A podcast discussing the happenings in the wacky world of professional tennis. Hosted by Ben Rothenberg and Courtney Nguyen.
Episodes
Wednesday Feb 10, 2016
Wednesday Feb 10, 2016
Ben and Courtney are delighted to be back stateside, and delighted that Andy Murray's child (it's a girl!) arrived at a convenient time. Less delightful is the latest corruption scandal in tennis, and Ben is joined by Sean Ingle of the Guardian to discuss his report into the silent banning of two chair umpires for misconduct at the Futures level. Less ickily, Fed Cup happened this weekend, so we do a deep dive explainer-thing into what makes that competition tick, and how it gets messy with competing interests, ranking points, etc. Then, because we're American sportswriters, we discuss Cam Newton and what all that means from a tennis lens.
We're also thrilled to introduce our two 2016 executive producers in this episode: Francisco Resendiz of 10sballs.com and Tal Woolley!
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.
Wednesday Feb 03, 2016
Wednesday Feb 03, 2016
Another Australian Open, another Novak Djokovic title. Ben and Courtney know the unsurprisingness of it all is unsurprising, because it's becoming clear that Novak Djokovic is just in a league of his own. So, how will he do against a tougher opponent than any now on tour: history? And where does this tournament leave Andy Murray, besides once again cementing his trophy ceremony tearjerker crown? Then, we wrap up the tournament with a brief look at Petra Kvitova splitting with longtime coach David Kotyza, and who we're going to be watching coming out of Australia.
Thank you guys for hanging with us on this Australian Open spectacular! 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.
Friday Jan 29, 2016
Friday Jan 29, 2016
The Australian Open final is set and it's the fourth time Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are going to be squaring off on a Sunday night in Melbourne. It's a lot. Are Ben and Courtney excited aboutt his match-up? We're...not sure. But we dutifully break down the striking semifinals, including Novak Djokovic's incredible early mastery of Roger Federer and then Andy Murray's escape against a Milos Raonic whose body betrayed him (but sure was snappily dressed!). Lastly, we acknowledge how the strain on Kim Sears might put economic strain on the Australian economy.
Wednesday Jan 27, 2016
Wednesday Jan 27, 2016
One of the biggest ever upsets that involved a win by the higher-ranked player! Angelique Kerber beat hot pick Victoria Azarenka today in Melbourne, and so Ben is joined (on Courtney's day off) by two awesome fellas: Nick McCarvel and Matt Trollope, freelance writer for Tennis Australia and elsewhere. Just how was Kerber able to turn around her 0-6 record against Azarenka? Hear from her coach Torben Beltz. Also, Vika was not happy. And we also hear from the impressive but quoteful Johanna Konta, a stunning semifinalist here. Lastly, we make our picks for Thursday's three semifinals.
Monday Jan 25, 2016
Monday Jan 25, 2016
With their 21st meeting tomorrow, Ben and Courtney take a stroll down the very noisy memory lane that is the Serena Williams-Maria Sharapova rivalry (yes, it's a rivalry, you guys). After hearing from Day 8 winners Milos Raonic and Johanna Konta, we gear up for the marquee women's quarterfinal with some archive audio of past Melbourne meetings, and then hear about the tactical side of their match-up from tactician Craig O'Shannessy, who has worked as a consultant with Team Sharapova on trying to solve the Serena riddle.
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!
Sunday Jan 24, 2016
Sunday Jan 24, 2016
It's the second week, and Ben and Courtney can now talk about lots of important matches as the tournament reaches its pointy end. Gosh, Serena's good, isn't she? Maria's playing well, too, but does it matter? Then, what the heck was all that Djokovic-Simon nonsense? Does the performance cast any doubt over the overwhelming favorite's chances here? And what do the calm and steady performances of Radwanska and Suarez Navarro teach us about veteranliness? Also, stop spitting near Courtney you gross person.
Wednesday Jan 20, 2016
Wednesday Jan 20, 2016
A quick hit from a largely quiet Day 3 of the Australian Open sees Ben and Courtney discussing the moments in a late press conference of Novak Djokovic, when he was confronted with a report in an Italian newspaper that accuses him of not trying his hardest to win once in 2007. Even if the accusation is true, does it mean anything? We have our doubts. And it has nothing to do, almost certainly, with the match fixing stuff that continues to overshadow the tournament.
If you were an NCR Kickstarter backer, thank you again and please fill our the backer surveys we've sent out via email ASAP so we can get you your rewards!
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!
Tuesday Jan 19, 2016
Tuesday Jan 19, 2016
In our Australian Open Day 2 episode, Ben and Courtney talk about three upset losses that cropped up on the day: Venus Williams (who you won't hear from, as she bailed on press again), Rafael Nadal (who was optimistic overall in the face of getting blown away by power with increasing frequency), and Simona Halep, whose loss to Zhang Shuai (who you hear from) revealed an incredibly emotional, humanizing moment for tennis. Seriously, it was pretty cool.
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!
Monday Jan 18, 2016
Monday Jan 18, 2016
Through your Kickstarter support, we know you wanted more NCR in 2016, so Ben and Courtney are giving you more NCR in 2016! We'll be doing daily(ish) episodes from the 2016 Australian Open, and golly was Day 1 a doozy! After reviewing some results (you'll hear from winners Petra Kvitova and coach Patrick Mouratoglou, as well as losers Sloane Stephens and super sore loser Benoit Paire), we dive into the story that hijacked the day: the BBC/Buzzfeed reports on match fixing and Tennis Integrity Unit shortcomings. You'll hear from ATP head Chris Kermode as well as TIU's Nigel Willerton in their press conference, then Novak Djokovic. Lastly, Ben and Courtney are joined by British journalist Simon Cambers, who has covered the TIU closer than most anyone. Is this really the bombshell it's being made out to be? We discuss.
As of posting this there are only *HOURS* to go in our massively delighting Kickstarter campaign (over $20,000!!!), so if you haven't yet and might want to, go do it right now! Last chance link here.
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!
Friday Jan 15, 2016
Friday Jan 15, 2016
The draws for the 2016 Australian Open are out, and Ben and Courtney are here to be as sage as possible through what are generally two pretty inspiring, even draws. Does Serena face any players who might be able to derail her, maybe as soon as the first round? And what about Victoria Azarenka, who has looked so good so far and seemed to land in an ideal spot? After more chat on the ladies, can anyone even consider the possibility that Novak Djokovic might lose? And is Bernard Tomic's draw really so good as to justify his Sydney shenanigans. All that, plus Courtney slowly gets caught up on Homeland and Ben is all for vaguely catchy but decidedly clunky propaganda.
There are only a couple of days left in our Kickstarter campaign, so reading this is likely your last chance to be reminded to donate to the NCR cause if you haven't yet and would still like to. Your support has been overwhelming so far (and good lord, the postcard haul will be massive), but if you happen to be a straggler who wants to jump on board before the train pulls out of the station, your last chance is here.