Blair Henley is the podcast guest this week at Tennis with an Accent. I call her the voice of the tennis stadiums. She has been involved in tennis all her life and we explored her journey in the sport. The conversation touched upon various elements like her debut as the MC on court 17 at the US Open to her most memorable post match interview. Henley also highlighted the preparation that goes into the art of on court interviews - the dos and the don'ts and what questions to chose from. Last but n...
Dec 17, 2021•48 min
In this episode Matt and Saqib review the respective wins of Muguruza and Zverev at the Year end championships in Mexico and Italy. We also make a relative deeper dive into the fact whether winning these YEC historically have been a pedestal for success for breakout winners. The conversation also touches upon how the success of the event in Guadalajara should pave way for newer markets to host the showcase events in future for both WTA and ATP. Last but not the least TWAA team weighs in on the P...
Dec 03, 2021•48 min
Freelance tennis writer Damian Kust(@damiankust on Twitter)returns to the podcast to discuss the field of the NextGen ATP Finals in Milan. Kust is a tennis hipster who follows the ITF and the challenger tours throughout the year. He sheds some expert views on the rise of Carlos Alcaraz. He also describes why Alcaraz maybe the exception to the rule in a sport where it has become increasingly difficult to break though as a teenager. The conversation also shifts to Korda, Musetti, Baez and Nakashim...
Nov 11, 2021•53 min
In this episode Matt and Saqib preview the Indian Wells 2021 edition. A lot has happened in the tennis world since Indian wells was played last. This episode covers the big stories coming into the event on both sides of the draws. Will Muguruza and Casper Ruud ride the hot hand into the desert? Can Medvedev narrow the gap between him and Djokovic in the rankings? Can Zverev and Tsitsipas overcome the disappointments of New York? A lot of food for thought for all fans.
Oct 07, 2021•46 min
Doubles legend Mark Woodforde returns to TWAA to review the US Open championships. We look back at the tournament where Daniil Medvedev stopped the historic bid of world number one Novak Djokovic for the Grand slam and the unprecedented run of Emma Raducanu as the first qualifier to win a major.
Sep 15, 2021•1 hr 21 min
Former top 20 player Jaime Yzaga of Peru joins the podcast this week to recall his amazing win over Pete Sampras from US Open 1994. Yzaga was a solid ATP pro in his day who had wins over Boris Becker, Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg and Andre Agassi among others. Yzaga gets candid about his toughest opponents, greatest memories and some current tennis topics like bathroom breaks and future stars of the game.
Sep 07, 2021•42 min
Mert Ertunga is back on TWAA to preview a slam. He joins Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali to look ahead for the US Open fortnight. The conversation centers around Osaka, Barty and Djokovic for the respective draws.
Aug 28, 2021•1 hr 42 min
Dr. Craig Cypher -- @DoctorCypher on Twitter -- is a clinical and sport psychologist. He is a certified mental performance consultant who works in the University of Rochester's fitness and science department. He joins Tennis With An Accent to provide layers of insights into sports psychology and the mental health of athletes. He discusses the psychology of athletes, the psychology of tennis players, and examines specific aspects of Naomi Osaka's story to explain how her journey is instructive wi...
Aug 13, 2021•59 min
Former world number six Nico Lapentti of Ecuador is the podcast guest. Lapentti now covers tennis for ESPN and remains involved in the sport. The conversation was rich in nostalgia and dates back to the "New balls please" campaign of lat 90's in which Lapentti was part of the young players the ATP promoted along with the likes of Guga Kuerten and Roger Federer. Lapentti also weighed in on the range of clay court players he had played against during his time as a pro on the tour - ranging from Th...
Jul 17, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Noted writer and commentator Ravi Ubha(@raviubha on twitter) returns to the podcast to help unpack the draws for the 2021 edition of The Championships.
Jun 26, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Prajwal Hegde has been covering tennis for more than two decades. In this episode of TWAA she recalls upon how her tennis media journey started through the Mid-Day newspaper. Hegde has been seen as part of the first generation of women covering sports in India. Was covering tennis any different than covering Cricket in India? Hegde also highlights her lonely presence as an Indian representative on the international tour. The conversation also covers the media relations with players and how the B...
Jun 21, 2021•1 hr
Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali review the championship weekend at Roland Garros as Novak Djokovic and Barbora Krejcikova reigned supreme. Djokovic won his 19th career major and also completed the second set of career grand slam. Krejcikova completed the rare double of singles and doubles win at Roland Garros. Also covered in this episode at length is the Nadal Djokovic semi final - which featured an all time best set of tennis.
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Hall of famer Steve Flink joins the show this week to talk about the ongoing French Open. Flink looks forward to some highly anticipated matchups like Danil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas and the potential meeting between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the event approaches quarter finals stage. He also looks back at the major first week exits of Serena Williams and Roger Federer.
Jun 08, 2021•48 min
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 Gome...
May 21, 2021•57 min
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....
May 17, 2021•1 hr
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.
May 05, 2021•40 min
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.
Apr 20, 2021•39 min
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!
Apr 14, 2021•1 hr 17 min
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 upcom...
Apr 06, 2021•37 min
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...
Mar 30, 2021•59 min
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.
Mar 16, 2021•41 min
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.
Mar 03, 2021•29 min
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...
Feb 22, 2021•1 hr 23 min
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.
Feb 19, 2021•35 min
Matt Zemek is joined by Mert Ertunga to look at some of the blockbuster tennis matchups of day 7 in Melbourne.
Feb 13, 2021•21 min
Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali look forward to some of the anticipated matches of day 5.
Feb 12, 2021•14 min
Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali look forward to the day 3 action of the 2021 Australian Open.
Feb 10, 2021•16 min
Matt Zemek and Saqib Ali talk about the action from day two of the 2021 Australian Open.
Feb 09, 2021•19 min
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.
Feb 06, 2021•1 hr 34 min
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.
Jan 21, 2021•43 min
