In peak off-season form, Ben and Courtney deliver another overflowing platter of chat charcuterie. What to make of the big coaching moves of Madison Keys, and the late-breaking decision by Agnieszka Radwanska to hire Martina Navratilova? Which of the Madison-Genie-Laura trio has the best chance to break through? Why don't we talk more about doubles? We explain. And after very briefly circling back to Episode 82, we take a number that gets Courtney extremely excited. Warning: the glitter might no...
Dec 09, 2014•1 hr 38 min
Stuffed with turkey and gratitude, Ben and Courtney stick a fork into the 2014 season by looking back at the Davis Cup final and the rest of this improbable season. Was the Swiss win more about Swiss excellence or French failure? Who had the better year, Stan or Roger? And does Mirkagate somehow shed light on the shadowiest parts of the sport? Also, we discuss the recent coaching changes made by Simona Halep and Genie Bouchard on the heels of breakout seasons. We cover this all with a gravy boat...
Nov 30, 2014•1 hr 38 min
In the last time they'll see each other in 2014 (insert wistful emoticon trying to keep a brave face), Ben and Courtney sat down in London to discuss the WTF-ness of the WTFs, which started out super boring, then had incredible drama in the middle, then lacked a finish altogether. What a delicious jambalaya of emotions we're processing! Firstly, why were the matches in London so uncompetitive and dull? Could it be the worst tournament ever and is that a fair metric? Second, what to make of Roger...
Nov 18, 2014•59 min
With a rollicking new intro to get the ball rolling, Ben and Courtney are in Europe and Asia respectively, and looking at how the years are wrapping up on both tours. What to make of Singapore, where the WTA came for the first time? How does Serena's season look in retrospect, and should Halep have eliminated her from the tournament? Who has had a better season, Serena or Djokovic? Why is the tour Federer-centric, and how is London shaping up? And what about Caroline Wozniacki's marathon? Also, ...
Nov 07, 2014•1 hr 19 min
Reunited from opposite sides of the Great (Fire)wall of China, Ben and Courtney recap the happenings of the last several weeks. What has Courtney made of the tournaments she's seen in China? What will it take for tennis to survive and thrive there? And what of the ailments of Serena and Rafa? Is caution or bravery the right prescription? Also, what of the Spanish sexism toward their new Davis Cup captain? And who are these WTA "Rising Stars" and why did they get picked? Your votes for us with yo...
Oct 13, 2014•1 hr 25 min
In this nearly Ben-less episode from Beijing, Courtney and Chinese reporter Liu Renjie (aka Joe) discuss the impact of Li Na's retirement, and just how much of a game-changer she was for tennis in China. How did her interactions with Chinese and western media differ? And what were the ways she changed China's perceptions of the world, and the world's perceptions of China, and China's perceptions of the world? Then as they wrap up Courtney and Joe fail to contain their jealousy for Ben's incompar...
Oct 02, 2014•56 min
Upon reading Li Na's retirement announcement, Ben and Courtney stepped into the NCR Studios from opposite sides of the world to reflect on the legacy left by her hall-of-fame career. What impact did she have on the sport? Was she a one-off, or is there a genuine tidal wave of Asian talent coming behind her? Can the WTA's push into Asia be viable without her? For as talented as she was, might she have actually been an underachiever? And what will we miss most about this awesomely badass lady? To ...
Sep 21, 2014•44 min
The U.S. Open is over, and it was a combination of yeah-that's-about-right and wait-what-really-is that possible?. We discuss the incredibly unexpected Marin Cilic-Kei Nishikori final, and what impact it will have on the men's game, and what it says about the health of the game's future. We then discuss the women's side, which saw Serena do the obvious for a change, and Wozniacki return to relevance. Also, we discuss the improvement of the U.S. Open grounds, and the decline of American tennis as...
Sep 13, 2014•1 hr 38 min
Live from New York, Ben and Courtney are very ready to kick off the last Grand Slam of the year! What do we make of the women's and men's draws? Who are the hurdles for the top players, and who do we think will be prevailing at the end? We agree, but do you agree with us? Along the way, we discuss soft quarters, the struggles of Andy Murray, Ryan Harrison's legitimately terrible luck, and more! Also, we discuss Arcade Fire at length because let's be honest that's what you came for. As always, th...
Aug 25, 2014•44 min
Ben and Courtney are back on the road driving across this great land, and discussing all the things in the rear view mirror of the past two weeks. Like Canada! What to make of the great runs by Venus and Tsonga? And Cincinnati! How about that Federer guy? And Caroline Wozniacki! And what on earth do we make of the redonk Ivanovic-Sharapova semifinal and all the drama that followed? Also, we discuss what the US Open will be like without Rafael Nadal, and do some game theory on the US Davis Cup te...
Aug 20, 2014•59 min
After last week's craziness subsided, Ben and Courtney return to all the things you presumably like about this show, like talking about tennis! What did Courtney make of Serena's emphatic return, and Azarenka's puzzling struggles? And who is this Naomi Osaka character? In DC, how should we feel about John Isner's court discontent? And looking ahead, who has the more significant injury, Rafael Nadal or Li Na? And should the US Open have invited Andy Roddick to the party? Lastly, we Take a Number ...
Aug 07, 2014•1 hr 11 min
It's been one of the more intense weeks in recent memory in the world of tennis media, but Ben and Courtney are here to try their best, as always, to shed some light on it all. The majority of this episode is devoted to this week's revelations about the extensive plagiarism by Neil Harman in his work for the Wimbledon yearbook, about which you should read Ben's report for Slate if you haven't yet. In a wide-ranging, lengthy segment, Ben and Courtney discuss how the story came together and the is...
Jul 28, 2014•1 hr 20 min
Obviously there have been some extremely interesting developments in the 10 days since we recorded this all-questions episode, but your questions are still awesome and we hope our answers are, too! First, we talk about the status of gay issues on the tour. Is "open secret" a sustainable status? Next, Sloane? That's the question. And what's the significance of the WTA coaching moves of Li Na and Ana Ivanovic? Also we explain to you why it's problematic that Wimbledon won't let the press ask Andy ...
Jul 25, 2014•54 min
Without much urgent tennis to attend to, Ben and Courtney decided to dive into your pressing questions! We answered a ton, so this Episode 81 has been split into two parts. Lucky you! On this first part, we discuss who will be the next first time Slam champ on the women's side, what to expect soon from Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, and Agnieszka Radwanska, what Fabio Fognini's deal is, women's tennis' broadcast shortcomings, Serena's burnout and how it reflects on Chris Evert's open let...
Jul 18, 2014•1 hr 14 min
After nine weeks at sea, Ben and Courtney are very grateful to be back on their home couches, soaking up Home Sweet America. But first, there's the matter of Wimbledon to wrap up! Petra Kvitova and Novak Djokovic won! Genie Bouchard and Roger Federer did not win! What does it all mean? And what on earth can we make of Serena's surreal doubles episode? We're not sure, but we try! As always, you can like us on Facebook , follow us on Twitter , and subscribe to and review our show on iTunes or what...
Jul 09, 2014•41 min
It's the middle Sunday of Wimbledon, and so Ben and Courtney sat down for a brief recap of the first act as they recharged their batteries for the second week. What do we make of Serena flopping at a Slam again? Is Li Na only a hardcourt specialist? And how good was Venus-Kvitova? Also, can Roger Federer actually win this thing? And how do we know when a player has won his or her last Grand Slam? As always, you can like us on Facebook , follow us on Twitter , and subscribe to and review our show...
Jun 29, 2014•28 min
Ben and Courtney are ready to whet your appetite for Wimbledon! But when this episode was recorded, Courtney hadn't eaten much strawberries and cream (or much of anything), and her cravings left her crabby and ready to scoop up some heaping helpings of tough love for the tennis world. So you've been warned--this episode comes with a choking hazard. What is to be made of Serena's odd arrival to Wimbledon? And how does her quarter with Serena set up? Should Sabine Lisicki have been given the honor...
Jun 22, 2014•38 min
The grass season is mowing along quite nicely, so Ben and Courtney are here to catch you up on how everyone is looking going into Wimbledon, albeit before the crucial draws are made. So many questions to be answered! What are reasonable expectations for Rafael Nadal given his grass woes? How much do Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have to lose? How many more Wimbledons does Venus Williams have left in her? How's the chap doing with the lady? Did the window of opportunity close on J0-Wilfried ...
Jun 18, 2014•57 min
SPOILER: Our French Open wrap episode is amazing. Ben and Courtney talk about everything that happened over those 15 magical days in Paris, from Maria Sharapova's impressive title run to the underwhelming men's final, from the enlightened semifinalist Andy Murray's views on women to the other semifinalist Ernests Gulbis' view on women. There's also the youth explosion of Simona Halep, Genie Bouchard, and Garbine Muguruza, and the ways in which the world couldn't get a grip on Taylor Townsend. It...
Jun 11, 2014•1 hr 3 min
Live from Paris, Ben and Courtney are super excited for the French Open! We break down the men's and women's draws, which left Maria Sharapova as a big loser and Roger Federer as the big winner. We ask important questions like "Is this finally the year where Novak Djokovic sneaks past Rafael Nadal?" "Who is more likely to win, Rafa or Serena?" "Does Ben help kill spiders?" Then we play another fun game of "Hey, Remember When?" which includes highlights from Rome press conferences including Maria...
May 24, 2014•1 hr 12 min
In this special Rome final preview episode taped Saturday afternoon, Ben and Courtney look ahead to the upcoming tilt between Serena Williams and Sara Errani, as well as the week that was on the women's side at the Foro Italico. What do we make of Errani's unexpected emergence on home soil? Does she have a shot against Serena after the brutal loss in Paris last year? Also, our thoughts on the increasingly legit Ana Ivanovic, as well as the rest of the field that came and went through the Foro It...
May 17, 2014•23 min
Reunited in Rome on Saturday afternoon, Ben and Courtney hop back into the studio for a special look ahead to the women's final in Madrid, which will pit claylovers Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep against one another for one of the biggest women's titles outside the Slams. What do we make of the form each have shown on clay so far, and how it sets them up for the French Open? Is Sharapova the immediate favorite in any match that doesn't include Serena? And don't you guys miss that blue stuff? A...
May 10, 2014•23 min
Ben and Courtney slide into the clay season with the graceee you'd expect of North Americans, so please forgive their lateness. What sort of clay landscape do they find? A confusing one! What's going on with Rafael Nadal losing on clay to lesser Spaniards? What's up with Novak Djokovic's wrist? That Stan Wawrinka guy is keeping himself awfully relevant, isn't he? Is Wawrinka more likely to pull off the Aussie-French double than Li Na? And what of the women winning titles on clay so far, from Mar...
May 08, 2014•1 hr 12 min
Ben and Courtney are super, super excited about this episode, you guys. We did an interview for the show with Andrea Petkovic after her second round match in Charleston, and it was predictably awesome. Then Petko kept winning and winning, so we kept seeing her at press the whole rest of the week, which ended with her walking away with the trophy. So we recap the week that was briefly, bring you our interview with her (which touches on handling losing, the differences between men's and women's pl...
Apr 13, 2014•1 hr 4 min
Episode 70 is a big, big, big one, and you'll like it quite a bit! Live from Charleston, Ben and Courtney discuss the tournament that was in Miami, and what it means for both Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams to have emerged from Key Biscayne victorious. Also, how do those two tournaments stack up against each other? We then flash forward to Charleston, and (through some studio magic) discuss Serena's surprising first round loss to 78th-ranked Jana Cepelova. Lastly, we are joined by our first g...
Apr 03, 2014•1 hr 17 min
Episode 69 offers you delayed gratification! Live from the NCR West Studios, Ben and Courtney discuss the goings on of Indian Wells. What do we take of Roger's resurgence and Novak's reliability? And how about Flavia Pennetta's surprise triumph? Is that a satisfying result? We then discuss what to expect from Miami. But Miami is almost over, you say? Who asked you? But seriously, you guys, thanks as always for listening, and thanks for following us on Twitter , liking us on Facebook , and subscr...
Mar 28, 2014•39 min
Ben and Courtney come to you midway through Indian Wells, where many of the top seeds have already dried up and withered in the thin desert air. What do we make of the players who lost and the players who beat them? What, first of all, of Rafael Nadal, and the inspired play of Alexandr Dolgopolov to knock him out. Is Maria Sharapova's loss to Camila Giorgi cause for concern? And what do we make of the tough questioning Giorgi faced in press? And should Victoria Azarenka have taken the court at a...
Mar 13, 2014•54 min
For Episode 67, Ben and Courtney are live on location in beautiful Indian Wells, recording under the desert stars at a tournament which has exploded by leaps and bounds since we first came here. The growth is impressive, but is it all for the best? We discuss. We also talk briefly about the men's and women's draws, and about the highlights of the WTA All-Access Hour. We announce the arrival of this episode with all the enthusiasm of Jelena Jankovic, and we hope you receive it the same way! As al...
Mar 06, 2014•44 min
We have so much to catch up on, you guys! Unable to find recording daylight through the thick iron curtain while Ben spent the last five weeks in Sochi, Ben and Courtney finally reunite to catch you up on all the happenings in tennis! Like Stan Wawrinka winning a Slam! What was that about? Also Li Na did big things, too! What are we still learning about her? We also look at many of the other big players from this time period, including Dominika Cibulkova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Genie Bouchard, Slo...
Mar 03, 2014•1 hr 20 min
In Episode 65, Ben and Courtney return to the airwaves (internetwaves?) live from Melbourne once again, this time to sort through the rubble of another injury-laced exit from Melbourne by Serena Williams, this time at the unlikely hands of Ana Ivanovic. What does the win mean for Ana? And what does the loss mean for Serena? What do we make of the way Serena (and her coach Patrick Mouratoglou) handled her injury? And how does her exit change the landscape of the women's draw? Could Li Na actually...
Jan 19, 2014•33 min
