Episodes
Saturday Dec 09, 2023
Episode 358: Women’s Tennis Turmoil Reviewed
Saturday Dec 09, 2023
Saturday Dec 09, 2023
Ben and Tumaini have a lot to cover as they try to make sense of the year in women's tennis and explain the forces behind the stormy finish to the year, on-court and off-court, and where it leaves the sport going forward.
After a brief discussion on the last couple events of the men's calendar—including if Jannik Sinner was right to keep Novak Djokovic in contention in Turin—we dig into the year that was on court, first by running through some of the headlines off court, and then covering how that turned into headlines off-court with player criticisms roiling the final event of the year.
Are the criticisms justified? Who is fertilizing the seeds of player discontent against WTA leadership? And where does the sport go from here?
Thanks for listening to NCR in 2023! And if you've enjoyed NCR this year, please do pre-order Ben's new biography of Naomi Osaka!
Monday Jul 17, 2023
Monday Jul 17, 2023
Ben and Reem Abulleil chat about the big stories of the business end of Wimbledon, starting with the massive narrative potential of the men's final. Does Carlos Alcaraz's win over Novak Djokovic in the final represent a passing of the torch, or something less drastic? How surprised were we by this result? And how could this be a good thing for Djokovic going forward?
We also discuss Chris Eubanks and Matteo Berrettini, who both had meaningfully great runs on the men's side.
On the women, we discuss how Marketa Vondrousova went so under the radar on her way to a historic Wimbledon title, and how she ended the fairytales of Ons Jabeur and Elina Svitolina. How does her win change the look of the women's tour? And how do we process Jabeur's disappointing loss at the final hurdle?
We also look at the runs of Svitolina, Iga Swiatek, and toast the doubles win of Hsieh/Strycova.
Lastly, at the end, Dan Bern sings out the show with an original composition in honor of the mythical men's final.
Saturday Jul 01, 2023
Episode 352a: A Wimbledon Preamble
Saturday Jul 01, 2023
Saturday Jul 01, 2023
Ben and Tumaini Carayol sat down to record a draw show, but there was enough other stuff they wanted to touch on beforehand that they're breaking it into a separate prologue episode for you to enjoy here as an amuse bouche!
On Wimbledon qualifying, Caroline Wozniacki's comeback announcement, the WTA's announced commitment to equal prize money by 2027, Billie Jean King giving her blessing to women's tennis pursuing Saudi Arabia, and the current state of the WTA as a business and a product.
Enjoy!
Monday Jan 09, 2023
Episode 347: Netflix’s ”Break Point” Hits and Misses
Monday Jan 09, 2023
Monday Jan 09, 2023
To start our 12th(!) season of NCR, Ben and Reem Abulleil preview and review the highly anticipated Netflix tennis docuseries "Break Point," which features a group of young challengers on the tours in the first half of the 2022 season.
Ben and Reem (who also reviewed the show for The National) discuss the sport's hopes for the show to recreate the magic of "Drive to Survive," as well as the format, where it succeeds and where it disappoints.
There are spoilers in this episode, so to speak, but really not many if you know what happened in tennis last year.
Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
Episode 345: Swiatek, Alcaraz Reach New Heights at US Open
Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
Ben and Tumaini Carayol reconvene a bit after the U.S. Open to reflect on the tournament that was, with two winners who capped off great seasons with their first titles in New York. And they've only just begun?
First, Iga Swiatek won on the women's side, overcoming a doubt-filled lead-up and solidifying her position as a bona fide star in the sport. What impressed us most about this win, and where does she go from here? Also thoughts on Jabeur, Pegula, and, of course, the fantastic farewell of Serena Williams.
Then on the men's side we discuss Carlos Alcaraz's ascendancy to the top, the "oatmeal stallion" that is Casper Ruud, the long-awaited breakthrough of a player like Frances Tiafoe, the missed opportunity by Nick Kyrgios, and more!
Thanks for listening!
Sunday Aug 28, 2022
Episode 344: U.S. Open Draw Show 2022!
Sunday Aug 28, 2022
Sunday Aug 28, 2022
Ben and Tumaini Carayol are courtside at the U.S. Open to give you the outlook on how the year's last Grand Slam and Serena Williams' last tournament is shaking up.
We start with the women, where we discuss Iga Swiatek cooling off from her lava-hot spring swing, her complaints about the balls, the Azarenka-Kostyuk situation, Emma Raducanu, Osaka-Collins, and more.
We finish, of course, with a discussion of Serena, and what her last singles matches could look like.
On the men's side, it seems like a very open draw due to notable absences, except for that Rafael Nadal guy who seems to win every time he's overlooked this year.
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
Episode 341: Walking Around Wimbledon’s Century
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
On the 100th birthday of Centre Court, Ben is joined by Alexandra Willis, the director of communications and marketing for Wimbledon, and the two of them take a walk into Centre Court's most hallowed places.
Along the way, we discuss Wimbledon's continuing balancing between retaining history and progressing to the present, plans of growth ahead, and the circumstances and consequences of the ban of Russian and Belarusian players this year.
Spice up your ears and enjoy!
Friday Jun 24, 2022
Episode 340: Wimbledon 2022 Draw Preview
Friday Jun 24, 2022
Friday Jun 24, 2022
Ben and Tumaini Carayol are back together again at Wimbledon for another look ahead at a Grand Slam draw, looking at the men's field, the women's field, and a concerning hole on the side of Court 14.
After a general look at the draw balance--and the intrigue missing from the field because of the ban of Russian and Belarusian players--Ben and Tumaini dig into the men's draw, in which balance emerged despite some misleading seedings, with Hubert Hurkacz and Matteo Berrettini landing in separate quarters from fellow contenders Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
On the women's side, we discuss Serena Williams' unexpected return and her prospects, Ons Jabeur's comfort in this world, Bianca Andreescu reasserting her gifts, and Iga Swiatek's chances of extending her streak of dominance. Also, justice for Julia Pegula.
Thanks for listening, as always!
Friday May 20, 2022
Episode 337: Draw Me Like One of Your French Opens, 2022
Friday May 20, 2022
Friday May 20, 2022
We are delighted to return to you, and to return to Paris, and to return our favorite annual episode title!
Ben and Tumaini Carayol start this French Open draw show with a bit first on the big news of the day, which was the ATP and WTA deciding to withhold ranking points from this year's Wimbledon Championships because of the tournament banning Russian and Belarusian players. What effect will this have on the tournament, the players, and the outlook for the #1 ranking in men's tennis?
We then break down the French Open draws, starting with the women and prohibitive favorite Iga Swiatek. Who or what can stop her from cruising onward to her second French Open title? We also discuss two of the most compelling floaters, Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu.
On the men's side, we discuss the top-heavy draw, how the three-horse race of Djokovic, Nadal, and Alcaraz has set up, and who can take advantages of the openings on the bottom half.
Thank y'all for listening! Bonsoiree!
Friday Apr 22, 2022
Episode 336: Was Wimbledon Right to Ban Russians and Belarusians?
Friday Apr 22, 2022
Friday Apr 22, 2022
Wimbledon took the drastic step of banning all Russian and Belarusian players from this year's tournament, escalating the impact that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had on the world of tennis.
Tumaini Carayol joins Ben to discuss this decision, where it fits into the British political context, and how it might further divide an already fractious sport.
Is fairness a possible concept amid a war? What can we learn from past precedents? And what might tennis authorities have to do next as this war shows no sign of abating?
Thank you for listening to NCR! We are on Patreon, Twitter, and your favorite podcast apps.