No Challenges Remaining

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 151: You Can't Do That on Television

In their last pre-Europe show, Ben and Courtney discuss the things you probably shouldn't do on television, like Roselyne Bachelot's accusations about Rafael Nadal that just drew a defamation lawsuit. But is there any good way to talk about illicit performance enhancement speculation, a question raised by Andy Murray voicing his vague suspicions? Also, Serena Williams and her throne joined Beyonce in Lemonade, which was way neato. Then we take questions on WTA surprises (including the delightful Cagla Buyukakcay, Nishikori stagnation and Djokovic-Nadal. 

As mentioned, here's Irina Falconi's fundraising effort for earthquake relief in Ecuador.

And 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 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 149b: Tax Day! With Kelsey Anderson

Today is Tax Day in the United States, and so we thought we'd take a dive into the fun and splashy topic of taxes! Joining Ben to talk about finances and bookkeeping in tennis is Kelsey Anderson, the wife of top ATP player Kevin Anderson, who herself is a certified public accountant (though even she outsources some of the more complex tax stuff to an expert in tennis taxes). Tax laws that affect scheduling in the U.K., tax havens like Monte Carlo, it's all here.

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 149: Doubly Dominant Dominos

With one-quarter of this year behind us, Ben and Courtney assess the 2016 season so far, where surprises on the women's side are met with complete predictability for the men. Is the shakeup atop the women's game--including Victoria Azarenka's "Sunshine Double"--more a product of the field improving or Serena Williams slipping? And who, if anyone, can be considered a clay court favorite?

On the men's side, has Novak Djokovic reached the UConn women's basketball level of domination where you have to score him high on style points in order for him to be watchable? We then unintentionally wade into uncharacteristically molten hot take territory, discussing who was/is better at their career peak: Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic?

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.

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. 

Episode 147: "Ladies Know What I'm Talking About"

Back together at last, Ben and Courtney wrap up all the doings of Indian Wells for you, obviously first and foremost dealing with the controversial remarks of CEO and tournament director Raymond Moore (which led to his stepping down after we recorded). What do his remarks say about the current state of play between the ATP and WTA, especially as they concern gratitude or money or whatever? And how about the tremendous response of Serena Williams and the less tremendous response of Novak Djokovic?

Also, we talk the tennis that happened, including Venus' return, Nadal-Zverev, del Potro, and more. And some other stuff. Ladies will know what we're talking about. 

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.

Episode 146: Rounding up Maria Sharapova

As the dust settles on a week that saw Maria Sharapova (and several busloads of other athletes) test positive for the newly-prohibited substance meldonium, Ben convenes a roundtable of tennis talkers to discuss the case and it's implications near and far. With friends of the show Jon Wertheim, Carole Bouchard and Simon Cambers, we discuss the test itself, what it means to Sharapova's legacy, how it could have happened, and all sorts of other related stuff, including French people who should keep their mouths shut about Rafael Nadal.

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.

Episode 145A: Maria Sharapova Tests Positive for Banned Substance

Talk about your emergency episodes. After Maria Sharapova dropped the bombshell that she had tested positive for a (recently) banned substance at the Australian Open, Ben discusses the facts of the case with doping expert Richard Ings. Who is to blame here? What is the likely punishment? Was it fair to expect Sharapova to realize that something she had taken without incident for a decade was suddenly verboten? What can be done to prevent this happening again?

We'll have much more on this story as it unfolds in coming days, so stay tuned to NCR. 

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.