Episodes
Sunday Jul 04, 2021
Episode 303c: Wimbledon, on the Last Middle Sunday
Sunday Jul 04, 2021
Sunday Jul 04, 2021
Ben and Courtney convene for the last of what has been a tradition: a Middle Sunday episode from Wimbledon. What do we make of this tradition being phased out?
And how about this first week at Wimbledon, which seemed to have found its footing as a great tournament after some early slips? We discuss our favorite moments so far, and how both the men and women are set up for the second week.
Also, Courtney prepares for her adventures in ghostbustin' as she tries to pick Casper Ruud out of a lineup...check that out over on our Patreon.
Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the Wimbledon! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)
Saturday Jun 26, 2021
Episode 302: Quiet, Please - Wimbledon 2021 Draw
Saturday Jun 26, 2021
Saturday Jun 26, 2021
Ben and Courtney reunite from eight time zones apart to discuss the men's and women's draws at Wimbledon, where the tours return after two years away.
We start with the men, where Novak Djokovic is a clear favorite. But the French Open taught us to be ready for surprises, right?
The women's side is, as typical, quite wide open. And like the men, there's some incomplete data for these players on grass which makes it all trickier than a slice from a carving station.
Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the Wimbledon! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)
Monday Jun 07, 2021
Episode 301b: French Open Day 9: Quarterfinal Previews and Such
Monday Jun 07, 2021
Monday Jun 07, 2021
Ben and Courtney reconvene to discuss the eight women and eight men left standing after four rounds at Roland Garros, and how things might play out from here.
We start with Andy Murray fave Iga Swiatek, the last to book her spot, who is becoming an increasingly prohibitive favorite. How will she handle that role? And what of the other women in the top draw who can trouble her? And how might things shake out on the more open bottom half?
In the men's draw, after Courtney weighs in on Federer's withdrawal, we give some props to Diego Schwartzman and then dive into the weird Musetti-Djokovic, which was thrilling and close and then immediately stopped being either of those things on a dime. Also some hopes for Tsitsipas-Medvedev and how we talk about that other quarterfinalist.
Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)
Sunday Jun 06, 2021
Episode 301a: French Open Day 8: Federer and Serena Age Out
Sunday Jun 06, 2021
Sunday Jun 06, 2021
It was a day of easy parallels at Roland Garros, with 39-year-olds Roger Federer and Serena Williams both bowing out, albeit in different fashions.
Federer withdrew from the French Open hours after his late-night win over Dominik Koepfer, having gotten the match practice he wanted before the grass season where he plans to peak. Serena played, but was outplayed by Elena Rybakina, who handed in a pretty straightforward straight-set win. How does that less intentional exit set her up for grass?
To discuss the role of aging, and the young guns left in both the men's and women's draws, we're joined by NCR's Youth Correspondent Alex Gruskin of Cracked Racquets who has all sorts of takes and stats on your Davidovich Fokinas, Musettis and whatnots.
Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)
Saturday May 29, 2021
Episode 299e: Draw Me Like One of Your French Opens, 2021
Saturday May 29, 2021
Saturday May 29, 2021
It's our favorite annual episode title! Ben and Courtney dive deep into the draws of Roland Garros to cover themselves in tidbits and terre battue about this draw.
Defending champions Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek hit together on Saturday; how likely was it that Nadal was going to know anything about possible Swiatek first round opponents? We explore.
On the women we go into folks including Barty, Swiatek, Kenin, Pliskova, Stephens, Muguruza, Sabalenka, Serena, Andreescu, and Osaka, while the men's side is more a conversation about how loaded the top half is around Rafael Nadal, and the opportunities it presents for the lads on the bottom.
Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open, check out our five tiers and see which might be right for you! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)
Thursday May 20, 2021
Episode 299c: NCRvision Spotlight: Dan Bern
Thursday May 20, 2021
Thursday May 20, 2021
It's that wonderful time of year, for the first time in two years: Eurovision!
At NCR, Eurovision means NCRvision, our celebration of the intersection of tennis and music--main show here; results show here--where we've found this episode's troubadour.
Dan Bern, the singer-songwriter whose song "Isner and Mahut" closed out NCRvision, joins Ben to chat and play a live concert of several of his original songs inspired by tennis players of the past and present.
It's a show like none we've ever done before on NCR, and we do hope you enjoy it.
If you want to hear more from Dan, he has newly bundled 15 of his original tennis songs together on his Bandcamp for you to check out.
Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can each week, check out our five tiers and see which might be right for you! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)
Friday Mar 19, 2021
Episode 296: The Voids to Fill
Friday Mar 19, 2021
Friday Mar 19, 2021
As the tours spend another week in the Middle East, the region's tennis queen Reem Abulleil joins NCR once more from (nearly) on-site in Dubai.
First, Reem shares her impressions of having been on site at a tournament this week for the first time in more than a year, at ATP Dubai. How different does the empty bubble atmosphere resonate in person?
Then we discuss Aslan Karatsev, who keeps winning and soaring up the rankings at an incredibly steep rate, all while we really haven't learned much about him or understood what's transformed his career so dramatically. Where might we find answers?
Then we look toward the Miami Open, where there has already been an exodus of top men's talent, making it the first Big 3-less Masters draw since 2004. What can be done to prevent such things? Do tournaments deserve loyalty from their stars in hard times? You'll hear a bit of Denis Shapovalov in this part.
Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can each week, check out our five tiers and see which might be right for you! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, Chris Bishop, and Nicole Copeland!)
Saturday Mar 13, 2021
Episode 295: Muguruza Wins; Federer Returns; Djokovic Reigns
Saturday Mar 13, 2021
Saturday Mar 13, 2021
It was a newsy week in tennis, and Ben is joined by our MENA correspondent Reem Abulleil to discuss it all.
Garbiñe Muguruza won her first title in two years at WTA Dubai, and seems to be building meaningful momentum as a top player week-in, week-out. What impact could that have on the tour?
Roger Federer returned to competition at ATP Doha for his first matches in more than a year; what is he still targeting?
And speaking of targets, Novak Djokovic hit one of his big ones, reaching 311 weeks at #1. How does that impact the dreaded GOAT debates?
Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can each week, check out our five tiers and see which might be right for you! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, Chris Bishop, and Nicole Copeland!)
Saturday Mar 06, 2021
Episode 294: Our Man in Rotterdam
Saturday Mar 06, 2021
Saturday Mar 06, 2021
With the tours continuing onward amid the pandemic, we welcome NCR's Dutch Lowlands and Caucasus Highlands correspondent David Avakian joins from Rotterdam to update us on the tournament there, which has long been a jewel of the indoor circuit.
We discuss what the tournament has done to not look sad despite being empty, the role of appearance fees and entry list uncertainty, and the beautiful syllables of the Dutch language.
Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can each week, check out our five tiers and see which might be right for you! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, Chris Bishop, and Nicole Copeland!)
Wednesday Jan 06, 2021
Episode 287: Working in Tennis (With Katie Spellman)
Wednesday Jan 06, 2021
Wednesday Jan 06, 2021
Ben and Courtney are delighted to be joined by Katie Spellman, a communications expert who joins for a companion episode to her Instagram series highlighting what it takes to make it working in the world of tennis, particularly on the media sides both independent and corporate.
What are the keys to breaking into the business? What do you need to do to stay afloat? And what are particular challenges facing women in the industry? All this, and more.
Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can each week, check out our five tiers and see which might be right for you! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)
As always, thanks for following us on Twitter and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.