No Challenges Remaining

Episode 15

“I have never cuddled with Rory McIlroy.” Guess which NCR’er said that. Ben and Courtney meet up in Mason, Ohio for the Western & Southern Open. Pardon us if we’re a little punchy. We weren’t exaggerating about the Applebees action. (Courtney’s note — Is it just me or is Ben WAY BETTER live rather than on Skype?) Talking Roger Federer dominance, the continued solidness of Angelique Kerber, Jelena Jankovic’s struggles, the charm of Petra Kvitova, we confess our love for Carlos Rodriguez (maybe. we don’t know. it’s complicated), and we talk about the faves and not-so-faves going into the U.S Open. We also take some questions. Keep them coming, y’all. And Ben finally gets an opportunity to let loose on track cycling. Spoiler alert: He is not a fan.

Episode 14

On Episode 14, Ben and Courtney breakdown what happened during the tennis event at the Olympics where Andy Murray and Serena Williams did some pretty good things. We discuss the best-of-three format at the Olympics, tiebreaks, and seriously, why the heck was Ryan Harrison apologizing?

Episode 13

We have neglected you. For that, we apologize. But to quote the Olympic motto: “Better late than never!”* Ben and Courtney were Stateside for the London Olympics and they were really excited. Mainly for the break from live tennis. Courtney talks about her Cali Swag at Stanford and San Diego, and Ben gets a chance to talk about one of his favorite things in the world, World Team Tennis. They also discuss the effect of the Olympics on the U.S. hardcourt schedule, curious Kim Clijsters, and the effect of Rafael Nadal’s knee injury. And somehow, Courtney finds a way to talk about The Hills. It’s a talent, people. *Very much not the Olympic motto but it totally should be.

Episode 11

After a long hiatus (we would apologize but it’s starting to sound like a broken record), Ben and Courtney return to discuss the happenings at Wimbledon. It’s a post-Rosol world now, where anything is possible, everyone believes, and the upsets keep raining down like…well…London rain. We talk about everything from the (unnecessary) equal prize money debate, the earthquake that was Lukas Rosol, British sporting culture, and much, much, more. Links discussed:

• S.L. Price’s piece on equal prize money. [SI.com]
• Courtney’s thoughts on equal prize money. [SI.com]
• The Daily Mail calls Laura Robson “The Incredible Bulk”.

Episode 10

Ok, let’s get this out of the way: the audio quality on Episode 10 is not great. But what it lacks in aural clarity it more than makes up for in content quality. Ben and Courtney touch base after Week 1 of the French Open to talk about the first week happenings, the second week’s predictions, and a bunch of ancillary topics including the television commentary so far, Hawk-Eye on clay, the State of Serena, Vexing Vika, how far the ATP Top 4 have pulled  away from the rest of the field, and we rank the Slams.

Episode 9

Are you ready for the French Open? I assure you we are not. Ben and Courtney reconvene for a quick chat in advance of the French Open, and recap what’s happened in Stuttgart, Madrid, and Rome as the ladies and gentlemen of tennis slid, whined, won, and threw barbs throughout the clay season. We talk about our favorites and not-so-favorites going into Roland Garros, the ever-entertaining war both on the court and off between Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, and do listen closely as we do our best to convince you to stay in on Saturday night to watch the Eurovision finals from Azerbaijan. Links mentioned in this week’s episode:

• Courtney’s summary of Sharapova’s comments on Azarenka’s withdrawal from Rome [SI.com]
• Ben’s amazing Eurovision preview and summary of great moments in Eurovisions past: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. [Broadstreet Hockey]

Episode 8b

When it rains, it pours. Here’s another bite-sized lost episode that Ben and Courtney recorded while they pretended that the NHL hockey playoffs were just as important — if not more so — than tennis. R&R the No Challenges Remaining way, folks. In Episode 8b, we Ben and Courtney discuss the loss of American tournaments to South America, tennis humblebraggers, the difficulty of writing about anyone outside of the ATP Top 4, and we Take a Number.

Episode 8a

We’re baaaaaaaaack. Much like the American men, Illness, injury, and fatigue kept Ben and Courtney silent for much of the European clay court season. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t take the time out to chat. Ben has done a masterful job piecing together the still-relevant bits of the two podcasts we recorded that, unfortunately, never got posted. In Episode 8a, we Take a Number and answer questions from our listeners regarding the appeal (or not) of doubles and the marketability of various players in light of their geographical origin and achievements.

Episode 7

Ben and Courtney are enjoying the southern comforts of Charleston, South Carolina this week, at the 40th rendition of the Family Circle Cup. But before play gets out of control, we found a quiet spot under Stadium Court to talk about what we learned from Miami, how the first quarter of the season has met (or hasn’t met) expectations, and some of the storylines developing as we head into the Season of Dirt. We also take some time to give fans a “backstage pass” into the media center to explain the enigmatic process of…”the press conference.” Hopefully you’ll walk away understanding that we’re not incompetent. It just that, as Tracy Morgan would say, “WE GOT A LOT ON OUR PLATE.”

Episode 6

Ben and Courtney recap the action in Miami, where up until an hour ago, the women of the WTA offered the more compelling storyline (Rafael Nadal has since withdrawn from the tournament due to a left knee injury). We talk about Venus Williams’ incredible comeback to competitive tennis, why Marion Bartoli was the perfect woman to end Victoria Azarenka’s 26-0 streak, and the complete Fish flop that left the ESPN commentators audibly shaking their heads. We also take you behind the scenes into the dark and smarmy world of the conflict-of-interest-laden tennis media (it’s not dark, and it’s not smarmy) and — WHOA, did you guys see this Odesnik commercial? Go! Go! Go! and give it a listen before everything we discussed is no longer timely. Links mentioned on this week’s episode:

• Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim discusses the conflicts of interests inherent in the tennis industry. [SI.com]
• Serena Williams on Home Shopping Network, introducing the word “comfortability” to fashion. [YouTube]
• Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch listed Eleni Danilidou’s win over Magdalena Maleeva in Athens as one of his best 2004 Olympic memories. [SI.com]
• Wayne Odesnik’s Genesis commercial. [YouTube]
• Wayne Odesnik’s Facebook page. [Facebook]