Tennis with an Accent

All time great Ivan Lendl is the podcast guest this week. For a younger fan he is a former great who coaches Andy Murray. But for a generation of players and fans growing up in the 80's he is seen as a true game changer. Prior to the dominance of the big three it was Lendl who had been the pillar of consistency in the men's game. A true trailblazer whose methods and practices became a template for future generations and altered the game of tennis forever. In this episode host Saqib Ali reminisces about some of the Lendl playing days with the great man himself.

Cori Gauff and Novak Djokovic are your 2023 US Open winners. We recap the final weekend with in house analyst Andrew Burton who joins host Matt Zemek to do the honors.

Andrew compares his pre tournament notes to how the Open played out eventually. The show also looks forward to the next season by taking the latest developments in NY as the scene setter for both WTA and ATP power rankings.

Andrew Burton on twitter - https://twitter.com/burtonad

Matt Zemek on twitter -https://twitter.com/mzemek

Tennis with an Accent on twitter - https://twitter.com/accent_tennis

In the latest episode of the podcast we preview the 2023 US Open. Host Matt Zemek is joined by in house analysts Mert Ertunga and Andrew Burton.

We look at both ATP and WTA draws and address the big questions ahead of the last major of the year.

In the new episode we take a look back at Stefan Edberg's twin titles in New York. Hall of famer Steve Flink and noted tennis historian Richard Evans join host Saqib Ali to remember the Edberg years in Flushing Meadows. It was not exactly love at first sight between Edberg and New York. Like many european players Edberg struggled to find his rhythm in the last major of the year. This episode focuses on his ups and downs at the US Open under the watchful tutelage of Toni Pickard.

Flink and Evans have covered professional tennis for over five decades and this collaboration on Edberg's 1992 title run is a great exercise to revisit one of the most glorious runs at a major by any man or woman.

https://www.amazon.com/Roving-Eye-Reporters-Affair-Politics/dp/1911525476

https://www.amazon.com/Pete-Sampras-Greatness-Steve-Flink/dp/1937559947/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=459596990810&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9001898&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1056640162825321807&hvtargid=kwd-943651217959&hydadcr=5344_9615667&keywords=pete+sampras+greatness+revisited&qid=1692715857&sr=8-1

Devang Desai of Sportsnet and Open Era podcast fame is the guest this week as he speaks with host Matt Zemek. Desai was on site in Toronto for the men's edition of the Canadian Open and witnessed the comeback runs of Milos Raonic and Gael Monfils. He also had an opportunity to interview Frederic Fontang - coach of FAA among other interviews. He provides insights on FAA's injury prone season and weighs in on the title runs of Pegula and Sinner.

Last but not the least we discuss the incredibly difficult season of the Canadian tennis players.

Devang on twitter - twitter.com/DesaiDevang

Matt on twitter - twitter.com/mzemek

Open era pod - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/open-era/id1456802821

Natalija Stevanović is the podcast guest this week. In a career spanning little over a decade - Stevanović made her biggest breakthrough at Wimbledon this year when she beat former finalist Karolina Pliskova. In a candid chat with host Saqib Ali she opens up about her big week at Wimbledon, her newly gained fame, her recovery from a serious surgery and the Serbian tennis federation.

https://www.wtatennis.com/players/317349/natalija-stevanovic

Turkish tennis player Ayla Aksu is the podcast guest this week. This episode was recorded earlier in the year. Aksu was coached by the friend of the podcast - Coach Mert Ertunga till end of 2022. She is currently ranked 413 on the WTA rankings and has won 11 ITF level titles in singles. She is one of the better players to have come out of Turkey. In this episode she gets candid about her career and tennis journey in particular. A lot of ground is covered here. A must listen for a tennis fan!

https://www.wtatennis.com/players/319641/ayla-aksu#bio

Carlos Alcaraz is the 2023 Wimbledon men's singles champion. He is the first non big 4 player to win the championships since Lleyton Hewitt won the 2002 edition. Andrew Burton joins Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali to talk about the generational Djokovic Alcaraz final.

On the eve of the 136th edition of The Championships we look back at the ultimate wild card in the glorious history of Wimbledon - Goran Ivanisevic. Historian and hall of famer Steve Flink joins Saqib Ali to revisit the 2001 title run by the southpaw from Croatia.

https://www.amazon.com/Pete-Sampras-Greatness-Steve-Flink/dp/1937559947

Christopher Clarey is one of the most prominent tennis voices of the last three decades in the printed world. In the latest edition of the podcast he joins hosts Saqib Ali and Andrew Burton in a conversation which is full of candid reflections about his journey as a tennis reporter for NY times. After thirty two years with the NYT Clarey is now transitioning into the role of a full time author - on the back of his successful biography on Roger Federer that came out two years ago.

In this episode he gives in depth views on his coverage of the game on some popular tennis themes as well as the changing face of the print journalism in tennis. It is a fun conversation for all tennis and Clarey fans out there.

https://substack.com/@christopherclarey

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Brilliant-Career-Roger-Federer/dp/1538719266/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1LUKZG9SWCQBQ&keywords=Federer+the+master&qid=1687640123&s=books&sprefix=federer+the+master%2Cstripbooks%2C95&sr=1-1