alcaraz?

Sadly, the great tennis was somewhat overshadowed by the fact that the women's doubles finalists - Victoria Azarenka, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Jessica Pegula & Coco Gauff - were not allowed to give speeches on court. What happened? Why did it happen? What might it have to do with #cakegate? Why have the tournament not put out an official explanation? And in what way did this incident feed into the idea that the WTA players don't receive equal treatment in Madrid?

Elsewhere, we cover Andy Murray winning a Challenger title in Aix-en-Provence, Rafael Nadal withdrawing from Rome, and Veronika Kudermetova's sponsorship with one of Russia's gas and oil giants.

ON LOCATION:

This edition of The Tennis Podcast is brought to you in association with On Location, the premium hospitality and experience provider. On Location took us to Indian Wells last month so we can vouch for the brilliant experiences they provide at tennis tournaments. They provide packages via Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours to all of the four Grand Slam tournaments, including the US Open, which is on sale now, with fantastic seats, hospitality and hotel packages available for the year’s final major event at Flushing Meadows in New York. Go to OnLocationEXP.com/TTP to see what they have to offer. 

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