No Challenges Remaining

Episode 355c: 2023 US Open Day 3 - Is the US Open a Good Neighbor?

Ben is joined by David Waldstein of The New York Times, who recently wrote about the disconnect between the US Open and its neighbors, the Latino communities of Corona and other neighborhoods like Elmhurst and Flushing.

Why is the US Open so walled off from these communities? What could be done to make them more connected and invested in one another? And what is lost by hundreds of thousands of people passing over these neighborhoods in "flyover" fashion as the tournament teleports its people from Midtown Manhattan to the island of the USTABJKNTC?

Episode 355b: 2023 US Open Day 2 - John Isner’s Legacy

Ben and Tumaini reconvene on Day 2 of this US Open to talk about players retiring at this US Open, including Barbora Strycova (who you'll hear), CoCo Vandeweghe, and Jack Sock.

But mostly, we talk about John Isner, the towering American who had an outsized impact on the sport while being popular among his peers but polarizing among fans. 

You'll hear from Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov, Eric Butorac, and John himself about what his legacy has been on the court, where he broke records and uniquely inspired rule changes.

We discuss Isner's spectacular serve, the way it inspired awe in some and boredom in others, and also how he foregrounded a conversation about how fans choose whom to support based on public political opinions, and how tennis players think about each other's views.

Episode 355a: 2023 US Open Day 1 - Saudis, Sakkari, and Schedule Screeching

Ben and Tumaini are back together again at the US Open, for the first of what will be daily shows here!

We discuss the big story off-court, which is the Saudi bid to move into women's tennis, as well as some of the big headlines on court on Day 1, where Maria Sakkari and Holger Rune were the notable upset victims.

Also, how relevant is American tennis globally?

Episode 354: Bianca Andreescu

As he wraps up the book he's been writing about Naomi Osaka (pre-order now, please, thank you!) Ben is back on site at the ATP-WTA tournament in Washington, where he did a short-but-sweet interview with Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion who remains a remarkably engaging presence on the tour as she looks for ways to rediscover her dominance.

Ben and Bianca chat about the stage presence she gets from her "unapologetic" mom, the upsides and downsides of having set the bar so high for what she can do in 2019, and how she works to block out the noise of being in the public arena.

Thanks for listening!

Episode 353: Wimbledon Wrap - Alcaraz Upends Djokovic; Vondrousova Vexes Jabeur

Ben and Reem Abulleil chat about the big stories of the business end of Wimbledon, starting with the massive narrative potential of the men's final. Does Carlos Alcaraz's win over Novak Djokovic in the final represent a passing of the torch, or something less drastic? How surprised were we by this result? And how could this be a good thing for Djokovic going forward?

We also discuss Chris Eubanks and Matteo Berrettini, who both had meaningfully great runs on the men's side.

On the women, we discuss how Marketa Vondrousova went so under the radar on her way to a historic Wimbledon title, and how she ended the fairytales of Ons Jabeur and Elina Svitolina. How does her win change the look of the women's tour? And how do we process Jabeur's disappointing loss at the final hurdle?

We also look at the runs of Svitolina, Iga Swiatek, and toast the doubles win of Hsieh/Strycova.

Lastly, at the end, Dan Bern sings out the show with an original composition in honor of the mythical men's final. 

Episode 352b: 2023 Wimbledon Draw Show (REUPLOAD)

With their preamble out of the way, Ben and Tumaini Carayol (*who is audible in this fixed, reuploaded audio!) dig into the 2023 Wimbledon women's and men's draws to discuss the favorites and other notable names among the 256 players competing for the singles crowns at SW19.

Both respective top seeds, Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, have their stocks rising after strong grass lead-ups. Have they improved enough to contend for the Wimbledon title?

We discuss the bottom-heavy women's draw, the continuing joy of Venus Williams, the struggles of Matteo Berrettini (who was the one player in his generation who seemed like a natural on grass), the retirements of Anett Kontaveit and Milos Raonic, the opportunity for Jannik Sinner, and the enduring juggernaut that is Novak Djokovic.

Enjoy!

Episode 352a: A Wimbledon Preamble

Ben and Tumaini Carayol sat down to record a draw show, but there was enough other stuff they wanted to touch on beforehand that they're breaking it into a separate prologue episode for you to enjoy here as an amuse bouche!

On Wimbledon qualifying, Caroline Wozniacki's comeback announcement, the WTA's announced commitment to equal prize money by 2027, Billie Jean King giving her blessing to women's tennis pursuing Saudi Arabia, and the current state of the WTA as a business and a product.

Enjoy!

Episode 351: Djokovic & Swiatek Rack ’em Up Again in Paris

Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek both won their third French Open titles this weekend at Roland Garros, separating them from their respective fields in meaningful ways, and Ben and Tumaini Carayol discuss them and more!

First on Djokovic, we discuss how his reaching the summit of his 23rd Slam changes (or doesn't change) the GOAT debate, and what the future holds for Djokovic. We also discuss the fizzling of his semifinal vs Carlos Alcaraz, and how Casper Ruud has made it to a whopping three Slam finals.

On the women's side, Iga Swiatek seems to be building herself a dynasty at Roland Garros, the likes of which we haven't seen in women's tennis in a long time.  

Then, as tennis reporters, we cover the reliably robust geopolitical part of our beat, including tensions between Ukrainians and players from Russia and Belarus, Djokovic's unexpected nationalism on Chatrier.

Also, we discuss the unlikely most talked about story of the tournament: what should and shouldn't happen when a ball girl gets hit with a ball and starts crying?

Episode 350: Draw Me Like One of Your French Opens, 2023

Ben and Tumaini Carayol dust off the NCR machine to bring you a look at the 2023 French Open women's and men's draws, breaking down the contenders and darkhorses while touching on several of the big stories of the past few months while the show has been on hiatus (Relatedly, Ben's forthcoming book on Naomi Osaka is now available for pre-order!)

Can Iga Swiatek reestablish her dominance on the women's side at her favorite tournament? How clear a favorite is Carlos Alcaraz on the men's side?

Before that, we start with a discussion of two notable absences: Rafael Nadal, the 14-time champion who hasn't played in months due to a persistent psoas injury, and Simona Halep, a former champion and #1 who has taken an increasingly vocal and outspoken stance as she tries to rally support against anti-doping authorities following her positive test for a blood doping agent last year.

We also discuss the extended formats of the Madrid and Rome Masters 1000 events, changes which have been poorly received across the board.

Thanks for listening! Bon voyage, bonne chance, bonne nuit!

Episode 349: Sabalenka and Djokovic on Top Down Under at Australian Open

Ben and Tumaini Carayol wrap up the year's first Slam with two hours of chatting across all sorts of topics.

First, we discuss the breakthrough win of Aryna Sabalenka, who conquered her demons (and braved new frontiers in her iconic trophy photo shoot). With so much power and talent now under control, how far can she go? And what did this win over the resurgent Elena Rybakina tell us?

We then (27:46) discuss Novak Djokovic, his cathartic reaction to winning, and his management of an injury during this run to a 10th Australian Open final. How do we process Djokovic winning yet again despite all the distractions? And what does it say of the field that it's still an old man's game? We also discuss the ultimate old man of the ATP, the ever-thrilling Andy Murray (1:03:03).

We then (1:11:34) discuss the new coaching rules, and the scrutiny of Rybakina's coach, Stefano Vukov. How do we feel about the new rules, and how should we discuss discomfiting player-coach dynamics, particularly on the WTA Tour?

Our last main topic (1:28:30) is a discussion of the growing prominence of nationality and nationalism in tennis, as exemplified by the surreal pro-Putin pep rally on the steps of Rod Laver Arena which Tumaini wandered into during the tournament. How should we process the role of patriotism and flags in tennis, and is there a way to turn down the temperature during this continuing wartime?

Many other topics as well in there for y'all to enjoy! Thanks for listening!