Tennis with an Accent: Recent Episodes
Saqib
Tennis with an Accent is a podcast on tennis. Where we bring weekly conversations on all things tennis
Hall of Fame tennis writer Steve Flink returns to the podcast to discuss his latest book, The Immortals of American Tennis.Across a career spanning more than five decades, Flink has witnessed multiple generations of tennis history from the closest vantage point. In his new book, he profiles many of the greatest figures in American tennis, including Arthur Ashe, Pete Sampras, Bill Tilden, Chris Evert, and Serena and Venus Williams, along with several other legendary champions.In this episode, Flink explains the criteria behind his selections, discusses some of the notable omissions, and reflects on what separates the truly immortal players from the rest. The conversation also explores the evolution of American tennis and the lasting impact these icons have had on the sport.Whether you’re a lifelong tennis enthusiast or simply interested in the game’s rich history, The Immortals of American Tennis offers a compelling look at the athletes who shaped the American legacy in tennis.If you’d like, I can also make these show notes more SEO-friendly or tailor them to a more conversational podcast style.
This week, we’re joined by Marco Trungelliti, one of Argentina’s most resilient and inspiring tennis professionals, for an incredibly honest and candid conversation.Marco reflects on the highs and lows of life on the professional tour, sharing the challenges, sacrifices, and defining moments that have shaped his remarkable career. He talks about his Argentine roots, why the longer format of tennis has always suited his game, and the mindset required to compete at the highest level.His longtime association with coach Albert Portas is also a focus of this interview as Marco has transformed his career on Portas's watch. We also explore the turning point that led Marco to reset his goals, rediscover his love for the sport, and produce some of the best tennis of his career. Now, at 36 years old, he has broken back into the ATP Top 100, proving that perseverance, perspective, and passion can be just as important as talent.
Linda Noskova and Jannik Sinner are Wimbledon champions. Noskova captured her first title at the All England Club after overcoming Karolina Muchova, while Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev to add another Grand Slam trophy to his growing collection. Both finals delivered high-quality tennis and showcased the resilience of four outstanding competitors.On this episode of The Tennis with an Accent Podcast (TWAA), host Matt Zemek is joined by Andrew Burton, Skip Schwarzman, and Mert Ertunga to break down Championship Weekend at Wimbledon. The panel analyzes both singles finals, discusses the defining moments of the tournament, and explores the biggest storylines shaping the ATP and WTA Tours heading into the North American hard-court swing.
We’re kicking off a brand-new series on the podcast: Barstool Conversations at TWAA.In our inaugural episode, we dive into The Championships, Wimbledon, with a panel that brings together perspectives from across the tennis world. Joining the conversation are Steve Flink (media), Gene Mayer (former player), and Skip Schwarzmann (fans), each offering a unique lens on one of the sport’s most iconic events.Together, they explore Wimbledon’s enduring prestige in tennis’s evolving landscape, discuss whether it’s time to move beyond historical traditions such as grass-court seedings, and examine how the tournament continues to balance heritage with the modern game.The result is a lively, thoughtful conversation that blends insight, experience, and passion, offering a well-rounded perspective on some of tennis’s most enduring and evergreen topics.
TWAA regulars Coach Mert Ertunga and Andrew Burton join host Matt Zemek to preview The Championships, Wimbledon. The panel agrees that the women’s draw features a broader group of genuine title contenders, while the men’s event appears more concentrated at the top.Mert and Andrew take a deep dive into both draws, breaking down their favorites, dark horses, and dangerous floaters capable of making surprise runs as in Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka among others. The conversation also covers the return of Serena Williams, one of the tournament’s biggest storylines, and what her presence could mean for the fortnight. Rounding out the episode, the panel highlights the must-watch first-round popcorn matches, potential upsets, and the key storylines to follow as Wimbledon gets underway.
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash is this week’s podcast guest. Cash returns to the show to relive some of his greatest victories and most painful defeats along with the overall arc of his career.A tennis career is about more than wins and losses—it also involves training methods, overcoming chronic injuries, and making significant lifestyle sacrifices. During the mid-1980s, Cash transformed himself into a physical powerhouse by changing his nutrition and becoming one of the first tennis players to embrace weight training. He also discusses his decision to hire a sports psychologist, a relatively uncommon move at the time.In an extremely candid conversation, Cash reflects on the expectations placed on Australian tennis players and explains how their careers are often judged by two measures: Wimbledon and the Davis Cup.
Mirra Andreeva and Alexander Zverev each captured their first major title over the past fortnight at Roland Garros, but the significance of those victories was very different. For Andreeva, it was a coming-of-age triumph that could mark the beginning of a long and successful reign among the sport’s elite. For Zverev, it was about finally seizing a golden opportunity, taking advantage of an open draw, and shedding the burden of years of near misses on the biggest stage.The fortnight delivered no shortage of drama across both draws. Flavio Cobolli, Maja Chwalińska, Matteo Arnaldi, and Diana Shnaider were among the players who made memorable runs and took important steps toward greater prominence in the tennis world.The tWAA crew is assembled in full force to break down one of the most compelling majors in recent memory, featuring unpredictable weather, stunning upsets, and thrilling tennis from start to finish. Host Matt Zemek is joined by Mert Ertunga, Skip Schwarzman, and Andrew Burton to reflect on all the action from Paris.
This week's podcast guest is Hana Mandlíková — a four-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 3, widely regarded as one of the most talented players of her generation.With this edition of Roland Garros marking 45 years since her victory in Paris, Mandlíková joins host Saqib Ali for a candid and wide-ranging conversation covering the full arc of her storied career. She reflects on her fierce rivalries with the dominant duo of her era, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, while also discussing the influence of her coach Betty Stove. The episode further explores her successful transition into coaching, most notably her work alongside the late Jana Novotná.A winner of 27 tour-level titles and twice a finalist at Wimbledon, Mandlíková remains one of the most compelling figures of the Open Era.
We preview the Roland Garros draws- WTA and ATP in this episode of the podcast. Host Matt Zemek is joined by tennis historian Steve Flink and podcast resident guest Andrew Burton. The WTA draw is loaded with more balance of power and depth compared to the ATP and is the bigger draw card. The trio breaks down all the burning questions ahead of the draw. All the top favorites and contenders are covered - brew a cuppa coffee and get ready for the draw rundown!
Rome champions were crowned this weekend. TWAA crew of Matt Zemek, Andrew Burton and Skip Schwarzman return to talk about the finals and key takeaways from the eternal city. The crew tires to address the fact is Jannik Sinner being so good means his game is boring? What does the Elina Svitolina’s third triumph in Rome means for her status as Roland Garros favorite? We have detail and nuance filled observations from the two finals for your consumption.
Roland Garros is a tournament where some of the most attacking players on the men’s side have come in short. In this episode we talk about those very players - the best of their generation who could not lift the French Open title. 1990 Roland Garros champion Andres Gomez and Hall of famer Steve Flink join host Saqib Ali to share their respective lists of tennis greats who did not win the title in Paris. The lists carry a lot of the usual suspects like McEnroe, Edberg and Connors but there are also some names that will make this exercise a fun listen for the listenership of the pod.Gomez also gives his views on some of the attacking players of his era and how the surface posed them challenges. The conversation gradually finds its way to current players of today’s ATP and how the clay court prowess has evolved over the years.
Marta Kostyuk and Jannik Sinner won their maiden Madrid 1000 events over the weekend. TWAA panel of Andrew Burton, Skip Schwarzman and Matt Zemek break down some of the key talking points from Madrid and also look forward to Rome.The WTA event had three players - led by the eventual winner Kostyuk making their first semi final at a M1000 event. Madrid is an outlier on the road to Paris given that it's played in high altitude but we all know in sports there is no substitute for confidence and Kostyuk has not lost on clay this season. Sinner on the other hand is also unbeaten on clay this year on top of winning all four M1000 events on the men’s side.The trio also discussed other key players on both tours like Djokovic, Sabalenka, Zverev, Swiatek and Andreeva.
Hall of famer Steve Flink and Tennis Channel commentator Gill Gross reunite with host Saqib Ali to breakdown the clay power rankings of the ATP. The episode was recorded few days before Carlos Alcaraz's withdrawal from Roland Garros was announced. The other names discussed by the panel makes this a compelling listen given we are still in the heart of the clay season. Brew your favorite cup of coffee and get ready to compare our tiers of rankings with yours. There are some usual suspects and some surprise picks.
Hall of famer Mark Woodforde returns to the pod to give insights on why players chose Monte Carlo as their home base during playing days. In a typical and candid Woodforde fashion this episode is full of rich details on his journey as a Monte Carlo resident and also playing money tournaments in South of France while he was tryig to establish himself on the pro circuit. Also sheds light on some of the best clay courters of his era - Thomas Muster, Mats Wilander and Sergi Bruguera.
Host Saqib Ali shares his experience on being at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters this past week. Mert Ertunga plays host duties as the duo exchanges notes on watching Monte Carlo live on site. Mert also breaks down the patterns of the Jannik Sinner Carlos Alcaraz finals and gives his views on the rise of Valentin Vacherot and the conundrum of the situation for Alex Zverev.
Former top 10 players Gene Mayer and Tim Mayotte join host Saqib Ali to discuss the depth of the American men. Currently US has 17 players in the top 100 and this resurgence is led by Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton. Both guests break down their set of players using a tier system. Tune in and see if your tiers have the same players as Mayer and Mayotte.
Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina have created their own history in Melbourne at this year's Australian Open. Host Matt Zemek is joined by TWAA panelists - Mert Ertunga, Andrew Burton and Skip Schwarzman to break down the finals weekend!In depth analysis on men's semis and both sets of finals - starring Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sinner, Zverev, Sabalenka and Rybakina.
To kick off the 2026 podcasting season the TWAA crew came up with the list of “The greatest men’s matches of the century”. This was an incredibly fun exercise with a lot of minute details and the surrounding context of these great matches. The panelists are Steve Flink, Andrew Burton, Mert Ertunga and host Saqib Ali. Get ready for this detailed unpacking of some of the best men’s matches of last 25 years. Please tag us on twitter and share your list!ListsMert Ertunga Nadal vs Federer Rome 2006Nadal vs Federer Wimbledon 2008Djokovic vs Nadal Wimbledon 2018Alcaraz vs Sinner RG 2025Safin vs Federer AO 2005Sampras vs Agassi USO 2001Nadal vs Djokovic RG 2013Djokovic vs Federer Wimbledon 2014Rafter vs Agassi Wimbledon 2001Djokovic vs Wawrinka AO 2013Steve FlinkNadal vs Federer Wimbledon 2008Djokovic vs Nadal AO 2012Alcaraz vs Sinner RG 2025Djokovic vs Federer Wimbledon 2019Sampras vs Agassi USO 2001Djokovic vs Nadal Wimbledon 2018Nadal vs Federer Rome 2006Safin vs Federer AO 2005Djokovic vs Murray Shanghai 2012Nadal vs Medvedev AO 2022Andrew BurtonNadal vs Federer Rome 2006Mayer vs Souza Davis Cup 2015Nadal vs Federer Wimbledon 2008Alcaraz vs Sinner RG 2025Wawrinka vs Djokovic RG 2015Djokovic vs Federer Wimbledon 2019Nadal vs Djokovic Rg 2013Djokovic vs Nadal Miami 2011Federer vs Del Potro Olympics 2012Ivanisevic vs Rafter Wimbledon 2001Saqib AliNadal vs Federer Wimbledon 2008Djokovic vs Nadal AO 2012Djokovic vs Nadal Wimbledon 2018Safin vs Federer AO 2005Nadal vs Federer Rome 2006Alcaraz vs Sinner RG 2025Rafter vs Agassi Wimbledon 2000Djokovic vs Federer Wimbledon 2014Djokovic vs Wawrinka AO 2013Safin vs Agassi AO 2004
In an off season throw back episode we relive the Australian Open transition days of the 1980's - the move from Kooyong to Flinders Park now called RLA. Host Saqib Ali is joined by podcast repeat guests Mark Woodforde, Tim Mayotte and Kevin Curren. This is a classic conversation from the vault where the guests had so much shared experience and knowledge from their playing days to impart to the listeners.This is a special episode to recall and learn so much about the status of the AO back in the day - its place on the calendar and its prestige compared to the other three majors. Please tune in and enjoy the chat.
Mert Ertunga joins host Saqib Ali to review the Nitto ATP finals. The season finale was a fitting extension to the all year long dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. This level of dominance is a first according to Mert where the two players have separated themselves from the field by quite a distance. This has been the repeat mode of conversation on who can possibly disrupt the party of Sinner and Alcaraz. It is the same conversation but with a lot of nuance and introspection from the coach himself. We cover this topic through the prism of current challengers and potential challengers. Tune in as Mert holds court at TWAA!
Hall of Famer Steve Flink joins host Matt Zemek on the the TWAA pod this week to create a timeless episode where they tackle some of the biggest what if questions through the prism of a historian. Matt brings his A game to extract the wealth of knowledge only has to offer. The conversation focuses on the extended dominance of the big three to the latest stranglehold the “new two” have on the men’s tour. Besides the usual suspects the episode creates “what if” scenarios which feature Borg, Laver. Sampras, Rafter and many others! It is a great end of season podcast for the TWAA listeners!
Carlos Alcaraz has won the US Open for the second time and in the process has regained the number one ranking. It also means for the second straight year the dynamic duo of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have cleaned up the four majors between them. We break down the final and speculate if this duopoly is good for the sport or do we need an intervention from a third player in 2026. To do the honors host Matt Zemek is joined by TWAA consultant Skip Schwarzman and Hall of Famer Mark Woodforde.It is a great deep dive of the US Open Men's edition. Brew a cuppa and get ready!
Aryna Sabalenka has successfully defended her US open title and in the process has salvaged her season which had her endure few heartbreaks in various big matches. Coach Mert Ertunga joins host Matt Zemek to review the WTA edition of the US open 2025.It was a tournament which lived up to the hype of the pre tourney draw and delivered many noteworthy matches and plot lines. One of those big stories was how Ananda Anisimova performed in New York after suffering a humiliating loss in the Wimbledon final. Return of one Naomi Osaka to the big stages of grand slam tennis also made this fortnight special. Tune in for more details and nuances as coach Mert holds court!
In the latest episode of the podcast we preview the WTA and ATP draws for the US Open. The panel includes podcast regulars Andrew Burton, Mert Ertunga and host Matt Zemek. We tee off with the ATP side of the house as it's the more predictable event compared to the more deeply balanced WTA. The menu consists of tricky pockets, seeds who are a lock to go deep and party spoilers. Its all here - please dive right in!
In this week’s episode host Saqib Ali is joined by hall of famer Steve Flink and coach Skip Schwarzman to discuss the best ATP player who fell short at the US Open. In Skip’s words the book of “If” is a never ending book and fittingly the conversation covered a lot of ground from Tony Roche to Marat Safin. It is a free flowing discussion where Bjorn Borg was the unanimous choice as the best player to not have won the US Open men’s singles. To find out about other names please tune in.
In a special episode former major champions Pat Cash and Andres Gomez join TWAA podcast host Saqib Ali to relive the 1980’s ATP - especially the hard court tennis leading up to the Open.It’s a conversation super rich in anecdotal value and information on some of the big names of that generation. It is a great episode for fans of all generations given the guests are great story tellers and recall a fair bit of detailed experiences from the tennis circuit of the 80’s.
Former Wimbledon finalist Kevin Curren joins the podcast this week to look back at his tennis career. The conversation covers a lot of ground from his early days in his native country of South Africa to his move to play collegiate tennis in Austin, TX and all the way to his famous centre court date with Boris Becker in the 1985 final of Wimbledon. Curren is very forthcoming about all the facets of this incredible journey. He provides great anecdotal value along the way as the conversation touches upon some of his famous rivals like John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl.It is a detailed account of a great tennis career - brew a cup of coffee and dive right in!
Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner are your new Wimbledon champions! While doing that they respectively became first player from their respective nations to win their respective titles at Wimbledon.Host Matt Zemek is joined by resident guests Andrew Burton and Skip Schwarman to review The Championships. Sinner reversed the heartbreak of that result from Paris and defeated arch rival Carlos Alcaraz for his maiden title while Swiatek ended her year long title drought at the tour level in spectacular fashion by defeating first time major finalist Amanda Anisimova.The trio takes a deep dive into the fortnight and dissects all the major players who met with triumph and disaster during Wimbledon.
Coach Mert Ertunga joins host Matt Zemek to preview The Championships. Aryna Sabalenka comes in as a title favorite and she may have to deal with Australian Open champ Madison Keys in the quarter finals - which can be the match of the fortnight according to Mert in terms of determining the champion. The conversation highlights some dangerous first round matches as well as some possible dynamite matches in the second week - especially a mouth watering potential duel between Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina.Mert also feels Coco Gauff may not have enough match reps on grass to make a deep run at Wimbledon. Tune in to listen to the full WTA preview. On the men’s side Mert believes the winner will come out of the trio of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. Is Djokovic more equipped to prevent the Alcaraz Sinner final here on grass compared to Roland Garros? Can Jack Draper come out of his murderer’s row of a draw? Tune in to listen to the full ATP draw preview as a highly compelling fortnight awaits.
In the latest episode of the podcast host Saqib Ali is joined by hall of fame tennis writer Steve Flink and noted tennis commentator Nick Lester to review the mid-point of the ATP season. The conversation is also geared towards the grass court swing which is in full flight - headed for Wimbledon.The episode covers the legitimacy of Jack Draper as a top Wimbledon favorite behind the esteemed trio of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. Its a fun episode which covers lot of ground along with a peak at the Tennis viz insights data
It was the closing weekend at Roland Garros! Host Matt Zemek is joined by resident guests Andrew Burton and Skip Schwarzman to review RG 2025. It was the first time in more than four decades that it was number one vs number two at both the men's and women's final. And fair to say both finals delivered - which makes this episode a deeper dive in terms of our analysis!Brew your coffee and dive right in!
Mert Ertunga and Andrew Burton join host Matt Zemek to preview both draws - ATP and WTA ahead of this year's Roland Garros. Four time champion Iga Swiatek was handed a difficult draw compared to her arch rivals Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff. On the men’s side the top two seeds - Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz start as big favorites. Our experts looks at some of the potential upsets and tricky matchups while dissecting the draws. Tune in!
Former Wimbledon semi finalist Tim Mayotte and our in house analyst Skip Schwarzman join host Matt Zemek to review the Rome 1000 event for both ATP and WTA.The conversation includes a wide variety of topics from the recently concluded Rome event with the central focus on the Winners, finalists and the usual suspects. Tune in!
Resident Guests Mert Ertunga and Andrew Burton join host Matt Zemek to break down the recently concluded Madrid 1000 event for both WTA and ATP. Topics covered include the maiden win of Casper Ruud at the masters 1000 level, the bankability of Aryna Sabalenka's tennis and the loss of confidence of Iga Swiatek. Tune in to listen to the review and other relevant topics.
Steve Flink and Gill Gross return to the annual clay power ranking get together and discuss the atp hierarchy with host Saqib Ali.It is a fun conversation - get your own lists ready to compare and tune into the show.
The Australian Open review podcast is here with host Matt Zemek, Andrew Burton and Skip Schwarzman. The discussion is a rich one with focus on the breakthrough triumph of Madison Keys. As Andrew would say this was the perfect "Murderers row" of a draw for Keys. The discussion also covers the continued dominance of Jannik Sinner and another runners up result for Sascha Zverev. Tune in to get a detailed discussion from the TWAA crew!
Andrew Burton joins host Matt Zemek for a mid point check in for the Australian Open 2025. The discussion centers around some of the marquee matches that loom large in the second week - and none bigger than the Novak Djokovic- Carlos Alcaraz clash. Tune in for a complete QF and beyond preview.
In the latest edition of the podcast we look back at the ATP decade of 2010s. Usual suspects Steve Flink and Mert Ertunga join host Saqib Ali to breakdown the decade which was dominated by Novak Djokovic - who was closely followed by Rafa Nadal. The group looks back with fondness and immense respect at the historic ten year span of the sport which saw the term "big three" come into prominence. This was also a decade where only six men won a major title. This type of top heavy decade may never come around again!Tune in to relive the most glorious chapter of the men's game with emphasis on big matches, key moments and great careers.
Rafael Nadal is a former tennis player. Here is a little belated tribute episode to look back at the tennis career of Nadal. Host Matt Zemek is joined by the podcast regulars Andrew Burton, Skip Schwarzman and Mert Ertunga. The episode is a collection of how the group looks back at Nadal's impact, his legacy and his greatest hits among other memories.
Former tennis player Mark Lewis is the podcast guest in this episode. Lewis is also widely remembered as Michael Stich's coach during the German's most successful tennis phase. In this episode Lewis sheds light on the tennis scene in his native country of New Zealand. He also touches upon his brother's magical run to the Wimbledon final in 1983 before losing to John McEnroe. The episode is an extremely candid and generous account of Lewis's tennis journey where he shares lot of details about Stich and life on tour as a coach.
We review the ATP finals in this episode. Andrew Burton returns to the podcast to join fellow resident guest Skip Schwarzman and host Matt Zemek. The discussions centers on the best matches of the week where Taylor Fritz vs Alex Zverev is discussed at length. Other parts of this episode focusses on similar playing styles from the eight man field with Carlos Alcaraz being the outlier. Another question addressed here is who will be the leading candidate to challenge the Jannik Sinner- Alcaraz dominance at the top. Last but not the least the group takes stock of players who either had a breakthrough year or a missed opportunity at the highest level - Fritz, Zverev and Daniil Medvedev figure in this discussion.
Host Matt Zemek is joined by resident guest speaker Skip Schwarzman to review the recently concluded WTA finals. The episode is rich in topics such as court speed, visibility for doubles at big events and the significance of the WTA finals itself. Skip also weighed in with his observations on Coco Gauff's phenomenal run at the Riyadh finals where she had to go through a murderer's row of opponents in Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Qinwen Zheng.Last but not the least Skip expressed his displeasure about the number of ball tosses were being caught by the players! It is a great episode with Skip and Matt. Brew your favorite coffee and get settled - its a detailed view of a lot of relevant topics.
Tennis reporters Ravi Ubha and Steve Flink join host Saqib Ali to preview the year end field in Turin. Topics covered include the group breakdown with intriguing matchups and predicting the eventual winner. The conversation also relives some of the interesting moments from the event's history dating back to the inaugural years at Madison Square Garden. Ubha also shares his insights on Jack Draper - who once practiced at the same club as him.
Former top 10 player Lori McNeil joins host Saqib Ali on the podcast this week. McNeil was an accomplished singles player who also enjoyed a great doubles career. She is best remembered for reaching the semi finals of Wimbledon(1994) and US Open(1987) where she defeated Steffi Graf and Chris Evert respectively. In this episode McNeil relives some of those moments and also gives insights into her early days as a junior and how her journey was shaped as the WTA professional. Must listen for all tennis fans.
Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner have won their first US Open titles respectively. In the process they also swept the hard court majors for the year. Mert Ertunga and Andrew Burton join host Matt Zemek for the US Open review episode. The event also had two American finalists - Jessica Pegula on the WTA side and Taylor Fritz who became the first native man to reach the finals in New York since Andy Roddick's run in 2006.Dive in for a very rich conversation that looks back at the last major of the year and also tackles the big takeaways from the 2024 season.
Hall of famer and tennis historian Steve Flink joins host Matt Zemek in the latest episode of the podcast to talk about Novak Djokovic's golden slam. It is a monumental achievement even by Djokovic's illustrious standards and the duo discusses his revival in length. Also discussed in this episode are other Olympic tennis related topics and a look ahead to the already ongoing US summer hard court swing.https://www.amazon.com/Pete-Sampras-Greatness-Steve-Flink/dp/1937559947/ref=asc_df_1937559947/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693033695508&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3197514886592869182&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9193783&hvtargid=pla-925947799590&psc=1&mcid=ca7edb41a99d36718e96d52c8c0b4961&gad_source=1
It's a full house at the podcast this week as host Matt Zemek is joined by Andrew Burton, Skip Schwarzman and Mert Ertunga to talk about the championship weekend. Barbora Krejcikova won her second major title as she defeated Jasmine Paolini. Carlos Alcaraz defended his Wimbledon crown by defeating seven time champion Novak Djokovic.It's a packed episode which covers other players as well especially Lorenzo Musetti and Daniil Medvedev.
It is the middle Sunday episode of the Championships. We look back at the first week of Wimbledon 2024 with Andrew Burton and Matt Zemek. The episode also takes stock of the big stories from the first week and eventually transitions to what lies ahead as we approach the business end of the tournament. The WTA event as predicted in the preview show is living up to the chaotic billing while all the the top favorites from the ATP side are still in the draw. Tune in!
Andrew Burton and Sharada Iyer join host Matt Zemek to preview the draw for Wimbledon 2024. The trio dissects the favorites and larger stories going into the 137th edition of The Championships.
Former Wimbledon semi finalist Tim Mayotte and Hall of fame writer Steve Flink join host Saqib Ali as guest speakers to reminisce a shared decade at Wimbledon. In a conversation filled 80's nostalgia we unpack lot of popular players from Johnny Mac to Ivan Lendl through the memory prism of Mayotte and Flink.Its a fun filled episode with great recall and personal details from both men.
We put a wrap to our coverage of Roland Garros 2024 with an episode that covers the business end of the major and also some large themed takeaway into the season ahead.This episode has two segments - in the first segment Andrew Burton joins host Matt Zemek to look back at Iga Swiatek's continued dominance at the clay major. The duo also explores the possibilities for other top players like Gauff, Rybakina and Osaka as we approach the grass season.In the second segment of the episode Skip Schwarzman joins Matt to reflect on the Alcaraz Zverev final.A lot of analysis unpacked here - dive in folks!
Sharada Iyer and Andrew Burton join host Matt Zemek to talk about Swiatek-Osaka among other first week action from the clay major. The trio also look forward to the conclusion of the 2024 edition of Roland Garros in this middle sunday episode.
Andrew Burton joins host Matt Zemek to preview the WTA and ATP draws of the 2024 Roland Garros. The tide has clearly changed on both tours - WTA draws have displayed more top level stability while the ATP clay season has seen different winners at all key stops. Andrew and Matt also handpick their popcorn matches along with players expected to go deep on both draws. Its Iga and Aryna vs the field on the WTA. On the contrast the three ATP top favorites - Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sinner are all coming in with serious question marks and that makes this edition of RG the most wide open since year 2004.Tune in and please share your feedback on the draw with us on Twitter!
Gil Reyes joins the podcast this week as the guest speaker. He was a cornerstone in Andre Agassi's camp for nearly two decades. Reyes was the strength and conditioning coach for the basketball program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before meeting Agassi in 1989. Together the duo pushed the fitness needle in the men's game during the late 90's. Agassi who started as a flashy shot maker were to become one of the fittest men on the ATP tour and won 8 majors. Reyes talks about his partnership with Agassi with a lot pf affection and reflect on the times that changed both their lives. It's a must listen conversation for all tennis fans.
Andre Agassi had an incredible career and the 1999 Roland Garros win is one of his career defining moments. In three week's time it will be the 25th anniversary of his famous French Open triumph. In this week's episode hall of famer Steve Flink and TWAA analyst Skip Schwarzman join host Saqib Ali to look back at the career of Andre Agassi. It is hard to capture the Agassi journey in an episode spanning seventy five minutes. However the trio looks back at some of the impactful moments and memories of Agassi's storied career.
Resident guest Andrew Burton joins host Matt Zemek to review the recently concluded Madrid Open - where Iga Swiatek and Andrey Rublev were victorious in the respective WTA and ATP draws. Burton highlights the women's final weekend as the top player stability talking point with the likes of Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina holding centre stage. It's exactly the kind of weekend which puts the quality of the WTA tour at the front.The duo also looks at the Madrid result as an opportunity for other ATP players to make an impression on the upcoming Rome masters given the injured state of top men like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and the lack of match play for the 6 time Rome champion Novak Djokovic. Intriguing plots await on both men and women tours as the big prize in Paris looms large. The episode touches upon all this and more!
Briana Foust and Sharada Iyer join host Matt Zemek to discuss the ongoing clay swing for the women of the WTA. In a conversation consisting of rich topics from Iga Swiatek's dominance to the form of Danielle Collins - the duo covers a lot of ground. Also covered are topics like the stability of the WTA tour and power ranks for this part of the season. Tune in!
Steve Flink and Gill Gross return to the podcast to discuss the ATP power rankings with the season in full swing. We take a look at the usual suspects of favorites and challengers for this part of the ATP swing.Tune in to find out how your list compares with Steve and Gill's choices.
Podcast regulars Mert Ertunga and Skip Schwarzman join host Saqib Ali to talk about the state of the single hand backhand. The stroke has witnessed a gradual decline over the years and it became a louder conversation after Stefanos Tsitsipas departed the top 10 of the ATP rankings a month ago. Being the true students of the game - both Skip and Mert chimed in with their choices and reasons on how the game has reached this point.Tune in for a very rich conversation.Tennis with an accent on twitter - https://twitter.com/accent_tennisMert on twitter -https://twitter.com/MertovsTDeskSkip on twitter -https://twitter.com/TennisSkip1515
Former world number 38 Steve Darcis is the podcast guest this week. Darcis lets us in his world where he talks about his tennis career beginning and all the way to an injury forced retirement. Currently he does not miss the life on tour as he is happily married with kids and is incharge of the Davis cup team among other responsibilities with the Belgian tennis federation.He also talks about his wins over Nadal, Roddick, Berdych and other top pros. Last but not the least he gives us an insight on how public perception is for a top player like his compatriot David Goffin.
The AO2024 review episode is here - as Andrew Burton and coach Mert Ertunga join host Matt Zemek to recap the first major of the year. Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are the focal points of this discussion given their dominant form over the fortnight - which saw them secure the first major of the season. Also discussed in length is the process of Sinner's evolution and the instability of the WTA draws. Tune in!Andrew Burton on twitter - https://twitter.com/burtonadMert Ertunga on twitter - https://twitter.com/MertovsTDeskMatt Zemek on twitter -https://twitter.com/mzemekTennis with an Accent on twitter - https://twitter.com/accent_tennis
Happy new year to all the listeners. Andrew Burton joins Matt Zemek to preview the first major of the year. Andrew breaks down the paths of the top 8 seeds on both ATP and WTA - analyzing which player is likely to falter among the top seeds and who are the safe bets to honor their respective seeding.Its that time of the year - tennis is back already! Start listening folks.
Rising WTA player Gabriela Knutson is the podcast guest this week. Knutson has had a meteoric rise in the WTA ranks - jumping 307 spots during the recently completed 2023 season. He played 77 matches this season which was her second on tour.Knutson took the collegiate route to pro tennis while securing a masters degree in Digital Marketing and Renewable energy along the way. In a very candid interview she talks about various elements of her tennis journey with host Saqib Ali - which includes her tennis education in Czech republic to his NCAA tennis in Syracuse. Great listen for any tennis fan!You can subscribe to her youtube channel here -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8G6KFx3GtXiuW63jd8j21A
We recap the year with a podcast on the ATP decade of the 2000s with historian Steve Flink and coach Mert Ertunga.Beginning of the 2000s was set for a clash of generations with Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and co ready to take on the new balls please campaign stars in Nicolas Kiefer, Magnus Norman, Andy Roddick, Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt among others. The decade belonged to Roger Federer and we look back at his rise to prominence and his storied rivalry with Rafael Nadal - who himself became a very formidable name in the game by then. Last but not the least we also cover the rise of Novak Djokovic in the late 2000s - a perfect scene setter for the next podcast in the decade series which will belong to the Serbian.
Andrew Burton joins host Matt Zemek to recap the year end ATP finals. Novak Djokovic reigned supreme for a record 7th time at the year end finals and is one of the focal points of discussion. The duo weighs in on the four semi finalists from this event who also happen to be the four best players of this calendar year. The rise of Jannik Sinner in particular is another focal point of this episode along with notable mentions for Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune. Rafael Nadal's potential return to active tennis next year is the perfect segue to end this episode as Andrew feels ATP has more plot points for the coming season than it had at the same junction last year.
Host Matt Zemek is joined by podcast friend and regular contributor Skip Schwarzman in the new episode to talk about the WTA finals and Bercy Indoors.Skip and Matt kickoff the conversation by talking about Iga Swiatek and her dominant form to close out the season. The episode seques into the organizational mess of the chosen venue or venues for the year end WTA finals for last two years. Skip also weighs in on how to market the sport better by potentially having more combined events across both tours. Last but not the least the duo discusses the resurgence of Grigor Dimitrov and the continued dominance of Novak Djokovic.
All time great Ivan Lendl is the podcast guest this week. For a younger fan he is a former great who coaches Andy Murray. But for a generation of players and fans growing up in the 80's he is seen as a true game changer. Prior to the dominance of the big three it was Lendl who had been the pillar of consistency in the men's game. A true trailblazer whose methods and practices became a template for future generations and altered the game of tennis forever. In this episode host Saqib Ali reminisces about some of the Lendl playing days with the great man himself.
Cori Gauff and Novak Djokovic are your 2023 US Open winners. We recap the final weekend with in house analyst Andrew Burton who joins host Matt Zemek to do the honors.
Andrew compares his pre tournament notes to how the Open played out eventually. The show also looks forward to the next season by taking the latest developments in NY as the scene setter for both WTA and ATP power rankings.
Andrew Burton on twitter - https://twitter.com/burtonad
Matt Zemek on twitter -https://twitter.com/mzemek
Tennis with an Accent on twitter - https://twitter.com/accent_tennis
In the latest episode of the podcast we preview the 2023 US Open. Host Matt Zemek is joined by in house analysts Mert Ertunga and Andrew Burton. We look at both ATP and WTA draws and address the big questions ahead of the last major of the year.
In the new episode we take a look back at Stefan Edberg's twin titles in New York. Hall of famer Steve Flink and noted tennis historian Richard Evans join host Saqib Ali to remember the Edberg years in Flushing Meadows. It was not exactly love at first sight between Edberg and New York. Like many european players Edberg struggled to find his rhythm in the last major of the year. This episode focuses on his ups and downs at the US Open under the watchful tutelage of Toni Pickard. Flink and Evans have covered professional tennis for over five decades and this collaboration on Edberg's 1992 title run is a great exercise to revisit one of the most glorious runs at a major by any man or woman.
https://www.amazon.com/Roving-Eye-Reporters-Affair-Politics/dp/1911525476
https://www.amazon.com/Pete-Sampras-Greatness-Steve-Flink/dp/1937559947/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=459596990810&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9001898&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1056640162825321807&hvtargid=kwd-943651217959&hydadcr=5344_9615667&keywords=pete+sampras+greatness+revisited&qid=1692715857&sr=8-1
Devang Desai of Sportsnet and Open Era podcast fame is the guest this week as he speaks with host Matt Zemek. Desai was on site in Toronto for the men's edition of the Canadian Open and witnessed the comeback runs of Milos Raonic and Gael Monfils. He also had an opportunity to interview Frederic Fontang - coach of FAA among other interviews. He provides insights on FAA's injury prone season and weighs in on the title runs of Pegula and Sinner.
Last but not the least we discuss the incredibly difficult season of the Canadian tennis players.
Devang on twitter - twitter.com/DesaiDevang
Matt on twitter - twitter.com/mzemek
Open era pod - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/open-era/id1456802821
Natalija Stevanović is the podcast guest this week. In a career spanning little over a decade - Stevanović made her biggest breakthrough at Wimbledon this year when she beat former finalist Karolina Pliskova. In a candid chat with host Saqib Ali she opens up about her big week at Wimbledon, her newly gained fame, her recovery from a serious surgery and the Serbian tennis federation.
https://www.wtatennis.com/players/317349/natalija-stevanovic
Turkish tennis player Ayla Aksu is the podcast guest this week. This episode was recorded earlier in the year. Aksu was coached by the friend of the podcast - Coach Mert Ertunga till end of 2022. She is currently ranked 413 on the WTA rankings and has won 11 ITF level titles in singles. She is one of the better players to have come out of Turkey. In this episode she gets candid about her career and tennis journey in particular. A lot of ground is covered here. A must listen for a tennis fan!
https://www.wtatennis.com/players/319641/ayla-aksu#bio
Carlos Alcaraz is the 2023 Wimbledon men's singles champion. He is the first non big 4 player to win the championships since Lleyton Hewitt won the 2002 edition. Andrew Burton joins Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali to talk about the generational Djokovic Alcaraz final.
On the eve of the 136th edition of The Championships we look back at the ultimate wild card in the glorious history of Wimbledon - Goran Ivanisevic. Historian and hall of famer Steve Flink joins Saqib Ali to revisit the 2001 title run by the southpaw from Croatia.
https://www.amazon.com/Pete-Sampras-Greatness-Steve-Flink/dp/1937559947
Christopher Clarey is one of the most prominent tennis voices of the last three decades in the printed world. In the latest edition of the podcast he joins hosts Saqib Ali and Andrew Burton in a conversation which is full of candid reflections about his journey as a tennis reporter for NY times. After thirty two years with the NYT Clarey is now transitioning into the role of a full time author - on the back of his successful biography on Roger Federer that came out two years ago.
In this episode he gives in depth views on his coverage of the game on some popular tennis themes as well as the changing face of the print journalism in tennis. It is a fun conversation for all tennis and Clarey fans out there.
https://substack.com/@christopherclarey
https://www.amazon.com/Master-Brilliant-Career-Roger-Federer/dp/1538719266/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1LUKZG9SWCQBQ&keywords=Federer+the+master&qid=1687640123&s=books&sprefix=federer+the+master%2Cstripbooks%2C95&sr=1-1
In this episode Matt and Saqib talk about the monumental achievement of Novak Djokovic as he completed a record third career grand slam and also took the lead for the most majors won on the men's side. Djokovic keeps making new standards of being the clutchest athlete in all of sports. We also revisit the final before the final on the men's side as Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz faced off in one of the most anticipated matches of the recent tennis memory. The conversation also tips its hat to one Casper Ruud who has built an impressive resume at majors by reaching three finals in a span of twelve months. Iga Swiatek on the women's side is slowly building a career for the ages. She now holds three RG titles at age 22 and we marvel at what the future prospects are for her in Paris. We rounded off the chat by assessing the fortnights of Aryna Sabalenka and Karolina Muchova.
In this week's episode of the podcast host Matt Zemek is joined by in house analysts Andrew Burton and Mert Ertunga to speak about the situation of Rafael Nadal. In a deep winded conversation the group reflects the graph of Nadal's career and also speculates on what may lie ahead for the great champion. Its fitting to release this episode on the birthday of Rafa Nadal.Mert Ertunga on twitter - https://twitter.com/MertovsTDeskAndrew Burton on twitter - https://twitter.com/burtonadMatt Zemek on twitter - https://twitter.com/Mzemek
Daniil Medvedev and Elena Rybakina have conquered the clay at the Foro italico complex with a convincing display of patience and shot selection. To break down their respective wins and the leading takeaways from Rome we have Andrew Burton joining Matt Zemek on the podcast this week.Other players discussed are Holger Rune, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Jelena Ostapenko and Iga Swiatek. Andrew takes a closer look at these players as we approach the 2023 edition of Roland Garros.Matt Zemek on twitter - https://twitter.com/mzemekAndrew Burton on twitter - https://twitter.com/burtonad
Hollywood Reporter's Chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg is the podcast guest this week. Fienberg joins host Saqib Ali to talk about Alex Gibney's documentary on former wimbledon champion Boris Becker. Becker's a compelling sports figure whose rise and fall has taken place in the public spotlight. Fienberg weighs on many aspects of the documentary along with Gibney's style of filmmaking. Conversation also explores blatant comparisons with another fallen hero - Lance Armstrong.If you are a tennis fan from the 90's this episode covers one of the biggest names of that era and Feinberg does a thorough job of separating Becker's lies from his irresponsible financial actions.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/boom-boom-the-world-vs-boris-becker-review-alex-gibney-1235330280/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/last-dance-review-1290260/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/break-point-netflix-tennis-1235297281/
Matt Zemek joins Saqib Ali to talk about the Madrid results. It's been a while since both Matt and Saqib appeared on the show together! which means there is a lot of catching up to do in the middle of the clay season.Matt breaks down the WTA favorites with a spotlight on two time Madrid winner Aryna Sabalenka. He also shares his WTA power rankings with the listeners.Second half of the conversation focuses on Carlos Alcaraz and Jan Lennard Struff along with other top ATP names and their respective form heading into Rome.Matt on twitter - https://twitter.com/mzemekSaqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba
In the latest episode of the podcast host Saqib Ali is joined by historian and hall of famer Steve Flink and tennis channel broadcaster Gill Gross to look ahead at the leading candidates for the clay season on the men's side. Steve and Gill categorize their contenders using a tier 1 and tier 2 system of allocation. The usual star cast of Djokovic, Alcaraz, Nadal, Sinner, Tsitsipas and Medvedev get mentioned and analyzed by the two guests.The conversation also covers other players like Zverev, Musetti, Rune, Fritz, Tiafoe and Paul. The show covers lot of ground on these players and sets up a great starting point for the ongoing clay season.Steve Flink on twitter - https://twitter.com/sflinkoGill Gross on twitter -https://twitter.com/gill_grosshttps://www.amazon.com/Pete-Sampras-Greatness-Steve-Flink/dp/1937559947https://www.youtube.com/@GillGross
Skip Schwarzman joins host Saqib to talk about the live tennis they both watched this week in Estoril. Players discussed are Dominic Thiem, Casper Ruud, Marco Cecchinato, Quentin Halys and Miomir Kecmanovic.
TWAA contributor Skip Schwarzman joins host Matt Zemek for the latest edition of the podcast. Matt and Skip engage in a broader conversation using some of the successful players as vehicles to understand the current trends and patterns across both tours.Be it the Serena serve, the Federer serve plus one or the importance of pro coaches on the tour. In a fun and in depth conversation Skip breaks down lot of common terms as well like rushing an opponent rather than taking time away from her.Skip on twitter - https://twitter.com/tennisskip1515Matt on twitter - https://twitter.com/mzemek
Coach Brad Stine is the podcast guest this week. Saqib caught up with Brad while the later was driving home from the Indian Wells tournament. Stine is the current coach of Tommy Paul. He has been coaching top level professionals on the ATP tour since the early 90's. Some of his past charges include the likes of Jim Courier, Mardy Fish, Sebastien Grosjean and Andrei Medvedev.In this conversation we cover Stine's time with Jim Courier and how he looks back at the success they achieved. Stine also helps us understand how atp pros train now and compare it to the Courier-Lendl days. The conversation covers some tour level questions as well - pressure in big moments, on court coaching, slow surfaces and heavy balls. It's a great listen for any tennis fan. Brew a cup of coffee and settle down as coach Stine holds court.
Tennis TV commentator Nick Lester returns as the podcast guest this week to talk about the talent pool of the ATP. This conversation is aimed at some of the prime talents of the men's game that are looking to join the top tier of the sport - namely Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov. Lester shares his progress report on these payers and how their respective trajectories are shaping the conversation. The episode also covers the rise of the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor who according to Lester is top 25 material. Enjoy the quick fast paced 25 minutes on a section of the ATP talent pool.Nick Lester on twitter -https://twitter.com/nicklesterSaqib Ali on twitter -https://twitter.com/saqiba
Former top ten player Tim Mayotte returns to the podcast to discuss the resurgence of the men's game in America. Currently there are 15 American men in the top 100 of the ATP rankings. This depth of the talent pool of USTA is one of the breakout stories of the recently concluded Australian Open. Andy Roddick was the last American male champion at a major. Are we approaching a time when an American male can actually win a major? Mayotte weighs in on the prospects of Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Sebastian Korda. Mayotte also emphasizes the importance of clay court prowess in modern tennis - which according to him is the gateway of success for a major win.Conversation also takes stock of the some of the best young players of the world in Alcaraz, Tsitsipas and Rune among others.
Dimitar Labudovic is the podcast guest this week. Labudovic is the Billie Jean King Cup captain for Macedonia. He is also the full time coach of Lina Gjorcheska - who is the best player to come out of Macedonia.In this episode Labudovic gets candid about his tennis journey as a former player and now coach. He talks openly about the challenges faced by professional players on he ITF tour.
Mert Ertunga joins host Matt Zemek to break down the championship weekend of Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic.Mert took time off from his coaching duties to talk about the breakout performance of Sabalenka and the potential grand slam season for Djokovic. Mert on twitter - @MertovsTDeskMatt on twitter - @mzemekSaqib on twitter - @saqiba
Matt Zemek is back on the podcast and joins Saqib Ali to kick off the 2023 season as we look ahead to the years first major. The episode takes a closer look at some of the leading names in both ATP and WTA sides of the draw. The first 45 minutes of the show focuses on the men's side especially with Djokovic returning to his most successful major after the vaccine and visa crisis last year.The second half of the podcast looks at the women's draw with Swiatek as the tour defining standout player.
In the season's final episode we take a deep dive into the memory lane and relive the ATP decade of the 90's. This decade had a star studded cast of proven players like Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg who were joined by the newcomers likes of Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Andre Agassi. What transpired was a decade to remember with many great players and compelling rivalries. Episode covers lot of ground by touching upon great players like Goran Ivanisevic, Thomas Muster, Pat Rafter and many others.Podcast regulars Steve Flink and Mert Ertunga join the show to exchanges mental notes from three decades ago. It is a fun exercise for all tennis fans as we relive the 90's.
Steffi Graf vs Monica Seles is arguably one of the greatest rivalries in all of tennis. We revisit this iconic rivalry on the latest edition of the podcast with senior tennis writer Richard Evans and coach Mert Ertunga joining the show with host Saqib Ali.We touch upon the entry points of both players for the guests and relive two of their masterpieces at Roland Garros. The conversation also touches upon other key player of that era especially Gabriela Sabatini and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.Richard Evans on twitter - @Ringham7Mert Ertunga on twitter - @mertovsTdeskSaqib Ali on twitter - @saqiba
In this episode of the podcast host Saqib Ali gets a chance to speak with Aussie Roger Rasheed - arguably one of the most sort after names in the coaching business. Rasheed gets candid in this chat as he looks back at his time as the tour mentor for Lleyton Hewitt, Grigor Dimitrov and Gael Monfils. What was it like coaching against the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Marat Safin. Rasheed also weighs in on the current crop of talent in the ATP zeroing on Carlos Alcaraz and Nick Kyrgios among others. Brew a cup of coffee as Rasheed holds court!Rasheed on twitter -https://twitter.com/roger_rasheedSaqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba
In this episode of the podcast host Saqib Ali gets a chance to speak with Aussie Roger Rasheed - arguably one of the most sort after names in the coaching business. Rasheed gets candid in this chat as he looks back at his time as the tour mentor for Lleyton Hewitt, Grigor Dimitrov and Gael Monfils. What was it like coaching against the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Marat Safin.
Rasheed also weighs in on the current crop of talent in the ATP zeroing on Carlos Alcaraz and Nick Kyrgios among others. Brew a cup of coffee as Rasheed holds court!
Rasheed on twitter -https://twitter.com/roger_rasheed
Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba
USTA development coach Dean Goldfine is the podcast guest this week. Goldfine is a well established coach whose former charges include the likes of Mary Joe Fernandez, Andy Roddick and Todd Martin.
As part of the USTA player development program Goldfine is currently working with the fast rising American Ben Shelton and Aleksandar Kovacevic. Prior to this association Goldfine had worked with the talented Sebi Korda. In this conversation host Saqib Ali explores the various components of tennis coaching at the pro level with coach Goldfine. It's one of the best possible downloads for tennis fans during the off season.
Novak Djokovic has won his 6th ATP finals trophy - tying Roger Federer for the most year end titles. In this episode we recap the ATP finals with in house contributors Andrew Burton and Nick Nemeroff.
The conversation centers around the dominant performance by Djokovic in Turin this past week. The group then focuses on other key names from the ATP finals like - Ruud, Tsitsipas, Medvedev and Fritz. Finally both Andrew and Nick take stock of the concluding act of ATP tennis and what will this mean into looking ahead towards the 2023 season with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune trying to mix it up with the legends - Djokovic and Nadal.
Andrew Burton on twitter -https://twitter.com/burtonad
Nick Nemeroff on twitter -https://twitter.com/Big3Tennis
Saqib Ali on twitter -https://twitter.com/saqiba
Matt Zemek on twitter -https://twitter.com/mzemek
Davis Cup chairman and doubles legend Mark Woodforde returns to the show to talk about the end of the season on men's tour with two showcase events on the horizon - ATP finals and the Davis Cup finals. Woodforde shares the vision behind the new changes in the Davis Cup format and how the ITF wants the cup to be the premiere team event for men's tennis. Conversation shifts gradually to the field in Turin and Woodforde speaks about Stefanos Tsitsipas, FAA and Novak Djokovic among other names.
Mark Woodforde - https://twitter.com/markwoodforde Saqib Ali - https://twitter.com/saqiba
Davis Cup news -https://flip.it/d3EDbq
Coach Mert Ertunga returns to the podcast to review the WTA finals and the impressive rise through the ranks of Holger Rune. Mert joins host Matt Zemek as the duo unpacks the larger season ending moments for Caroline Garcia and Aryna Sabalenka. Mert also weighs on the year end dynamics for players - like importance of weeks off and resumption of training blocks during a short offseason. The conversation also includes the indoor season brilliance of Felix Auger Aliassime and the the spectacular year of world number one Iga Swiatek.
Mert on twitter - https://twitter.com/MertovsTDesk
Matt on twitter - https://twitter.com/Mzemek
Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba
Jeff Sackmann the founder of the Tennis Abstract website is the podcast guest. Thanks to Jeff tennis conversations around the world are heavy on relative stats about the game. In this episode Jeff gets candid about his journey exploring the much needed stats for tennis. The conversation covers the ELO ratings vs traditional tour rankings comparison and Jeff takes an elemental dive for all listeners to better understand the computation. The second part of this episode explores Jeff's new project where he is ranking the top 128 players of all time. There is a lot of statistical nuance offered here by Jeff - tune in to find out more. Jeff Sackmann on twitter - https://twitter.com/tennisabstract
https://www.tennisabstract.com/
https://www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/02/01/introducing-the-tennis-128/
Alex Gruskin of Cracked Racquets podcast joins the show as the guest voice. Gruskin leads the pack of new voices in the tennis podcasting ecosystem. His preparation and knowledge of the sport shines through his questions. He has a body of work that spans across both collegiate and professional tennis. In this episode he shares his art of interviewing with host Saqib Ali. The conversation takes a deeper dive into areas where tennis commentary and broadcasting can improve. The concluding part of the chat covers the great cohort of young American male players from the Fritz-Tiafoe age group to the Korda-Brooksby age group. Gruskin also shares his candidate on who may break the US men's drought at majors!
Alex Gruskin on twitter - https://mobile.twitter.com/algruskin Cracked Racquets on twitter - https://twitter.com/crackedracquets
Rajeev Ram is having a career year on the ATP doubles tour. He won his first clay court masters 1000 in Monte Carlo, successfully defended his US Open title with Joe Salisbury and became the oldest world number one in the ATP doubles rankings. I caught up with Rajeev after he did Davis Cup duty in Europe. This is Rajeev's 4th on the podcast and as a return guest he was generous with his views on the finding success on the doubles court, international aspect of tennis travel and the revamped Davis cup format. He also weighed in with great personal anecdotes on the recently retired Serena Williams and Roger Federer.
In the closing act of our Roger Federer tribute and analysis Matt Zemek is joined by in house contributor Andrew Burton. Both men were colleagues at the Peter Bodo's Tennis world blog in the late 2000's. They recall upon lot of interesting storylines from the Federer trajectory including his arch rivals and their own progress - Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray from the blogging days and try to make sense of some of the narratives from back then. Burton weighs on the impact of Federer and his large shadow on how business of tennis endorsements changed over the years. A lot of nuance unpacked by these two Federer specialists.
Andrew on twitter - https://twitter.com/burtonad Matt on twitter - https://twitter.com/mzemek
https://www.si.com/tennis/2014/02/25/fans-view-roger-federer
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/expressly-fed-matt-zemek/1126668620
As Roger Federer walks into the tennis books forever this coming Friday we at tennis with an accent have two special episodes ready for your consumption. In the opening act Mert Ertunga returns to the podcast to join host Saqib Ali to take a deep look back at the complete Federer package - his evolution, his tennis strokes, best matches and even some great anecdotes. This is a must listen for each tennis fan and especially Federer fans.
Brianna Foust returns to the podcast to pay homage to the great Serena Williams. She joins Matt Zemek to unpack her recollections of Serena and the impact she had on the sport and its fans all over the globe.
This is a must listen for tennis fans as we marvel at the most iconic of careers.
Bri on twitter -https://twitter.com/4TheTennis
Matt on twitter - https://twitter.com/mzemek
Chicago Radio personality George Ofman joins Matt Zemek to relive some of his tennis memories from Chicago and US Open. Ofman is a host of the popular podcast - Tell me a story I don't know.
Ofman recalls his first meeting with then USTA president Alan Schwartz during the 2002 open. He also takes a deeper dive into the era when professional tennis had a presence in city of Chicago.
George Ofman on twitter -https://twitter.com/georgeofman
Matt Zemek on twitter -https://twitter.com/mzemek
Novak Djokovic has won his 7th title at Wimbledon two weeks ago - which means for the 19th straight year the title has been been won by members of the "Big Four". Andrew Burton joins host Saqib Ali to look back at this amazing stranglehold by Federer, Djokovic, Nadal and Murray at the Championships.
Andrew Burton and Mert Ertunga join the podcast this week to look ahead at Wimbledon. The duo broke down both draws and flagged potential good matches and made predictions.
Andrew on Twitter -https://twitter.com/burtonad Mert on Twitter -https://twitter.com/MertovsTDesk Saqib on Twitter -https://twitter.com/saqiba
In a Wimbledon special episode hall of famers Steve Flink and Mark Woodforde join host Saqib Ali to relive some of the great practitioners of men's lawn tennis. The duo elaborates this conversation through the prism of some of the most important shots in grass court tennis - serve, second serve, volley and slice backhand. This is a wide ranging conversation which covers many great names all the way from McEnroe to Djokovic.
Another edition of Roland Garros is in the books. For the 14th time in last 18 years Rafael Nadal is the last man standing. Iga Swiatek continued her amazing winning ways on the WTA side of the draw.
Andrew Burton(https://twitter.com/burtonad) joins Matt Zemek(https://twitter.com/mzemek) to relive the championship weekend and some broader talking points from the fortnight. The duo covered Casper Ruud's maiden final at a major, the Zverev injury, night sessions at RG and the rise of Coco Gauff among other relevant topics.
Andrew Burton joins Matt Zemek on this episode to talk about Carlos Alcaraz's arrival to the big league of tennis. Alcaraz won his second masters 1000 title of the season and announced himself as one of the big favorites for Roland Garros. While doing so he went through Nadal and Djokovic in a space of two days - making him the first player to achieve that feat on clay. The duo also talks about Sascha Zverev who was clearly outplayed by the young Spaniard in the title match on Sunday.
The conversation transitions into Ons Jabeur's maiden title at the 1000 level as she continues her evolution as a top contender on the WTA tour. Where does this win place Jabeur on the favorites list for the clay major? Last but not the least on the topics list is the horrific scheduling of the Madrid event which is increasingly becoming infamous for sidelining the women's event by giving them unfavorable time slots. Tune in to this episode to explore more!
Andrew on twitter - https://twitter.com/burtonad
Matt on twitter -https://twitter.com/mzemek
Tennis with an accent on twitter -https://twitter.com/accent_tennis
TWAA regular contributor Skip Schwarzman joins the podcast to recap the Miami Open and to launch the clay conversation. He joins Saqib and Matt and gives his take on Carlos Alcaraz's meteoric rise up the ranks. The group also looks at the potential of an Osaka Swiatek rivalry on the backdrop of the Miami final. Last but not the least we also kick off the clay conversation for this year.
skip on twitter @TennisSkip1515 Matt on twitter @Mzemek Saqib on twitter @saqiba
https://tennisaccent.com/2022/04/06/scenes-from-the-miami-open/
In a throwback episode of the podcast we take a look into the big talking points of ATP in the decades of 70's and 80's. Making sense of this conversation are hall of famer Steve Flink and tennis coach Mert Ertunga. Conversation focuses on the leading players and their rivalries through the respective decades. It's impossible to cover all the names but we do take a deeper dive into the following names - Borg, Connors, Nastase, Ashe, Vilas, McEnroe, Lendl, Becker and Wiander. Brew a cup of coffee and kickback as this one is a long discussion.
Ash Barty has stunned the tennis world by announcing her retirement from the game at age twenty five. This is such a rare occurrence in professional sports when a dominant athlete who has age on their side calls time on a career. Matt Zemek(https://twitter.com/mzemek) and Saqib Ali(https://twitter.com/saqiba) discuss the Barty decision while reminiscing her greatness and comparing it with other young tennis retirements.
Tennis channel anchor Gill Gross is the podcast guest this week as we explore his tennis and podcasting journey. Gross opens up about his ambitions to be a sports broadcaster and how his path shaped up towards his youtube show and podcasting. We also take stock of the leading men of ATP through the first two months of tennis. Other topics covered are the Nadal Medvedev rivalry, the looming breakthrough watch for Carlos Alcaraz and the steady rise of Felix Auger-Aliassime.
https://twitter.com/Gill_Gross
https://www.youtube.com/c/GillGross
Juan Martin Del Potro called time on his career. This episode is a look back at the career of Del Porto and we can't help but reminisce what could have been the case had he had a surgery free career. Few questions come to mind right off the bat - would he have won more majors than Murray and Wawrinka? For one time slam winners how does he measure up to an Andy roddick? Why did he not play the Argentina open through most of his career? We explore two vantage points to capture these discussion points and more - a tennis writer's view from Matt Zemek and Carlos Barciela gives a view of an informed Argentine fan.
Rafael Nadal won his 21st major in Melbourne last sunday which makes him as the most successful men's champion in grand slams. He has broken the three way tie of 20 majors with arch rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. On the women's side of the draw Ash Barty created Aussies history by winning the tournament which ended the local drought of 44 years. Hall of famer Mark Woodforde joins the show to look at this historic weekend of tennis.
James Rosewarne(https://twitter.com/jamesrokewarne) and Vijay Arumugam(https://twitter.com/vijayarumugam) join the show this week to give the Aussie perspective on the Djokovic saga. Rosewarne is the managing editor of the https://www.statsinsider.com.au/ site and Arumugam is a known presence on cricket twitter. Both are NSW residents and had some similar and some different viewpoints on how Australia operates and more importantly helped unpack the sports and politics connection.
The hunter becomes the hunted as Saqib Ali and Mert Ertunga swap places for this episode of the pod. Mert steps in as the host for the pod as he interviews Saqib on his Boris Becker fandom. It's an off season tribute to one of the all time greats of the game through the vantage point of a fan. The episode chronicles many different memories of Becker's storied tennis career from his rise to fame as a teenager in 1985 to his sudden retirement in 1997.
Blair Henley is the podcast guest this week at Tennis with an Accent. I call her the voice of the tennis stadiums. She has been involved in tennis all her life and we explored her journey in the sport. The conversation touched upon various elements like her debut as the MC on court 17 at the US Open to her most memorable post match interview. Henley also highlighted the preparation that goes into the art of on court interviews - the dos and the don'ts and what questions to chose from. Last but not the least we covered the most international aspect of tennis - the pronunciation of names. Tune in for this off season special episode.
In this episode Matt and Saqib review the respective wins of Muguruza and Zverev at the Year end championships in Mexico and Italy. We also make a relative deeper dive into the fact whether winning these YEC historically have been a pedestal for success for breakout winners. The conversation also touches upon how the success of the event in Guadalajara should pave way for newer markets to host the showcase events in future for both WTA and ATP. Last but not the least TWAA team weighs in on the Peng Shuai situation.
Freelance tennis writer Damian Kust(@damiankust on Twitter)returns to the podcast to discuss the field of the NextGen ATP Finals in Milan. Kust is a tennis hipster who follows the ITF and the challenger tours throughout the year. He sheds some expert views on the rise of Carlos Alcaraz. He also describes why Alcaraz maybe the exception to the rule in a sport where it has become increasingly difficult to break though as a teenager. The conversation also shifts to Korda, Musetti, Baez and Nakashima. Last but the not the least Kust weighs in on the difficulty of competition on the Challenger tour.
Some of Damian's recent articles - https://t.co/TuTs2L22S2?amp=1 https://t.co/XIohCEeToX?amp=1
In this episode Matt and Saqib preview the Indian Wells 2021 edition. A lot has happened in the tennis world since Indian wells was played last. This episode covers the big stories coming into the event on both sides of the draws. Will Muguruza and Casper Ruud ride the hot hand into the desert? Can Medvedev narrow the gap between him and Djokovic in the rankings? Can Zverev and Tsitsipas overcome the disappointments of New York? A lot of food for thought for all fans.
Doubles legend Mark Woodforde returns to TWAA to review the US Open championships. We look back at the tournament where Daniil Medvedev stopped the historic bid of world number one Novak Djokovic for the Grand slam and the unprecedented run of Emma Raducanu as the first qualifier to win a major.
Former top 20 player Jaime Yzaga of Peru joins the podcast this week to recall his amazing win over Pete Sampras from US Open 1994. Yzaga was a solid ATP pro in his day who had wins over Boris Becker, Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg and Andre Agassi among others. Yzaga gets candid about his toughest opponents, greatest memories and some current tennis topics like bathroom breaks and future stars of the game.
Mert Ertunga is back on TWAA to preview a slam. He joins Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali to look ahead for the US Open fortnight. The conversation centers around Osaka, Barty and Djokovic for the respective draws.
Dr. Craig Cypher -- @DoctorCypher on Twitter -- is a clinical and sport psychologist. He is a certified mental performance consultant who works in the University of Rochester's fitness and science department. He joins Tennis With An Accent to provide layers of insights into sports psychology and the mental health of athletes. He discusses the psychology of athletes, the psychology of tennis players, and examines specific aspects of Naomi Osaka's story to explain how her journey is instructive within the field of sports psychology. Dr. Cypher explains how he works not only with athletes themselves, but with coaches and support teams to create more positive experiences for athletes and the people who work with them. Crucially, Dr. Cypher makes the point that the work he does with athletes is meant to create a broader positive foundation they can carry with them in all aspects of life.
Former world number six Nico Lapentti of Ecuador is the podcast guest. Lapentti now covers tennis for ESPN and remains involved in the sport. The conversation was rich in nostalgia and dates back to the "New balls please" campaign of lat 90's in which Lapentti was part of the young players the ATP promoted along with the likes of Guga Kuerten and Roger Federer. Lapentti also weighed in on the range of clay court players he had played against during his time as a pro on the tour - ranging from Thomas Muster to the King of clay Rafael Nadal. Lapentti further evaluated Novak Djokovic's dominance and his ability to dial in mentally in key situations of the big matches. Last but not the least he spoke about his bid to represent the Americas on the ATP board - citing how South America is kind of overlooked in the big picture.
Noted writer and commentator Ravi Ubha(@raviubha on twitter) returns to the podcast to help unpack the draws for the 2021 edition of The Championships.
Prajwal Hegde has been covering tennis for more than two decades. In this episode of TWAA she recalls upon how her tennis media journey started through the Mid-Day newspaper. Hegde has been seen as part of the first generation of women covering sports in India. Was covering tennis any different than covering Cricket in India?
Hegde also highlights her lonely presence as an Indian representative on the international tour. The conversation also covers the media relations with players and how the Big 3 and Serena have transcended the sport to newer heights.
Last but not the least she weighs in on the struggles of Indian players. The role of the Indian Federation or the lack of it. She tries to address the questions most Indian tennis fans have been asking for a long time - why there are no top Indian players in a sport which is truly global.
Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali review the championship weekend at Roland Garros as Novak Djokovic and Barbora Krejcikova reigned supreme. Djokovic won his 19th career major and also completed the second set of career grand slam. Krejcikova completed the rare double of singles and doubles win at Roland Garros. Also covered in this episode at length is the Nadal Djokovic semi final - which featured an all time best set of tennis.
Hall of famer Steve Flink joins the show this week to talk about the ongoing French Open. Flink looks forward to some highly anticipated matchups like Danil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas and the potential meeting between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the event approaches quarter finals stage. He also looks back at the major first week exits of Serena Williams and Roger Federer.
Former French Open champion Andres Gomez returns to the podcast to talk about the men's edition of the upcoming Roland Garros. Gomez feels Rafael Nadal can be challenged this year and he weighs in on the chances of Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas. He also compares the sabbaticals of Mats Wilander and John McEnroe during his playing days to the current situation of Thiem. Gomez also explains how the use of slice has stayed relevant in modern clay court tennis. I also got Gomez to talk about his son Emilio, who is trying to make the transition from challenger tour to the main tour. Last but not the least he shares his list of 6 greatest clay court players. Tune in!
Matt and Saqib look at the Rome results where Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek were victorious. Do these results have a bigger implication for Roland Garros? Matt describes the chaotic nature of WTA draws and why it is not possible to predict how a women's draw may play out.
The conversation also dissects the Thiem vs Tsitsipas debate as to which man is the 3rd leading candidate for Roland Garros. Lots of other relevant detail unpacked here as we are two weeks away from the second major of the year. Plus a special small conversation at the end with Marin Cilic.
Tennis writer and Estoril Open media director Miguel Seabra returns to the podcast. In this episode Seabra reflects on the recently concluded edition of the Millenium Estoril open. The conversation covers topics like organizing tennis in the pandemic, the wild card system and appearance fees pool.
Matt Zemek joins Saqib Ali to look back at Stefanos Tsitsipas's maiden masters 1000 win. Has Tsitsipas eclipsed Dominic Thiem as the third best player heading into Paris by winning Monte Carlo? What does the win over Rafa Nadal mean for Andrey Rublev? Does Nadal's loss mean anything for his status as the undisputed favorite for Roland garros? Last but not the least we discuss Roger Federer's limited clay schedule.
Mert Ertunga(@MertovsTdesk, Briana Foust(@4TheTennis) and Nawal(@NawalNadal) join host Saqib Ali to look at the amazing on going career of Rafael Nadal. Mert looks at the career arc of Nadal through the lens of an analyst where as Bri and Nawal provide fan recollections for the same career. A must listen!
Tennis blogger James Peeling(@Moo_Tennis on twitter)returns to the show after a two year gap. His return could not be timed better as we explore the results of Miami open - which was a great tournament for the WTA except the final in terms of quality of tennis. Peeling who follows the pulse of the WTA closely had a lot to say about Ash Barty, Bianca Andreescu, Maria Sakkari and Elina Svitolina.
The conversation moves further into clay as we have Peeling help us do high level preview of the upcoming clay swing.
You can find Peeling's exclusive WTA coverage on his blog -https://mootennis.com/
TWAA in house analyst Mert Ertunga(@MertovsTDesk) joins the show to talk about off court and on court stuff from the tennis world. Ertunga aims to highlight the struggles of lower ranked players on how the pandemic has cost many of them their livelihoods. All this comes from the lens of international borders and travel regulations for the players competing at ITF level.
On the court stuff includes Ertunga's assessments of Rublev, Karatsev, Fucsovics and Korda. We also discuss the incredible high level of Garbine Muguruza in 2021 and the return of Ash Barty outside of Australian soil.
Andrew Burton joins Matt Zemek to talk about the state of both tours through the lens of Big 7 - the four majors, ATP, WTA and the ITF. The duo also touches upon the return of Roger Federer to tour after more than a year of absence. The conversation shifts to Novak Djokovic's world record for most weeks at number one. Danil Medvedev's ascent to world number two gets a mention as he is the first non big 4 player to rank this high.
Hall of famer Steve Flink returns to the pod to pay homage to American great Tony Trabert. Trabert who passed away at 90 on February 3, 2021 was a hall of famer himself. Flink helps put Trabert's achievements in perspective considering the tour had turned pro back then and the best players were not allowed to play the majors. Trabert had won 5 majors and was a successful Davis cup captain as well. According to Flink he is in top 10 American male tennis players of all time.
Mert Ertunga joins Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali to review the 2021 Australian Open. The conversation heavily focuses on the statistical nuance of Novak Djokovic's masterclass in the final over Danil Medvedev. The group also compares the progress made in this tournament from the lens of Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Have they both eclipsed Dominic Thiem as the best non big three player? What about Aslan Karatsev - can he sustain a place in the top 100?
The WTA side of the conversation features the commentary on Osaka's 4th major title. We try to address the question whether Osaka's dominance can extend to surfaces beyond the hard courts. The tournament also confirmed Jen Brady's status as a premier hard court player. Last but not the least how do we rate Serena Williams tournament in Melbourne. Does Wimbledon serve as her best chance to win another major? Tune in to listen to more analysis on other players like Jessica Pegula, Karolina Muchova and Elina Svitolina.
Matt Zemek and Mert Ertunga look back the at the action from day 11 with Osaka, Brady and Djokovic as winners of their respective matches. They also look forward to Medvedev vs Tsitsipas.
Matt Zemek is joined by Mert Ertunga to look at some of the blockbuster tennis matchups of day 7 in Melbourne.
Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali talk about the action from day two of the 2021 Australian Open.
This episode of the podcast has the complete draw analysis for the first major of 2021. Matt Zemek is joined by Tennis with an Accent contributors Mert Ertunga and Briana Foust to break down both the singles draws. The trio talks about potential upsets, blockbuster matchups and eventual winners. It is a comprehensive listen for the preview of the main draw action.
Tennis broadcaster Mark Petchey joins the show from the covid bubble in Melbourne. Saqib and Matt get Mark's perspective and views on some of the latest concerns surrounding the AO quarantine.
Simon Graf is a Swiss journalist who works as sports editor at the TA media(Tages Anzeiger)and has been covering tennis for almost 20 years. He has recently added new chapters to his already published book on Roger Federer, which has been released in German. Graf joined the podcast as the guest to speak with Andrew Burton and Saqib Ali. The episode covered the formative years of Federer and how the Swiss tennis program has evolved after the rise of Federer. We also took Graf's views on Federer and his impact on tennis fashion. The interview is a compilation of important topics regarding Federer's career through the lens of a Swiss journalist.
Sasa Ozmo returns to the podcast after two years. Ozmo is one of the well known tennis journalists who also covers basketball among other sports for the website https://www.sportklub.rs/. You can find him on twitter at - @ozmo_sasa. In a holiday season special hosts Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali use this opportunity to celebrate the great career of Novak Djokovic. This episode is a tribute to the legendary career of Djokovic, which still has more chapters to come.
Paul Annacone is one of the most successful coaches in professional tennis over the last twenty years. He is also a former player who was known for his aggressive serve and volley play. Currently he is a tennis channel analyst and also coaches young American Taylor Fritz. In this episode Annacone talks about his playing days from the tour. He gets candid about his coaching partnerships with Pete Sampras, Tim Henman and Roger Federer. Annacone also states on how the game keeps getting better over the years.
Nick Nemeroff joins Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali to preview the ATP Finals. Nemeroff talks about all the 8 participants as he fields off questions from the hosts.
Upcoming ATP player Emil Ruusuvuori is the podcast guest this week. Ruusuvuori has broken into the top 100 this year after an immensely successful season at the challenger tour last year. Ruusuvuori talks about growing up in Finland and the transition to the main tour.
Rafael Nadal has won the 20th singles major of his career by winning the Roland Garros title. This was also his most convincing win in a major final over arch rival Novak Djokovic. This win puts Nadal with Roger Federer at the top of the ladder for most singles major titles. Iga Swiatek also made history by becoming the first polish major winner in tennis. Mark Woodforde joins this episode with Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali to breakdown the 2020 edition of RG.
Mert Ertunga and Damian Kust join the show to preview the 2020 edition of the Roland Garros. In a indepth dive into both draws the panelists pick exciting matches and potential upsets and of course the ultimate winners.
Andres Gomez is the podcast guest this week. This year marks the 30th anniversary of his win at Roland Garros. Gomez talks about that run and the final against Agassi. He also talks about his nemesis Ivan Lendl, who had beaten him at Roland Garros on multiple occasions.
Gomez unlike most South American players of his time played an aggressive baseline game which was more out of the American tennis template. In a very rich and detailed conversation Gomes reflects on tour lide, locker room environment and compares how the game has changed over the years.
After a weird and wild U.S. Open, which was unlike any other major tournament we have ever witnessed in our lives, Saqib Ali and Matt Zemek try to make sense of everything which happened over the past few weeks in New York. The dramatic Thiem-Zverev men's final, Osaka's brilliant run to the women's championship, the excellent quality of the women's tournament, the Djokovic default, and a whole lot more. It's all part of the U.S. Open review episode of the Tennis With An Accent Podcast. Find us at SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
Tennis needs a new vision and a fresh imagination. The sport also needs people who care about it to connect, discuss, inspire, and plan ahead. The Between the White Lines virtual tennis summit, which will be held at the end of September, is designed to do just that. Guest host Karen Helf leads this latest "state of tennis" discussion with summit organizer Mark Jeffery and special guest David Fish. It's the new Tennis With An Accent Podcast on the state of tennis in these fluid and uncertain times.
The PTPA drama is flowing through the global tennis community as the U.S. Open begins in a sea of confusion and uncertainty. Tennis With An Accent analysts Andrew Burton and Skip Schwarzman try to make sense of the various tension points, political conflicts, long-term goals, and situational complications of Novak Djokovic's movement to improve tennis governance. Tennis With An Accent responds to the latest headline news in the world of tennis.
On the ever of the US open we get to uncover one of the greatest tennis champions of all time - Pete Sampras. Hall of famer Steve Flink returns to the podcast to talk about his new book - Pete Sampras Greatness Revisited.https://www.amazon.com/Pete-Sampras-Greatness-Steve-Flink/dp/1937559947/ref=asc_df_1937559947/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459515754640&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3118407330902076687&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001898&hvtargid=pla-925947799590&psc=1 The book is a recollection of Sampras's career arc and Flink is very articulate and careful of the 14 time major winner's journey. It is a perfect reading companion for Sampras era fans and at the same time it brings the Sampras Agassi era to full light for a younger tennis fan. A must listen podcast!
The 2020 United States Open will be unlike any other major tennis tournament we have seen in our lifetimes. This is a genuinely unprecedented moment in tennis history, a truly unique occasion with no true basis for historical comparison. What can be said about a tournament which is unknowable and unpredictable in ways we can't fully grasp or imagine? In-house analysts Mert Ertunga and Andrew Burton help host Matt Zemek make sense of a very confusing and complicated time in tennis, as they look forward to the U.S. Open while also charting a possible course for the sport of tennis into January and much of 2021. Where will the sport of tennis go, and how will the sport adjust, next year? What will tennis look like if the pandemic is more successfully contained? How should the two tours restructure themselves to meet the challenges of this extraordinary time? What will Roland Garros look like when the U.S. Open ends and the tours immediately go from North America to Europe? All these uncertain questions and much more on the latest Tennis With An Accent Podcast, at Apple, SoundCloud, and Google Podcasts.
World feed commentator Nick Lester returns to the podcast to discuss the resumption of tennis action across all tours. Lester will be doing hs commentary from his base in London without travelling to the tournament sites. He sheds some light on how the pandemic has impacted his industry. Lester highlights the challenges of the new world tennis as the game will resume with no fans and media on site. He also breaks down the action from last week's Lexington WTA event showcasing the talent of the winner Jennifer Brady. Lester gives his shortlist on who can potentially challenge Djokovic in the US Open swing and difficult it will be for the older players to resume after a five month long layoff.
Gene Mayer was a ATP pro who was ranked as high as #4 in the world in 1980. Mayer played in the era when American tennis was considered the standard of the men's game. He looks back at those times and battles with the likes of Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. Mayer also had a brother who played on the pro tour - Sandy Mayer. In a conversation full of anecdotes he recalls upon the times that he played his brother on the tour. Mayer gives his views on the state of the men's game in the US and why he thinks tennis wise we are a third world country at the moment. He also talks about being from Queens and the thrill to play tennis at the Garden and Flushing Meadows.
In this episode of the podcast I am rejoined by Mert Ertunga as we do a time travel episode and try to review Wimbledon 2006 men's edition in a retro live manner.
The championships made the Fedal rivalry official as Nadal had won 6 of the 7 matches against Federer coming into this Wimbledon final. The match had lot of significance for Federer as he defended his prefered turf against his arch rival. Mert Ertunga weighs in on the important aspects of this match from each set. This also happened to be Andre Agassi's last championships. We discuss his Wimbledon career in depth and where does he rank with some of the modern greats of the game. Last but not the least the tour is seeing some new talent on the rise in the form of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Marcos Baghdatis and Tomas Berdych. Along with the already established players like Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt the tour is getting deeper in talent.
Mert Ertunga returns to the Tennis With An Accent Podcast for a review of Wimbledon women's tennis history in the latter part of the 20th century. Mert chronicles women's tennis at Wimbledon from the start of the Open Era in 1968 through the 1990s, with a few additional notes about Venus Williams in the first decade of the 21st century.
Playing styles, surface speeds, racquet technology, and other changes over the course of Wimbledon history are weighed and evaluated in this study of women's tennis at the All-England Club. The Martina Navratilova-Chris Evert rivalry is a natural centerpiece of this discussion, but don't forget about Margaret Court versus Billie Jean King in the early 1970s, or Steffi Graf versus multiple challengers in the 1990s.
There's no Wimbledon this week, but there is plenty of Wimbledon history to look back on and discuss. Mert Ertunga provides the stories and contextual details on the latest Tennis With An Accent Podcast.
Steve Flink is a hall of famer and a tennis historian. His wimbledon coverage goes back to the early 70's. In this episode of the podcast he discusses many champions and their significant moments from the past. He also talks about some of the greats who did not win the championships but still left their stamp. The conversation is full of rich detail on some of the biggest names in the game. Major talking points include the unique ability of Borg to win on the grass from the baseline. Connors vs McEnroe 1982 final and Sampras Ivanisevic 1998 final get a worthy callout. Was Navratilova the greatest grass court player? Becker or McEnroe - who should have won more than 3 titles? How Sampras overcame a slow start at wimbledon in his early years also gets a detailed explanation among many other topics.
ATP pro Rajeev Ram reacts to the positive COVID-19 test results for Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric, and Viktor Troicki. Rajeev explores the various complications connected to the possible staging of the U.S. Open and Roland Garros later this year. How will tennis players work out and prepare before taking the court for a match? Will they have to retrieve their own balls during a match? Will significant scheduling adjustments need to be made? Is it safe for a tennis player to make a trans-continental flight from the United States to France, or vice-versa? Is indoor tennis safe?
Rajeev Ram also discusses the changed landscape relative to tennis governance. What are tennis players saying about any changes which need to be made in the sport? Should ranking points be handled differently? All that and more on the latest edition of the Tennis With An Accent Podcast.
Daniel Dobre is a former professional tennis player from Romania. Like many former players he has held may roles in his career in tennis - player, coach, running an academy to tournament director. However his most famous job has been as the coach of Simona Halep. Dobre has had three coaching stints with Halep and the last one was the most beneficial for both as it resulted in a Wimbledon title. Dobre talks about the life as a young tennis teen that needed to come out of the communist Romania and how hard it was to do it without a proper federation that could support its players. He also talks about Gunther Bosch's influence on his tennis coaching career. The conversation also pays a big tribute to the manager player tandem of Virginia Ruzici and Simona Halep. Last but not the least Dobre talks about his working relationship with Darren Cahill when the two men formed a coaching team to manage Halep's tennis.
Matt Zemek and Mert Ertunga join Saqib Ali to relive some of the classic trends from the French Open. The conversation focuses on the type of game that is suited to succeed on the clay of Roland Garros. Mert breaks down the evolution of classic styles from a pure baseliner to attacking players. Seles vs Graf battles from the 90's are used as illustrations on how the playing trends kept evolving even from the baseline. The conversation covers some of the iconic finals like Lendl vs McEnroe, Evert vs Navratilova and also some of the underrated ones like Courier vs Bruguera. A lot of detail packed in here for a nostalgic tennis fan.
Mert Ertunga joins the podcast this week as we kick start our Roland Garros special series. In this week's episode we travel back in time and review the men's edition of the 1991 French open. We talk about Jim Courier's maiden major win over fellow american Andre Agassi. Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker and Ivan Lendl get worthy mentions as they were the top 3 ranked players during that time. The episode is created with lot of details surrounding that time and it's players with no knowledge of the future. Please tune in!
Javier Palengue works as a global consultant in the corporate world. At heart Palenque is a tennis fan first. In this episode he shares his vision on how tennis can work post Covid19. In an extension to the Mark Jefferey conversation - Matt Zemek and Karen Helf drive this conversation to explore fiscal topics which are essential to the health of tennis. Does tennis need a bigger audience? Does tennis a commissioner? You may have heard these notions prior but Palenque comes out with new suggestions on these and many more topics. Tune in to learn more.
Mark Jeffrey is a long time fan of tennis. He sits down with Karen Helf to address some of the big issues surrounding our sport. He has concerns whether tennis has the structure to bounce back post covid. He talks about the Power of seven, the upcoming tennis summit and more importantly how can we all help to preserve tennis. The conversation is an extension to Karen Helf's conversations with John Bolan and Sofia Shapatava. Tune in to hear Mark Jeffery's insights.
This weeks guest are Karen Helf, Sofia Shapatava and her coach Tim Schultz. Shapatava is from Georgia and turned pro in 2004. In a professional career spanning 16 years and running, her highest ranking in singles is 186. Shapatava and Schultz open up about the realities of lower ranked players and their daily lives not the ITF tour. In a chat as candid as any you learn so much about the discrepancies between the WTA and the ITF tours from the paid hotels, cab rides and even practice balls that set apart the two tours. Shapatava and Schultz also weigh in on current important topics like Dominic Thiem’s stand on not sharing his funds for the lower ranked players to the virtual Madrid open. The conversation is driven by Karen Helf and Matt Zemek.
In follow up to her written analysis on www.tennisaccent.com on the current financial strain most lower ranked tennis players face, Karen Helf sheds light on these very issues on the audio platform. Matt Zemek interviews Karen helf and John Bolan in an exclusive discussion in what will be a series of discussion on the same topic with various guests from the tennis industry.
Brianna Foust of the Tennis with an Accent was there at the Charleston all access players hour - this segment has interviews of Wozniacki and Sevastova.
Radio show for October 13 - where Matt and Saqib talk abut the rise of Daniel Medvedev and Nikoloz Basilashvili along with other ATP and WTA stories of the Asian Swing. Also talk about the power teams of eastern conference in the NBA.
Tennis analyst Mark Petchey returns to the podcast as he breaks down the Davis Cup changes and some of the narratives surrounding it. He also touches upon issues such as tennis leadership, best of five and the misconceptions around what the fans may want or not. Give a listen.
Omar Rawji of The Daily Hive and Mert Ertunga of Tenis Dunyasi join the conversation as we talk about some of the press room action in Toronto and merge it with the Davis Cup decision.
Radio show for week of 7/28. Topics include last weeks winners - Fognini and Cecchinato and the field in Washington. Jane Voigt makes her radio show debut and shares her insights. Sanket Singbal makes his cricket debut to speak about the India England clash.
Indian tennis player Karman Kaur Thandi spoke with tennis with an accent from Nanchang China about her breakthrough week and future goals.
In a brief conversation with former Wimbledon Champion Michael Stich as he gets inducted into tennis hall of fame. Stich talks about his rivalry with Jim Courier, olympic gold with Boris Becker and his heroes.
Radio show on 7/21 - we talk Newport hall of fame tennis and induction criteria with Todd Martin. Also Matt Zemek speaks about NBA and Anand Mamidipudi talks about India vs England Cricket series.
Germany's Mischa Zverev in a very candid reflection on some recent issues surrounding his tennis after a tough loss in Newport.
Andrew Burton and Mert Ertunga join this podcast episode to talk about some of the important stories that came out of the recently concluded Wimbledon
In a fan zone podcast edition Raul and Vinny join the pod and talk about the instant classic Djokovic vs Nadal clash. We also preview the final between Djokovic and Anderson. Roger Federer and race to most major titles also discussed.
Tennis now writer Chris Oddo joined us from London to break down the matches from Manic Monday and looking ahead to the quarter finals.
Mert Ertunga discusses Wimbledon and some of the key performers like Federer, Serena, Halep, Nadal, Djokovic and Kyrgios. We also talk about the 2016 junior champ - Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Matt Zemek talks about the big upset of Sloane Stephens. We also look forward to some of the clashes on day 2 involving Nick Kyrgios, Kerber and Shapovalov
Hannah Wilks editor of live tennis is the podcast guest as she breaks down the men's draw and points out at potential upsets, seeding form to the eventual winner.
Tennis writer James Peeling joins the podcast this week to preview the women's draw at Wimbledon.
Hall of fame inductee Steve Flink is the podcast guest as he talks about how the coverage has changed over the years at Wimbledon and other majors. He also gives detailed accounts on some the Wimbledon legends like Graf, Sampras, Connors and Becker.
All winners on sunday needed three sets as Coric, Cilic and Kvitov won respective titles in Halle, London and Birmingham. Kvitova's win solidifies her status as one of the firm favorites while the two Croats have changed the conversation a bit on the men's side leading up to Wimbledon.
Tennis accent caught up with Prajnesh Gunneswaran of India who had upset Denis Shapovalov in Stuttguart. He talked about the win, his short term goals and on missing out the LL chance at Roland Garros.
Mert Ertunga talks about what separated Halep and Stephens today in a closely contested match. He also previewed the Nadal-Thiem clash with a prediction.
We preview the women's final of the Roland-Garros 2018 between Simona Halep and Sloane Stephens.
Renan Nabeshima joins from Brasil to break down the action from RG day 11. He also talked about the tennis situation in Brasil.
In this house edition of the podcast today with Matt Zemek focus is on the big upset of Novak Djokovic by Marco Cecchinato. Also in this episode we cover the other action from today and preview the big matches of tomorrow.
Tennis podcaster Jonathan Newman of The Body Serve is the guest speaker on this episode. He spoke at length on the pressing topic of day 9 - Serena Williams withdrawal. He also broke down the Thierev and Sloane -Daria matchups tomorrow.
Tennis writer and blogger Caroline Paquin talks Argentine tennis with focus on Del Potro, Schwartzman and Nalbandian. We also spoke about the promising next gen stars from Canada - Shapovalov and FAA>
Tennis instructor and writer Nick Nemeroff breaks down the action from day 7 on the men's side. He also previews the men's clashes tomorrow and the Serena Sharapova match.
Serbian journalist Sasa Osmo joined me from Roland Garros and spoke about Novak Djokovic, Dusan Lajovic, Sascha Zverev and Borna Coric.
Rafael Nadal fan Sanket Singbal is the podcast guest as he breaks down some of the big name action from ATP on day 2 including Wawrinka, Djokovic and Nadal.
Andrew Burton and Susie Reid join me on the podcast to relive the incredible day 1 of RG18. Lots of drama, upsets and some bad light play towards the end including the incredible car trip of LL Marco Trungelliti. Its all here.
Former player and writer Mert Ertunga graces the podcast again and this time from Paris. He relives the match ups from first two days of RG18 qualifying. He also talks technique, movement on clay and patterns that work on clay.
Tennis writer Andrew Burton visits the podcast to discuss the clay season on the ATP side. Can anyone challenge Nadal conversation is the focus but we may see few names making the cut. Is Novak back or will Zverev make the long over due breakthrough at a major are among other topics.
Laura Mekiou is the podcast guest and she discussed many topics ranging from her Federer fandom to Greek tennis. The focal point of the conversation revolved around Madrid ATP draw analysis.
Tennis instructor and writer Nick Nemeroff is the podcast guest. He weighs in on the New York city tennis scene, some technical insights and of course talks about Nadal and clay.
Tennis Tv Commentators Nick Lester and Rob Koenig are the guests and they speak about Tennis topics, obsession with big 4 and Nadal's astonishing clay records.
We have a fan special episode with Briana Foust and Lucy Johnstone as podcast guests. Lots of ground covered here from Nadal to Sloane and Thiem to Donaldson. Please tune in!
Boris Sobkin is the podcast guest this week. He talks about his coaching relation with pupil Mishca Youzhny and Russian tennis.
Tennis writer Andrew Burton is the guest speaker this week as we look back at the IW and Miami stretch. We also discuss whats next for Del Potro, Isner and others. Also covered is the list of potential challengers to Nadal;s dominance on clay.
Angie Kerber talks about her experiences after having a tough 2017 and her new coaching change.
The player on the hottest streak in American tennis is Danielle Collins. We spoke with her in Miami after her win over Vekic.
Post match Q&A with Borna Coric and Yuki Bhambri from the Miami Open second round action on Saturday.
Kevin Anderson talks about his first win and chances to keep advancing in the ranking chart.
Former doubles major winner Jonas Bjorkman is the guest on this episode and he talks about his playing day, Swedish tennis and his coaching association with Andy Murray and Maric Cilic among other questions.
My interviews with Diego Schwartzman and Milos Raonic after their second round wins in Miami Open.
Fernando Vicente coach of Andrei Rublev spoke with tennis with an accent about his progress.
India's Yuki Bhambri advances to the second round and talks about his next match, experiences and goals.
Denis Shapovalov talks about his tennis, his strengths and how he embraces the role of being the poster boy for Canadian tennis.
French veteran Giles Simon speaks about life on tour, his game and confidence level and Davis Cup.
Spoke with Bethanie Matterk Sands on why she needed a WC instead of a PR based entry. #Miamiopen
Tennis writer Tumaini Carayol visited the podcast this week to preview the BNP Paribas Masters. He talked about the comebacks of Serena Williams and Vika Azarenka and also covered the return of Novak Djokovic. Davis Cup continued to be a point of discussion and Tumaini weighed in on the proposed changes as well.
Mark Nixon and Susie Reid added to the accents in this episode as we discussed the last week on both tours and chatted about the ITF's new plan for Davis Cup. We also spoke about the relationship Caroline Wozniacki has had with the Danish press and fanbase. At times we wavered from the script - but that was the fun part.
Former player and ace commentator Mark Petchey is the guest on this episode of tennis with an accent. He talks about Federer's surge back to number one, his former charge Andy Murray, commentary from the booth and other topics like injuries. Great insights offered in the most simplistic ways. Enjoy!
Former top 10 player Tim Mayotte is the podcast guest - he talks about the state of American tennis and what could be keeping the men back. Is it technical or a player development question? He also weighs in on some current topics. Loads of knowledge here.
Andrew Burton returns to the pod and we spoke about his study of different generations of the ATP. Are Lost boys really the lost cause? Is generation Fed and generation Rafa too good? Lot of stats and nerdy numbers for you tennis geeks out there.
Tennis with an Accent relieves the Australian open fortnight with the guests Andrew, Mert and Omar. In depth post mortem of some of the take aways and unexpected losses as well as the off court issues. Wozniacki's breakthrough win and Federer's staggering #20.
Australian open draw analysis done by a guest panel of Andrew Burton, Mert Ertunga and Susie Reid. Topics include the comebacks to coaching changes to upset alerts in each section.
The season has started and business has resumed as usual. However injuries and comebacks are still very much the talk of the tennis world. This week's episode has topics which revolve around the injured state of players. The guest is Richard Evans and he shares his knowledge on these concerns.
Tennis accent is back after a three week hiatus. Tennis journalist David Sanchez is the guest this week on the podcast. He answers questions about the Nadal, Djokovic injured state and the popularity of RBA and Muguruza in Spain.
Ace journalist Ben Rothenberg provides some insights on his approach on tennis journalism along with the powerful medium that is tennis twitter. Enjoy the candid chat.
Former player and Davis cup captain of Turkey, Mert Ertunga joins us again on tennis with an accent. He reviews the Davis cup finals and its impact on two key players Pouille and Goffin.
This episode is a combination of two chats. Matt Zemek gives his Jana Novotna tribute. In the second half - Andrew Burton and Rene Denfeld discuss hot topics like Davis Cup, Shot clock and 16 seeds.
zyvhcdrr pandsried is back as the podcast guest and discussion is fully geared towards the WTF in London. Also discussed is the ATP awards.
Tennis writer Andrew Burton is the podcast guest. He gives insights into the recently concluded Bercy Masters 1000 and discusses other relevant issues surrounding this week in ATP. Topics include the angst of Guy Forget to what is the average cut off point mathematically to qualify for the WTF.
Former player and tennis writer Mert Ertunga is the podcast guest this week. He breaks drown the WTA finale, Wawrinka Norman Split and the ATP WTF. Also covers Nadal's certain finish to the year as number one.
Fellow tennis fan Susie is the podcast guest. The free flowing conversation includes various topics from the WTA year end to Fedal. Also discussed the perennially injured Del Potro and the enigmatic Nick Kyrgios.
Twitter legend Susie Reid is the podcast guest. Topics ranged from the WTA finale to some of the leading men on the ATP. Also discussed the Fedal MVP vs No. 1.
Iconic tennis journalist Richard Evans graces Tennis with an Accent this week. Topics range from changes in tennis journalism to GOAT and game changers.
I guess its never too late! We revisit the Laver Cup and discuss the impact, its potential future and the word exhibition. Also touch upon the wins of Damir Dzumhur and Caroline Garcia. And last but not the least the return of Maritna Hingis as the best ranked doubles player. Give it a listen.
One of the best doubles players in the world, Rajeev Ram is the podcast guest. Also joining the conversation is his wife Zaynab. Rajeev discusses his career changing move of giving up singles and now focussing on the doubles, where as Zaynab gives an insight on the life of the significant other in the tennis world. Must listen for every fan!
Former top 10 player Manuela Maleeva answers questions about her present and tennis past. Revisit the Graf Navratilova days on tour and how difficult it was to play her sisters in competition.
Accented opinions are back! We relive the US open fortnight and exchange our takeaways, rants and overall observations. Give it a listen.
Two time Australian Open champ Johan Kriek talks about the US open finals and his countryman Kevin Anderson's chances against the formidable Rafael Nadal.
Tennis writer and host of Thirty Love podcast Carl Bialik is the guest on Tennis with an Accent. He shares his insights on important topics surrounding the US open.
Guest speaker Matt Zemek is back! Andy Murray's last hour withdrawal is discussed in this podcast. We also broke down the two draws for the last major of the year.
Matt Zemek is the podcast guest this week. We covered current Cincy winners Dimitrov, Muguruza and some burning questions leading up to the last major of the year.
Next Gen is now! Topics not limited to the winners in Canada but also cover the year end mad dash, injuries and Kyrgios/Tomic saga.
Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi gets candid in a free flowing conversation. Talks surfaces, changes in tennis, prize money and his equation Indian players.
This episode covers exclusive interviews with Indian legend Leander Paes, former US open finalist and top ten player Todd Martin and upcoming Indian player Ramkumar Ramanathan. Enjoy another accented episode of our podcast.
Accented opinions are back and discuss the proceedings at the Championships from favorites to court assignments.
After the three week hiatus the accented pod is back! We give our take on the wins of Federer and Lopez. Also cannot stay enough about the Petra Kvitova story. Last but not the least is our trip down the Lawn Tennis memory lane!
WTA star Timea Babos is the guest on the podcast this week. This is an interview conducted during the Miami Open.
We break down the Roland Garros draws with guest speaker Rene Denfeld in Episode 28. Topics include but not limited to Kvitova's return to the certainty that is Rafael Nadal's dominance on clay.
Former Aussie great Mark Woodforde in a very candid chat about his career, Vasek Pospisil, Woodbridge among other topics.
We discuss Roger Federer's decison to skip the Roland Garros championships. Guest speaker Johan Kriek weighs in and so does Anand! Also discuss Marian Vajda, Djokovic/Agassi and Nadal vs Sampras among other topics. Enjoy!
This episode covers the chaotic Fed cup tie between Romania and Great Britain as Ramona Toderas gives her take of the tie and the controversy that surrounded it. Also a bonus feature this week - Sveta Kuznetsova interview!
Broadcaster Nick Lester is the guest this week. He shares his insights regarding the match calling experience in the booth. Radio vs Tv commentary, preparing for a match amongst other things.
Recap of the Miami open as member of the press and of course the day Saqib sat across Roger Federer!
Former ATP pro Christian Ruud talks about his tennis career and how the times have changed on the tour with his son Casper's experience.
Kei Nishikori talks about his win over Fernando Verdasco in Miami Open on Sunday March 26.
We spoke with two inform players, Nick Kyrgios and Malek Jaziri after their respective wins at Miami Open.
Kei Nishikori presser after his second round win over Kevin Anderson in Miami open. After the music is questions in Japanese.
We discuss the new course the Fedal rivalry has taken, Is it the racquet or the somewhat decline in Rafa's level? We also take stock on the current form of Djokovic, Murray and Stan Wawrinka.
The "Fifth Slam" is underway at Indian Wells. We preview the draw and pick our winners!
A candid chat with rising Japanese tennis player, Taro Daniel. He shares his journey and rise on the ATP tour. He also talks about his Olympics success and relationship with Kei Nishikori.
Fanboy episode as we relive the era of Becker and Edberg and try to settle the discussion for once and all! Backed by lot of facts and some bias this was a fruitless fun discussion.
The future is here at tennis with an accent! Next gen star Stefanos Tsitsipas speaks about his tennis roots, fitness, transition to ATP world tour and goals for the season.
Two time Australian Open Champion Johan Kriek revisits his tennis journey and playing days. He played in the original golden era of Johnny Mac, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker and Ivan Lendl among others.
Roger Federer's slam count is not frozen anymore! Serena Williams eclipses Steffi Graf as the magical Australian Open concludes.
As we get ready for the climax of Australian open, we relive the week 1 highlights and try another hand at predictions after failing miserably in the previous episode.
We discuss the latest Nick Kyrgios loss in this special edition of the podcast. Also discuss the mouth watering third round clash of Federer and Berdych.
We preview the women's and men's draw of the 2017 Australian Open. Will Roger and Rafa come back strong? Will Djoker and Kerber defend? Who else should we be watching? More info on www.tennisaccent.com
Action has kicked off in 2017 with Djokovic, Murray, Federer, Serena and others. Topics this week include Ana Ivanovic's retirement, Djoker stealing Murray's thunder and the all important question - is tennis a fair sport for players not ranked in the top ten?
2017 heralds the return of the king, Roger Federer. While Roger is the clear fan favorite, he will soon have to reckon with the newly dominant Sir Andy Murray, the (hopefully)resurgent Rafa and the always dangerous Djokovic, only six months away from his crowning achievement.
Special episode discussing the parting of ways of Boris Becker and Novak Djokovic. How do we judge Becker? What's in store for Djoker?