Monday Match Analysis

On this week's Mailbag, I respond to your comments: what if a player tests positive before the US Open final or semifinal, why European players have edged American players on tour, will Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic on hard court ever again, is Dominic Thiem an underachiever, Andy Murray vs. Rafael Nadal on grass, plus your hot takes about Juan Martin Del Potro, Stan Wawrinka, Nick Kyrgios and more. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support

On this week's Monday Match Analysis, I shout out World Team Tennis for an event well-run, discuss Nick Kyrgios's decision to skip the US Open, his criticism of irresponsible behavior and Borna Coric's response, an ode to Olympic tennis, why Tokyo is massive for Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, why the event is propelling Djokovic forward and the cancellation of the Mutua Madrid Open. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support

Hall-of-fame tennis writer Steve Flink joins MMA to discuss the greatest rivalry in the history of tennis- Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova. Going into the 1985 French Open final, Martina had won 15 of 16 previous meetings, but the red clay along with windy conditions would make Chrissy feel right at home. Among 80 meetings between these two champions, the intensity of this particular match is unmatched. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support

On Ep. 3, Joel, Amy and Gill discuss the GOAT debate, which has dominated men’s tennis discourse for the better part of a decade. It is the most obvious way to discuss Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s greatness, but should we really be asking who the greatest player of all-time is? The Big 3 aren’t done playing yet- but will finality bring any clarity to what is already an extremely complex question. What role does the grand slam race play? Is it fair to compare eras at all? The questions are endless, which brings us to the original question. Should we be asking about GOATS? Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support

On Ep. 5 of the Mailbag- Why do many players seem more inclined to play the French Open instead of the US Open, how do Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev match up against each other on the Flushing Meadows hard courts, is 32 seeds at majors better than 16, will Novak Djokovic and/or Rafael Nadal play the US Open, does Washington's cancellation spell doom for the USO, coronavirus and BLM in America, slam prestige power ranking, the best drop shotters on tour, does tennis have an access problem, ATP's top 5 underachievers, thoughts on Nishioka, is it fair that Djokovic weeks at No. 1 are currently not being counted? Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support

On today’s Monday Match Analysis- Dominic Thiem is dominating exhibition play with the tour on pause. He defeated Mateo Berrettini and Jannick Sinner on grass and hard court respectively to capture both Bett1 Aces exhibition titles last week. Plus, European Union travel bans on the United States, due to the coronavirus, is threatening players’ abilities to travel to New York and back for the US Open. Lastly, I’m joined by Performance Plus Tennis Director John Craig (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOF00ZhQ47uL9xZWUQdEcAg) to discuss the evolution of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal’s serves. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support

On the second episode of Three, Joel, Amy and Gill discuss the largest mystery heading into the 2020 ATP restart. Will Rafael Nadal play the US Open? Many factors are at play, including his history of hard court injury and what it means to miss a major. We discuss the history of slam skippage and career longevity, using Andre Agassi as a case study. Then, we bring the conversation over to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who have had healthier careers than Nadal, but still have had their fair share of injuries. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support

Answering your comments on: missing tennis, Rafael Nadal's scheduling, the gutsiest member of the Big 3, Andrey Rublev's game, the toughest surface to play on and the popularity of doubles plus tactics. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support

On the first ever episode of Three, Joel, Amy and Gill address the odd man out. British three-time major champion Andy Murray was often considered to be a member of the Big Four, but over time the term Big Three largely adopted as the best representation of the top of men's tennis. We talk about what Murray did so well to enable consistent winning results on tour, but why he wasn't quite as good as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. Three is a show about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. These competitively dominant tennis icons have been a lifeline to millions of fans around the world. We look to tell their stories through discussions of tennis history, tactics, psychology, technique and more. California-based Joel Drucker has been writing about tennis for nearly 40 years, his work appearing in such outlets as Tennis Channel, Tennis.com, Racquet and a host of general interest media, including the New York Times, HBO, CBS, Cigar Aficionado, Men's Journal and People Magazine. Author of the book, "Jimmy Connors Saved My Life," Joel is also a historian-at-large for the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Amy Lundy is a reporter whose work has been featured on ESPN, CNN and The Golf Channel. She is Director of Films at The Tennis Congress. Gill Gross is the host of Monday Match Analysis. His weekly YouTube show, which analyzes ATP matches and news, has amassed over 5,000 subscribers. The first three episodes of Three will be posted on this RSS feed. After that, they will move exclusively to "Three -- A Tennis Show. "Andy Murray" by PaulaM95 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Music: Big Bird's Date Night by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/ Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support

On this edition of MMA Classics, I’m joined by hall-of-fame tennis writer and author for tennis.com Steve Flink to discuss the 2013 French Open semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Djokovic was in search for his first Roland Garros title, and made it his #1 goal for his 2013 season. After repeating as Australian Open champion and beating Nadal in Monte Carlo, his chances appeared strong. But Nadal was clearly not going away easily after a knee injury sidelined him for 7 months. Although Rafa was shaky in his opening rounds, he was ready to defend his title as King of Clay. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support