No Challenges Remaining

Episode 45: Wimbledon, Bloody Wimbledon

Things got way too real at Wimbledon on Wednesday, so Ben and Courtney needed to rush to the microphone to come to grips with perhaps the craziest day of results and withdrawals in tennis history. After Rafael Nadal exited in the first round Monday, Wednesday saw the exits of Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Caroline Wozniacki, Marin Cilic, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, John Isner and Lleyton Hewitt, all on one day. It was weird, surreal, and we have lots of thoughts about what happened, and what will happen in the future, in this draw that now will guarantee some thoroughly unexpected players in the late rounds of this tournament. We make picks, but really who knows. Make your quarterfinal picks on our Facebook page, and we'll see who's wronger! We may have lost lots of players, but we're glad not to lose you, dear listeners! As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and leaving us reviews on iTunes!

Episode 44: A Russian Sniper (and a Wimbledon Preview)

In this episode live from the Wimbledon Village, Ben and Courtney have a whooooole lot to talk about on the eve of Wimbledon.  First we discuss the controversial Serena Williams profile published this week by Rolling Stone, so we discuss the piece and her controversial comments on Steubenville. We then discuss Maria Sharapova's shocking takedown of Williams' personal life in her pre-tournament press conference, which was perhaps the most direct shot ever fired in this decade-long rivalry. We then pick our jaws up off the floor to look back at the week that just passed, including Courtney's time with Jamie Hampton in Eastbourne and Ben's time at Wimbledon qualifying, including a peek into the culture of the British National Training Centre. We then discuss the lack of a seeding bump for Rafael Nadal and preview the Wimbledon men's and women's draws. It's a whole lot of show, but we have a whole lot of love for you listeners, as always. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and leaving us reviews on iTunes! It's a good way to make sure we won't say something about your boyfriend.

Episode 43: Halle Atcha Boy and Girl

The grass season has started off with a bang, and so does this episode! In their respective press rooms in Halle and Birmingham, which are full of fun sudden ambient noises, Ben and Courtney discuss the start of the grass season. Is Queen's as stuffy and bothersomely bougey as its made out to be? (Yes). Is Halle a delightful place full of beer, sausage, pretzels, and tuba music? (Yes). How do you solve a problem like Gael Monfils? And what about the French Open that just finished? Whose win was more impressive, Serena's or Rafa's? And lastly what is making Tomas Berdych such a phenomenal tweeter? All this and more in a short-but-sweet episode, because Mikhail Youzhny had to do a press conference, or something.

Episode 42: Shortly Before La Fin

In this French Open Second Week special, Ben and Courtney catch up on all the happenings in the middle of the French Open, and look forward to the exciting last few matches of the tournament. We also find ourselves on the opposite sides of a few issues that arose. Should the tours do more to stop excessive grunting, after the chorus of shriek-denouncers again arose during the Sharapova-Azarenka semifinal, and are the complaints valid? Should a final set tiebreak be instituted to save the players from marathon fifth sets like the one between Haas and Isner? Then we largely agree on stuff some stuff as we talk about the status of the French Open in the Grand Slam landscape, as well as the culture of Twitter and betting. We also take a few questions, and explain why Ana Ivanovic is a terribly redesigned video game character, why Serena took so long to contend in Paris again, and what a fresh Slam winner could mean to the men's game. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter,and leaving us reviews on iTunes! Nous voulons te voir, dear listeners.

Episode 41: Demi-Paris! (French Open Halfway!)

In this very special midway-through-the-French-Open episode, Ben and Courtney discuss the first week in Paris. The highs, and the lows. What was it like to watch Venus in orbit, even if she burned bright but not for long? What do we make of a section that featured Berdych, Gulbis, and Monfils but yielded Tommy Robredo? And are the Big 4 boring in press, like Gulbis said? We have lots of thoughts, especially about Nadal impassioned irritation over the schedule. We also take questions, such as "Who is the most impressive youngster in Paris?" and "Caroline Wozniacki." Please know that we made our "bold predictions" before play started on Saturday...so yeah. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter,and leaving us reviews on iTunes! You guys are seriously the meilleurest.