Three — A Tennis Show

On Ep. 22 of Three, Gill Joel and Amy discuss height and tennis. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal stand at 6 foot 1, while Novak Djokovic is only one inch taller; is this the golden height of tennis? Why has there never been a world #1 taller than Marat Safin at 6 foot 4, and how soon might that change? Finally, Gill Joel and Amy choose their ideal heights for tennis.

The 2021 tennis season is upon us, and with it comes another year of the Big 3. Gill, Joel and Amy discuss longevity; how Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have all maintained an elite level of tennis well into their thirties. But first, they react to the news that Federer will miss the Australian Open in order to continue recovering from knee surgery.

On Ep. 21 of Three, Gill, Joel and Amy begin stroke by stroke conversations about Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, starting with the backhand. The three discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the one-handed backhand versus the doublehander. What makes Novak's backhand so special? Does Federer's backhand take too much heat? What is to be made of Nadal's lesser-discussed wing? It's all here. First, a quick news update on Roger Federer's status for the 2021 Australian Open.

The 2021 Australian Open approaches, albeit moved back to February, and Roger Federer could be making his return from knee surgery. That's a familiar situation for the Swiss, who faced the same situation in 2017 and delivered with an improbable title run in Melbourne. What were the ingredients of Federer's resurgent run, and how are things different or the same in 2021? What might Federer improve technically and can he recapture the same magic mentally? Gill, Joel and Amy discuss...

The Big Three differ again when asked about the format of grand slam tournaments. The men have long played best-of-five, but is increased injury risk, shrinking attention spans, or uniformity with the women good enough reason to change it? Gill, Joel and Amy discuss.

On Ep. 18 of Three, Gill, Joel and Amy debrief on Novak Djokovic's ATP Finals semifinal loss to Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal's defeat to Daniil Medvedev at the same stage. Do these results signify a "changing of the guard" in the Big 3 tennis landscape? Lastly, we give out grades, well some of us do, to recap the 2020 seasons for Nadal and Djokovic.

On Ep. 17 of Three, we discuss how and why Djokovic and Nadal were defeated in their second group stage matches at the ATP Finals in London. Nadal was edged in a slugfest against Dominic Thiem, 7-6 7-6. Djokovic was defeated more easily by matchup-nemesis Daniil Medvedev, 6-3 6-3.

On Ep. 16 of Three, Rafael Nadal's run in Paris was difficult from start to finish, ending with a semifinal loss to Alexander Zverev. Why Nadal challenged indoors. On the contrary, we discuss playing tennis in wind. Then, we discuss the new Netflix documentary Guillermo Vilas: Settling the Score. Why Joel sees Vilas as Nadal's stylistic ancestor. Plus, the differences between Vilas and his chief rival Bjorn Borg.

On Ep. 15 of Three, Novak Djokovic lost to Lorenzo Sonego in Vienna, admitting that clinching the year-end number one ranking affected him. Plus, Rafael Nadal will play the Paris Masters after considering shutting it down for the season. What motivates Djokovic and Nadal, and how is that especially relevant during this time of year?

On Ep. 15 of Three, we start with scheduling news, as Rafael Nadal announced his participation in the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 tournament while Novak Djokovic pulled out. Perhaps the decision has to do with rankings points, which brought us into a debate about how important the Year-end number one is in historical context. For our main topic, we dive into the Big-3 aging. They've all adapted their games with experience, but does that mean they're becoming better tennis players?

Gill, Joel and Amy debrief after Rafael Nadal's three set win over Novak Djokovic in the 2020 Roland Garros men's final. The win for Nadal is his 13th at the French Open and his 20th major overall, tying Roger Federer's record.

On Ep. 13 of Three, Gill, Joel and Amy discuss the big match. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic blitzed through the Roland Garros field en route to Final Sunday. History is on the line, as Nadal seeks his record-tying 20th major title, and Djokovic looks to hold all four majors twice, something no open era man has done.

Cold weather, heavy tennis balls and the classic French Open red clay has made for conditions unlike we've seen at any recent grand slam tournament. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and third favorite Dominic Thiem have cruised through the early rounds, but what could be in store for them in week two of Roland Garros 2020? We discuss.

On Ep. 11 of Three, Joel Amy and Gill discuss the prospects of the top-2 players in the world, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, heading into the French Open. How will new conditions affect Roland Garros? What is to be made of Nadal's exit to Schwartzman in Rome and Djokovic's title run? Plus, a spirited debate on the underarm serve.

On Ep. 10 of Three, Joel, Amy and Gill discuss the proposed Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA). The organization is headed by Novak Djokovic alongside Vasek Pospisil and John Isner. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal took to Twitter to preach unity in response to the creation. Federer and Nadal are members of the ATP Player Council, which Djokovic chaired before he stepped down during this year’s US Open. Does the political structure of tennis need changing? And  why don’t the Big Three agree?

Joel, Amy and Gill discuss Dominic Thiem's  maiden slam at the 2020 US Open, where he came back from two-sets-to-none down agains Alexander Zverev in the final. It is the first time since the 2016 US Open that a major was won outside of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. A lot was made of the nerves both players felt in that match and the overall quality. Did we learn even more about the Big 3 in their absence?

Novak Djokovic was in the first set of his Third Round US Open match with Pablo Carreno Busta. After getting broken for 6-5, Djokovic took a ball out of his pocket and hit it towards the back wall, where it struck a lineswoman in the throat. The incident resulted in an immediate default. Joel, Amy and Gill react to a historic blunder by the World #1. 

Joel, Amy and Gill discuss Novak Djokovic's quest for major title #18 in New York, what style of play tends to bother Novak? Hint: not Jan-Lennard Struff's, how he looks to recover physically after playing the maximum number of matches last week in the Western & Southern Open, where he won the title, and how Djokovic's biggest threats, Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem, match up with the Serb. It wouldn't be an episode of Three if we didn't get off topic, and we also discuss return position in this episode.

On Ep. 7 of Three, Joel, Amy and Gill talk about why Novak Djokovic is the ultimate "coaches player." The Serbian has stood on top of the ATP tour for most of the last decade with his stunning backhand, return, movement and mental strength. What can recreational players learn? Plus, we discuss Novak's quest for a 18th major title in New York. What does the absence of Nadal and Federer, a neck issue, quicker court conditions and a packed schedule mean for Djokovic's chances?

On Ep. 6, Joel, Amy and Gill speculate on legacy of the 2020 US Open, tackling the widely debated question: will the champion deserve an asterisk?   Then, following Roger Federer last week, we transition into things recreational players can learn from Rafael Nadal's game. Everyone can agree his mentality is legendary. Debates emerge on the subject of tactics: is classical Spanish tennis- with emphasis on consistency, fitness, racket speed and great footwork- at odds with recent data about the importance of rallies under four shots? Regardless, Nadal has developed as much more than a classic clay court grinder. We discuss.

On the fifth episode of Three, Joel, Amy and Gill talk about what recreational players can learn from Roger Federer. With his 39th birthday recently past, we discuss Federer's longevity, something all club players hope to achieve. We hit on Federer's one-handed backhand, his variety, his footwork and his temperament. But first, a shout out to Racquet Magazine and WTA Lexington.

On Ep. 4 of Three, Joel, Amy and Gill discuss the players who rivaled the Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, albeit often unsuccessfully. We discuss dangerous competitors like Stan Wawrinka, David Ferrer and Dominic Thiem. We go through the generations- from Hewitt, Safin and Roddick, to Tsonga, Berdych and Del Potro, to Raonic, Dimitrov and Nishikori, and finally, Tsitsipas, Medvedev and Zverev. We grapple with the reasons that these players have come up short when tested against the Big Three? But first, we react to the news that Nadal will not play the 2020 US Open due to covid-related concerns.

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?

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.

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.

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/

Gill, Joel and Amy talk about how the universe led them to doing a show together about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. This is the introductory episode of Three.