No Challenges Remaining

Episode 336: Was Wimbledon Right to Ban Russians and Belarusians?

Wimbledon took the drastic step of banning all Russian and Belarusian players from this year's tournament, escalating the impact that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had on the world of tennis.

Tumaini Carayol joins Ben to discuss this decision, where it fits into the British political context, and how it might further divide an already fractious sport.

Is fairness a possible concept amid a war? What can we learn from past precedents? And what might tennis authorities have to do next as this war shows no sign of abating?

Thank you for listening to NCR! We are on Patreon, Twitter, and your favorite podcast apps.

 

Episode 282: Catching Up (With Courtney!)

Ben and Courtney are back for their first episode together since the French Open! While not particularly enthused by the offerings on tour currently, they have lots to discuss all the same, including Courtney's journey as a Twitch streamer, the unlikelihood of traveling to Australia next year, the shifts in the apparel landscape, and more!

Also for you OGs, we bring back Take a Number! Fun!

And then for considerably less fun, we discuss the silence in the face of the allegations by Olga Sharypova against Alexander Zverev (recorded before the ATP's pretty meh statement on Friday), and breakdown why the concept of "innocent until proven guilty" doesn't hold much relevance to how this case should be discussed.

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received this year on the NCR Patreon! 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, Charles Cyna, and Nicole Copeland!)

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.

Episode 281: A Woman Speaks Out; Tennis Stays Silent

This week's episode discusses the accusations of domestic violence made by Alexander Zverev's ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova, as further detailed in Ben's interview with her last week which was published on Thursday by Racquet Magazine. 

Ben is joined for this episode by Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated and 60 Minutes, who discussed the allegations in his column this week. 

What to make of the accusations? How should the ATP respond? Why doesn't tennis have a clear domestic violence policy like other sports? And what does silence make clear about tennis' shortcomings?

Also, a little detour into comparing tennis scoring and the electoral college. 

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received this year on the NCR Patreon! 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, Charles Cyna, and Nicole Copeland!)

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.

Episode 279: Does Tennis Love You Back? (With Jessica Luther & Kavitha A. Davidson)

Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson, co-authors of the new book Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back, join to discuss the lovability of tennis, and the difficulties that fans can still encounter while trying to reconcile the sport and their own personal values.

Issues covered include the continuing grumbling over equal pay for men and women, the evolution of Serena Williams' perceived marketability, what to do with a player whose politics you find objectionable, and how to feel about tennis and other sports continuing to soldier on during a continuing global pandemic.

Also, please vote.

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received this year on the NCR Patreon! 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, Charles Cyna, and Nicole Copeland!)

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.

Episode 268: Louisa Thomas on the Fractured World of Tennis

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.

Episode 267: Tennis Returns, But a Rocky Road Ahead

Well, tennis is back, folks! But at the same time, tennis continues to go away. What to make of it all?

To help make sense of it all, Ben is rejoined by Reem Abulleil and Tumaini Carayol who also have been (virtually) covering the WTA's return event in Palermo this week. Is the tour set to succeed? And how do we think this sort of virtual coverage will change our work?

We also discuss the cancellation of Madrid and the new rules document from the U.S. Open, as well as the decision of defending champion Rafael Nadal to skip this year's event.

And then as a bonus at the end, you'll hear Dayana Yastremska discuss her unexpected turn as a recording artist.

(Apologies for some of the audio issues on Ben's track as this issue goes on, we did our best to make it sound decent)

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.

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 173: Kicking Back With Questions #1

 

With the off-season upon us, Ben and Courtney curl up into their mailbag of questions and use it to keep warm through the winter, while at the same time answering its contents to share the warmth of tennis to all who listen. Gosh I hope no one read that paragraph, it was not our best.

Questions come from all sides on general tennis topics such as: Legacy padding! Bro Culture! Sustaining fledgling pro careers! Singles and doubles specializations! And conflicts of interest!

If you are someone who still has some show-based Kickstarter reward you're waiting on, we'd love for you to message us with your ideas so we can deliver them to you post haste! 

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR173!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.