No Challenges Remaining

Episode 71: Andrea Petkovic (The Petkopalooza)

Ben and Courtney are super, super excited about this episode, you guys. We did an interview for the show with Andrea Petkovic after her second round match in Charleston, and it was predictably awesome. Then Petko kept winning and winning, so we kept seeing her at press the whole rest of the week, which ended with her walking away with the trophy. So we recap the week that was briefly, bring you our interview with her (which touches on handling losing, the differences between men's and women's players, tour gossip, and much, much more), and then bring you some highlights of her press conferences. If you like Andrea Petkovic (and obviously you do), then you'll love this episode (and certainly you will). As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes!  You, dear listeners, are way cooler than Coldplay. 

Episode 70: Madison Keys (and Miami)

Episode 70 is a big, big, big one, and you'll like it quite a bit! Live from Charleston, Ben and Courtney discuss the tournament that was in Miami, and what it means for both Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams to have emerged from Key Biscayne victorious. Also, how do those two tournaments stack up against each other? We then flash forward to Charleston, and (through some studio magic) discuss Serena's surprising first round loss to 78th-ranked Jana Cepelova. Lastly, we are joined by our first guest of 2014, Madison Keys, who discusses dancing with Andrea Petkovic and life as an Eisenbuddy. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes!  You, our listeners, deserve all the tiaras.

Episode 69: Been to the Desert

Episode 69 offers you delayed gratification! Live from the NCR West Studios, Ben and Courtney discuss the goings on of Indian Wells. What do we take of Roger's resurgence and Novak's reliability? And how about Flavia Pennetta's surprise triumph? Is that a satisfying result? We then discuss what to expect from Miami. But Miami is almost over, you say? Who asked you? But seriously, you guys, thanks as always for listening, and thanks for following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes!

Episode 68: Upsets in the Desert

Ben and Courtney come to you midway through Indian Wells, where many of the top seeds have already dried up and withered in the thin desert air. What do we make of the players who lost and the players who beat them? What, first of all, of Rafael Nadal, and the inspired play of Alexandr Dolgopolov to knock him out. Is Maria Sharapova's loss to Camila Giorgi cause for concern? And what do we make of the tough questioning Giorgi faced in press? And should Victoria Azarenka have taken the court at all? All this and a little more is waiting for you! As always, thanks for following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes! You occupy a king-sized bed on our hearts, dear listeners.

Episode 67: Indian Well To Do

For Episode 67, Ben and Courtney are live on location in beautiful Indian Wells, recording under the desert stars at a tournament which has exploded by leaps and bounds since we first came here. The growth is impressive, but is it all for the best? We discuss. We also talk briefly about the men's and women's draws, and about the highlights of the WTA All-Access Hour. We announce the arrival of this episode with all the enthusiasm of Jelena Jankovic, and we hope you receive it the same way! As always, thanks for following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes!

Episode 66: Back From Russia, With Tennis

We have so much to catch up on, you guys! Unable to find recording daylight through the thick iron curtain while Ben spent the last five weeks in Sochi, Ben and Courtney finally reunite to catch you up on all the happenings in tennis! Like Stan Wawrinka winning a Slam! What was that about? Also Li Na did big things, too! What are we still learning about her? We also look at many of the other big players from this time period, including Dominika Cibulkova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Genie Bouchard, Sloane Stephens, Simona Halep, Venus Williams, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, Grigor Dimitrov, Ernests Gulbis, and more! We also try to make sense of the IPTL and what the Winter Olympics tell us about why women's tennis is more successful than so many other women's sports. We have so much to give, you guys! As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes! You are the bears on unicycles of our hearts.

Episode 65: Aussie Ana Sinks Serena

In Episode 65, Ben and Courtney return to the airwaves (internetwaves?) live from Melbourne once again, this time to sort through the rubble of another injury-laced exit from Melbourne by Serena Williams, this time at the unlikely hands of Ana Ivanovic. What does the win mean for Ana? And what does the loss mean for Serena? What do we make of the way Serena (and her coach Patrick Mouratoglou) handled her injury? And how does her exit change the landscape of the women's draw? Could Li Na actually be considered a viable favorite? The men haven't done much, but Bernard Tomic, who only played one set in Melbourne, is always one to get a conversation going. Thanks for waking up with us, dear listeners! As always, thanks for following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and subscribing and reviewing on iTunes!

Episode 64: Australian Open/James McGee

In Episode 64, Ben and Courtney break down the draws for the 2014 Australian Open. What do we make of the flat, even women's draw? And the men's draw that's more top-heavy than Dolly Parton? Who is on upset alert, and who got lucky? And why did Gilles Simon insist on trying to valiantly play when pulling out would've made our show so much simpler? Plus, we share with you Ben's interview from during qualies with Ireland's James McGee, who has lots of great stories and thoughts about life on the lower rungs on the pro tour. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wish you were Irish. As always, thanks for following us on Twitter, liking our page on Facebook,and subscribing to us and reviewing us on iTunes!

Episode 63: Greeting the Season with an Oi! Oi! Oi!

Happy 2014, listeners! Ben and Courtney are back together and back on the microphone, this time coming to you live from Melbourne, Australia. We catch up on the first week of the season in somewhat breakneck fashion, discussing the underwhelming Hopman Cup, the significance of wins by Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, the current state of Shoulderpova, and the threat that Roger Federer and Venus Williams should merit at the Australian Open. We also veer wildly off-topic several times because like the players, we have some off-season rust and don't entirely remember how to do this. But we have fun, as always, and hope you will, too! As always, thanks for following us on Twitter, liking our page on Facebook, and subscribing to us and reviewing us on iTunes!

Episode 62: Tarnishing the Holidays

In Episode 62, Ben and Courtney continue to soldier through the off-season valiantly, kept warm through the bleak tennis-less winter by your questions. Which off-season coaching hires will have the biggest impacts on the 2014 season? Who is more likely to win a Slam next year, Maria Sharapova or Roger Federer? And does Federer's current slide diminish his legacy at all? We then take a number which allows us to explore the mismanaged world of tennis micro-finance, and then wrap it up with some of our music and reading suggestions for some very specific hypothetical person on your holiday shopping list.. We would never press send on your, dear listeners, so as always, thanks for following us on Twitter, liking our page on Facebook, and subscribing to us and reviewing us on iTunes!