No Challenges Remaining

Episode 88: Li Na, Behind the Wall

In this nearly Ben-less episode from Beijing, Courtney and Chinese reporter Liu Renjie (aka Joe) discuss the impact of Li Na's retirement, and just how much of a game-changer she was for tennis in China. How did her interactions with Chinese and western media differ? And what were the ways she changed China's perceptions of the world, and the world's perceptions of China, and China's perceptions of the world? Then as they wrap up Courtney and Joe fail to contain their jealousy for Ben's incomparable fashion sense and it's really pretty sad. As always, thank you for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing to and reviewing our show on iTunes! 

Episode 75: French Open--Allez We Go!

Live from Paris, Ben and Courtney are super excited for the French Open! We break down the men's and women's draws, which left Maria Sharapova as a big loser and Roger Federer as the big winner. We ask important questions like "Is this finally the year where Novak Djokovic sneaks past Rafael Nadal?" "Who is more likely to win, Rafa or Serena?" "Does Ben help kill spiders?" Then we play another fun game of "Hey, Remember When?" which includes highlights from Rome press conferences including Maria Sharapova owning her iciness and Camila Giorgi's father owning his media beefs. Lastly, Courtney eulogizes the strange, beautiful rise and fall of Dinara Safina's tennis career. She may just be our immortal. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes! Allez!

Episode 74: Where the Finalists Rome

In this special Rome final preview episode taped Saturday afternoon, Ben and Courtney look ahead to the upcoming tilt between Serena Williams and Sara Errani, as well as the week that was on the women's side at the Foro Italico. What do we make of Errani's unexpected emergence on home soil? Does she have a shot against Serena after the brutal loss in Paris last year? Also, our thoughts on the increasingly legit Ana Ivanovic, as well as the rest of the field that came and went through the Foro Italico. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes! You, dear listeners, are the pasta twirled around the fork that is our hearts. Or something. 

Episode 73: Sliding Señoritas

Reunited in Rome on Saturday afternoon, Ben and Courtney hop back into the studio for a special look ahead to the women's final in Madrid, which will pit claylovers Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep against one another for one of the biggest women's titles outside the Slams. What do we make of the form each have shown on clay so far, and how it sets them up for the French Open? Is Sharapova the immediate favorite in any match that doesn't include Serena? And don't you guys miss that blue stuff? As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes! You, dear listeners, get the douze points from our hearts.

Episode 72: Alize Cornet

Ben and Courtney slide into the clay season with the graceee you'd expect of North Americans, so please forgive their lateness. What sort of clay landscape do they find? A confusing one! What's going on with Rafael Nadal losing on clay to lesser Spaniards? What's up with Novak Djokovic's wrist? That Stan Wawrinka guy is keeping himself awfully relevant, isn't he? Is Wawrinka more likely to pull off the Aussie-French double than Li Na? And what of the women winning titles on clay so far, from Maria Sharapova to Caroline Garcia to Taylor Townsend? Lastly, we share with you our interview with the charmant Alize Cornet, who shares her thoughts on her own resurgent career, the ecosystem of the WTA locker room, and on-court dramatics. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes!

Episode 66: Back From Russia, With Tennis

We have so much to catch up on, you guys! Unable to find recording daylight through the thick iron curtain while Ben spent the last five weeks in Sochi, Ben and Courtney finally reunite to catch you up on all the happenings in tennis! Like Stan Wawrinka winning a Slam! What was that about? Also Li Na did big things, too! What are we still learning about her? We also look at many of the other big players from this time period, including Dominika Cibulkova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Genie Bouchard, Sloane Stephens, Simona Halep, Venus Williams, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, Grigor Dimitrov, Ernests Gulbis, and more! We also try to make sense of the IPTL and what the Winter Olympics tell us about why women's tennis is more successful than so many other women's sports. We have so much to give, you guys! As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes! You are the bears on unicycles of our hearts.

Episode 65: Aussie Ana Sinks Serena

In Episode 65, Ben and Courtney return to the airwaves (internetwaves?) live from Melbourne once again, this time to sort through the rubble of another injury-laced exit from Melbourne by Serena Williams, this time at the unlikely hands of Ana Ivanovic. What does the win mean for Ana? And what does the loss mean for Serena? What do we make of the way Serena (and her coach Patrick Mouratoglou) handled her injury? And how does her exit change the landscape of the women's draw? Could Li Na actually be considered a viable favorite? The men haven't done much, but Bernard Tomic, who only played one set in Melbourne, is always one to get a conversation going. Thanks for waking up with us, dear listeners! As always, thanks for following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes!

Episode 64: Australian Open/James McGee

In Episode 64, Ben and Courtney break down the draws for the 2014 Australian Open. What do we make of the flat, even women's draw? And the men's draw that's more top-heavy than Dolly Parton? Who is on upset alert, and who got lucky? And why did Gilles Simon insist on trying to valiantly play when pulling out would've made our show so much simpler? Plus, we share with you Ben's interview from during qualies with Ireland's James McGee, who has lots of great stories and thoughts about life on the lower rungs on the pro tour. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wish you were Irish. As always, thanks for following us on Twitter, liking our page on Facebook,and subscribing to us and reviewing us on iTunes!

Episode 63: Greeting the Season with an Oi! Oi! Oi!

Happy 2014, listeners! Ben and Courtney are back together and back on the microphone, this time coming to you live from Melbourne, Australia. We catch up on the first week of the season in somewhat breakneck fashion, discussing the underwhelming Hopman Cup, the significance of wins by Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, the current state of Shoulderpova, and the threat that Roger Federer and Venus Williams should merit at the Australian Open. We also veer wildly off-topic several times because like the players, we have some off-season rust and don't entirely remember how to do this. But we have fun, as always, and hope you will, too! As always, thanks for following us on Twitter, liking our page on Facebook, and subscribing to us and reviewing us on iTunes!

Episode 62: Tarnishing the Holidays

In Episode 62, Ben and Courtney continue to soldier through the off-season valiantly, kept warm through the bleak tennis-less winter by your questions. Which off-season coaching hires will have the biggest impacts on the 2014 season? Who is more likely to win a Slam next year, Maria Sharapova or Roger Federer? And does Federer's current slide diminish his legacy at all? We then take a number which allows us to explore the mismanaged world of tennis micro-finance, and then wrap it up with some of our music and reading suggestions for some very specific hypothetical person on your holiday shopping list.. We would never press send on your, dear listeners, so as always, thanks for following us on Twitter, liking our page on Facebook, and subscribing to us and reviewing us on iTunes!