No Challenges Remaining

Episode 356: Simona Halep and the Biggest Doping Conviction in Tennis History

Ben and Tumaini read the 126-page decision in the tribunal's decision to convict former No. 1 Simona Halep on two charges of intentional doping, and give you a deep dive into the details of the document and expound on what it all means.

In the first half of this episode we get into the details so you don't have to, explaining the reasons why the tribunal was "comfortably satisfied" of Halep's guilt, and how they arrived to those two parallel verdicts through different detection methods. We also discuss why Halep's defenses failed, and what she was trying to achieve with her focus on delays to the process.

In the second part of the deep dive, we explore the ramifications of these convictions, the most serious convictions a tennis star has ever received, and what they mean for Halep, her coach Patrick Mouratoglou, and the sport of tennis writ large.

There's a lot to unpack here, and it's not always fun, but we hope we can shed some light on this complex case for you.

Thank you for listening, and if you enjoy deep dives into tennis please pre-order Ben's biography of Naomi Osaka, coming out soon!

Episode 245a: Maria Sharapova Retires (with Tumaini Carayol)

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.

Episode 182a: Maria Sharapova: The Ice Woman Cometh

With Maria Sharapova's ban set to end in just over a month, we've assembled an all-star lineup to discuss her impending return and the many questions it raises in this our fourth episode (here are 1, 2, and 3) about Sharapova's saga.

First, Ben speaks with Markus Günthardt, the tournament director of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart where Sharapova will be making her comeback on Wednesday, April 26. We discuss why this tournament has grown so popular with top players (the car-as-trophy model seems to work), how important Sharapova is to it, the decision to give her a wild card, and how the contentious Wednesday start was made possible.

Next, Ben reunites 75% of our March 2016 roundtable on Sharapova by bringing back in Sports Illustrated/Tennis Channel's Jon Wertheim and fabulous French freelancer Carole Bouchard to discuss all sorts of issues and questions raised by the Sharapova brouhaha, what has changed as the story has evolved over the last year, and what should be considered in the decisions about wild cards and whatever else in her comeback.

Then, to bring the decidedly different British perspective on this case and anti-doping rigidity in general, Ben chats with BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller about why reactions in attitudes in his country have been so different, and the ethical and logistical questions facing Wimbledon as it weighs whether or not to warmly welcome Sharapova with a main draw wild card.

We definitely want you to sound off on these issues, so more than ever, join in the conversation on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), follow and tweet us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR182a!). And as always, please subscribe/review on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 167: The Sharapova Resolution

NCR is back after an unforeseen delay (our apologies), and we start by catching up with the conclusion of the Maria Sharapova meldonium case, as Ben welcomes back guest Richard Ings, who had previously discussed Sharapova's positive test with us back on Episode 145A when she announced it back in March. What have we learned over the course of this case? How much should this affect Sharapova's reputation, and should she be labeled a "cheater"? What can ITF do to prevent its athletes having similar pitfalls in the future? All that, plus transparency, TUEs, and more.

Reading material referenced in this episode:

• The initial ITF decision against Sharapova
• The CAS decision overturning the ITF decision and reducing ban from 24 to 15 months.
• Ben's interview with Sharapova in the New York Times
• ESPN's Outside the Lines report critical of tennis anti-doping systems.

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR167!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 145A: Maria Sharapova Tests Positive for Banned Substance

Talk about your emergency episodes. After Maria Sharapova dropped the bombshell that she had tested positive for a (recently) banned substance at the Australian Open, Ben discusses the facts of the case with doping expert Richard Ings. Who is to blame here? What is the likely punishment? Was it fair to expect Sharapova to realize that something she had taken without incident for a decade was suddenly verboten? What can be done to prevent this happening again?

We'll have much more on this story as it unfolds in coming days, so stay tuned to NCR. 

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.