Tennis with an Accent

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 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.