Andy Murray carried the weight of a nation for most of his career. His accomplishments in an era of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer are absolutely mind blowing. Some say: there's the Big 3, then Murray, then everybody else. But he failed several times before getting there. 

Before he could win Wimbledon, he had to lose it. A very painful loss to Roger Federer in 2012, after being a set up then losing in 4 sets.

And then, redemption: a rematch came quicker then anyone anticipated, on the grounds of SW19 again, where Murray had a chance to redeem himself in front of his home crowd and give them something to appease their longing. In straight sets, Murray would win the biggest title of his career so far. What awaited next is history.

Could Andy Murray have won the US Open that year if he hadn't won the Olympics? Could he had won against Djokovic in the 2013 Wimbledon final without the US Open? Could he had finished the long wait for a male British Wimbledon champion since Fred Perry did it in 1938 without any of these 2 titles? 

The stars aligned for Andy Murray to make history. All he needed to do was stick to the plan. And stick to the plan he did. 

With the US Open coming soon, or at least with the promise of it, we have to wonder as tennis fans who are the favourites to win. Several issues make this call more complicated then ever, because of the pandemic: will the lack of fans in the stands affect the players? Will it be negatively or positively? How important really is that courts aren't empty? What about the draws: is the playing field compromised? Are exhibition tournaments and matches making tennis players more tired or more match fit?

Even still, it is hard to call someone else other than Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Serena Williams to win. Especially Nadal at Roland Garros.

Speaking of Serena, the GOAT title might also be on the line, with interesting conditions to get there by tying Margaret Court's Grand Slam tally in some very similar conditions to when the Australian used to play, and win tennis majors.

It will be an interesting tennis season to come back to when it's all over.

Who is the Tennis GOAT? The Greatest Of All Times is a discussion that goes beyond tennis, spanning through all sports. Players of many generations who redefined the game. But is there a single tennis player who is truly worthy of being the GOAT? I welcome Owen Lewis, writer of the blog The Racket (https://theracket.home.blog/), as we discuss tennis players in the Open Era, in particular the Big Three, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. What are their cases to claim the ultimate title? Dive in with us through several statistics such as head to head, court versatility, weeks at number one, and the most elusive record of all time: number of Grand Slams won, which Federer currently holds the record for at 20 total.

At some point, maybe a women's GOAT? Hopefully! Feel free to leave a message through Anchor! This heated debate will never end.

2020 has not been the greatest for tennis. Lots of drama, lots of controversies, not a lot of tennis. We, as fans, do enjoy some of that off-court action and want to know what's up with the stars. But 90% of the time, we actually want to watch tennis being played. Unbelievable shots, rallies, sets, matches tournaments, that's what we live for! So, thanks, Wimbledon, for putting up the classics for us. But, in the spirit that tennis will resume normally in 2021, I want to start thinking about the craziest predictions for the tournament at SW19 where most call the Temple of Tennis. Federer winning his 21st grand slam? Serena Williams tying Margaret Court's record of 24? Tsitsipas beating Djokovic in the semis? How about Coco Gauff making the final? It's so far away, I just couldn't help but go nuts with predictions. And I will make sure I'll remember them next year (when I will be right.) 

Here's the sheet: https://bit.ly/TheUltimatePerfectPlayer !!! Download it and come up with the ULTIMATE PERFECT player yourself and let me and your friends know about this so you can have tons of fun and intense discussions :D

Federer's or Nadal's forehand? Djokovic, Murray, or Wawrinka for the backhand? And what about a lot of other shots, such as tactical slice, running forehand, flat and top spin shots? Surely the difference becomes minimal. But the tiniest differences can turn a match around. Who has the best shot in an obscure, incredibly specific category (that I made up, pretty much?)

And to top it off, what even is "mental" game? Here I say it has to do with creativity, strategy, toughness, focus, consistency, accuracy, and desire to win. What the heck are those even? And do they even matter that much? So many questions!!! Here is partially, my ULTIMATE PERFECT PLAYER from the ATP Tour! Counting all generations in the Open Era of tennis :)

Hope you enjoy this episode!

Check out all my most relevant links right here: https://linktr.ee/TennisAndBagels

These times are just nuts. No one knows what's the next day going to look like, what kind of crazy information we will receive, and what are the next problems we will face. After so many weird exhibitions full of controversies for all imaginable reasons, now we see a light at the end of the tunnel... or do we? With the completely crazy calendar the ATP just put out and the divisive US Open Tennis 2020, not to mention the Roland Garros saga, it honestly feels like things are going to happen only when they happen. Nothing is certain, and we need to see to believe.

Articles I mentioned and used for research:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/52964076

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/11/sports/tennis/us-open-2020-plans.html#click=https://t.co/uvwg783hMK

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/29313288/usta-plans-us-open-start-aug-31

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/29312431/ash-barty-joins-players-expressing-concern-us-open-timing?fbclid=IwAR21ypTA6df-JjjoN1OaHllmuijb3tb7qzKgPMuuJwEd4oR3siu3DC24MnE

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/29245720/us-open-plan-works-including-group-flights-covid-19-tests

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/29281796/novak-djokovic-impossible-play-us-open-extreme-protocols

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/29283446/usta-cuts-jobs-closes-new-york-office-amid-pandemic

https://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2020/06/new-timing-roland-garros-might-also-mean-new-conditions/89053/

https://www.essentiallysports.com/french-open-2020-announces-revamped-format-wta-atp-tennis-news/

Great talk with Martijn Kentie, Marketing and Sponsorship Manager at Tennis Quebec! We went from how quarantine has affected us personally to discussing the possible comeback of the pro tour in the Rogers Cup by Tennis Canada and the US Open, that would hold a tournament with heavy restrictions on players.

We also discussed Tennis Quebec's health measures to ensure playing tennis remains a possibility during the pandemic and how the rules affect players from our province.

Make sure to check out all measures, the comeback plan phases, and all updates from Tennis Quebec at their website: http://tennis.qc.ca/

You can also find graphics for posters so you can hang those on the walls and fences of the tennis court you help with upkeeping!

Full recommendations guidelines for phase 2 (FR): http://tennis.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/LIGNES-DIRECTRICES-Phase-2-2020-06-10.pdf

Guidelines poster (FR): http://tennis.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/COVID-RECOMMANDATIONS-V13-mise-%C3%A0-jour-10-06-2020v2.pdf

Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, MaliVai Washington, the Williams Sisters, Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, Jo Wilfred Tsonga and many more. They contributed and continue to contribute to bring the sport I love forward. But they are valued, not because they are accomplished tennis players, but because they are humans and their lives matter. Black Lives Matter.

Ways to help:

Always have a call to action: Just posting and arguing when it's trending is not enough. In fact, if you don't post anything and do your work to help at any level you can, it's better than trying to get a stamp of approval by using hashtags.

General info/USA centred

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/?fbclid=IwAR0KzV2dtm_72lbqqI1X59xPPNGLhJMat4rFA1XXzvOHInuF5ddOlyigNrI

https://blacklivesmatter.com

https://www.obama.org/anguish-and-action/

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/movement-4-black-lives-1

https://www.thecut.com/article/george-floyd-protests-how-to-help-where-to-donate.html

UK

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rip-belly-mujinga

https://www.stephenlawrence.org.uk/support-us/donate/

Canada

https://fr.gofundme.com/f/toronto-protestor-bail-fund?fbclid=IwAR0gQ8OnpBWI80nhLqXHXsK8y-_fUkeIFh4jsA8wZtdSngwtgTed0YWqmKQ

https://fr.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-regis

https://laruchequebec.com/projet/protegeons-montreal-nord-ensemble-7183/?fbclid=IwAR3jv-p6GsI-bOUDOsaF7kaQ_FATKtDtGcVi1D_CbpVOhDM4PfGt82iH26o

Docs links and information

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-0KC83vYfVQ-2freQveH43PWxuab2uWDEGolzrNoIks/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CjZMORRVuv-I-qo4B0YfmOTqIOa3GUS207t5iuLZmyA/preview?pru=AAABcp-oKuw*zFJAYx_-WuWPyKMcG41JXQ

Other ways to help:

Work with non-black people in your entourage against racism

Talk to them about difficult topics, recommend some of these and other resources

Challenge them to look deeper into yourselves

Look to help at the local and community levels. These you have to do for yourselves

Think deeply on who you are voting for in the next elections at all levels

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/preview?pru=AAABcpts7NI*JKS17wbdjLSU1oH2wjjAsg

https://blacklivesmattervancouver.com/2017/05/03/black-lives-matter-statement-on-surrey-police-brutality-incident/

https://twitter.com/thEMANacho/status/1267609472589090816?s=20

Also watch 13th and Dear White People on Netflix

Who is Gustavo Guga Kuerten? He was more than the title of this podcast describes. Watching him play is a fantastic experience, and Kafelnikov, Roland Garros champion in 1996, described him as the Tennis Picasso.

In this episode, I talk about Guga's career, and specifically about his triumphs in Roland Garros in 1997, 2000 and 2001. His story and career are anyhitng but ordinary. Full of 5 set thrillers, big scalps on all his tournaments in an era filled with grand slam champions hungry for more! What Guga did was truly an extraordinary, timeless achievement, with his career, and at Roland Garros.

Here's the page at Roland Garros website where you can find more info on Guga: http://gustavo-kuerten.rolandgarros.com/en/

Stay healthy and safe!

In this episode, I did my first interview of the podcast with a great friend of mine with whom I used to hit some balls the past few years before he moved away. We talk about how we grow in, learn, and enjoy tennis as people who are not professionally tied to it, but only in our spare time. The love of the sport is still very real, and following shorter clips online is a great way to enjoy the sport. Thanks Fred!