Episodes
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Episode 297: The Broken Economics of Tennis
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Think tennis could work better? So does pretty much everyone who works in tennis.
Ben is joined by David Yaffe-Bellany of Bloomberg News, author of a recent piece exploring the long tradition of dysfunction and underperforming within the business side of tennis.
What are the roots of the disorganization and the animosity? What are possible fixes to the sports poor earnings and its short payroll? What do we know about the still largely undefined PTPA and the role it could play?
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!)
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!)