No Challenges Remaining

Episode 325: Australian Open - Semifinal Showdowns

Ben and Tumaini Carayol are back to discuss the four women and four men still in contention to win this Australian Open, which has held up to set up for some surprisingly unsurprising semifinals.

On the women's side, can anyone derail Ash Barty, or even approach the dimension of her game? How much has the heat been a factor in the success of Madison Keys and Danielle Collins? And what is Iga Swiatek showing us that she didn't during her French Open run?

On the men's side, why are folks sleeping on Matteo Berrettini? Can Rafael Nadal win 21? Why is Daniil Medvedev such a troll, and why is Stefanos Tsitsipas so cold?

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our ELEVENTH(!) ad-free season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can this year! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers Pam Shriver and J O'D!)

Episode 324: Australian Open - The Slam After the Storm

Now that the Djokovic debacle has ended and the tennis has begun, Ben and Tumaini Carayol wrap up the big stories of the first week of the Australian Open.

What did we see from Naomi Osaka in how she won and in how she handled defeat? How did Emma Raducanu manage to slice her way into Romanian hearts? Can anyone stop Barty and Medvedev?

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our ELEVENTH(!) ad-free season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can this year! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers Pam Shriver and J O'D!)

Episode 323: Djokovic’s Deportation Debacle is Done

The Djokovic deportation drama dragged deliriously Down Under, feeling a whole 'nother Grand Slam's worth of drama and intrigue before finally resolving itself on Sunday with a panel of judges upholding a second deportation order and sending Djokovic on a flight out of Australia soon after.

Paul Sakkal, whose coverage of the political sides of this story has been extraordinarily insightful, and who got rave reviews for his first appearance on NCR at the onset of this saga, joins Ben once more to explain what happened, and to contemplate questions ahead.

Why did the government change its tactics so drastically for Round 2 of proceedings? Does this case raise civil liberties concerns? What will the fallout be for Tennis Australia? And will this do anything to help the plight of the refugees?

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our ELEVENTH(!) ad-free season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can this year! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers Pam Shriver and J O'D!)

Episode 322: 2022 Australian Open Draw Preview

Ben and Courtney(!) know that a whole lot else has been going on in the world of tennis, but now that Novak Djokovic is on a plane out of Australia (which wasn't yet settled when we recorded), the coast is clear to talk about the draws ahead for the year's first Grand Slam.

How is Ash Barty's ambition clearer than before, and will that eagerly awaited match with Naomi Osaka happen? How do last year's surprise success stories look early on this year?

Also, Ben's been imagining a specific surprise champion on the men's side, and we send some love to friends in the tennis world.  

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our ELEVENTH(!) ad-free season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can this year! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers Pam Shriver and J O'D!)

Episode 321: Deciphering Details of Djokovic’s Deportation Drama

Novak Djokovic's Australian Open fate changed drastically while he was up in the air during the recording of our last episode, but luckily for us Paul Sakkal, Victoria Political reporter for The Age, is here to break everything down with incredible knowledge, depth and detail.

What went wrong with Novak Djokovic between his exemption being granted by Tennis Australia panels and then his being rejected by Australian Border Force? On what grounds was his application rejected?

How much was the politicization of his arrival a factor in the decision? How much blame does Tennis Australia bear? What is the appeal process now? What is the history of the building where he's being detained alongside refugees?

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our ELEVENTH(!) ad-free season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can this year! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers Pam Shriver and J O'D!)

Episode 320: Djokovic’s Exemption and The Vibes

Ben and Tumaini Carayol reunite in Melbourne's newest arena (which could have better acoustics, sorry) to discuss the great vibes at the tournament, and the news which harshed them considerably.

Novak Djokovic's announcement that he had received a medical exemption which would allow him to play the Australian Open without the required coronavirus vaccination. This has caused considerable anger in Australia, and we discuss why it has been such a buzzkill.

We also talk about why the ATP Cup isn't resonating with viewers, and the happy comeback of Naomi Osaka. 

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our ELEVENTH(!) ad-free season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can this year! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers Pam Shriver and J O'D!)

Episode 319: Wrapping Up Tennis in December (With Reem Abulleil)

Ben is rejoined by NCR's Middle East and North Africa correspondent Reem Abulleil for a discussion of the very late and fairly busy finish to the tennis season, which went into December and will have less than a month of full off-season before resuming again in 2022.

We discuss the new Davis Cup format and the good vibes on the winning Russian team, led by mascot Andrey Rublev, as well as the negative kneejerk reactions to the news that Abu Dhabi could be the next host city. We also discussed the endless saga about Novak Djokovic's vaccination vacillations. Also, where does tennis go now that the WTA has suspended ties with China, and where does the WTA go from here and who can help them out?

Lastly then we talk about our own journeys covering this long year, our fatigues, and our hopes for Australia.  

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) ad-free season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can this year! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers Pam Shriver and J O'D!)

Episode 318: WTA Stands Up Against China For Peng Shuai

After the WTA backed up its strong talk by suspending all of its tournaments in China because of the continued censorship of Peng Shuai, Ben is joined by Human Rights Watch's Senior China Researcher Yaqiu Wang to discuss how Peng's case fits into the wider landscape of issues in China.  

What made the WTA's stance so unique? How should we see the International Olympic Committee's solidarity with China? And how pervasive is the restriction on free speech in Chinese life?

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) ad-free season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can this year! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

Episode 317: Peng Shuai, China, and the End of WTAsia?

Ben is joined by The Guardian's Tumaini Carayol to discuss the fallout of the accusations made by Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai against a senior government official, the WTA's strong stance, and the impact on tennis in China going forward.

Was the WTA's partnership with China always doomed to fail, as Tumaini predicted in 2019? And what would a reset of the tour without China look like for the future of women's tennis?

Plus, the new-look WTA year-end championship event in Guadalajara and the same-look-new-venue event for the ATP in Turin.

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) ad-free season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can this year! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

Episode 316: NCR Movie Club - KING RICHARD (2021)

Ben and David Avakian are delighted to bring you an NCR Movie Club installment on what is set to be the biggest tennis movie in a long time, and perhaps ever: KING RICHARD, which stars Will Smith as Richard Williams and shows his early journey raising Venus and Serena into perhaps the greatest story in tennis history.

The movie comes out on November 19, so if you want to hold off listening until then you can (but since this is almost all based on a true story we don't think it's necessarily spoilable). Ben and David discuss their opinions on the movie (which are very positive!) and what role the Williams family's involvement in it should play in how we watch it.

We also discuss what the movie gets right, what it gets wrong, and what it leaves out. Also, what responsibility does a movie have to its audience when it says it is "based on a true story"?

Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) ad-free season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can this year! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)