No Challenges Remaining

Episode 154: Draw Me Like One of Your French Opens, Part Deux

Not much music this time, but Ben and Courtney try to hit all the right notes in this breakdown of the French Open draws (after a quick review of the Rome action), including some predictions. On the men's side, if it takes a team effort to beat Novak Djokovic, then who can contribute to that? And what are the chances like for his rivals Nadal, Wawrinka, and Murray?

On the women's side, does Serena's path become complicated by Azarenka? Is a rematch of last year's semifinal likely? And just how bankable is Begu, suddenly?

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR154!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 153: Madrid, Murresmo, Mozzarella

On the eve of glorious NCRvision, Ben and Courtney debrief briefly on the week that was in Madrid, where Simona Halep put herself back in the conversation by winning yet another wide-open WTA tournament. What does a Paris shortlist look like? Probably not very short. On the men's side, Novak Djokovic wins his 29th Masters, Rafael Nadal dropped off, and Andy Murray ended his two-year partnership with Amelie Mauresmo. Should Murresmo be remembered as a success? We say yes.

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR153!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 152: In Madrid with Timea Bacsinszky

Ben and Courtney are covering the Mutua Madrid Open for the first time, and are surprised by some things and not by others. We also discuss the schedule management concerns cropping up this week as they pertain to grassophiles Roger Federer and Venus Williams, as well as the general topics of the Olympics drawing closer on the horizon.

Then, we sit down with the ever delightful and insightful Timea Bacsinszky, to talk about how her perspective and pressures and role on the tour have changed as she has flown up the rankings. She's a fun listen, as always.

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR152!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Related links: 

• Courtney's recommended episode of The Heart, Idiot and Dummy.
• Ben appearing on Jeopardy last week, which he'll discuss *next* week on NCR.

Episode 150: Southern Fried Tennis

It's our sesquicentennial! As Ben and Courtney commemorate 150 episodes (well, actually this is our 181st, but you know we're not much for counting correctly), they first take you on a trip to the south of France, where NCR's France correspondant Carole Bouchard wraps up the Monte Carlo Masters, where Nadal won on clay and it was somehow a surprise. Then, after a detour through Fed Cup, we pivot to the south of the United States, and soak in the sounds of the Volvo Car Open in Charleston, one of our favorite stops on tour with some of our favorite people. You'll hear from four of them: volunteer extraordinaire Lynn Coursey ("She's here!"), Diane Elayne Dees and Daniel Ward of Women Who Serve, and tournament manager Eleanor Adams. Then Courtney and Ben meditate (or something) on their relative experiences with the sports worlds of Portland and Philadelphia. 

Ben also announces the upcoming NCRvision Song Contest which will be brought to your in just a few weeks, so be sure to tweet or email us your submissions! 

As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 149b: Tax Day! With Kelsey Anderson

Today is Tax Day in the United States, and so we thought we'd take a dive into the fun and splashy topic of taxes! Joining Ben to talk about finances and bookkeeping in tennis is Kelsey Anderson, the wife of top ATP player Kevin Anderson, who herself is a certified public accountant (though even she outsources some of the more complex tax stuff to an expert in tennis taxes). Tax laws that affect scheduling in the U.K., tax havens like Monte Carlo, it's all here.

As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 149: Doubly Dominant Dominos

With one-quarter of this year behind us, Ben and Courtney assess the 2016 season so far, where surprises on the women's side are met with complete predictability for the men. Is the shakeup atop the women's game--including Victoria Azarenka's "Sunshine Double"--more a product of the field improving or Serena Williams slipping? And who, if anyone, can be considered a clay court favorite?

On the men's side, has Novak Djokovic reached the UConn women's basketball level of domination where you have to score him high on style points in order for him to be watchable? We then unintentionally wade into uncharacteristically molten hot take territory, discussing who was/is better at their career peak: Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic?

As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 148: Forehands and Backhands (sorta)

After an Indian Wells that wasn't much about tennis, Ben and Courtney hope to be able to move on in Miami...but not before trying to make sense of Novak Djokovic's clumsy PR maneuvers, and enjoying a seminar from Professor Billie Jean King. 

Then, is anyone closing the gap on Novak Djokovic? How much concern is merited over Serena Williams' recent losing streak of sorts? Is it fair to panic? And was this a meaningfully positive stretch for Halep and Muguruza, or still disappointing?

As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

As detailed in Ben's rant, here's the NCR outro playlist for your enjoyment. 

Episode 145: Tennis Goes Hollywood

As February and its unexpected results take a flying leap, Ben and Courtney discuss the month that was, and who emerges strong (looking at you, Sloane). We then pivot a bit, as we do annually, to the Oscars, which had more of a tennis hook than usual because of the attendance of Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova. Tennis stars are popular, you guys! Then, we discuss why women's tennis in particular gets so much more respect stateside than other sports, going off of a conversation on ESPN's Will & Kate (starting about 17 minutes in here). Lastly, we give shoutouts to our $25-level Kickstarter backers, each and every one of whom is an awesome person. 

As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be!

Episode 144: Overpromised, Underdelivered

This week, Ben and Courtney come to realize that things just aren't what they used to be. Like Rafael Nadal's tennis, which Courtney bore witness to this week in Rio, where he again looked mortal on clay. Also, Caroline Wozniacki's reliability, since she fell out of the top 20 for the first time in nearly eight years. And even with Nick Kyrgios winning his first title, is there a stable foundation to build on for him? We're then joined by Reem Abulleil of Sport 360 in Dubai to talk about the tournament there, which was rocked by WTA withdrawals and upsets. Reem is cool. Then we talk about Ash Barty, comeback kid. Rantily, Courtney doesn't like getting asked if she bought things but does like getting things she didn't buy, and Ben is amused in a muscovial way. 

As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be. 

And here is that Lizzo & Caroline Smith track that Courtney adores. 

Episode 143: Twitchy on the Trigger

February is a choose your own adventure sort of month in tennis, and Ben and Courtney have all sorts of fun on a windy path through results of debatable relevance. Are wins by players like Thiem, Klizan, Vinci and Venus meaningful? How about more dodgy losses for Nadal? And what is a fair level of hype to be putting on Taylor Fritz right now? Then we take a number like we never have before, and follow our chosen man into a battlefield that might explain some of his losses. There's still time to respawn, though. 

As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.