No Challenges Remaining

Episode 178: Waking From Australian Dreams

Back home from their Australian adventures, and with time to process the "dream finals" of the Australian Open, Ben and Courtney rouse and reflect on what to make of the Serena-Venus and Federer-Nadal finals, and what they say about the current state of tennis, both for the players involved and the weekend's presumed losers (i.e. Angelique Kerber, Murray-Djokovic matches, etc). 

Also, how does the relative spreading of wealth in the WTA compare to the oligarchy of men's tennis? And are these results ideal for the respective tours?

Lastly, we talk about movies, and we have strong feelings about current and recent Oscar darlings. 

And 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 #NCR178!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 177f: Australian Open Day 10-12: Dream Finals

Tennis got everything it ever wanted! ...right?

Ben and Courtney break down the double-dip dream dates of the unexpected vintage Venus-Serena and Federer-Nadal finals that this Australian Open will conclude with. How did the matches go that got these four stars here, how will the finals themselves go, and how should we feel about them? Also, all the props in the world to Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

Is some tampering of expectations in order for the finals? Probably. But still, let's revel in this moment. We're excited, you're excited, and we're excited that you're excited. It's all very exciting

And 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 #NCR177f!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 177d: Australian Open Day 5-7: Zverevving Up for the Second Week

The surprises continue on Day 7 of the Australian Open, where both #1s lost Sunday. Angelique Kerber went out to CoCo Vandeweghe (not a huge shock) and Andy Murray went out to Mischa Zverev (a huge shock). 

First, to talk about both Zverev brothers and some German tennis in general, Ben (alone today as Courtney is out sick) talks to Petra Philippsen, a German freelancer.

Then, with the draws collapsing around them, Ben brings on Japan's Aki Uchida and Melbourne's Matt Trollope for an Asia-Pacific perspective on how the second week might shake out. There's a lot to reassess, a lot to rejigger, and a lot to cope with. And a lot to predict! 

And 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 #NCR177d!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 176: Australian Open Draw Show

Together again in Melbourne, Ben and Courtney dive right into the women's and men's draws of the 2017 Australian Open, rolling in some thoughts on the season so far along the way. 

It's somewhat business as usual, with so many women relevant and so few men, but there's one particular woman who both Ben and Courtney are super geeked for. Can she break out and win her first Slam? How much or little should we read into early season stumbles by the other top women? And on the men's side, can anyone disrupt the Murray-Djokovic order? And are Roger and/or Rafa ready for runs?

And 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 #NCR176!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 165c: U.S. Open - Halfway Home

With pudding and beer in hand, Ben and Courtney wrap up their main thoughts from a first week of the U.S. Open that mostly went without major disruption. Raonic, Kyrgios, Cilic and Muguruza being out is surprising, as is Caroline Wozniacki and Anastasija Sevastova being in. But mostly, it's business as expected, which should set up for a grand second week. We hope. 

Also, there's a roof and it makes things louder.

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR165c!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 164: US Open Preview State of Mind

The year's final grand slam event is upon us, and Ben and Courtney are ready with their draws to break down the who and how of this US Open. 

There are surprising champions in Cincinnati to review (Marin Cilic and Karolina Pliskova) to mull over, shaky #1s to evaluate (Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams), and increasingly steady anchors at the bottom of each draw (Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber). So, who do we pick?

Lastly, Courtney sings.

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR164!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 163: Golden Girl Monica Puig and More Rio Results

Olympic tennis produced one of its most stunning results with Monica Puig winning gold, and so Ben  nd Courtney are here to break that down, as well as all the other medals and losers in Rio. What does Monica's win show us about Olympic tennis, and what does it mean for her going forward? How delightful were the silver efforts of Juan Martin del Potro and Venus Williams? And why weren't many of the other results surprising? Also, is it fair to call Jack Sock a "doubles specialist"?

To tee up this week's tournament in Cincinnati, we chat with local sports reporter Shannon Russell, who has covered the tennis here for the Cincinnati Enquirer, and sheds light on what it's like being a one-week-a-year tennis reporter serving a tournament's local market.

Then in a wide-ranging rant extravaganza, Courtney talks about journalism (after John Oliver did) and Ben talks about plaques (but really Pokemon again).

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR163!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 155b: French Open Petit, Deux: Adios, Rafa (With Marta Mateo)

Our first mini show from the French Open wrapped up an uneventful first five days. On Friday there was news, and it was bad news: Rafael Nadal withdrew with a left wrist injury. 

To discuss and contemplate what this means for Nadal short-term and long-term, Ben is joined by the wonderful Marta Mateo of La Vanguardia, who discusses Rafa, the aging of the Armada, and the shift in focus to the two women who might become the new faces of women's tennis.

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR155b!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 154: Draw Me Like One of Your French Opens, Part Deux

Not much music this time, but Ben and Courtney try to hit all the right notes in this breakdown of the French Open draws (after a quick review of the Rome action), including some predictions. On the men's side, if it takes a team effort to beat Novak Djokovic, then who can contribute to that? And what are the chances like for his rivals Nadal, Wawrinka, and Murray?

On the women's side, does Serena's path become complicated by Azarenka? Is a rematch of last year's semifinal likely? And just how bankable is Begu, suddenly?

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR154!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 153: Madrid, Murresmo, Mozzarella

On the eve of glorious NCRvision, Ben and Courtney debrief briefly on the week that was in Madrid, where Simona Halep put herself back in the conversation by winning yet another wide-open WTA tournament. What does a Paris shortlist look like? Probably not very short. On the men's side, Novak Djokovic wins his 29th Masters, Rafael Nadal dropped off, and Andy Murray ended his two-year partnership with Amelie Mauresmo. Should Murresmo be remembered as a success? We say yes.

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR153!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.