Monday Match Analysis
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Note to audio listeners: 6:25 to 19:29 is pretty heavy on visuals; I try to describe what I'm showing as much as possible, but if you wish to skip that part my analysis shifts away from film study thereafter. On Monday Match Analysis, Gill breaks down Jannik Sinner's dominant 2024 Miami Open performance. The Italian took over the #2 ranking with a 6-3 6-1 win over Grigor Dimitrov in the final. We'll cover why Sinner is on a path to number one, how his defense left Dimitrov without answers and what his strategy was in baseline rallies and on serve. We'll also both finalists performance as a whole. 00:00 Intro 03:05 The Draw 04:05 Dimitrov's Chance 6:25 Sinner's Defense = Breaks 19:29 Finding Dimitrov's Backhand 21:35 Sinner Serve Strategy 24:40 Performance Conclusions Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://www.thedraw.tennis/subscribe
Top-seed Carlos Alcaraz looked to keep his Sunshine Double chances alive facing Grigor Dimitrov in the 2024 Miami Open quarterfinals. Gill Gross breaks down that result, and previews the semifinals featuring Alexander Zverev and a AO Final rematch of Daniil Medvedev vs. Jannik Sinner. 00:00 Intro 00:25 Alcaraz vs. Dimitrov 17:40 ? vs. Zverev 22:50 Sinner vs. Medvedev
On The Mailbag, Gill Gross answers your comments, including: rating the WTA's one-slam winners of the last decade, my favorite matchups on tour, what could separate Carlos Alcaraz from Jannik Sinner long-term, why is Serena Williams considered the GOAT when Steffi Graf has statistical advantages, what improvements has Daniil Medvedev made this year, how do Alcaraz and Sinner stack up on clay, what is the potential of TopSpin SK25 the video game, how players manage themselves during rain delays, why my old videos are deleted, why is Dominic Thiem still struggling, how will the proposed Super Tour effect lower ranked players, should catching tosses be legal, why am I wearing a hat? 00:00 Intro 1:15 WTA 1-Slam Winners 8:15 Favorite Matchups 13:35 Alcaraz Advantages vs. Sinner 21:00 Serena vs. Steffi 25:25 Medvedev Adjustments 29:05 Alcaraz vs. Sinner Clay 33:35 TopSpin SK25 38:17 Rain Delay Management 41:40 Old Videos 43:45 Dominic Thiem 49:31 SuperTour Effects 54:45 Catching Tosses 57:15 The Hat
With Novak Djokovic’s uncharacteristically sloppy performances against Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open and Luca Nardi at Indian Wells, it is time to take stock of his future. He is, after all, 36 years old. Is Djokovic in decline? While it won’t take long to get an answer, Gill Gross argues it’s still far too soon to know for sure.
On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross gives his quarter-by-quarter predictions for the 2024 Miami Open, featuring upset alerts, dark horses and popcorn matchups. Defending champion Daniil Medvedev, Indian Wells champion Carlos Alcaraz and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner are deserved top-3 seeds. Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud are among the many looking to break the mold. 00:00 Intro 01:30 Alcaraz Q 08:52 Zverev Q 15:05 Medvedev Q 21:12 Sinner Q 28:00 Final Weekend
On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross discusses Carlos Alcaraz's massive week at Indian Wells. How he found found his best tennis to snap Jannik Sinner's 19-match win streak and then beat Daniil Medvedev in the final for his first title since Wimbledon. We'll also cover takeaways from the Phoenix Challenger and Gill will share his personal experience in commentating it. 00:00 Intro 01:15 Alcaraz Improvements 05:52 Alcaraz d. Sinner 15:45 Alcaraz-Medvedev Serving 18:50 1st Set Tiebreak 22:00 2nd Set 24:18 Alcaraz FH Stats 28:56 Phoenix Takeaways 40:08 Commentary
On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross goes over some high-profile Sunday matches at Indian Wells. Carlos Alcaraz had no trouble defeating former #6 Felix Auger-Aliassime. Jannik Sinner blitzed past Jan-Lennard Struff. Andrey Rublev was overpowered by a redlining Jiri Lehecka. Gill explains his tweet about Coco Gauff's deciding set impressiveness. 00:00 Intro 03:30 Alcaraz d. FAA 22:40 Sinner d. Struff 27:33 Lehecka d. Rublev 33:05 Deciding Set Stats
On this week's Mailbag, Gill Gross reacts to the cancellation of Netflix's tennis docuseries Break Point and dissects the Simona Halep ruling that paves the way for her return to tennis, before answering your comments: should Rafael Nadal have withdrawn from Indian Wells earlier, are the courts in Palm Springs faster this year, why do Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have very different feeling towards clay despite their similar styles, did the ATP admit that Andrey Rublev shouldn't have been defaulted, why are Holger Rune's indoor HC results so much better than outdoor, what would Gill do as commissioner of tennis, how has Alex de Minaur improved and what would it take for Gill to cover more doubles. 00:00 Intro 01:22 Break Point 04:50 Halep Ruling 16:10 Nadal Withdrawal 25:48 Indian Wells Courtspeed 29:27 Medvedev vs. Zverev Clay 32:00 Matteo Arnaldi 35:42 Rublev's Appeal 42:10 Rune Outdoor HC 45:15 Commissioner of Tennis 49:50 Alex De Minaur 52:58 Doubles Analysis
On Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross previews Indian Wells with quarter-by-quarter predictions, dark horses, upset alerts and popcorn matchups. Top-seed Novak Djokovic returns to the California desert for the first time since 2019, two-seed Carlos Alcaraz defends his title, three-seed Jannik Sinner looks to stay perfect this season and four-seed Daniil Medvedev is the reigning finalist. Rafael Nadal returns from injury against longtime adversary Milos Raonic. After the final weekend prediction, we’ll chat with Tennis Channel analyst Nico Pereira to debrief on the Golden Swing of South America. We discuss the Cinderella runs, Sebastian Baez’s growing collection of titles and the calendar trends that could affect tennis in South America. Lastly, Nico explains how the Players Council works. CORRECTION: Baez has won six titles, not five as stated. 00:00 Intro 02:30 Djokovic Quarter 12:03 Medvedev Quarter 22:12 Sinner Quarter 30:40 Alcaraz Quarter 36:27 Final Weekend 39:18 Nico on Golden Swing 42:52 Calendar Changes 49:27 Sebastian Baez 54:37 Players Council
On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross recaps his experience going to Las Vegas for the first ever Netflix Slam with Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. We'll start by going over the match itself and why just the two taking the court was a victory. Then we'll get into the roadtrip to Vegas, the city itself, hotels, gambling and all the sort. As we transition to Sunday, Gill talks about his experience inside the arena. Lastly, we'll cover the long-term viability of this event as an annual exhibition. 00:00 Intro 01:40 Match Analysis 17:55 Vegas & Day Before 26:18 Match Experience 30:25 Netflix Slam Future
Gill Gross answers your comments, including: is Frances Tiafoe correct that tennis is the hardest sport in the world, can Daniil Medvedev repeat last year's Sunshine Double success, why do Czech Republic and Russia produce so many stars, should there be a January Masters 1000, has Medvedev's career already been a success, what can Gilles Simon add to Medvedev's team, how can lower ranked players earn a better living in tennis, are sparse crowds in Middle East tournaments a problem, why have Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka's nerve management gotten worse with age, why has Lorenzo Musetti struggled recently, should Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu be taking wildcards and who is most likely to win the Sunshine Double?
On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross breaks down Jordan Thompson's Los Cabos win over Casper Ruud to win his first career title and Karen Khachanov's takedown of 18-year old Jakub Mensik. First we'll open with some quick takes on Sebastian Baez winning his first 500 in Rio. We'll try to unpack Thompson's late career improvements before going to the film to analyze the tactic that he used to beat Ruud on so many big points. We'll also address the positive elements to Ruud's baseline game, including his backhand. Then we'll get into Khachanov's performance against Mensik, plus deep dive into the crucial 1st set tiebreak. Finally, Gill explains why Mensik is his new favorite prospect on tour. 00:00 Intro 00:45 Baez Wins Rio 03:25 Thompson Overview 07:24 Thompson-Ruud Analysis 25:55 Khachanov d. Mensik 34:50 Mensik Monologue
On this week's Mailbag, Gill Gross is joined by Abigail Johnson to answer your comments. First, we'll discuss the breakout weeks for teenagers Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca. We'll react to Holger Rune reuniting with Patrick Mouratoglou as head coach. Then it's to the comment section: how can Jannik Sinner be defeated, why is Andy Murray slumping, are tennis players becoming robotic, can serve and volley make a comeback, why is Lorenzo Musetti struggling, should something be done about Andrey Rublev's self-harm habit, Botic Van de Zandschulp's code violation, singles players ruining doubles draws and Emma Raducanu discourse. 00:00 Intro 04:40 NewGen 23:45 Rune & Mouratoglou 26:55 Jannik Sinner 37:50 Andy Murray 46:20 Robotic Tennis 51:15 Serve & Volley 55:40 Lorenzo Musetti 59:20 Rublev Self-Harm 1:07:40 Botic Code Violation 1:09:50 Doubles Withdrawals 1:14:30 Emma Raducanu
On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross reacts to next week's historic ATP Rankings revelation. Stefanos Tsitsipas's drop to #11 means there will be no one-handed backhands in the top-10. Is this just a moment in history, or is it the start of a non-reversing trend? Then, we'll cover Jannik Sinner's straight set win over Alex De Minaur in Rotterdam, which preserves the Italian's undefeated 2024 record. Finally we'll go to Rotterdam, where Facundo Diaz Acosta became a first-time champion and Carlos Alcaraz took a loss to Nicolas Jarry, extending his title drought. 00:00 Intro 00:55 One-Handed BHs 07:25 Sinner d. De Minaur 16:19 Facundo Diaz Acosta 17:55 Jarry d. Alcaraz
On this week's Mailbag, Gill is joined by Coach Jonathan Stokke, a former Duke player and host of the Baseline Intelligence Podcast. We answer your comments including: is there a place for the one-handed backhand in the modern game, can a player who hits two forehands like Teodor Davidov have success in the pros, why are you losing matches even though you hit the ball better than your opponent, should players be taught to slide on hardcourt, what are the pros and cons of training with a ball machine, is Daniil Medvedev's technique as unorthodox as everyone says, where does a player get power from, how do elite pros still have weak parts of their game, should more players hit slice for their 2nd serve? 00:00 Intro 03:00 One-Handed BHs 8:30 Two Forehands 12:40 Winning Matches 19:55 Sliding on Hard 23:43 Ball Machine Training 29:07 Medvedev's Technique 35:08 The Source of Power 41:20 Elite Player Weaknesses 46:25 Slice 2nd Serves
On this week’s Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross dives into the championship Sunday action in Marseille, where Ugo Humbert beat Grigor Dimitrov, and Dallas, where Tommy Paul took out Marcos Giron. We’ll talk about what it means that Humbert is top-10 in ELO and how he bothered Dimitrov tactically. We’ll discuss Paul’s elite court coverage and how he’s trying to close the gap to the top-10. Finally, we’ll cover a surprising title run for Cordoba qualifier Luciano Darderi. 00:00 Intro 00:45 Humbert Marseille 18:00 Paul Dallas 29:33 Darderi Cordoba
On this week's Mailbag, Gill gets you caught up on his time off, including an experience at PGA Golf's Waste Management Open, before answering your comments: what to make of Holger Rune splitting with coaches Boris Becker and Sevrin Luthi, how tennis should handle Saudi Arabian involvement as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune agree to an exhibition in Riyadh, takeaways from Alexander Bublik's Montpellier title, explaining variance in hard court speed, Jessica Pegula's breakup with Coach David Witt, the ATP Reality Show, Andy Roddick's "served" podcast and much more. 00:00 Intro 00:58 Gill’s Vacation 05:40 Rune Coaching 20:17 Saudi Exhibition 37:48 Bublik Montpellier 42:33 Court Speed Explainer 43:50 Top 10 Hardcourt Prefs 45:37 Pegula Splits w Witt 47:50 Sinner Rest of Year 49:28 Talent Maximizing 54:00 ATP Reality Show 57:15 Roddick on Alcaraz 59:50 Cerundolo Struggles 1:00:44 Roddick Pod 1:02:58 Active Tennis Viewing
This is the post-Australian Open Mega Mailbag. Gill Gross answers your comments, including: What is the status of Carlos Alcaraz and his title draught, how do the elite backhands in the Australian Open semifinals stack up, is men’s tennis more consistent than women’s due to best-of-five, is Novak Djokovic’s loss to Jannik Sinner a sign of lack of motivation, is this current top-four ready to dominate, what can Sinner improve from here, is Daniil Medvedev the best one-slam player ever, how can tennis media get better and thoughts on Andy Roddick’s new podcast, an update on Three, my take on Patrick Mouratoglou’s Djokovic take, is Rafael Nadal’s stock up or down after January, revisiting my top-10 prediction, Alcaraz overreaction and expectations, plus much more! 00:00 Intro 01:53 Alcaraz Status 06:10 Elite Backhands 10:15 Men vs. Women Dominance 14:03 Djokovic Motivation 19:49 Tennis Outfits 20:30 Top 4 Dominance 22:20 Sinner Next Steps 25:48 Bopanna and Hsieh 28:02 More Comebacks 29:15 Best 1 Slam Player 31:41 Medvedev Style Change 36:11 Tennis Media 41:07 Three Podcast 42:31 Cazaux vs. Prizmic 45:28 Djokovic-Sinner H2H 46:39 WTA Consistency 48:57 Mouratoglou on Novak 55:01 Nadal Stock 58:25 Sinner Drive Volley 1:00:55 Sinner Surprises 1:04:47 Top-10 Prediction 1:08:14 Alcaraz Overreactions 1:13:20 Alcaraz Expectations 1:11:55 Hot Takes 1:16:44 Nadal Scheduling 1:18:15 Cam Norrie Subscribe to The Draw, your one-stop-shop for the best tennis content on the internet every week: https://thedrawtennis.beehiiv.com/
This is the post-Australian Open Mega Mailbag. Gill Gross answers your comments, including: What is the status of Carlos Alcaraz and his title draught, how do the elite backhands in the Australian Open semifinals stack up, is men’s tennis more consistent than women’s due to best-of-five, is Novak Djokovic’s loss to Jannik Sinner a sign of lack of motivation, is this current top-four ready to dominate, what can Sinner improve from here, is Daniil Medvedev the best one-slam player ever, how can tennis media get better and thoughts on Andy Roddick’s new podcast, an update on Three, my take on Patrick Mouratoglou’s Djokovic take, is Rafael Nadal’s stock up or down after January, revisiting my top-10 prediction, Alcaraz overreaction and expectations, plus much more! 00:00 Intro 01:53 Alcaraz Status 06:10 Elite Backhands 10:15 Men vs. Women Dominance 14:03 Djokovic Motivation 19:49 Tennis Outfits 20:30 Top 4 Dominance 23:45 Sinner Next Steps 27:13 Bopanna and Hsieh 29:27 More Comebacks 30:40 Best 1 Slam Player 33:06 Medvedev Style Change 37:36 Tennis Media 42:32 Three Podcast 43:56 Cazaux vs. Prizmic 46:53 Djokovic-Sinner H2H 48:04 WTA Consistency 50:22 Mouratoglou on Novak 56:26 Nadal Stock 59:50 Sinner Drive Volley 1:02:20 Sinner Surprises 1:06:12 Top-10 Prediction 1:09:39 Alcaraz Overreactions 1:13:20 Alcaraz Expectations 1:15:20 Hot Takes 1:18:09 Nadal Scheduling 1:19:40 Cam Norrie
On this special edition of Monday Match Analysis, hall-of-famer Steve Flink joins Gill Gross to go over the 2024 Australian Open. Here on part two, we'll discuss semifinalists Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, quarterfinalist Carlos Alcaraz and more. Subscribe to our new newsletter, The Draw: https://thedrawtennis.beehiiv.com/ 00:00 Intro 00:10 Novak Djokovic 13:23 Alexander Zverev 23:00 Carlos Alcaraz 29:00 Rune & Dimitrov 37:00 Cam Norrie
On this special edition of Monday Match Analysis, hall-of-famer Steve Flink joins Gill Gross to go over the 2024 Australian Open final, plus where champion Jannik Sinner and runner-up Daniil Medvedev go from here. Subscribe to our new newsletter, The Draw: https://thedrawtennis.beehiiv.com/ 00:00 Intro 02:46 Men’s Final 14:30 Jannik Sinner 30:20 Daniil Medvedev
On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross breaks down Jannik Sinner's colossal comeback against Daniil Medvedev in the 2024 Australian Open final to win his 1st career major title. We'll talk about Sinner's development from a eye-catching prospect to one of the best in the world. We'll discuss Medvedev's radical tactics that propelled him to a two-set lead. We'll cover why Medvedev's tournament was a resounding success despite the loss. We'll analyze Sinner's turnaround, including groundstroke adjustments, serve savviness, returns in play and forehand dominance. Finally, we'll explore why Medvedev changed the style that was working for him early and how the 5th set went down in favor of Sinner. 00:00 Intro 00:40 Sinner's Development 04:55 Medvedev's Start 14:45 Medvedev Takeaways 20:05 Sinner's Turnaround 37:30 Medvedev's Mistake 41:30 5th set
Gill Gross runs through the four results in the quarterfinal round at the 2024 Australian Open. Novak Djokovic beat Taylor Fritz in their highest quality match to date. Jannik Sinner kept his set streak alive with a sweep of Andrey Rublev. Daniil Medvedev pulled off another 5-set win over Hubert Hurkacz. And Alexander Zverev pulled off the upset over Carlos Alcaraz. 00:00 Intro 00:37 Djokovic d. Fritz 17:09 Sinner d. Rublev 33:38 Medvedev d. Hurkacz 54:40 Zverev d. Alcaraz --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support
On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross breaks down the four quarterfinal matchups set for the Australian Open 2024. In the top half, Novak Djokovic will play Taylor Fritz in a US Open rematch and Jannik Sinner will look to deny Andrey Rublev his first major semifinal. On the bottom, Daniil Medvedev will look to reverse his negative head-to-head against Hubert Hurkacz and Carlos Alcaraz seeks his first Aussie semifinal against Alexander Zverev. 00:00 Intro 01:25 Djokovic vs. Fritz 10:41 Sinner vs. Rublev 24:50 Medvedev vs. Hurkacz 32:47 Alcaraz vs. Zverev --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support
Correction: Sumit Nagal is 26 years old. On the traditional Monday Match Analysis early round Mailbag, Gill Gross responds to your comments, including: is there still hope for Denis Shapovalov fans, what went down in the Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Dominic Thiem match, Alexander Zverev being elected to the Player Council, the Australian Open court speed this year, new rules that allow fans to move between every game, Novak Djokovic's new comments on Ben Shelton, the Nick Kyrgios & John McEnroe commentary booth, an update on upset alerts, Borna Coric, Jiri Lehecka and ranking the top-5 best young mental games. 00:00 Intro 05:50 FAA vs. Thiem 16:43 Zverev Players' Council 19:22 My Zverev Tweet 34:10 AO Court Speed 35:55 Fan Movement 37:30 Djokovic on Shelton 41:43 Kyrgios-McEnroe Booth 45:20 Upset Alert Updates 49:24 Borna Coric 52:26 Jiri Lehecka 54:22 Top-5 Mental Games --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support
This Monday Match Analysis audio exclusive combines three topics from the first two days of the 2024 Australian Open. Dino Prizmic, an 18-year old qualifier from Croatia, made an impressive Slam debut on night one of the 2024 Australian Open against 10-time champion world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Andrey Rublev escaped the dangerous Thiago Seyboth Wild barely, winning a 5th-set tiebreak in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open. It was one of the most intriguing first round matches thus far. Stefanos Tsitsipas unveiled a surprising technique change in his first round Australian Open match against Zizou Bergs. 00:00 Intro 01:06 Dino Prizmic 19:23 Rublev's Escape 31:26 Tsitsipas's Serve --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support
On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross previews the 2024 Australian Open with quarter-by-quarter predictions, dark horses, upset alerts and popcorn matchups. 10-time champion Novak Djokovic is the top seed, followed by 2-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz, 2-time Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev and first-time top seed Jannik Sinner. 00:00 Intro 04:45 Djokovic's Q 16:27 Sinner's Q 25:00 Medvedev's Q 34:45 Alcaraz's Q 43:00 Final Weekend --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support
On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross starts by reacting to the news Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the 2024 Australian Open. Then we'll cover Grigor Dimitrov's title in Brisbane and his win over Holger Rune in the final. We'll go rubber-by-rubber in breaking down Germany's United Cup win over Poland, which was powered by Alexander Zverev's singles win against Hubert Hurkacz and Zverev's pairing with Laura Siegemund. We'll end on some Hong Kong takeaways, where Andrey Rublev won the title. 00:00 Intro 00:45 Nadal Setback 03:58 Dimitrov Ends Drought 08:00 Dimitrov d. Rune Analysis 27:24 Germany United Cup 28:50 Siegemund Mixed 34:10 Zverev d. Hurkacz 45:30 Swiatek d. Kerber 48:42 Hong Kong --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support
On this week's Mailbag, Gill Gross answers your comments, including: what do you think of Alex De Minaur after his hot start to 2024, who is right in the feud between Nick Kyrgios and Boris Becker, Rafael Nadal's Australian Open keys after losing to Jordan Thompson, have Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas missed their chance to win a major, who is the most talented player outside of the top-30, what improvements does Holger Rune need to make to equal Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, what has Casper Ruud done so well at United Cup, WTA top-5 predictions, tactics in a potential Novak Djokovic vs. Nadal match, tennis broadcasting questions and more! 00:00 Intro 01:15 Alex De Minaur 14:25 Kyrgios vs. Becker 16:45 Nadal AO Keys 29:39 Tsitsipas and Zverev 33:08 AO Warmups 33:35 Lower Ranked Talents 36:11 Rune Improvements 38:22 Ruud United Cup 40:27 WTA Predictions 43:30 Rune Forehand 46:45 Nadal vs. Djokovic 48:37 Tennis Broadcasting --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support
On this week's Monday Match Analysis, Gill Gross discusses Rafael Nadal's comeback match in Brisbane: a winning effort against longtime rival Dominic Thiem. How much did we learn about what Rafa's 2024 prospects? Plus, we'll analyze the changes in the United Cup format, Mikhail Youzhny's comments on Dennis Shapovalov, the early season form of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Roman Safiullin, Stefanos Tsitsipas's back injury, Sebastian Korda's forehand, Casper Ruud's start and the updated ATP website. 00:00 Intro 1:26 Nadal vs. Thiem 14:55 United Cup Tweaks 20:20 Youzhny on Shapovalov 25:40 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 27:16 Roman Safiullin 29:40 Tsitsipas Injury 31:55 Korda Forehand 33:58 Ruud Start 34:40 ATP Website --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/monday-match-analysis/support
