No Challenges Remaining

We're back with an interview from a bit ago with Vasek Pospisil , who has been using his spot on the ATP Player Council to lead a crusade for greater representation and compensation for players. Ben and Vasek talk about those issues, as well as conflicts of interest, Justin Gimelstob, Chris Kermode, relations with the WTA player leadership, and more. If you're interested in tennis politics, this i...

The U.S. Open was one to remember for runs by champion Bianca Andreescu and runner-up Daniil Medvedev, whom Ben and Courtney explore on this wrap show from a very good tournament. Rafael Nadal won his 19th Grand Slam, somehow becoming the best U.S. Open player of the decade. And Serena Williams lost a fourth straight Grand Slam final, bafflingly. We discuss both of those happenings, plus men's sem...

On the eve of the U.S. Open, Ben and Courtney sit down with the draws to figure out who is going to win this thing. It only feels worth going so far on the women's side, given the parity and upheaval on that tour lately, whereas our men's picks are mighty confident--including for newcomer to the top Daniil Medvedev. We discuss Serena-Sharapova, Bianca Andreescu, Hubert Hurkacz's mock turtleneck, J...

With careers lasting longer than ever in professional tennis nowadays, how does one end?  To discuss that, Ben welcomes Tim Smyczek back to NCR. With the US Open not awarding Tim a wild card into the tournament this year, he found out a couple days ago that he had played the final match of his pro career. Tim didn't reach the highs of many players you'd be more familiar with, but his experience is...

Back on Centre Court among the debris of the men's final, Ben and Courtney wrap up the Wimbledon that was. You'll hear much, including: why the men's and women's draws need each other so; the Coco Gauff breakthrough; Halep's incredible run; another close-but-no-cigar for Serena; we love Barbora Strycova; the media vs Johanna Konta; the Big 3 cruising until the late rounds and then playing matches...

On their second try, Ben and Courtney recorded a Wimbledon preview from Centre Court, full of rehearsals for the big show which begins tomorrow (no, we don't mean Edmund-Munar). First on the quarter of death in the women's draw, led by Ash Barty (whom Serena Williams was surprised and delighted to learn was #1) and including Serena, Kerber, Sharapova, Muguruza, and more. Then we also talk dudes, i...

A few days after the French Open, Ben and Courtney look back on the tournament that was and wasn't. While celebrating the champions--particularly the breakthrough of Ash Barty--we explore the general ennui we're left with from a tournament that never quite got in gear. We discuss the Big 3, Serena, Thiem, Serena-Thiem, and a bit more from the Slam that was.  Also, because we're in Champagne (we're...

With hours to go before the 2019 French Open begins, Ben and Courtney sit down for a quick-ish rundown of who can win this tournament and why. From Naomi to Novak, Rafa to Petra, Plisko to Delpo, Tsitsi to Kiki, it's all here.  As always, thanks for liking us  on Facebook  (leave comments on the episode thread! Engage with other listeners!), following us  on Twitter  (discuss this episode with has...

In our first player interview in a while, Ben sits down in Rome with Nick Kyrgios, who provides his remarkably unfiltered views on himself and others in tennis. After a stupid saga of Twitter encounters , Ben and Nick's in-person chat offers infinitely more than 280 perspectives from one of the games most fascinating, complex, and divisive characters. You'll agree with parts, you'll disagree with...

Ben and Courtney catch up on the happenings on the tours over the past couple months, which has been dominated by the story of no one dominating. What's to explain the spread of unique winners on both tours? And is the real story, perhaps, the youth movement? We discuss some of the more intriguing individual plotlines from this stretch as well, including Naomi Osaka splitting with her coach Sascha...

Taking a conversation that began on Twitter and building it into the longest episode they've ever done on one topic, Ben and Courtney wend their way through the history of women's tennis to discuss which players shaped it the most, from the beginning to the present to the future. There are consensus picks and contentious picks, but whether you agree or disagree with our assessments, we hope you en...

A day after the Australian Open, Ben and Courtney convene to discuss a Slam which seemed to provide more answers than questions, for a change. Both Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka consolidated their US Open wins (and their #1 rankings) with titles in Melbourne, and the future looks reasonably reasonable? On the men's side, we discuss where it sets up Djokovic, put Nadal's result in context, celebra...

With Stefanos Tsitsipas breaking onto the world stage by beating Roger Federer and then backing it up, Ben is joined by Vicky Georgatou , the best (and only) Greek reporter following him around the tour as he's soared up the ranks and into the semifinals of the Australian Open What has she made of his quick rise and his boisterous supporters here? And how will his unique personality hold up as he...

In what we hope will become an annual tradition, Mary Carillo joins us once again as the Australian Open is about to begin, helping us set the table for what should be a tasty Slam. Across a freewheeling chat that takes several sharp turns along a scenic route to Day 1 of the Australian Open, we discuss Andy Murray, Ash Barty, Hopman Cup, ATP Cup, Serena Williams, and our hopes for the 2019 season...

As they begin Season 8(!) of NCR, Ben and Courtney dive into the men's and women's draws of the Australian Open, which look well set up for the usual suspects on the men's side, and for just about anybody on the women's side. So, business as usual!  We will have more for you soon (including Courtney's many feelings about Sir Andrew Barron Murray), but for now enjoy this look ahead at what should b...

Our seventh season of NCR wraps up with the third part of our marathon "Remember When?" episode, covering everything from the North American hard courts until the end of the season, with some final musings as well. From Stefanos Tsitsipas' emergence in Canada (and YouTube) to the trauma of the US Open women's final to the Nadal-Djokovic Saudi exhibition that never was, we have lots more to discuss...

The second installment of "Remember When?" sees Ben and Courtney reminisce on the very eventful French Open, as well as Wimbledon, where we did not need 16 seeds and we assured you. Lots of stuff on Serena's catsuit, marathon matches, and an unexpected amount of schadenfreude.  Even if it didn't come home, we're glad you have. These episodes are less about the headline grabbing stories and more ab...

With a whole year behind them, Ben and Courtney have a whole lot to look back on, both fondly and...less fondly.  And so, the fairly annual "Remember When?" episode is here, at least the first third of it on the first four or so months on the season. All sorts of wacky things happened in Australia, and the year stayed interesting throughout. These episodes are less about the headline grabbing stor...

Back together for the first time since New York, Ben and Courtney recap the fall season, revisiting Elina Svitoina and Sascha Zverev winning the year-end championships, Darren Cahill stopping his work with Simona Halep, the surge of Wang Qiang, and a bit more. We then eulogize and celebrate the magnificent career of Agnieszka Radwanska, a player who found unique possibilities for how to play--and...

With Courtney covering the end of the women's season in Zhuhai, Ben is joined once again in Washington with friend of the show Ricky Dimon to talk about all things men's tennis.  After a quick look back at the season as a whole, Ben and Ricky look ahead to London, which is coming down to a two-horse race between Kei Nishikori and John Isner. Which would make for a more intriguing participant? Then...

On the heels of the release of her new book, " Driven: A Daughter's Odyssey ," Ben speaks with Julie Heldman about her journey and the legacy of her mother, Hall-of-Famer Gladys Heldman. Heldman, one of the "Original 9," details the formative days of professional women's tennis and the factors that helped it off the ground. We discuss her mother's role, Billie Jean King's role, and how the story i...

With Courtney in China for a bit, Ben was delighted to meet up in D.C. with The Washington Post's Liz Clarke , who recently returned from Chicago where she covered the second Laver Cup , the novel new event which seems to defy expectations and definitions in tennis in first two successful editions. Ben and Liz discuss her impressions of the event and how players and crowds have taken to it, what m...

After spending the last episode on Naomi Osaka and what happened in her final against Serena Williams, Ben and Courtney move on to the rest of the U.S. Open. Well, after an explanation of what "Pique" is, a bit more on Serena: what do we make of her not being the closer she once was deep in Slams? Then, other topics include: the heat and the slow courts, the impact of moments when non-tennis media...

The 2018 U.S. Open was absurdly eventful, and the women's side finished with tremendous controversy, so we devote most of this first wrap-up episode to that. But first, we spend ample time on our new breakthrough champion, Naomi Osaka, and her stunning performance. Then we dive headlong into everything that happened in the second set of her win over Serena Williams, which sparked worldwide discuss...

With Naomi Osaka reaching the U.S. Open final, Ben and Courtney revisit the first time we discussed her, back on Episode 83  in August 2014. We had never heard of her before that week, but we were immediately intrigued and excited. We get a lot of things wrong on NCR, as anyone who listens knows, but we think we got this one right. We also mention Courtney's interview with her on WTA Insider . We'...