A podcast discussing the happenings in the wacky world of professional tennis. Hosted by Ben Rothenberg and Courtney Nguyen.
Episodes
Thursday Jan 28, 2016
Thursday Jan 28, 2016
We're wrapping up just the women's semifinals from Melbourne today (chat on both men's semifinals coming to you tomorrow), and Ben and Courtney are pretty happy with the final we got. Serena was crazy good against Radwanska, and you'll hear about it from *both* coaches involved, Tomasz Wiktorowski and Patrick Mouratoglou. Serena will face Angelique Kerber in the final, so we hear from both Angie and veteran German reporter Doris Henkel about the state of German tennis and other such bossly goodies. Will this final be a good one? We think/hope so.
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!
Wednesday Jan 27, 2016
Wednesday Jan 27, 2016
One of the biggest ever upsets that involved a win by the higher-ranked player! Angelique Kerber beat hot pick Victoria Azarenka today in Melbourne, and so Ben is joined (on Courtney's day off) by two awesome fellas: Nick McCarvel and Matt Trollope, freelance writer for Tennis Australia and elsewhere. Just how was Kerber able to turn around her 0-6 record against Azarenka? Hear from her coach Torben Beltz. Also, Vika was not happy. And we also hear from the impressive but quoteful Johanna Konta, a stunning semifinalist here. Lastly, we make our picks for Thursday's three semifinals.
Monday Jan 25, 2016
Monday Jan 25, 2016
With their 21st meeting tomorrow, Ben and Courtney take a stroll down the very noisy memory lane that is the Serena Williams-Maria Sharapova rivalry (yes, it's a rivalry, you guys). After hearing from Day 8 winners Milos Raonic and Johanna Konta, we gear up for the marquee women's quarterfinal with some archive audio of past Melbourne meetings, and then hear about the tactical side of their match-up from tactician Craig O'Shannessy, who has worked as a consultant with Team Sharapova on trying to solve the Serena riddle.
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!
Sunday Jan 24, 2016
Sunday Jan 24, 2016
It's the second week, and Ben and Courtney can now talk about lots of important matches as the tournament reaches its pointy end. Gosh, Serena's good, isn't she? Maria's playing well, too, but does it matter? Then, what the heck was all that Djokovic-Simon nonsense? Does the performance cast any doubt over the overwhelming favorite's chances here? And what do the calm and steady performances of Radwanska and Suarez Navarro teach us about veteranliness? Also, stop spitting near Courtney you gross person.
Tuesday Jan 19, 2016
Tuesday Jan 19, 2016
In our Australian Open Day 2 episode, Ben and Courtney talk about three upset losses that cropped up on the day: Venus Williams (who you won't hear from, as she bailed on press again), Rafael Nadal (who was optimistic overall in the face of getting blown away by power with increasing frequency), and Simona Halep, whose loss to Zhang Shuai (who you hear from) revealed an incredibly emotional, humanizing moment for tennis. Seriously, it was pretty cool.
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!
Monday Jan 18, 2016
Monday Jan 18, 2016
Through your Kickstarter support, we know you wanted more NCR in 2016, so Ben and Courtney are giving you more NCR in 2016! We'll be doing daily(ish) episodes from the 2016 Australian Open, and golly was Day 1 a doozy! After reviewing some results (you'll hear from winners Petra Kvitova and coach Patrick Mouratoglou, as well as losers Sloane Stephens and super sore loser Benoit Paire), we dive into the story that hijacked the day: the BBC/Buzzfeed reports on match fixing and Tennis Integrity Unit shortcomings. You'll hear from ATP head Chris Kermode as well as TIU's Nigel Willerton in their press conference, then Novak Djokovic. Lastly, Ben and Courtney are joined by British journalist Simon Cambers, who has covered the TIU closer than most anyone. Is this really the bombshell it's being made out to be? We discuss.
As of posting this there are only *HOURS* to go in our massively delighting Kickstarter campaign (over $20,000!!!), so if you haven't yet and might want to, go do it right now! Last chance link here.
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!
Friday Jan 15, 2016
Friday Jan 15, 2016
The draws for the 2016 Australian Open are out, and Ben and Courtney are here to be as sage as possible through what are generally two pretty inspiring, even draws. Does Serena face any players who might be able to derail her, maybe as soon as the first round? And what about Victoria Azarenka, who has looked so good so far and seemed to land in an ideal spot? After more chat on the ladies, can anyone even consider the possibility that Novak Djokovic might lose? And is Bernard Tomic's draw really so good as to justify his Sydney shenanigans. All that, plus Courtney slowly gets caught up on Homeland and Ben is all for vaguely catchy but decidedly clunky propaganda.
There are only a couple of days left in our Kickstarter campaign, so reading this is likely your last chance to be reminded to donate to the NCR cause if you haven't yet and would still like to. Your support has been overwhelming so far (and good lord, the postcard haul will be massive), but if you happen to be a straggler who wants to jump on board before the train pulls out of the station, your last chance is here.
Tuesday Jan 05, 2016
Tuesday Jan 05, 2016
It's our Season 5 premiere! Ben and Courtney are back together in person for the first time since the U.S. Open, and they're ready to tackle the 2016 season. But are any of the top WTA players? With injuries to three of the top-five already, it sure doesn't seem like it. But one player who does seem ready is Victoria Azarenka (9min40sec), who you'll hear from at her first Brisbane press conference.
After a reflection on the demise of BerdycH&M (17min), we're delighted to be joined by one of our favorite Aussies, Linda Pearce of The Age in Melbourne (21 min), who shares some of her adventures in Australian tennis. We try to hide our jealousy over the incredibly colorful tapestry of characters she has to work with. We fail.
After a reflection on the demise of BerdycH&M (17min), we're delighted to be joined by one of our favorite Aussies, Linda Pearce of The Age in Melbourne (21 min), who shares some of her adventures in Australian tennis. We try to hide our jealousy over the incredibly colorful tapestry of characters she has to work with. We fail.
With less than two weeks to go in our Kickstarter campaign, we're over 500% of our initial base goal, which is astoundingly awesome. We've rolled out a few new rewards, and a stretch goal for $17,000 (live Periscopes every day of the Australian Open!) so if you want to get in on it before it's too late you can do so here.
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!
Wednesday Dec 30, 2015
Wednesday Dec 30, 2015
In their 2015 season finale, Ben and Courtney look back at the year that was in tennis. After discussing the retirement and legacy of Robin Soderling this past week, we flip through back the calendar to piece together the year that was through a chronological game of #RememberWhen. From Serena ordering coffee on court to champagne nearly de-eyeing Novak Djokovic, it was a year whimsy and wild moments that quenched our thirst all year long. Tweet us your own #RememberWhen moments to @NCR_Tennis! In a combined, lengthy rant/rave, Ben and Courtney get spoilery on their latest obsession, the Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer. So, don't listen to that if you haven't finished (or started) the show yet.
With less than three weeks to go in our Kickstarter campaign, we're an incredible $10,000 over our initial base goal! You guys are awesome! There's still many cool rewards on offer (including our new #ImJustHereForThePostcards set of four) and lots of time for more of you to join the cause. Even though we've surpassed all our original expectations, the number of donors so far is still under 5% of NCR listener ship, and we'd love to widen the base of those onboard, so we're continually rolling out stretch goals and backers-only content! Join in here.
Wednesday Dec 23, 2015
Wednesday Dec 23, 2015
As they deck the halls, Ben and Courtney fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la over Roger Federer's 2016 schedule, which throws out the mold and the clay. Should more players follow his lead and pick and choose more selectively from the all-you-can-eat buffet that is the tennis calendar? Then, we wrap and stick under the tree what you've all been asking NCR Santa for: Take a Number, and lots of it. After a few rounds of lucky numbers, we then soup it up and hold our second annual Secret Santa for the ATP and WTA top 10s (with a couple substitutions). Then Ben raves and Courtney raves and raves and rants and raves some more. Because it's Christmas, and we should all be cheery cashiers Robin Hood-ing when we can.
With less than four weeks to go in our campaign, we thank you for continuing to make our Kickstarter campaign such a success so far! We're already blown away by the totals (over $11,000 as of publishing this episode!) but would love to see a higher percentage of our audience chip in, even if it's just a tiny amount. You guys are helping to make NCR bigger and better, and the tennis world is taking notice. You can support NCR and gain access to exclusive backers-only content here, which includes Ben diving deep into his rave for GeoGuessr. Also, we're offering a new #ImJustHereForThePostcards reward level!
As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!