Tennis with an Accent

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 look forward to some of the anticipated matches of day 5.

Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali look forward to the day 3 action of the 2021 Australian Open.

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 Osmo returns to the podcast after two years. Osmo 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.