A podcast discussing the happenings in the wacky world of professional tennis. Hosted by Ben Rothenberg and Courtney Nguyen.
Episodes
Sunday Sep 27, 2020
Sunday Sep 27, 2020
The marquee matches of the day were both won in decisive straight sets, with Stan Wawrinka romping over Andy Murray, and Coco Gauff controlling play against Johanna Konta.
Tumaini Carayol, NCR's newly-enshrined Spain and Sub-Saharan Africa correspondent, joins to discuss these matches and the reactions to them. Is giving a wild card to Murray debatable, as Mats Wilander claimed? Should Konta be less walled off with the media? And what made Wawrinka and Gauff so sharp?
Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received in recent weeks on the NCR Patreon! If you'd like to join in as we strive to bring you the best French Open content we can from across the Atlantic, 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, Christopher Bishop and Charles Cyna!)
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.
Friday Sep 25, 2020
Friday Sep 25, 2020
Another Slam approaches at a time of year which has never held a Slam before, so Ben and Courtney try to gather their physical and mental strength to take on what is shaping up to be an incredibly challenging Slam in many ways.
We start with the women, where Simona Halep is a clear favorite, but parity abounds also in women's tennis, as always. Garbine Muguruza appears set for success, and Serena and Azarenka are also intriguing in a Slam which may reward power more than the average French Open.
On the men's side we discuss Novak Djokovic's status as favorite, and detour into topics such as the complaints of players who are testing positive, the "struggles" of Stefanos Tsitsipas, the height of Diego Schwartzman, the wonders of Sasha Bubbles, and more.
Also, we discuss what we'll miss most about Paris.
Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received in recent weeks on the NCR Patreon! If you'd like to join in as we strive to bring you the best French Open content we can from across the Atlantic, 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, Christopher Bishop and Charles Cyna!)
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.
Sunday Aug 30, 2020
Sunday Aug 30, 2020
Ben and Courtney break down the U.S. Open draw amid a tournament build-up which feels very different to that of a normal Grand Slam, particularly as we aren't even in New York this week.
We discuss the women's draw first, where 2018 champ Naomi Osaka impressed on and off the court during "Cincinnati" but comes in carrying a hamstring injury. What to make of Serena's form since the shutdown? Can Kim Clijsters make an impact? Also, Dayana Yastremska is very much.
On the men's side, after a helpful pronunciation guide to the new "PTPA," we discuss Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Reilly Opelka, Daniil Medvedev, Milos Raonic, Bobby Bautista, and more. Also, hear Courtney's thoughts about night trains!
This is the first of many, many shows we have planned for the U.S. Open, so stay tuned!
If you'd like to support our show during this odd, disruptive year, we've launched an NCR Patreon where you can do just that! 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. backer J O'D!)
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.
Friday Aug 14, 2020
Friday Aug 14, 2020
The New Yorker's Louisa Thomas is back with us to discuss the comprehensive piece she published about the state of tennis in these tumultuous last five months, "The Fractured World of Tennis Amid a Prolonged Pandemic."
Louisa and Ben discuss the notion of self-centeredness and tennis and how players are trained by people to potentially hurt those same people, how tennis' structure reflects both its strengths and weaknesses, the fast-approaching U.S. Open, and much more, including, inevitably, Nick Kyrgios.
It's a wide-ranging story and a wide-ranging chat, and we think you'll enjoy it.
Also, please go get Louisa's new book, Losers, for yourself and/or everyone you know!
If you'd like to support our show, particularly as our normal work has disappeared along with the sport, we've launched an NCR Patreon where you can do just that! 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. backer J O'D!)
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.
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Ben and Courtney are joined by The Guardian's Tumaini Carayol to discuss his reporting on Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff, two young stars who have emerged as leading voices among players as America is gripped by protests following the murder of George Floyd.
How are these two women using their voices? What sort of shift might this represent in the public persona of Osaka, particularly? Are there any drawbacks to athletes speaking out? And how might the stoppage change social awareness in the sport?
If you'd like to support our show, particularly as our normal work has disappeared along with the sport, we've launched an NCR Patreon where you can do just that! 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. backer J O'D!)
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR258!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.
Wednesday Feb 26, 2020
Wednesday Feb 26, 2020
After Maria Sharapova announced her retirement on Wednesday morning, Ben is joined by Tumaini Carayol of The Guardian for an emergency episode to discuss her career and its many highs, lows, and controversies.
After expressing some relief that she's stopped, we discuss what made Sharapova keep pushing on through the pain so long, and also what our early memories of her career were. We discuss her arrival as a star, and then the darkening of that when she tested positive for a newly-banned substance in early 2016, which complicated and muddled a career which was already likely on its downhill.
We also share some of our favorite memories of Maria, and what made her such a tremendously satisfying antagonist on the tour--particularly for Serena Williams, whom she was a distant second behind in the end.
If you'd like to support our show, we've launched an NCR Patreon where you can do just that! Check out our five tiers and see which might be right for you! And thank you to the many who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backer J O'D!)
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR245a!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.
Friday Jan 17, 2020
Friday Jan 17, 2020
Ben and Courtney dive into the first Grand Slam of the 2020s with some Big Decade Energy, breaking down the paths for the top women and men in Melbourne.
We start with the women, where Ash Barty is the top seed and hometown hope, and where many contenders clustered in the top half, particularly in the second quarter (Osaka, Serena, and an R1 between Venus and Gauff).
On the men's side, we like the paths for the top four, and appreciate the pruning of the plant to inspire new growth. Or something like that.
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR242!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.
Monday Nov 18, 2019
Monday Nov 18, 2019
After far too long apart, Ben and Courtney reunited to record a sprawling conversation as the tennis season nears its end, and here's the first half.
We start with Stefanos Tsitsipas triumphing at the ATP Finals in London, which sure offered evidence of a changing of a guard if we're ever ready to be ready to accept that. What makes Tsitsipas so unique? And is Thiem now a threat everywhere?
We also dig into the discussions around the visibility and yet privacy of Sascha Zverev's health, and how it should be covered going forward. Also, Davis Cup is here in a whole new way.
We then shift to Courtney's trip through WTAsia, which featured long-awaited match-ups of breakout stars. We also discuss rising phenoms Sofia Kenin and Coco Gauff.
Our first attempt at timestamps!
0:58 Tsitsipas
14:16 Looking back at last episode's crucial error.
25:37 Zverev health discussions
41:40 Davis Cup
48:55 WTAsia with Barty, Bianca, and Osaka
1:07:07 Kenin
1:11:05 Coco Gauff
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR236a!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.
Tuesday Sep 10, 2019
Tuesday Sep 10, 2019
The U.S. Open was one to remember for runs by champion Bianca Andreescu and runner-up Daniil Medvedev, whom Ben and Courtney explore on this wrap show from a very good tournament.
Rafael Nadal won his 19th Grand Slam, somehow becoming the best U.S. Open player of the decade. And Serena Williams lost a fourth straight Grand Slam final, bafflingly. We discuss both of those happenings, plus men's semifinalists Grigor Dimitrov and Matteo Berrettini, as well as women's fourth rounders Naomi Osaka, Taylor Townsend, and Kristie Ahn.
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR233!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.
Sunday Aug 25, 2019
Sunday Aug 25, 2019
On the eve of the U.S. Open, Ben and Courtney sit down with the draws to figure out who is going to win this thing. It only feels worth going so far on the women's side, given the parity and upheaval on that tour lately, whereas our men's picks are mighty confident--including for newcomer to the top Daniil Medvedev.
We discuss Serena-Sharapova, Bianca Andreescu, Hubert Hurkacz's mock turtleneck, Jannik Sinner's roots, and much more.
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR232!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.