No Challenges Remaining

Ben and Courtney convene for the last of what has been a tradition: a Middle Sunday episode from Wimbledon. What do we make of this tradition being phased out? And how about this first week at Wimbledon, which seemed to have found its footing as a great tournament after some early slips? We discuss our favorite moments so far, and how both the men and women are set up for the second week. Also, Courtney prepares for her adventures in ghostbustin' as she tries to pick Casper Ruud out of a lineup...check that out over on our Patreon.  Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the Wimbledon! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

After five days together at Wimbledon Ben and Tumaini Carayol chat about what it's been like to be back at a Grand Slam in person for the first time in well over a year, what's the same, and what's different about being at the All England Club once more. We also discuss Andy Murray's fatalistic finish to his press conference, and what we can see among the many aging stars openly contemplating their futures. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the Wimbledon! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

Wimbledon is back up and running, but many of the top players have been falling down. Serena Williams was the biggest casualty of the slick Centre Court, aggravating an injury that forced her out of her third round match. To get the low-down on the ground, Ben is joined for a quick chat by NCR's Charm City correspondent Pam Shriver for her take on the lush lawns, and what might be done to make them less treacherous. It's been a busy Wimbledon for Ben so this is a fairly tapas-sized meal, but we hope you're feasting on all the tennis! Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the Wimbledon! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

Ben and Courtney reunite from eight time zones apart to discuss the men's and women's draws at Wimbledon, where the tours return after two years away. We start with the men, where Novak Djokovic is a clear favorite. But the French Open taught us to be ready for surprises, right? The women's side is, as typical, quite wide open. And like the men, there's some incomplete data for these players on grass which makes it all trickier than a slice from a carving station. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the Wimbledon! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

Novak Djokovic came back from two sets down to win the French Open final on Sunday, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets and putting himself in increasingly rare in men's tennis history. NCR's Middle East and North Africa correspondent Reem Abulleil joins to discuss what has made Djokovic so uniquely great and unflappable, and how big hopes for his near future should be. His ambitions, and his form, show little sign of abating right now. We also discuss Tsitsipas, Nadal, and Reem's favorite parts of this very long French Open. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

Barbora Krejcikova prevailed over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Saturday's unlikely French Open final, and Ben and Courtney are here to talk about what it all means. How was Krejcikova able to win this match? What does her win tell us about what it takes to win a Slam? What questions do we still have about her and her game? What does this win mean for the tour going forward? And what about that unusually long and casual trophy ceremony? Also, Courtney has some quick lingering thoughts on Novak Djokovic. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

We will have our show on the women's final soon, but in the meantime we are delighted to share a bonus episode with Saša Ozmo, the Serbian reporter who has covered Novak Djokovic more closely than anyone on his ascendancy toward the front of most of the G.O.A.T. discussions. Ben and Saša discuss Djokovic's win over Nadal (and the importance of consolidating it), the ups and downs on his recent path, where the races against Nadal and Federer now stand, differences between how Djokovic is perceived in Serbia and Western media, and the local context behind Adria Tour. If you are or know) a Serbian, please do buy Saša's book!  Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

Novak Djokovic dealt Rafael Nadal only the third defeat of his Roland Garros career on Friday, knocking out the 13-time French Open champion in four sets, in a match that had people calling it one of the greatest of all time during the epic third set. Andrew Eccles of The Spin joins to discuss how this match ranks in the pantheon, what Djokovic did to defy the odds, how surprising the result is, and if Nadal's days of dominance could be done. We also briefly discuss the first semifinal, the bizarre behavior of a Eurosport commentator during it, and what we're hoping for in the women's final. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

Greece is the word at the 2021 French Open, with two semifinalists in Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Sakkari lost in an epic semifinal on Thursday against Barbora Krejcikova (who plays Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final), while Tsitsipas hopes to make his first Slam final with a win on Friday. To discuss the Greeks, we are joined with the Athena of tennis media, Vicky Georgatou, who is manning the Argo of Greek tennis coverage all by herself at Roland Garros. What was the key to Sakkari's run? How is Tsitsipas' quirky personality received in Greece? And what does the growth of the sport do for tennis in Greece? Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

What semblance of stability there had been in the women's draw disappeared with Iga Swiatek's loss on Wednesday to Maria Sakkari, making it four first-time Slam semifinalists in the final four of the French Open. Hall of Famer Pam Shriver joins Ben to discuss the women's draw, and the high-quality tennis that has led to an unlikely semifinal slate which also includes Barbora Krejcikova, who defeated Coco Gauff earlier on Wednesday. We also discuss the chalk on the men's draw, where sure things Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal advanced through four-setters to set up yet another big time meeting in the semifinals. How will that big showdown in the semifinals influence the final? Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D,

In the most highly anticipated quarterfinal, Stefanos Tsitsipas dispatched his rival Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. Ben is joined by The Guardian's Tumaini Carayol, NCR's Spain and Sub-Saharan Africa correspondent, to discuss Tsitsipas' big win, how it sets up the men's draw, and how much sizzle there really still is to the Tsitsipas-Medvedev beef. We also discuss Tsitsipas' semifinal opponent Sascha Zverev, and the difficult position we and others are put in by having to discuss him while the ATP fails to address or resolve the accusations against him. We also discuss Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Tamara Zidansek reaching the women's semifinals, and what these continued surprises in women's slam mean in terms of quantifying the achievements.  Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open! And thank you to the many listeners who have

Ben and Courtney reconvene to discuss the eight women and eight men left standing after four rounds at Roland Garros, and how things might play out from here. We start with Andy Murray fave Iga Swiatek, the last to book her spot, who is becoming an increasingly prohibitive favorite. How will she handle that role? And what of the other women in the top draw who can trouble her? And how might things shake out on the more open bottom half? In the men's draw, after Courtney weighs in on Federer's withdrawal, we give some props to Diego Schwartzman and then dive into the weird Musetti-Djokovic, which was thrilling and close and then immediately stopped being either of those things on a dime. Also some hopes for Tsitsipas-Medvedev and how we talk about that other quarterfinalist. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open! And thank you t

It was a day of easy parallels at Roland Garros, with 39-year-olds Roger Federer and Serena Williams both bowing out, albeit in different fashions. Federer withdrew from the French Open hours after his late-night win over Dominik Koepfer, having gotten the match practice he wanted before the grass season where he plans to peak. Serena played, but was outplayed by Elena Rybakina, who handed in a pretty straightforward straight-set win. How does that less intentional exit set her up for grass? To discuss the role of aging, and the young guns left in both the men's and women's draws, we're joined by NCR's Youth Correspondent Alex Gruskin of Cracked Racquets who has all sorts of takes and stats on your Davidovich Fokinas, Musettis and whatnots.  Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! Please consider joining in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open! And thank you to the many listeners who have alr

Ben and Courtney cross the 300 threshold at long last, inspired by the truly Spartan effort of Maria Sakkari. After a bit of chatting and reminiscing about the milestone, Ben and Courtney talk to Maria about her warrior mentality, where that has to give way to taking it easy, finding the right coach, having a mom who played on tour, and making friends and keeping connections to home on this traveling circus. Thank you all for helping us get to this big number, we couldn't have done it without y'all.   Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

We have a two-part episode today for you! First, Ben and Courtney chat in press with Sorana Cirstea, who is back into the second week at Roland Garros for the first time since 2009. Where did this good form come from, and what advice would she give to young players?  Then, Ben is joined by Ricky Dimon for a slew of prop picks about Day 7 happenings at Roland Garros, both off court and on. Will Iga Swiatek stay as dominant against Anett Kontaveit? Will lefthandedness be a major topic of Cam Norrie's press conference? All this and more, and weigh in with your picks for our 11 questions on Twitter here. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open, and march toward Episode 300 and 300 followers, check out our five tiers and see which might be right for you! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And tha

Ben and Courtney reunite to look back on the first two rounds that have been completed at Roland Garros in the men's and women's draws. We start with the men, but the big story from Day 5 was undoubtedly the injury of Ash Barty, which forced the 2019 champion out of the tournament. What were the signs this was coming? Is Iga Swiatek reaching Nadalesque levels of dominance and inevitability already? What are commentators going to do about Botic van de Zandschulp? Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open, and march toward Episode 300 and 300 followers, check out our five tiers and see which might be right for you! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has been winning matches at Grand Slams for a long time, and she makes an overdue visit to NCR after winning her second round match at Roland Garros on Wednesday. Ben and Nastia discuss changes in her motivation over her career, what she's looking for in a coach, trying to keep her individuality in a cookie cutter world, mental health in tennis, and, most crucially, how our Eurovision tastes align. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open, and march toward Episode 300 and 300 followers, check out our five tiers and see which might be right for you! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

As the clay dust settles from Naomi Osaka's turbulent departure from Roland Garros, we turn back to the players still standing at Roland Garros, none of whom stand taller than Reilly Opelka. Opelka, who won his first round convincingly over Andrej Martin, joins Ben to discuss things including the advantages of being a big hitter on a small court, playing anti-tennis, his love of museums, and his art-and-practice partner Venus Williams. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open, check out our five tiers and see which might be right for you! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given their support! (And thank you to G.O.A.T. backers J O'D, Mike, Pam Shriver, and Nicole Copeland!)

It was a sad day at Roland Garros on Monday as Naomi Osaka's stand against mandatory press conferences ended with her withdrawal from the tournament, posting an eloquent statement that cited not wanting to be a distraction as well as mental health struggles that have included long bouts of depression. To discuss this somber news, how this impasse arrived, and what if anything could have been handled differently, Mary Carillo of NBC Sports joins Ben after having been on-air on NBC when the news broke. After the mental health discussion, we discuss the media ecosystem of tennis, which is under scrutiny from all sorts of corners, and also what press conferences are all about. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open, check out our five tiers and see which might be right for you! And thank you to the many listeners who have already given

While there was certainly on court news on Day 1 at the French Open, led by #4 Dominic Thiem exiting in the first round and further opening up the men's draw in its already wide-open bottom, the news of the day again revolved around Naomi Osaka, against whom the Grand Slams responded forcefully with a $15,000 and threat of further, escalating sanctions if she does not end her boycott of mandatory post-match media obligations. Ben is joined by Andrew Eccles of The Spin to discuss the standoff, why it has escalated, and why it has resonated so widely beyond tennis. We discuss why more understanding of both sides is warranted, the unclear but important mental health side of this situation, and how it all might resolve itself. Plus a bit on Thiem, Sabalenka, Kvitova, and Eurovision, natch. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season! If you'd like to join in as we bring you the best shows we can during the French Open, check