Tennis with an Accent

In this episode Matt and Saqib talk about the monumental achievement of Novak Djokovic as he completed a record third career grand slam and also took the lead for the most majors won on the men's side. Djokovic keeps making new standards of being the clutchest athlete in all of sports.

We also revisit the final before the final on the men's side as Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz faced off in one of the most anticipated matches of the recent tennis memory.

The conversation also tips its hat to one Casper Ruud who has built an impressive resume at majors by reaching three finals in a span of twelve months.

Iga Swiatek on the women's side is slowly building a career for the ages. She now holds three RG titles at age 22 and we marvel at what the future prospects are for her in Paris. We rounded off the chat by assessing the fortnights of Aryna Sabalenka and Karolina Muchova.

In this week's episode of the podcast host Matt Zemek is joined by in house analysts Andrew Burton and Mert Ertunga to speak about the situation of Rafael Nadal. In a deep winded conversation the group reflects the graph of Nadal's career and also speculates on what may lie ahead for the great champion. Its fitting to release this episode on the birthday of Rafa Nadal.

Mert Ertunga on twitter - https://twitter.com/MertovsTDesk

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

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

Daniil Medvedev and Elena Rybakina have conquered the clay at the Foro italico complex with a convincing display of patience and shot selection. To break down their respective wins and the leading takeaways from Rome we have Andrew Burton joining Matt Zemek on the podcast this week.

Other players discussed are Holger Rune, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Jelena Ostapenko and Iga Swiatek. Andrew takes a closer look at these players as we approach the 2023 edition of Roland Garros.

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

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

Hollywood Reporter's Chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg is the podcast guest this week. Fienberg joins host Saqib Ali to talk about Alex Gibney's documentary on former wimbledon champion Boris Becker. Becker's a compelling sports figure whose rise and fall has taken place in the public spotlight.

Fienberg weighs on many aspects of the documentary along with Gibney's style of filmmaking. Conversation also explores blatant comparisons with another fallen hero - Lance Armstrong.

If you are a tennis fan from the 90's this episode covers one of the biggest names of that era and Feinberg does a thorough job of separating Becker's lies from his irresponsible financial actions.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/boom-boom-the-world-vs-boris-becker-review-alex-gibney-1235330280/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/last-dance-review-1290260/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/break-point-netflix-tennis-1235297281/

Matt Zemek joins Saqib Ali to talk about the Madrid results. It's been a while since both Matt and Saqib appeared on the show together! which means there is a lot of catching up to do in the middle of the clay season.

Matt breaks down the WTA favorites with a spotlight on two time Madrid winner Aryna Sabalenka. He also shares his WTA power rankings with the listeners.

Second half of the conversation focuses on Carlos Alcaraz and Jan Lennard Struff along with other top ATP names and their respective form heading into Rome.

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

Saqib on twitter - https://twitter.com/saqiba

In the latest episode of the podcast host Saqib Ali is joined by historian and hall of famer Steve Flink and tennis channel broadcaster Gill Gross to look ahead at the leading candidates for the clay season on the men's side.

Steve and Gill categorize their contenders using a tier 1 and tier 2 system of allocation. The usual star cast of Djokovic, Alcaraz, Nadal, Sinner, Tsitsipas and Medvedev get mentioned and analyzed by the two guests.

The conversation also covers other players like Zverev, Musetti, Rune, Fritz, Tiafoe and Paul. The show covers lot of ground on these players and sets up a great starting point for the ongoing clay season.

Steve Flink on twitter - https://twitter.com/sflinko

Gill Gross on twitter -https://twitter.com/gill_gross

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

https://www.youtube.com/@GillGross

Skip Schwarzman joins host Saqib to talk about the live tennis they both watched this week in Estoril. Players discussed are Dominic Thiem, Casper Ruud, Marco Cecchinato, Quentin Halys and Miomir Kecmanovic.

Interview with Olympic double gold medalist Nicolas Massu.

TWAA contributor Skip Schwarzman joins host Matt Zemek for the latest edition of the podcast. Matt and Skip engage in a broader conversation using some of the successful players as vehicles to understand the current trends and patterns across both tours.

Be it the Serena serve, the Federer serve plus one or the importance of pro coaches on the tour. In a fun and in depth conversation Skip breaks down lot of common terms as well like rushing an opponent rather than taking time away from her.

Skip on twitter - https://twitter.com/tennisskip1515

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

Coach Brad Stine is the podcast guest this week. Saqib caught up with Brad while the later was driving home from the Indian Wells tournament. Stine is the current coach of Tommy Paul. He has been coaching top level professionals on the ATP tour since the early 90's. Some of his past charges include the likes of Jim Courier, Mardy Fish, Sebastien Grosjean and Andrei Medvedev.

In this conversation we cover Stine's time with Jim Courier and how he looks back at the success they achieved. Stine also helps us understand how atp pros train now and compare it to the Courier-Lendl days.

The conversation covers some tour level questions as well - pressure in big moments, on court coaching, slow surfaces and heavy balls. It's a great listen for any tennis fan. Brew a cup of coffee and settle down as coach Stine holds court.