No Challenges Remaining

Ben and Tumaini are back together, this time as they watch the zenlike experience of powerwashing the Grandstand court. We cover various second round topics, including Fran Jones' remarkable story, Aryna Sabalenka snapping at a reporter, ITIA investigating the DraftKings party, Gael Monfils' seeking an office job, Felix Auger-Aliassime's benefit of the doubt, Rafael Jodar's inexperience, Ben's bucket list schedule-making story, and world feed weirdness. We then, like everyone else, weigh into "influencer" discourse, which has been one of many hot topics at this tournament as ring lights and narcissism crowd the grounds. Who is and isn't an "influencer", anyhow? Is there space or value for them in tennis? Thank you for listening! You can read Ben's work at Bounces and Tumaini's at The Guardian. Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini are back in the media garden outside of Ashe to discuss the nearly completed first round of the U.S. Open, in which Carlos Alcaraz made an impressive comeback and Novak Djokovic suffered a slow and painful exit. We also discuss Arthur Fils' surprise loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas, a nice win by Gael Monfils, Elena Rybakina playing through pain, and Naomi Osaka's latest fashion statement.  We also discuss the U.S. Open's "trashy" deal with Kalshi, and Mary Carillo's amazing induction speech in Newport. Thank you for listening! You can read Ben's work at Bounces and Tumaini's at The Guardian. Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini are back together in New York, ready to break down the U.S. Open men's and women's draws, and all the stories therein. We discuss Sabalenka's struggles, Rybakina's chance at the No. 1 ranking, Gauff's resurgence, Noskova's (lack of) motivation, and more. On the men's side, we discuss Djokovic's great chances, what to expect from Alcaraz, Djokovic's great chances, both Tiafoe and Fils coming off their historic Cincinnati final, and more. We also talk a bit about the mixed doubles results, and our feelings about Nick Kyrgios after his positive cocaine test. Thank you for listening! You can read Ben's work at Bounces and Tumaini's at The Guardian. Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

In the second (and longer) part of their recording session this week, Ben and Tumaini fanned out into a range of recent events topics from the last month of tennis, catching up on what's been both a busy yet also quiet stretch of the season.  We start with the uncertainties around Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz for New York, after both missed both Canada and Cincinnati. We also discuss Alcaraz's cornrows (remember those?).  Of players who did play up north, we discuss champs Ben Shelton and Iga Swiatek. We also catch up on rising stars Alex Eala and Rafael Jodar, both of whom are inspiring strong reactions.  We also cover the Marketa Vondrousova doping ban decision in full, and also the WTA's decision to start doing genetic sex tests on its players, news first broken on Bounces. Tumaini then closes the show by describing his in-person experience going to see Ms. Lauryn Hill. Thank you for listening! You can read Ben's work at Bounces and Tumaini's at The Guardian. Our Patreon is back up and running to ensur

Catching up after a month away from the mic, Ben and Tumaini discuss events and characters of the past month, catching up with recent events in Cincinnati. And we had so much to say about the present states of the defining players of our tennis lives, Venus and Serena Williams, that we decided to make this lengthy first topic of discussion into a standalone episode.  Venus and Serena brought us both into tennis; how should these legends leave the sport, now that it's become increasingly clear that their time as competitive players has run out? More on everything else—Canada withdrawals, Shelton, Swiatek, Vondrousova, Eala, Jodar, genetic testing, Lauryn Hill—soon, but we clearly had a lot to say about the Williams Sisters in what looks like their closing chapter. Thank you for listening! You can read Ben's work at Bounces and Tumaini's at The Guardian. Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT ba

In their last Court 15 recording of the fortnight, Ben and Tumaini talk about the women's and men's finals at Wimbledon, in which sleeper pick Linda Noskova recovered from what could've been a nightmare hiccup to win the all-Czech women's final over Karolina Muchova, and Jannik Sinner won a serving contest against Alexander Zverev. We discuss getting to know Noskova (Knowskova?) and where she goes from here, and how important this title was for Jannik Sinner--and how important Montreal should be for him.  Thank you for listening! You can read Ben's work at Bounces and Tumaini's at The Guardian. Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

In a rare before-sunset recording, Ben and Tumaini talk about the women's semifinals at Wimbledon, in which sleeper pick Linda Noskova rolled and Coco Gauff lost a heartbreaker against Karolina Muchova after having a match point and what might've been an easy forehand. We preview the all-Czech women's final, and then transition to the men, who are still yet to play their semifinals. We discuss Arthur Fery's fairytale run, his small height, wealthy background, and dual citizenship. Does he have a shot against Zverev? Maybe! We then discuss how the Sinner-Djokovic semifinal might be different this time compared to the last time in Melbourne. Thank you for listening! You can read Ben's work at Bounces and Tumaini's at The Guardian. Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

After being delayed by a day by a Wimbledon Fery-tale, Ben and Tumaini returned to Court 15 at Wimbledon once more to cover the third round and the top half quarterfinals, which concluded with Novak Djokovic's epic win over Felix Auger-Aliassime in more than five hours. We discuss the men, including those guys, Arthur Fery, Taylor Fritz, and more. We break for the Djokovic and Auger-Aliassime press conferences. We then discuss the women, particularly sleeper pick Linda Noskova, the impressive run of Coco Gauff, and Naomi Osaka's incredible win over Aryna Sabalenka, which was followed by a loss to a very sharp Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals. Thank you for listening! You can read Ben's work at Bounces and Tumaini's at The Guardian. Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini returned to Court 15 at Wimbledon once more to catch up on the third round, and a behind-the-scenes debate that's generated a lot of conversation: the ATP's proposals to reduce the footprint of doubles. We discuss the business realities and the arguments that doubles players and fans are fielding to push back in this uphill battle, given recent realities of the tour.  We then dive into the Wimbledon results, which means revisiting Shintaro Mochizuki and Grigor Dimitrov, plus Roman Safiullin and Arthur Fery. We then go to the women, where the big result was Alex Eala knocking out defending champion Iga Swiatek. We also discuss Ashlyn Krueger, Naomi Osaka, and more. Thank you for listening! You can read Ben's work at Bounces and Tumaini's at The Guardian. Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini went back to their spot on Court 15 at Wimbledon to chat about the second round action, which was without any massive shocks but still entertained and intrigued. We start with the men and the great Shintaro Mochizuki, who is into the third round of a Slam for the first time. We then cover Djokovic crushing Tsitsipas, the big win by Grigor Dimitrov (whose presser is an intermission in this episode), as well as the rest of the fellas. We then move to the women, including Tumaini's story from Jelena Ostapenko about trying to confront burglars, Naomi Osaka's grass comfort, Krejcikova d. Andreeva, Alex Eala readying to face Iga Swiatek, and the doubts around doubles for Serena.  Thank you for listening! You can read Ben's work at Bounces and Tumaini's at The Guardian. Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini found a spot on Court 15 at Wimbledon to chat about the first round action at the Championships, which reached its climax with Serena Williams' highly anticipated return to singles. We talk about what looked great from Serena, what didn't, and what it was like to witness and experience her again after all these years, even if it was just one match because of how well Maya Joint played.  We also discussed Jannik Sinner's uninspiring five-set start, Ben Shelton's loss, and the massive struggles for the Brits here, including the injuries for both Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu.   Thank you for listening! You can read Ben's work at Bounces and Tumaini's at The Guardian. Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini are back together once more, this time at Wimbledon, where there's lots of stories in both draws, including Serena Williams' return to singles. We start, though, with the news of 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova getting a four-year ban for refusing a drug test late last year. What was she thinking? Why was this ITIA decision inevitable? We then jump into the draws, starting with the women where Sabalenka is the top seed, Pegula is Ben's pick, and Serena has taken up lots of room in the Wimagination this year. We then switch to the men, and ask the question: even after the shocking French Open collapse, is it still Jannik Sinner vs. the Field? Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini are no longer together in Paris, but catch up on the finish in France as well as the event that had Tumaini rushing back to London: Serena Williams' return to professional tennis. We start with Serena's comeback with Tumaini's perspective from on the ground at Queen's Club: how did she look after four years away? What's it like being back in her orbit? Where does she go from here? We then look back at the French Open, starting with the women where Mirra Andreeva consolidated years of teen phenom hype and Maja Chwalinska was one of the most shocking Slam finalists ever. We also discuss the discussion around the men's champion, Alexander Zverev, about whom TV broadcasters badly failed their audiences.  Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini discuss the eight quarterfinals played at Roland Garros and the semifinals that are now set up, starting with the men and going in reverse chronological order. We start with Arnaldi winning The Battle Of The Matteos, setting up an all-Italian semifinal against Flavio Cobolli after Cobolli handed Felix Auger-Aliassime a bitter defeat. On the bottom half, we discuss Jakub Mensik stepping up against Joao Fonseca, and if anyone can stop heavy favorite Alexander Zverev, who has breezed through a pretty soft draw. On the women's side, we start with the shocking loss of No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who seemed to be in full control before losing 12 of the last 13 games against Diana Shnaider to crash out. There were echoes of last year's defeat to Gauff, but this year's press conference was more good humored. We then discuss the surprise run of Maja Chwalinska and the strong Kostyuk-Andreeva semifinal on the bottom half. Lastly, we get into the news that the Serena comeback is now official, even if we reall

Ben and Tumaini are back after the third and fourth rounds of what's turned into a wild and thrilling French Open, particularly on the men's side where the post-Sinner free-for-all has produced stunning full-length battles over and over and over again. We discuss Fonseca d. Djokovic, Jodar and the ball girl, Arnaldi d. Tiafoe, and Zverev's clear status as the favorite to win. We also discuss the women's side exits of Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek. And we're sorry that Ben's phone died mid-reading the Patrons list off of it! A reminder that is still a 15% discount on Bounces subscriptions during this French Open! Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini come together after one of the most shocking matches of our tennis lifetimes, with prohibitive favorite Jannik Sinner taking a commanding 6-3, 6-2, 5-1 lead before promptly stopping winning points and games, ultimately listlessly falling in five sets to Juan Manuel Cerundolo. This episode has two big components: what happened to Sinner and why, and what's left of the field without him. Somebody else, stunningly, is going to win the 2026 French Open. But whom? A reminder that is still a 15% discount on Bounces subscriptions during this French Open! Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini wrap up the first round at this 2026 French Open, where it's been very hot and a bunch of the top 10 seeds haven't looked so hot, particularly on the men's side. On the women's side, the car crashes have somehow been literal, but Naomi Osaka's fashion moment was a big hit in all the best ways. Also some Bounces items mentioned: there's a 15% discount on subscriptions during this French Open, and you can read the recent pieces on Oleksandra Oliynykova and Emma Navarro at the links. Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini keep everyone's favorite annual episode title going strong with a look at the draws for the 2026 French Open, where Jannik Sinner is a prohibitive favorite against an uninspiring men's field and the women's side seems far more up for grabs. Can anyone stop Sinner? If so, whom? And who could even make it out of the bottom half? On the women's side, we discuss Sabalenka, Swiatek, and a recent video involving Leylah Fernandez and her coach. We also discuss the media "protest" that players staged during media days, with varying degrees of successful stagecraft. Then to wrap up, we chat about our dear departed friend Howard Fendrich, the longtime AP tennis reporter who passed away this week. (You can read Ben's tribute to Howard here.) Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini get back together at their kitchen table in Paris, discussing events of Rome, where the biggest story was Jannik Sinner making ATP history. We discuss the enormity of Jannik Sinner having won all nine Masters 1000 events, and how the ATP's term for it is deeply suboptimal. It's not the most suspenseful tour right now, but it's impressive. We also discuss the far more unpredictable women's field, including champion Elina Svitolina as well as Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Sorana Cirstea, and more. We also discuss boycott talk (we don't think it's plausible but it's still notable), and the Italian Federation's stated goal of making Rome into the official "Fifth Slam." Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.

Ben called in Tumaini (who found a quiet corridor in Madrid) to record an emergency episode on the news of Carlos Alcaraz missing Rome and Roland Garros next month due to a concerning wrist injury. We usually wouldn't do an emergency episode about a withdrawal, but the competitive relevance of Alcaraz to men's tennis is hard to overstate--he's defending champion of both events--and so we dig into what it means for both for Alcaraz himself and his future, as well as the competitive landscape of the tour without him.  Also, we briefly discuss the abrupt and unforeseen exit of WTA CEO Portia Archer this week, after only about a year and a half in the job.  Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.