Tennis with an Accent

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.