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 biza...
Jun 12, 2021•43 min•Ep. 249
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 Sakka...
Jun 11, 2021•32 min•Ep. 248
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 N...
Jun 09, 2021•36 min•Ep. 247
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 t...
Jun 09, 2021•43 min•Ep. 246
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 wi...
Jun 08, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 245
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 ...
Jun 07, 2021•37 min•Ep. 244
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'...
Jun 06, 2021•36 min•Ep. 243
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...
Jun 05, 2021•37 min•Ep. 242
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 incredibl...
Jun 04, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 241
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 ...
Jun 03, 2021•21 min•Ep. 240
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 rec...
Jun 01, 2021•18 min•Ep. 239
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 b...
Jun 01, 2021•44 min•Ep. 238
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, wh...
May 30, 2021•37 min•Ep. 237
It's our favorite annual episode title! Ben and Courtney dive deep into the draws of Roland Garros to cover themselves in tidbits and terre battue about this draw. Defending champions Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek hit together on Saturday; how likely was it that Nadal was going to know anything about possible Swiatek first round opponents? We explore. On the women we go into folks including Barty, Swiatek, Kenin, Pliskova, Stephens, Muguruza, Sabalenka, Serena, Andreescu, and Osaka, while the men...
May 30, 2021•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 236
The surprising story that has dominated the week's tennis conversation is Naomi Osaka's statement that she will not be doing press conferences at the French Open, citing "mental health." To discuss Osaka's decision, which seems small but pulls on many different threads, Ben is joined by Tumaini Carayol of The Guardian . Where did this choice come from? Does it make sense, based on how Osaka has been treated by the press? What does it say about celebrities increasingly controlling their content? ...
May 28, 2021•47 min•Ep. 235
It's that wonderful time of year, for the first time in two years: Eurovision! At NCR, Eurovision means NCRvision, our celebration of the intersection of tennis and music--main show here ; results show here --where we've found this episode's troubadour. Dan Bern, the singer-songwriter whose song "Isner and Mahut" closed out NCRvision, joins Ben to chat and play a live concert of several of his original songs inspired by tennis players of the past and present. It's a show like none we've ever don...
May 20, 2021•43 min•Ep. 234
After our mailbag fun over on Patreon in past weeks , we return to the main feed of NCR with the first in-person interview we've done for NCR in more than a year. Donald Dell, an agent and promoter who did as much to shape the professional tennis landscape into its modern form as anyone over his decades in the sport, joins Ben near DC to discuss the structure of the sport, how it got that way, and what sort of changes might be on the horizon (ATP-WTA merger, a separate players union, etc). Thank...
May 14, 2021•39 min•Ep. 233
Live from Brooklyn, Ben is rejoined by Andrew Eccles of The Spin to discuss a busy April weekend of tennis (and the Oscars). WTA #1 Ash Barty solidified her hold on the top spot with a title on the indoor clay of Stuttgart; should she be considered the favorite for the French Open, where she won two years ago? And does Aryna Sabalenka get treated fairly by the commentariat? Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas played a very, very long match that ultimately wasn't the sort of torch pass it might h...
Apr 27, 2021•41 min•Ep. 232
Ben and Courtney(!) join forces once more to discuss the breakout stories of the Miami Open, of which there were many. We lead off with a long chat about Ash Barty, the WTA #1 who seemed to prove her claim to that mantle more than ever with her title. Why did this title feel so big for a player who has already achieved so much? We then discuss Bianca Andreescu and her remarkable charisma and stage presence, which feels singular and retro. We also discuss Naomi Osaka, whose win streak stopped at ...
Apr 09, 2021•1 hr 58 min•Ep. 231
The Miami Open, which has been in a state of flux in recent years, is underway this week in the parking lot of the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in front of a scant crowd and limited media, and with an especially depleted men's player field. To get a feel for how it's going on the ground, Ben checks in with Miami Herald columnist Michelle Kaufman , who discusses the vibe on the ground, how it fits into the South Florida sports landscape currently, and how it feels to cover this unusual even...
Mar 31, 2021•28 min•Ep. 230
Think tennis could work better? So does pretty much everyone who works in tennis. Ben is joined by David Yaffe-Bellany of Bloomberg News, author of a recent piece exploring the long tradition of dysfunction and underperforming within the business side of tennis . What are the roots of the disorganization and the animosity? What are possible fixes to the sports poor earnings and its short payroll? What do we know about the still largely undefined PTPA and the role it could play? Thank you again f...
Mar 31, 2021•49 min•Ep. 229
As the tours spend another week in the Middle East, the region's tennis queen Reem Abulleil joins NCR once more from (nearly) on-site in Dubai. First, Reem shares her impressions of having been on site at a tournament this week for the first time in more than a year, at ATP Dubai. How different does the empty bubble atmosphere resonate in person? Then we discuss Aslan Karatsev, who keeps winning and soaring up the rankings at an incredibly steep rate, all while we really haven't learned much abo...
Mar 20, 2021•56 min•Ep. 228
It was a newsy week in tennis, and Ben is joined by our MENA correspondent Reem Abulleil to discuss it all. Garbiñe Muguruza won her first title in two years at WTA Dubai, and seems to be building meaningful momentum as a top player week-in, week-out. What impact could that have on the tour? Roger Federer returned to competition at ATP Doha for his first matches in more than a year; what is he still targeting? And speaking of targets, Novak Djokovic hit one of his big ones, reaching 311 weeks at...
Mar 13, 2021•39 min•Ep. 227
With the tours continuing onward amid the pandemic, we welcome NCR's Dutch Lowlands and Caucasus Highlands correspondent David Avakian joins from Rotterdam to update us on the tournament there, which has long been a jewel of the indoor circuit. We discuss what the tournament has done to not look sad despite being empty, the role of appearance fees and entry list uncertainty, and the beautiful syllables of the Dutch language. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on th...
Mar 06, 2021•34 min•Ep. 226
Ben and Courtney (the #ATPOutsider) are back to discuss the men's final in Melbourne, which was weighted with high hopes of a classic but ultimately turned into a pretty one-sided win for Novak Djokovic. We discuss Djokovic's incredible match management skills, Medvedev's disappointing performance, if expectations were unrealistic, how this sets up the GOAT conversation in terms of the race to most Slams won, and more! Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR ...
Feb 21, 2021•35 min•Ep. 225
With a second Australian Open title and fourth Grand Slam win overall, Naomi Osaka is into what feels like the beginning of the resume-padding phase of her already illustrious career. Ben and Courtney discuss Osaka's impressive run in Melbourne that ended with a win over Jennifer Brady, where she goes from here (particularly on clay), and the current state of the top of women's tennis. We also discuss the quirks of Jennifer Brady, our feelings about fully automated officiating, the charisma of B...
Feb 20, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 224
Both the men's and women's finals are set at the Australian Open, and we're thinking they'll be pretty good! Reem Abulleil joins Ben to discuss the semifinals that were and the finals that they set up, starting with Jennifer Brady backing up her U.S. Open run to book another blockbuster match against Naomi Osaka. Also, what do we make of Serena's exit from Melbourne, which many perceived as a possible farewell? Then we discuss the men, and how we both think Daniil Medvedev has a real shot of end...
Feb 19, 2021•38 min•Ep. 223
The wonderfully multitalented Nick McCarvel joins NCR now that the Australian Open semifinals are set, with Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka set to face off in a blockbuster clash, and Jennifer Brady and Karolina Muchova following as a compelling undercard on the women's side. On the men's side, Novak Djokovic faces previously unknown Aslan Karatsev, while the interesting dynamic of Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas facing off a day later for the other spot in the final. Thank you again for ...
Feb 17, 2021•43 min•Ep. 222
It was a blockbuster day of women's tennis at the Australian Open, and Ben, Courtney, and Reem had a great time watching and discussing Osaka-Muguruza, Serena-Sabalenka, Halep-Swiatek, and the magical run of Hsieh Su-wei. What to make of these great matches? Which was the best? And how does the top half compare? Also a bit on Thiem-Dimitrov, Olivia Gadecki, and more. Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've received on the NCR Patreon which has powered us into our TENTH(!) season...
Feb 15, 2021•56 min•Ep. 221
As we reach the end of the Australian Open's first week, saying goodbye to Nick Kyrgios, the crowd, and Novak Djokovic's lock status, Ben is joined by Tumaini Carayo l to wrap up the week that was and set the stage for the prize fights looming. How does this tournament feel so far? What were our impressions of Thiem-Kyrgios? How would the tournament change if Djokovic can't compete? And what is making the women's bottom half so special? Thank you again for the incredible support for NCR we've re...
Feb 13, 2021•41 min•Ep. 220
