No Challenges Remaining

The small world of tennis media lost one of its most beloved last week with the passing of Tom Perrotta, who had earned the love and admiration of practically everyone lucky enough to meet him. Since it's going to be a while before we're all able to come together again to properly raise a glass in Tom's honor, Ben and Courtney decided to use this space to "gather" together somewhat virtually with...

Ben and Courtney are delighted to be joined by Katie Spellman , a communications expert who joins for a companion episode to her Instagram series highlighting what it takes to make it working in the world of tennis, particularly on the media sides both independent and corporate. What are the keys to breaking into the business? What do you need to do to stay afloat? And what are particular challeng...

Ben and Courtney wrap up their wrap-up of the uniquely weird year that was 2020 with this episode, which focuses on everything that happened after the pandemic first stopped the tours. How do we look back on how tennis players handled the stoppage, both as players and as citizens? Is it fair to make generalizations? And how did we feel about the tennis once it came back? Also, Courtney is on Twitc...

What was it like to form memories in 2020? For Ben and Courtney, things were far more vivid when we were still able to travel, so this first half of our annual "Remember When" is heavy on January. Have our thoughts on ATP Cup changed with the passage of time? And how about those donations to the Australian bushfire relief? Where were we when we realized coronavirus was going to be serious? And how...

We're delighted to bring you the conclusion of the roundtable with Reem Abulleil ,  Tumaini Carayol , and  Alex Gruskin on our (sometimes myopic) 2021 vision for tennis. Topics the gang cover on this back half include the new WTA "rebrand," continuing media access shortfalls (particularly during quarantine), how Roger Federer might take to playing in empty stadiums, and what Tumaini's experience w...

Staring into an uncertain future, Ben is joined by an all-star panel for a roundtable about what 2021 might and should look like in tennis. Reem Abulleil , Tumaini Carayol , and Alex Gruskin all return to NCR to discuss the 2021 outlook, starting with the Australian Open's apparent shift to February, which could majorly disrupt the first two months of the season. Is all the upheaval worth it? (A c...

The 2020 tennis off-season has begun, but we don't have a very confident idea just how long it will be before the 2021 season begins, with the Australian Open having to navigate a complex landscape in a place that has stood out during the pandemic for its success. To help explain the context of the conversation about holding a major event in COVID-free Melbourne, Ben is joined by the Australian Br...

In lieu of their usual annual fall weekend together in DC, Ben is remotely joined by Ricky Dimon for their annual men's tennis season wrap show, this time right after the final tour match of the year, which was Daniil Medvedev beating Dominic Thiem in the last iteration of the ATP Finals to be held in London. Ben and Ricky discuss the major themes of the year, evaluate the seasons that were had by...

Ben and Courtney are back for their first episode together since the French Open! While not particularly enthused by the offerings on tour currently, they have lots to discuss all the same, including Courtney's journey as a Twitch streamer, the unlikelihood of traveling to Australia next year, the shifts in the apparel landscape, and more! Also for you OGs, we bring back Take a Number! Fun! And th...

This week's episode discusses the accusations of domestic violence made by Alexander Zverev's ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova, as further detailed in Ben's interview with her last week which was published on Thursday by Racquet Magazine.   Ben is joined for this episode by Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated and 60 Minutes, who discussed the allegations in his column this week .  What to make of the a...

This is just a very brief update to our podcast feed to alert folks that we've uploaded to our Patreon an earlier interview with Alexander Bublik , aka Sasha Bubbles, aka...Alex? Aside from various nicknames, Bublik discusses the deals he's struck with Kazakhstan, what separates the best players from the rest of the pack, and the enduring appeal of bad boys. Also, Ben has more coming soon on the d...

Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson , co-authors of the new book Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back , join to discuss the lovability of tennis, and the difficulties that fans can still encounter while trying to reconcile the sport and their own personal values. Issues covered include the continuing grumbling over equal pay for men and women, the evolution of Serena Williams' perceived...

There was big news on the tennis business front this week as Tennis Channel acquired rights to Indian Wells, Miami, Canada, and Cincinnati that had previously belonged to ESPN, further tightening the network's portfolio (and further reducing the visibility of tennis on more general channels). To discuss the shift, Ben is joined by Tennis Channel chairman and CEO Ken Solomon, who discusses his netw...

Ben and Courtney discuss Rafael Nadal's much easier than expected romp over Novak Djokovic in the French Open final, winning 6-0, 6-2, 7-5.  Were we dumb to think the result would be anything different? How did Nadal get this moment so pitch-perfect, on and off court? In what ways was this French Open still political, if less overtly so?  And what was it like to cover this tournament, and are ther...

Ranked outside the Top 50, Iga Swiatek completed one of the most dominant title runs in Grand Slam history on Saturday, beating Sofia Kenin in the French Open final. Ben and Courtney discuss what makes Swiatek special, her stigma-breaking embrace of sports psychology, and the unique way in which her peers glow about her.  What other title runs could compare to this one? We also discuss Sofia Kenin...

To preview both the men's and women's finals at Roland Garros this weekend, Ben is joined by the two NCR correspondents, Reem Abulleil and Tumaini Carayol . First on the men's side, familiar foes Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will meet once again with major stakes in the GOAT race. Who will win? We're on the same page, albeit with different degrees of confidence. And on the women's side, how to...

With 19-year-old Iga Swiatek reaching the French Open final (against Sofia Kenin), showing incredible mental strength and poise that belies her age and relative inexperience, Ben is joined by Daria Abramowicz , the sports psychologist who has been with Swiatek at Roland Garros during her remarkably doinant run. Ben and Daria discuss the field of sports psychology in general, her work with Iga part...

With just four women and four men left in contention at Roland Garros. Ben and Courtney look back to the quarterfinals and ahead to the semifinals. Iga Swiatek will face Nadia Podoroska, Petra Kvitova will face Sofia Kenin, Rafael Nadal will face Diego Schwartzman, and Stefanos Tsitsipas will face Novak Djokovic. These are shaping up as some very different matches, and we have many thoughts across...

As the first slate of quarterfinals saw big wins for Argentina, we take a look at what suddenly went missing from the French Open: the small army of GIF-makers who animate (literally) Tennis Twitter so steadfastly. The French Federation of Tennis issued a major crackdown on GIFs this week, bringing the pictures on our timelines to a stand still. To better understand this landscape, Ben tries to tr...

Reem Abulleil , queen of content for Roland Garros, joins Ben to look ahead to the quarterfinal slates in Paris which are (almost) complete. On the women's side, how will Elina Svitolina handle the pressure? Will momentum help qualifiers?  On the men's side, could Jannik Sinner pull off a huge surprise against Nadal, or should Diego Schwartzman pull off a smaller one over Thiem? Thank you again fo...

Sunday at Roland Garros saw the exit of overwhelming favorite, Simona Halep, and another disappointment from frequently-underwhelming pandemic citizen Sascha Zverev. Tumaini Carayol is here to discuss both of those events and more. What can Halep's loss be chalked up to? Is it now Elina Svitolina's half of the draw to lose? And on the men's side, we discuss Jannik Sinner's impressively consistent...

Ben and Courtney reunite to discuss the first week of the French Open, which ended with Danielle Collins beating Garbine Muguruza in one of the bigger surprises so far. Collins joins many other unexpected names (Daniel Altmaier, anyone?) in the second week of a tournament that could go some very different directions in the next few days. We discuss how it's felt to cover the tournament that's a wo...

Roland Garros has seen many new names emerging to go deep into the tournament already, including a bevy of players from outside the Top 100 reaching the second week. Among them is our guest on today's show: Barbora Krejcikova , a former Slam champ and #1 in doubles, who achieved a long-awaited breakthrough into the Top 100 on Friday by reaching the fourth round of the French Open. Krejcikova discu...

With two rounds of the French Open now done, it's time to make some bold calls. Ben is rejoined by Alex Gruskin of the Cracked Racquets media empire to make some bold calls and predictions about the short-term (Roland Garros) and long-term outlook of tennis. From Jelena Ostapenko to Sofia Kenin to Sascha Zverev to Serena Williams to Jannik Sinner, we've got all the hot takes you could ever want......

It was an eventful day at Roland Garros, with three-time champ Serena Williams withdrawing due to a lingering Achilles' injury, Victoria Azarenka and Coco Gauff also exiting, and Sara Errani and Kiki Bertens getting into all sorts of drama as their third set rocked (and then rolled). After bits from Serena, Errani, and Bertens, the main body of this episode focuses on two men who advanced on Wedne...