Tennis With An Accent

Former French Open champion Andres Gomez returns to the podcast to talk about the men's edition of the upcoming Roland Garros. Gomez feels Rafael Nadal can be challenged this year and he weighs in on the chances of Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas. He also compares the sabbaticals of Mats Wilander and John McEnroe during his playing days to the current situation of Thiem. Gomez also explains how the use of slice has stayed relevant in modern clay court tennis. I also got Gomez to talk about his son Emilio, who is trying to make the transition from challenger tour to the main tour. Last but not the least he shares his list of 6 greatest clay court players. Tune in!

Matt and Saqib look at the Rome results where Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek were victorious. Do these results have a bigger implication for Roland Garros? Matt describes the chaotic nature of WTA draws and why it is not possible to predict how a women's draw may play out. The conversation also dissects the Thiem vs Tsitsipas debate as to which man is the 3rd leading candidate for Roland Garros. Lots of other relevant detail unpacked here as we are two weeks away from the second major of the year. Plus a special small conversation at the end with Marin Cilic.

Tennis writer and Estoril Open media director Miguel Seabra returns to the podcast. In this episode Seabra reflects on the recently concluded edition of the Millenium Estoril open. The conversation covers topics like organizing tennis in the pandemic, the wild card system and appearance fees pool.

Matt Zemek joins Saqib Ali to look back at Stefanos Tsitsipas's maiden masters 1000 win. Has Tsitsipas eclipsed Dominic Thiem as the third best player heading into Paris by winning Monte Carlo? What does the win over Rafa Nadal mean for Andrey Rublev? Does Nadal's loss mean anything for his status as the undisputed favorite for Roland garros? Last but not the least we discuss Roger Federer's limited clay schedule.

Mert Ertunga(@MertovsTdesk, Briana Foust(@4TheTennis) and Nawal(@NawalNadal) join host Saqib Ali to look at the amazing on going career of Rafael Nadal. Mert looks at the career arc of Nadal through the lens of an analyst where as Bri and Nawal provide fan recollections for the same career. A must listen!

Tennis blogger James Peeling(@Moo_Tennis on twitter)returns to the show after a two year gap. His return could not be timed better as we explore the results of Miami open - which was a great tournament for the WTA except the final in terms of quality of tennis. Peeling who follows the pulse of the WTA closely had a lot to say about Ash Barty, Bianca Andreescu, Maria Sakkari and Elina Svitolina. The conversation moves further into clay as we have Peeling help us do high level preview of the upcoming clay swing. You can find Peeling's exclusive WTA coverage on his blog -https://mootennis.com/

TWAA in house analyst Mert Ertunga(@MertovsTDesk) joins the show to talk about off court and on court stuff from the tennis world. Ertunga aims to highlight the struggles of lower ranked players on how the pandemic has cost many of them their livelihoods. All this comes from the lens of international borders and travel regulations for the players competing at ITF level. On the court stuff includes Ertunga's assessments of Rublev, Karatsev, Fucsovics and Korda. We also discuss the incredible high level of Garbine Muguruza in 2021 and the return of Ash Barty outside of Australian soil.

Andrew Burton joins Matt Zemek to talk about the state of both tours through the lens of Big 7 - the four majors, ATP, WTA and the ITF. The duo also touches upon the return of Roger Federer to tour after more than a year of absence. The conversation shifts to Novak Djokovic's world record for most weeks at number one. Danil Medvedev's ascent to world number two gets a mention as he is the first non big 4 player to rank this high.

Hall of famer Steve Flink returns to the pod to pay homage to American great Tony Trabert. Trabert who passed away at 90 on February 3, 2021 was a hall of famer himself. Flink helps put Trabert's achievements in perspective considering the tour had turned pro back then and the best players were not allowed to play the majors. Trabert had won 5 majors and was a successful Davis cup captain as well. According to Flink he is in top 10 American male tennis players of all time.

Mert Ertunga joins Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali to review the 2021 Australian Open. The conversation heavily focuses on the statistical nuance of Novak Djokovic's masterclass in the final over Danil Medvedev. The group also compares the progress made in this tournament from the lens of Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Have they both eclipsed Dominic Thiem as the best non big three player? What about Aslan Karatsev - can he sustain a place in the top 100? The WTA side of the conversation features the commentary on Osaka's 4th major title. We try to address the question whether Osaka's dominance can extend to surfaces beyond the hard courts. The tournament also confirmed Jen Brady's status as a premier hard court player. Last but not the least how do we rate Serena Williams tournament in Melbourne. Does Wimbledon serve as her best chance to win another major? Tune in to listen to more analysis on other players like Jessica Pegula, Karolina Muchova and Elina Svitolina.

Matt Zemek and Mert Ertunga look back the at the action from day 11 with Osaka, Brady and Djokovic as winners of their respective matches. They also look forward to Medvedev vs Tsitsipas.

Matt Zemek is joined by Mert Ertunga to look at some of the blockbuster tennis matchups of day 7 in Melbourne.

Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali look forward to some of the anticipated matches of day 5.

Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali look forward to the day 3 action of the 2021 Australian Open.

Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali talk about the action from day two of the 2021 Australian Open.

This episode of the podcast has the complete draw analysis for the first major of 2021. Matt Zemek is joined by Tennis with an Accent contributors Mert Ertunga and Briana Foust to break down both the singles draws. The trio talks about potential upsets, blockbuster matchups and eventual winners. It is a comprehensive listen for the preview of the main draw action.

Tennis broadcaster Mark Petchey joins the show from the covid bubble in Melbourne. Saqib and Matt get Mark's perspective and views on some of the latest concerns surrounding the AO quarantine.

Simon Graf is a Swiss journalist who works as sports editor at the TA media(Tages Anzeiger)and has been covering tennis for almost 20 years. He has recently added new chapters to his already published book on Roger Federer, which has been released in German. Graf joined the podcast as the guest to speak with Andrew Burton and Saqib Ali. The episode covered the formative years of Federer and how the Swiss tennis program has evolved after the rise of Federer. We also took Graf's views on Federer and his impact on tennis fashion. The interview is a compilation of important topics regarding Federer's career through the lens of a Swiss journalist.

Sasa Ozmo returns to the podcast after two years. Ozmo is one of the well known tennis journalists who also covers basketball among other sports for the website https://www.sportklub.rs/. You can find him on twitter at - @ozmo_sasa. In a holiday season special hosts Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali use this opportunity to celebrate the great career of Novak Djokovic. This episode is a tribute to the legendary career of Djokovic, which still has more chapters to come.

Paul Annacone is one of the most successful coaches in professional tennis over the last twenty years. He is also a former player who was known for his aggressive serve and volley play. Currently he is a tennis channel analyst and also coaches young American Taylor Fritz. In this episode Annacone talks about his playing days from the tour. He gets candid about his coaching partnerships with Pete Sampras, Tim Henman and Roger Federer. Annacone also states on how the game keeps getting better over the years.