A podcast discussing the happenings in the wacky world of professional tennis. Hosted by Ben Rothenberg and Courtney Nguyen.
Episodes
Saturday May 25, 2019
Saturday May 25, 2019
With hours to go before the 2019 French Open begins, Ben and Courtney sit down for a quick-ish rundown of who can win this tournament and why.
From Naomi to Novak, Rafa to Petra, Plisko to Delpo, Tsitsi to Kiki, it's all here.
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 #NCR227!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.
Friday Dec 21, 2018
Friday Dec 21, 2018
With a whole year behind them, Ben and Courtney have a whole lot to look back on, both fondly and...less fondly.
And so, the fairly annual "Remember When?" episode is here, at least the first third of it on the first four or so months on the season. All sorts of wacky things happened in Australia, and the year stayed interesting throughout.
These episodes are less about the headline grabbing stories and more about the smaller moments that made the year feel how it felt, and we do hope you enjoy it as a tasty dessert at the end of a year-long meal.
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 #NCRRememberWhen!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be!
Friday May 25, 2018
Friday May 25, 2018
Ben and Courtney rendezvous in Paris once again to discuss the women's and men's French Open draws, which set up two very interesting tournaments (or maybe one and a half?)
The women's side is full of intriguing and relevant match-ups throughout, especially the highly anticipated section with Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Karolina Pliskova. What can we expect from Garbine Muguruza? Can lightning strike twice for Jelena Ostapenko (or has she become a more stable generator?) And can Elina Svitolina reach her Slam potential.
On the men's side, Ben posits why the super lopsided draw is actually perfect for the tournament, as all the best players who aren't Nadal get to battle amongst themselves for a spot in the final. He also defends his advocacy for John Isner, and Courtney explains her new devotion to Lil' David Goffin.
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 #NCR206!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be!
Tuesday May 22, 2018
Tuesday May 22, 2018
After an unintentionally long hiatus, Ben and Courtney are back together on the NCR airwaves from Paris, where they play a bit of catchup and try to set the table for the French Open ahead (with further draw dissection to come once it's out).
First, has much really changed compared to this time last year? What do we expect of Serena, and what do we make of the controversy which has arisen about her not being seeded for the tournament? Are seedings earned protections based on results, or projections of potential to win? And can Sascha Zverev finally do at Slams what he's done on tour?
That and more. Yeah, yeah, fire.
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 #NCR205!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be!
Wednesday Feb 28, 2018
Wednesday Feb 28, 2018
Frequently frantic, February fades out with the latest chat between Ben and Courtney, who have lots to catch you up on.
Topics covered include Frances Tiafoe's first title, Wozniacki-Niculescu beefing, Federer reaching #1, Serena Williams' long road ahead, Tennis Twitter falling for Darko Grncarov, Harrison-Young ugliness, the rise of Acapulco, and more!
Lastly, a celebration of Logan Lucky and a defense of Cool Runnings against attacks.
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 #NCR203!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be!
Saturday Jan 13, 2018
Saturday Jan 13, 2018
Ben and Courtney are back in your ears after far too long, and are in Melbourne ready to tee up the first Grand Slam of 2018.
On the women's side, we discuss the women who have surged to start the year (Halep, Kerber, Bencic...Giorgi?) and go through the draw thoroughly to find where openings might emerge.
On the men's side, Rafael Nadal is a clear draw winner, but there still manage to be lots of exciting early round match-ups throughout. And is it Roger's to lose, or can 2,000 points go to Goffindor?
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 #NCRAusOpen!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be!
Sunday Nov 26, 2017
Sunday Nov 26, 2017
Ben and Courtney reunite on this packed episode and start with a discussion of the legacy of the late Jana Novotna, who passed away at age 49 due to cancer. How should her legendary breakdown and resilience continue to influence how we see the sport today?
As the WTA and ATP seasons wrapped up, what did we learn about the respective year-end champs, Caroline Wozniacki and Grigor Dimitrov? Will either be able to carry their results into next year? And is 2018 primed to be a year full of first-time major champions on either or both tours?
We then touch on the ATP Next Gen event in Milan, its tasteless draw ceremony, and the reactions to mid-match coaching with headsets. Our takes vary here.
Then we introduce you all to the #NCRBookClub, which is starting with Venus Envy by John Wertheim, which you should read!
Lastly, Courtney gives all sorts of movie recommendations and Ben talks about his game show experience and recent Jeopardy closure.
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 #NCR199c!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be!
Wednesday Oct 18, 2017
Wednesday Oct 18, 2017
With the field set for Singapore, Ben and Courtney look back at the fall that was, including the sudden surge of Caroline Garcia to defy the odds and grab a spot among the elite eight.
On the men's side, Roger beat Rafa yet again--that means he's the best player of the year, right? And who gets our player of the year votes on the women's side? And how can we assess the field of play when it's all so tightly packed together on the women's side and when almost no men seem to be playing all that well?
Lastly, would the WTA benefit from a Milan-style showcase for its youngest stars? Or is that event, alternately, detrimental for the men?
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 #NCR199a!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be!
Monday Aug 28, 2017
Monday Aug 28, 2017
It's our U.S. Open preview show! Ben and Courtney catch up on the happenings of the hardcourt season, and make all the tough picks as we breakdown the women's and men's draws in New York this year.
With Andy Murray's withdrawal the last of five from the ATP top 11, how should we feel about the men's field? And just how open is the women's draw, really, with eight women who can reach #1?
Lots of fun tangents, as per.
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 #NCR197!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be!
Monday Jul 10, 2017
Monday Jul 10, 2017
Second week already? I was just in the middle of a dream (about flying ants, probably).
With four rounds of Wimbledon in the books, Ben and Courtney chat about what has happened and what will at a Wimbledon that hadn't been super eventful, really, until Manic Monday clarified some things. What do we make of Angelique Kerber, who will depart the #1 ranking? Should Bernard Tomic face scorn for his comments? Why is Gilles Muller such a dad? All this and 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 #NCR193!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be!