Tennis with an Accent

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!

Lists

Mert Ertunga

Nadal vs Federer Rome 2006

Nadal vs Federer Wimbledon 2008

Djokovic vs Nadal Wimbledon 2018

Alcaraz vs Sinner RG 2025

Safin vs Federer AO 2005

Sampras vs Agassi USO 2001

Nadal vs Djokovic RG 2013

Djokovic vs Federer Wimbledon 2014

Rafter vs Agassi Wimbledon 2001

Djokovic vs Wawrinka AO 2013

Steve Flink

Nadal vs Federer Wimbledon 2008

Djokovic vs Nadal AO 2012

Alcaraz vs Sinner RG 2025

Djokovic vs Federer Wimbledon 2019

Sampras vs Agassi USO 2001

Djokovic vs Nadal Wimbledon 2018

Nadal vs Federer Rome 2006

Safin vs Federer AO 2005

Djokovic vs Murray Shanghai 2012

Nadal vs Medvedev AO 2022

Andrew Burton

Nadal vs Federer Rome 2006

Mayer vs Souza Davis Cup 2015

Nadal vs Federer Wimbledon 2008

Alcaraz vs Sinner RG 2025

Wawrinka vs Djokovic RG 2015

Djokovic vs Federer Wimbledon 2019

Nadal vs Djokovic Rg 2013

Djokovic vs Nadal Miami 2011

Federer vs Del Potro Olympics 2012

Ivanisevic vs Rafter Wimbledon 2001

Saqib Ali

Nadal vs Federer Wimbledon 2008

Djokovic vs Nadal AO 2012

Djokovic vs Nadal Wimbledon 2018

Safin vs Federer AO 2005

Nadal vs Federer Rome 2006

Alcaraz vs Sinner RG 2025

Rafter vs Agassi Wimbledon 2000

Djokovic vs Federer Wimbledon 2014

Djokovic vs Wawrinka AO 2013

Safin 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.