No Challenges Remaining

Episode 110: Halle Back, ATP!

With Courtney cavorting across North America in pursuit of soccer, Ben found a few exciting folks to keep him company in Halle this week. We start with Nick McCarvel, a tennis chameleon who has established himself with USA Today this year, and shares the stories of wearing so many hats. So, so many hats, you guys. Next up we turn to the newly launched ATP website, and talk to ATP senior vice president George Ciz and then ATP chief executive Chris Kermode about the launch and other issues facing the ATP now, ranging from GIFs to calendar changes to doping. Never forgotten, Courtney ends the show with a hit from Canada with her thoughts on women's sports and women in women's sports. 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! Holla, Halle!

Episode 109: On Grand Slams and Grand Stan

Just as Ben and Courtney were ready to kick off the grandest year in tennis, Stan Wawrinka interrupted and shocked Novak Djokovic and the world by winning the French Open. What was that all about, and what does it say about both Stan and Novak? On the women's sides, how do we like Serena Williams' chances of winning a true Grand Slam this year, and how will this roller coaster run to her 20th major title be remembered? Also we look ahead to grass, like soccer, and don't so much like horses. 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! 

Additional listening:

• The Men in Blazers podcast.

Episode 108: The End of Nadal as We Know It?

With the hotly anticipated Djokovic-Nadal quarterfinal now complete, Ben and Courtney put down the panic buttons and hit the record button to share their feelings. What does the unshocking yet lopsided loss say about Rafael Nadal, and his future as a dominant force in tennis? What can he do to regain former glories? Also, just how much better is Novak Djokovic than everybody else? We also discuss other issues of the French Open second week, including debris falling on spectators, surprise semifinal runs by Ana Ivanovic, Lucie Safarova, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Stan Wawrinka, and more! We then dive into the issues about transcript availability to fans, and how this affects journalists like ourselves. 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! 

Episode 107: French Open Midi-Tations

Midway through the French Open, Ben and Courtney get together to discuss the French Open so far, including Roger Federer's selfie scare, Stan Wawrinka's official website outrage, Rafael Nadal's umpire requests, Venus Williams' press conference no-show, Serena-Azarenka, Halep loss, and more! We slay, we drag, we rant, we rave, and we think you'll enjoy! 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! 

Episode 106: Draw Me Like One of Your French Opens

Live from the dirt of Paris and the glitter of Vienna, respectively, Courtney and Ben break down the momentous draw of the 2015 French Open, and give our predictions in pathetically crapshoot fashion. Firstly: the Djokovic-Nadal quarter, ever anticipated, actually happened! Now what happens? As you can guess if you've been listening, we disagree. We also have different players coming out of the men's bottom half, so it should make for a fun men's tournament. On the women's top half, we have even less clue. Serena against the field, but who exactly is capable in the field? Augh, it's tough. 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! 

Episode 105: Rome Uncorked!

As the B-52's once said, "Rome if you want to." Or maybe it was "roam". Whatever. 

On Episode 105, Ben makes Courtney jealous by talking about his mozzarella adventures in Italy, while Courtney makes Ben jealous by talking about how she spent her week in a non-third world country. We break down the results from Rome, which include Novak Djokovic's near assassination at the hands of a rogue Moet cork, and Maria Sharapova's triumphant week, which saw the return of the Black Swa-- er, we mean "Claypova". We also check in on Courtney's "Rafael Nadal Panic Button (TM pending)" and weigh in on two WTA hot topics: grunting and on-court coaching. 

There is dragging, there is slaying, and there is talk about venture capital funds and history of Netscape Navigator. We do it all, folks. And make sure you sit through Ben's terrible pick as an outro song -- spoiler alert: Eurovision -- to hear what Ben and Courtney talk about before the mics go hot. 

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! 

Related viewing/reading for this week:

• Courtney's incredibly geeky rave for The New Yorker's fantastic profile of Marc Andreessen. 
• No, Ben and Courtney aren't accidentally mispronouncing "Moet & Chandon". They're playing off one of their favorite SNL sketches, which you can see here. 

Episode 104: Ubaldo Scanagatta

Ben and Courtney reconvene to discuss the madness in Madrid, where Andy Murray rolled to his first ATP Masters title on clay, while Petra Kvitova did what Petra Kvitova does and wins things when you don't expect her to win things even though we all know she should win all the things. Oh, you fickle grassophiles. We wish we knew how to quit you!

Then we get in the mood for this week's Italian Open in Rome, as Ben sits down with the man, the myth, the legend, long-time Italian journalist Ubaldo Scanagatta of UbiTennis.com. Ubaldo talks about his pro playing days, how he built one of the most successful tennis blogs in the world, and the current crop of Italian talent. 

Ben and Courtney wrap things up with two rather emotional confessions: Ben's a big ol' softie who cries on airplanes, and Courtney is a big ol' jerk but is trying her best to be less so. SO MANY EMOTIONS! ALIZE WHERE ARE YOU???

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! 

And here's a final note from Ubaldo: Ubitennis.com, a tri-lingual tennis website, is recruiting. If you can write in English or Spanish and are interested in what the opportunity may entail, you can email direttaubitennis@gmail.com.

Episode 103: Eric Butorac

With Madrid in swing, Ben and Courtney reflect on what was a quiet week in tennis, except for the snug pants which Andy Murray had to don on court. Did his title, or Federer's, mean anything? And what IS a WTA rising star, anyway? Who is likeliest to break out with a surprise run? Then we discuss if the hype explosion of Mayweather-Pacquiao has any possible applications to tennis, as well as what the role of illegal streaming is in tennis. Then we talk about streaming and all sorts of other things with ATP Player Council Eric Butorac, who rose from playing lower-tier college tennis to sitting next to the likes of Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal as the sport gets governed, about all sorts of issues in tennis today. 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! 

Episode 102: Kerber Enthusiasm

As their socks get dirtier and dirtier from all the clay, Ben and Courtney dust off their microphones to talk about all the happenings of Stuttgart and Barcelona. Where did this magnificent Angelique Kerber come from? And Caroline Wozniacki can play on clay too, now? Also, were we surprised by Radwanska/Navratilova calling it quits so soon? And on the men's side, how about that Kei Nishikori continuing to win things? And Rafael Nadal continuing to not win things? Lastly, by listener request, we cast a Real Housewives of the ATP series, and decide which of the women in the player boxes would make for the best TV. 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! 

Related polling/reading/viewing/buying for this week: 

• The channel "Every Frame a Painting" on YouTube.
• Our awesome new "Just Here for the Handshake" t-shirt on Spreadshirt.

Episode 101: Novak Leads Pack; No-Shake Payback

After the glories of Episode 100, Ben and Courtney continued to ride this triple-digit high into a surprisingly eventful next week, where Novak Djokovic again clubbed them all, and Genie Bouchard again snubbed an extended hand. Just how good is Novak, and what needs to happen for him to be a star that transcends beyond tennis? And in Fed Cup, why did Germany set itself up to fail, and what should be made of refusing a handshake? We also discuss the ATP crackdown on GIFs, and you can probably guess where we fall on that one. 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!