No Challenges Remaining

At last it's finally publication day for Ben's new book, the biography Naomi Osaka: Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice!  After months of copious plugs on the show, we are excited to finally be able to talk about the book in more depth and detail, with the tremendous help of NCR's intrepid correspondent Reem Abulleil who interviews Ben about the book, his process, and some of the key moments of Naomi's career. Reem was also a close observer of Naomi's since her earliest days on the tour, so there's lots to discuss here about this singularly fascinating and complex person. Enough to fill a book, even!  We also plan on doing a listener mailbag episode about the book once y'all have had a chance to read it, so please do buy a copy (or check it out from a local library) and think about what you might want to ask! Hope you enjoy the episode and the book! Thank you for your support!

Ben and Tumaini have a lot to cover as they try to make sense of the year in women's tennis and explain the forces behind the stormy finish to the year, on-court and off-court, and where it leaves the sport going forward. After a brief discussion on the last couple events of the men's calendar—including if Jannik Sinner was right to keep Novak Djokovic in contention in Turin—we dig into the year that was on court, first by running through some of the headlines off court, and then covering how that turned into headlines off-court with player criticisms roiling the final event of the year. Are the criticisms justified? Who is fertilizing the seeds of player discontent against WTA leadership? And where does the sport go from here? Thanks for listening to NCR in 2023! And if you've enjoyed NCR this year, please do pre-order Ben's new biography of Naomi Osaka! 

With Ricky Dimon in town to run his sixth Marine Corps Marathon, he joins Ben for their annual wrap show on the year that was in men's tennis, which was another season of Novak Djokovic, now 36, lording over a much younger field. Ben and Ricky get somewhat granular, going over the top seventeen men in the rankings and spending a few minutes on each, assessing their years and their prospects for next year. In order: Dimitrov, Shelton, Tiafoe, Khachanov, de Minaur, Paul, Ruud, Hurkacz, Fritz, Rune, Zverev, Tsitsipas, Rublev, Sinner, Medvedev, Alcaraz, and Djokovic Plus a few honorable notable mentions: Murray, Auger-Aliassime, Kyrgios and Nadal. Thanks for listening! And thanks for pre-ordering Ben's new biography of Naomi Osaka!

Ben and Tumaini read the 126-page decision in the tribunal's decision to convict former No. 1 Simona Halep on two charges of intentional doping, and give you a deep dive into the details of the document and expound on what it all means. In the first half of this episode we get into the details so you don't have to, explaining the reasons why the tribunal was "comfortably satisfied" of Halep's guilt, and how they arrived to those two parallel verdicts through different detection methods. We also discuss why Halep's defenses failed, and what she was trying to achieve with her focus on delays to the process. In the second part of the deep dive, we explore the ramifications of these convictions, the most serious convictions a tennis star has ever received, and what they mean for Halep, her coach Patrick Mouratoglou, and the sport of tennis writ large. There's a lot to unpack here, and it's not always fun, but we hope we can shed some light on this complex case for you. Thank you for listening, and if you enjoy de

Ben and Tumaini wrap the US Open finals in their eighth show of the tournament, starting with Coco Gauff fulfilling the years of hype and hope by winning her first grand slam title. What did this win show us about a player we first met when she was a young teenager of 13 or 15? And what are the perils of such expectations? We then get into Djokovic's win over Medvedev, for his 24th major. Where does he go from here? And how should his relationship to the public best be characterized at this point? You'll also get to hear TWO original songs by Dan Bern about this tournament. And as plugged many times, please do pre-order Ben's soon-to-be-released biography of Naomi Osaka, now available from your local bookstores or online retailers!

Ben and Tumaini discuss the four semifinals that were, and all the storylines they contained, before looking ahead a bit to the fast-approaching US Open finals. First, what do they think of the protest that lengthily interrupted Coco Gauff's win? What is the message tennis should take from that moment? And how was Madison Keys derailed from her zoning start by Aryna Sabalenka? And what about Naomi Osaka, who dropped in on the US Open and discussed future plans (you can and should pre-order Ben's biography of Naomi as soon as you can, as many times as you want!) We then discuss Novak Getoffmylawnovic hanging up on Ben Shelton's dial tone, and Medvedev reminding folks he's still great with his emphatic win over Alcaraz. 

Ben is joined by Blair Henley, the star interviewer on tennis courts around the world, to talk about her new role as an announcer inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, and the many different roles she's had at this US Open. What are the challenges of being the "Voice of God" at the world's biggest tennis stadiums? What makes on-court interviewing such a unique thrill? And what have been her standout moments of the tournament so far? All that and more! And you can still pre-order Ben's book, and he'd be very appreciative! 

Ben and NCR's Youth correspondent Alex Gruskin discuss Ben Shelton's big win Tuesday night over Frances Tiafoe in the US Open quarterfinals, a big result both within the American tennis ladder and in the big picture of the ATP generations game. Has Shelton's generation (Alcaraz, Sinner, Rune, etc) already passed Tiafoe's generation (Tsitsipas, Rublev, Auger-Aliassime etc) for good? What about within the American ladder? And when did the buzz about Shelton, who seemed to come out of nowhere, first start? Exciting news, listeners! For the next three days members can get 25% off when they pre-order Ben's forthcoming book Naomi Osaka online at Barnes & Noble! Use code PREORDER25, and please message us so we can thank you when you order it there or elsewhere! 

Ben and Tumaini convene in the late hours of the night after Jelena Ostapenko thunderously knocked out Iga Swiatek, emphatically ending both Swiatek's title defense and her 75-week reign at the #1 ranking. Given Ostapenko's talent and head-to-head record, should this be considered a "bad loss" for Swiatek? Can Ostapenko win the tournament? How does Aryna Sabalenka come into the #1 ranking? Plus, a bit on Gauff d. Wozniacki, the constant corner chatter of coaches, and on how the worst way to beat Novak Djokovic seems to be to take the first two sets against him.  You can pre-order Ben's book now, including in the UK and Australia! 

For our fourth daily show from the US Open, Ben is joined by tennis writer AJ Eccles to discuss his return to live tennis at the US Open last night, and what the sport looks like from inside the stadium. What did it feel like being back at a crowded tennis tournament after years away? What are the differences between watching live and watching on TV And what was it like seeing his favorites Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova battle it out in one of the marquee matches of the first week?

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?

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.

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?

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!

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. 

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!

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!

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 an

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. T

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