No Challenges Remaining

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 162a: Olympian Upset: Delpo Defeats Djokovic

After one round of action in Rio there are already some big tennis upsets in the books, so Ben and Courtney raced to their microphones to discuss. Firstly, Juan Martin del Potro stunned Novak Djokovic in straight sets, upending the tournament. This was shocking, even if it was a match to watch, and we explain why. Does Djokovic's reaction show the gravity of the Olympics? And how about those doubles upsets?

Also, our thoughts about other doings at the Olympics early on, from soccer heckling to gymnastics injuries, as well as our fat kid snacking proclivities.

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR162a!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 160d: Wimbledon Volley 4: Serena and Murray Slay

It was a Wimbledon with two worthy champions, Serena Williams and Andy Murray, and two worthy finalists in Angelique Kerber and Milos Raonic who delivered finals of varying levels of entertainingness. First on the women: how much was this win about Serena finally overcoming the Vinci shock, as Patrick Mouratoglou said? And how did Kerber change her legacy?

On the men, why did the final seem so flat and dull? Is this the start of bigger things from Murray, that might even include reaching No. 1 at some point? Also, how much will Federer rue the missed opportunity? 

Also, PB&J and ice. Both nice.

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR60d!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 159: Wimbledon 2016 Draw Preview Super-Duperness!

The grass is ready for Wimbledon, and so are Ben and Courtney for this draw preview show! First, the dudes. Who are the stumbling blocks for Novak Djokovic as he aims for a *fifth* straight Grand Slam title? Is Federer ready to be a threat? How are Dominic Thiem's chances of sustaining momentum? And what did the Brits, bar Murray, do to deserve such brutal draws?

For the ladies, it's Serena vs the field, once again. But there's plenty of room for that to be an incredibly compelling match-up, with tough seeds looming for Serena at the tournament's midway point. Who makes it out of the loadedly grassophilic second quarter? And can Garbine Muguruza reach another final? Or could a Venus or Madison Keys stand in her way?

Also, Brexit.

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR159!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 156: Muguruza Wins a First; Djokovic Wins Everything

Nearly dried out from a miserably soggy French Open, Ben and Courtney are up in much sunnier Scotland, drinking in the tournament and some ales in an Edinburgh pub (our apologies for the sometimes overwhelming background clatter).

First, Garbine Muguruza won on the women's side. What did she show during her run, and how worried should we be about the inevitability of Serena Williams breaking records?

Then, Novak Djokovic did what he was supposed to, ultimately, and rolled over Andy Murray to win a Novak Slam and a Career Slam. He's really good. Just how really good?

Also, other miscellaneous musings on rain and neighborhood concerns and airport security. 

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR156!), 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 152: In Madrid with Timea Bacsinszky

Ben and Courtney are covering the Mutua Madrid Open for the first time, and are surprised by some things and not by others. We also discuss the schedule management concerns cropping up this week as they pertain to grassophiles Roger Federer and Venus Williams, as well as the general topics of the Olympics drawing closer on the horizon.

Then, we sit down with the ever delightful and insightful Timea Bacsinszky, to talk about how her perspective and pressures and role on the tour have changed as she has flown up the rankings. She's a fun listen, as always.

And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR152!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Related links: 

• Courtney's recommended episode of The Heart, Idiot and Dummy.
• Ben appearing on Jeopardy last week, which he'll discuss *next* week on NCR.

Episode 150: Southern Fried Tennis

It's our sesquicentennial! As Ben and Courtney commemorate 150 episodes (well, actually this is our 181st, but you know we're not much for counting correctly), they first take you on a trip to the south of France, where NCR's France correspondant Carole Bouchard wraps up the Monte Carlo Masters, where Nadal won on clay and it was somehow a surprise. Then, after a detour through Fed Cup, we pivot to the south of the United States, and soak in the sounds of the Volvo Car Open in Charleston, one of our favorite stops on tour with some of our favorite people. You'll hear from four of them: volunteer extraordinaire Lynn Coursey ("She's here!"), Diane Elayne Dees and Daniel Ward of Women Who Serve, and tournament manager Eleanor Adams. Then Courtney and Ben meditate (or something) on their relative experiences with the sports worlds of Portland and Philadelphia. 

Ben also announces the upcoming NCRvision Song Contest which will be brought to your in just a few weeks, so be sure to tweet or email us your submissions! 

As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 149a: 69-year-old Gail Falkenberg, "The Legend"

After the tennis world was glued to the unlikely location of a 6-0, 6-0 qualifying match at a $25k in Pelham, Alabama, Ben chats in this mini-episode with the reason for that fascination: Gail Falkenberg, who continues to compete in professional tennis at the age of 69. What has this 15 minutes of fame (including coverage in the Wall Street Journal) been like for her? What were her origins in tennis, and keeps her competing at this challenging level against much younger opposition despite lopsided losses?

As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 148: Forehands and Backhands (sorta)

After an Indian Wells that wasn't much about tennis, Ben and Courtney hope to be able to move on in Miami...but not before trying to make sense of Novak Djokovic's clumsy PR maneuvers, and enjoying a seminar from Professor Billie Jean King. 

Then, is anyone closing the gap on Novak Djokovic? How much concern is merited over Serena Williams' recent losing streak of sorts? Is it fair to panic? And was this a meaningfully positive stretch for Halep and Muguruza, or still disappointing?

As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

As detailed in Ben's rant, here's the NCR outro playlist for your enjoyment.