A podcast discussing the happenings in the wacky world of professional tennis. Hosted by Ben Rothenberg and Courtney Nguyen.
Episodes
Wednesday Dec 02, 2015
Wednesday Dec 02, 2015
As Ben and Courtney finally exhale upon the long-awaited arrival of the off-season, they're left breathless on the topic of Andy Murray, who won the Davis Cup for Great Britain in one of the most impressive solo efforts ever in the competition. Ben is joined by Scottish tennis writer Stuart Fraser of the Mail Online to discuss his land's native hero and his most recent heroics, as well as the surprising timing of the latest round of criticisms of British tennis that has followed in the wake of one of its biggest successes. Then, Courtney and Ben dive into the mailbag for all sorts of questions, ranging from our favorite press conference moments to the value of tennis maintaining its niche status to the most likely next first-time Slam winners to what "deuce side" means. Lastly, Courtney ties a cheesy string to her childhood while Ben is inspired to shovel.
Tuesday Nov 24, 2015
Tuesday Nov 24, 2015
With the ATP regular season at last coming to a close, Ben and Courtney step back and bask in the luminous 2015 campaign of Novak Djokovic. Just what made him so dominant, and how does his year measure up to (or surpass) previous great years of his and others? With no one else coming close right now, how do we assess Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in London, as well as beard and towel intrigues? And why does Stan Wawrinka always seem to get a free pass from critics?
Wednesday Nov 18, 2015
Wednesday Nov 18, 2015
Both back in America, Ben and Courtney tee up the homestretch of this 2015 season, in which Maria Sharapova fell short through no fault of her own in the Fed Cup final, Novak Djokovic continues to cruise, and things are tasting stale in London. Why is it that this time of Djokovic's dominance has been received less warmly than Federer's dominance? Does the ATP need to move the World Tour Finals out of London to get out of a rut? Does Novak Djokovic's great fall make us reconsider if he had a better year than Serena? And what does Ronda Rousey's loss say about premature legacy making?
Wednesday Nov 11, 2015
Wednesday Nov 11, 2015
After her long sojourn up and down Asia, Courtney gets a much deserved week off, leaving Ben to drive 100-something miles to find someone to talk to, and winds up in an adventure in Challengerland. At the $50,000 challenger in Charlottesville, Virginia, Ben talks to four(!) guests to give y'all a panoramic view of this world and the people who make it up. First is Mike Cation, the voice of the USTA Pro Circuit, who is more embedded than commentator in tennis. Next is Challenger circuit veteran Alex Kuznetsov, coach Billy Heiser (working now with Tim Smyczek and Denis Kudla), and lastly the ever-ambitious Ryan Harrison.
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!
Tuesday Nov 03, 2015
Tuesday Nov 03, 2015
As they continue travel schedules that are normally only maintained by Carmen Sandiego characters, Ben and Courtney reconvene from Charlottesville and Zhuhai, respectively, to discuss the happenings of the week in tennis. And what it week it was! Losers got lucky in Singapore, then got good, as Agnieszka Radwanska claimed her biggest career title in unlikely fashion. What does her win say about her, and about the round-robin redemption format? Then, in Switzerland, Roger Federer improved to 5-1 indoors against Rafael Nadal...and still remains his pigeon? We discuss, and then we end by pouring one out for our homies at Grantland. 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 Oct 28, 2015
Wednesday Oct 28, 2015
With the WTA Finals underway, Ben chats up our Singapore correspondant, Courtney, to talk about how the tournament is shaping up. How very impressive is Sharapova's ability to make successful comebacks time and time again? Is this a glimpse at a post-Serena world? And what of the bigger emphasis on doubles, including the new fan favorite Chan sisters? Speaking of doubles siblings, what does it mean for the Bryans to lose the top ranking? And in men's singles, why was Nadal-Rosol's resumption of unniceties the perfect reminder of why we care about tennis? Lastly, we introduce you to Courtney's new WTA Insider podcast, Ben talks about architectural karma, and these pretzels are making Courtney homesick. 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!
Tuesday Oct 20, 2015
Tuesday Oct 20, 2015
Again a world apart, Ben and Courtney bridge a 12-hour time difference to come together for this episode, in which they discuss the yawniness of Shanghai and Novak Djokovic's invincibility, but then rally to Djokovic's defense when it comes to his snub from the ATP Sportsmanship Award Ballot. Just who do Ben and Courtney think should be considered for that award, as well as the other ATP votes? Then, more excitingly, Ben chats with Jiří Fencl, the coach of Lucie Hradecka, who discusses the life and challenges of being a coach, Czech tennis, as well as his awesome tennis app Resultina and the challenges and opportunities of tennis data. 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!
Tuesday Oct 13, 2015
Tuesday Oct 13, 2015
Despite the ocean between them, Ben and Courtney finally reunite (from Boston and Tokyo, respectively) for this episode, and catch up on the doings in WTAsia as well as dude tennis. What can be gleaned from this free-for-all stretch, which included unlikely surges from players like Garbine Muguruza, Venus Williams, and Jo Konta? And as the Singapore race looks ever more chaotic, did Serena do the "right" thing by withdrawing? On the men's side, where does Rafael Nadal's lopsided loss to Novak Djokovic in the Beijing final leave him? And is Stan Wawrinka having the best year of any Swiss player, or does that honor go to Federer, Bencic, Bacsinszky, or Hingis? Then, Courtney loves Beijing and Ben is giddy about The Future being within reach. 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!
Tuesday Oct 06, 2015
Tuesday Oct 06, 2015
Live from Beijing, China, this episode is Courtney's Speakerboxx to Ben's The Love Below last week. Courtney chats to two guests: first, her wonder-climbing buddy Carole Bouchard, a return NCR guest who is in China for the first time and discusses her impressions of tennis in the country, and the two discuss the schedule issues so often discussed at this time of year. Then, Courtney welcomes Peter Chorba, who is the senior business development manager for the China Open, to discuss sponsor liaising and also just life in China as an American ex-pat. 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 Sep 30, 2015
Wednesday Sep 30, 2015
With Ben and Courtney an ocean apart, this week we bring you a special interview from earlier this year, in which Ben sat down with tennis investigative journalist and author Michael Mewshaw to talk about the unsavory sides of tennis which he uncovered in working on his explosive books Short Circuit and Ladies of the Court. Decades after the books came out, many of the same issues still linger. From conflicts of interests to match fixing to drugs, Michael pulls lots of pins out of grenades here as well, so be sure to duck and cover as needed! 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!