Meet the Team
Joel Girling
Founder & Co-Host
From Henman Hill to Flushing Meadow, Joel has played, worked and watched tennis for the best part of three decades. A ‘career fan slammer’ and an Andy Murray maniac, his crowning achievement (apart from setting up the podcast!) was watching the Scot win his first slam live at the 2012 US Open against Novak Djokovic
Kim Mackenzie
Co-Host
Avidly following the tennis circuit since 2006 when a young Mallorcan made her realise tennis existed beyond Wimbledon, Kim has globe-trotted the world ever-after in the quest of watching Rafael Nadal. A self-proclaimed Wimbledon Queue expert – something to this day Joel still doesn’t completely get the appeal of!
Christopher Kneebone
Co-Host
A serious Daniela Hantuchova fan since that R2 Wimbledon 2003 clash with Asagoe (if you know you know). A WTA enthusiast who knows his Jule Niemeiers from his Carol Zhaos. If there is a female player on court, Chris will have heard of them. His favourite slam is Roland Garros, just don’t tell Joel and Kim or the All England Lawn Tennis Club for that matter!
Our Tennis Weekly Story…
Humble beginnings
2017 - 2020
Back in the summer of 2017, after two plus decades of playing, working and endlessly watching the sport he loved, Joel came to a realisation - tennis coverage on the telly was being taken too seriously.
No-one spoke like they were mates chatting about Wimbledon over a pint in a pub. So, fast forward six months, The Passing Shot was born, with Joel & Kim entertaining the thoughts of each other every few weeks on the ATP & WTA Tours.
Evolving the show
2020 - 2022
All was going swimmingly - until the pandemic hit in 2020 and tennis stopped. But Joel & Kim kept going.
In the absence of live tennis, they grew and evolved the show into what has become their four main series: 1) Tour Catch-Ups, 2) Slam Round-by-Rounds, 3) Tennis Weekly Meets and 4) The Book Club so they could help fans have their tennis fix fully satisfied in the absence of live tennis.
A new era!
2022 - present
Then at the start of 2022, Joel & Kim decided to mix it up and rebranded to a new name - Tennis Weekly, produced by Passing Shot Productions. And within the next 12 months, Chris hopped on board too.
This is the current identity of the podcast but although that has changed, their approach and values have remained constant with each and every episode produced - three tennis fans talking tennis like they were in a pub and not taking it too seriously.