Triumph and Disaster: A Journey Inside Centre Court NinetyFour19 for Vodafone

Laura Robson, Alfie Hewett and Jack Draper return for the fourth episode of their pre-Wimbledon series celebrating one hundred years of Centre Court.   Laura's been asking most of the questions so far; now the tables are turned!   What was it like winning the Wimbledon juniors at 14 and then making her Centre Court debut in the main draw at 16?   This was one of the most promising junior careers the game has ever seen.  Winning an Olympic silver medal at 18 was a highlight; likewise making the last 16 of both Wimbledon and the US Open.  But that success brought it's own unique pressures and injuries soon started to disrupt the trajectory.  Before Laura's 21st birthday, she was experiencing pain which would ultimately prevent her tennis career hitting the absolute heights.   This is the full story of an injury-blighted career, the full list of surgeries which cut short the dream.  Now new chapters begin...

Full time codes:

00:55.  So how's this working?!  Jack's ready to turn the tables, but where's Alfie?!

01:25.  Laura's run to the junior title in 2008 came at the ripe old age of 14.  What was the real incentive?!

02:30.  Jack's keen to know how things happened so quickly, so early in her junior career.

03:05.  Alfie drills down into how things changed after winning Wimbledon, a tournament at the end of her road.  Things get "creepy"..

04:25.  Jack also had a stellar junior career; they compare training schedules.  Would Laura have done anything differently with hindsight?

06:15.  Alfie wants to dive deeper into the lessons Laura learned from hitting stardom so young.  It's a story...

07:15.  In 2012, at the age of 18, Laura's nervously waiting for a place in London Olympics.  She comes from "a huge Olympics family" so why is she still bitter to this day?!

08:45.  Alfie shares memories of Olympic/Paralympic Opening Ceremonies before Jack delves for Shazza stories...

10:30.  Laura's best moment at 2012 came in the Mixed Doubles, partnering Andy Murray.  So how did that combo come about?!

11:15.  Preparation for her Mixed Gold Medal match was rather bizarre; she watched her partner play the singles final from the players' box!

12:10.  Kathy Robson goes walkabout.  It's a family affair, as it transpires... Jack was 10.  He was there.

14:00. She may not remember the podium, but she what happened next still grates... Whole Foods, Cincinnati, gets an unlikely mention.

15:30. It's Tim Henman time!

16:40. We fast-forward to 2014.  The second-half of this pod is not masses of fun for Laura.  Sorry, L!

17:40. Jack wants to clarify exactly how many surgeries Laura had.  Most of us lost count...

18:10.  She's only 20 at this point.  After such a promising junior career, she's heading back to square one "so many times".

19:05. Jack and Alfie are stacking up the questions now.  How did she stay positive and retain belief?  

19:50. Things get "brutal".  Alfie asks the thing that's on everyone's mind...

21:05. It took until May 2022 for Laura to confirm her retirement.  So, asks Jack, how many times did she think about it before?

22:30. Time to take this pod back to planet positive!  With all that off her chest, what does the future now hold for Laura?

23:40. Laura accepts she's still so young and feels excitement for the future.  Dark and negative times are in the past, she says...

24:10. Watch Wimbledon Uncovered in 360, powered by Vodafone.

24:30. Thoughts ahead of Wimbledon; is Alfie going to win the singles, is Jack going to draw Novak again?!



The whole series is now available. Enjoy!

Laura Robson, Alfie Hewett and Jack Draper return for the third part of their pre-Wimbledon series, celebrating 100 years of Centre Court. This one's all about Alfie; fresh from winning his 15th Grand Slam doubles title with Gordon Reid at the French Open, remarkably their 10th major in succession.  Alfie's the only member of the team who hasn't yet played on Centre; remember he told us in Episode One his one experience was a Royal Box invite in 2018. Not bad, but not enough!  So this isn't about memories of Centre, it's about aspirations of one day playing there.  Wheelchair events at Wimbledon have been gradually upgraded through the courts, including the women's singles final being played on Court One for the first time in 2021.  So is it possible?  Wheelchairs on Centre? Logistics and tradition suggest it's a hard sell but, as Alfie says, they other Slams have managed it, so why not?  

Time Codes:

00:55. Time to update someone's bio!  Congrats Gordon and Alfie, who's straight off the plane to tell us about it!

02:05. We start by hearing about the time Alfie and Jack hit the court together; both in wheelchairs.  I think we know how this ends...

02:50. Lucy Shuker's also on the court but has to take cover when Jack flies a serve down; Jack goes a shade of strawberry...

03:35. At the age of 7, Alfie received the diagnosis which would change his life.   He takes us back to the beginning for the full story...

04:00. He wanted to play in goal for Norwich City before "this random thing came out of nowhere".

04:35. A visit to Stoke Mandeville Hospital helped Alfie find a new direction...

05:10. Alfie kept himself active by playing three very different sports; tennis was just a hobby by this point, basketball was the priority...

06:50. Jack's interested to know about the visibility of wheelchair tennis at that point.  The search engine Alfie mentions is at https://parasport.org.uk. See also https://join.accessercise.com/. 

08:10. Time to big up "The Quadfather"!  Peter Norfolk inspired many athletes, including Alfie, around the time of London 2012.  

08:55. Jack and Laura are keen to find out about the kit; it's expensive stuff!  Alfie explains the difference between regular chairs and sports chairs.

10:30. Another dig at Jack's wheelchair skills prompts Alfie to ask our novice; "what's the hardest thing about operating a sports chair?"

11:50. We fast-forward to Alfie and Gordon winning Wimbledon for the first time in 2016; the year his career took off.  Alfie watched it back the other day!

14:20. Tim Henman time!

15:30. Laura's interested in finding out which is the best Grand Slam tournament, in terms of accessibility and visibility for wheelchair tennis.

16:45. Alfie says the time's right to start expanding the wheelchair draws and growing the game further...

17:35. The logical extension to this is Court scheduling; Jack's keen to dig a bit deeper here... Alfie's setting the bar high!

18:20. Laura's asks whether it would be possible to put a wheelchair match on Centre.  Alfie says, behind the scenes, we need to talk about it.  It's happened elsewhere, so why not Wimbledon?

19:50. Alfie says it's his dream to play on Centre Court and brings it back to the "deeper meaning"; he feels it would show the inclusivity that Britiain is famed for.

20:50. A huge question from Jack; how's the tech going to evolve?  Stephane Houdet's chair gets big-money promo...

22:20. Ambitions; Wimbledon? Paralympic Gold? Big prizes remain "on the bucket list"!

23:25. A questions from Laura: Who's the player in the podcast artwork?  Someone knows way too much....

Feel the Connection this summer with Vodafone, official partner of Wimbledon.

Laura Robson, Jack Draper and Alfie Hewett are back together for the second part in their pre-Wimbledon podcast series celebrating 100 years of Centre Court.  This is all about Jack; growing up in a tennis household, football vying for his attention before teenage tastes of Centre cemented his love for rackets and balls.  In a short space of time, he's gone from promising junior to top-100 threat; with a set off Djokovic at Wimbledon 2021 and four challenger titles already in 2022.  Settle back and enjoy Jack's story, which is only really beginning...

Time Codes:

01:05  Jack sheds light on the injury which ruled him out of Roland Garros.

01:50  Alfie talks about winning the Barcelona Open and reuniting with Gordon Reid in Paris (episode recorded before Roland Garros).

02:40  Jack talks about his earliest tennis memory in Sutton, south west of London. Realising his love for the game.

03:25  His Mum was a junior champion and his Dad ran the LTA but does Alfie have any tennis connections?!

04:30 We all follow matches from dodgy court feeds and live scores, but what about when it's a tennis parent?

05:30  Superstitions and rituals of nervous parents.

06:20  Jack talks about his two-year spell at the Chelsea FC Academy in Cobham.  What did he wear on his first day?

07:05  Did he ever have to make a decision between tennis and footaball, and what was the turning point?

07:45  So does it matter if you come from a tennis family?  Jack says "everyone has a different story", Laura agrees.

09:05  More on Jack's early memories of Centre Court, especially watching Andy Murray win Wimbledon in 2013.  We get quite a bit of detail, much to Laura and Alfie's amusement!

10:50  Jack was 11 at the time; was that the moment which made him believe he could become a pro?

11:30  Tim Henman time!

12:30  Jack talks about his epic semi-final in the boys' singles match in 2018, played on Court 3, and then the sold-out final on Court 1.

13:45  Alfie's interested in the transition from juniors to seniors; Jack gives interesting perspective on his journey.

14:15  Laura has huge experience of this, of course.  She talks about the big difference between Wimbledon and the other Grand Slams.

15:15  Laura's keen to know if Jack met any good celebs.  This takes us down an unexpected backroad...

16:45  We have a winner in the impromptu "most famous person you've met at Wimbledon" competition.  A clear winner...

17:25  So. Wimbledon 2021. Round 1; Day 1.  Centre Court.  Jack Draper (wild card) versus Novak Djokovic (top seed, defending champion).  What an experience.

18:45  Laura's keen to know what he learned from his Centre Court debut.  Jack talks about the morning of the match and the weird sensation.

19:40  Alfie's straight to the point; how on earth did he win the first set?!?

20:30  Ticket requests and distant friends.  Jack gets a casual invitation after the Djokovic match.

21:45  Having tasted the big time on the biggest stage, has that given him the taste for more?!

22:25  Queens next week. He beat Sinner and Bublik there last year, for his first ATP wins.  A lot has happened since!



Credits:  Production: Jonathan Overend and Danny Garlick. Mastering: Lee Sparey. Music: Dan Compton. Dummy Commentary performed by: Alastair Eykyn. Executive Editor for NinetyFour19: Jonathan Overend.

As Centre Court celebrates its centenary in 2022, three of the UK’s most well-known tennis stars, Laura Robson, Jack Draper and Alfie Hewett, come together for an exciting new podcast series, in association with Vodafone, official partner of Wimbledon.  

Laura first played on Centre as a 16 year-old; Roger Federer wishing her luck down the staircase.  Wild-card Jack opened the tournament last year against defending champion Novak Djokovic.  But the only experience for Paralympic medallist and 19-times Grand Slam champion Alfie Hewett has been from the Royal Box (albeit alongside Rod Laver and Billie Jean King); perhaps one day that will change...

Episode One is all about finding out what makes Centre Court such a special place to watch and play. "The magic of Centre Court", that's what it is...

Full time codes:

00:00  Introduction from Laura.  (improvised commentary performed by Alastair Eykyn).

00:50  Jack gives his thoughts on playing Surbiton challenger alongside Andy Murray.

01:40  Alfie reflects on a title-winning week at the Barcelona Open ahead of defending his Roland Garros titles.

02:10  Laura tells the guys what life's been like since announcing her retirement. 

03:15  Laura tells Jack how she got emotional at Wimbledon when breaking the news to the BBC's Russell Fuller.

03:45  Alfie finds some common ground; last year he thought his career was ending when he went through Paralympic re-classification.  

04:40  Jack recalls watching Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic as an 11-year old from close to the court.

05:45  Alfie reveals he didn't watch too much able-bodied tennis growing up.  But he did get immersed in London 2012.

07:10  Alfie has yet to play on Centre Court but talks about how wheelchair tennis is gradually being "upgraded".

07:30  Laura takes us back to U-10 days when a promise to play on a show court didn't turn out as planned...

08:50  Laura talks about the walk from the locker room and bumping into a superstar just before her debut at 16...

10:10  Jack only had to play the best player in the world on the opening day... no pressure!

11:00  There's a different walk-on for the players this year on Centre Court.  Laura explains the change... sounds exciting!

11:40  Alfie agrees that it's the atmosphere which makes Wimbledon. "Sometimes I just wish I was a fan!"  

12:10  The difference between watching in Centre Court and watching on TV is vast.  Laura gets evocative.  

13:20  Jack talks about playing on outside courts when the noise from Centre erupts.  

14:00  Behind the scenes secrets from Laura; passageways and secret tunnels.  "Nowhere else has the same vibe".

15:25  Hello to Tim Henman!

16:30  More memories: Laura goes back to 2008.  Was Jack born?!   He can recount the match like yesterday.

17:15   Alfie goes off on a tangent; to Court 18 to be precise.

18:05  Jack talks about the global appeal of the big matches and Laura reminisces about classic celebrations.

18:40  Jack was chatting to Andy Murray about his 2013 celebration.  Would he go up to the box if he ever won?!

19:30   They're addicts these guys; they can remember winning shots from historic matches. "I'm a tennis nut!" says Jack.  

20:55   Alfie grills Jack on making his Centre Court debut against Djokovic.  Much more on this on Episode Two!

22:30   Alfie's had an "insane experience" but rather than on the court, in the Royal Box!

24:00   We're back to the sound of Centre Court.  The silence,

25:00   How did everyone do?!

Get in the mood for Wimbledon by subscribing to this exciting new podcast with three of the UK’s most well-known tennis stars, in association with Vodafone.  Recently-retired Laura Robson is joined by 19-times Grand Slam champion and double Paralympic silver medallist Alfie Hewett plus rising star Jack Draper, already with four challenger tournament wins in 2022 and heading rapidly for the world’s elite.  Together, they discuss what makes Wimbledon so special and share their very different experiences of Centre Court, which celebrates its centenary in 2022.  Series launches 1st June with new episodes every Wednesday until the start of the tournament.