In an episode that was released as a video overnight for our Patreon backers,  Ben and Tumaini catch up on the happenings of the tennis tours in China, including 204th-ranked Valentin Vacherot somehow winning ATP 1000 Shanghai, beating his first cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the title. Is it the most shocking title we can recall?

We also discuss Zverev's much-mocked complaints about surfaces being rigged for Sinner and Alcaraz, the stellar seasons US women are having--but which has been best?--the Hall of Fame candidacies of Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro and Svetlana Kuznetsova, and an ode to Gael Monfils on the occasion of his retirement announcement.

And then for something different, we discussed Tumaini's deep dive into how tennis players feel about their requirement to be woken up to pee in front of strangers.

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.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian! 

Ben sits down with author Giri Nathan for this episode, to go deep into his new book, Changeover, and the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry at its focus. 

This episode was recorded during the U.S. Open, but these two players remain the overwhelmingly obvious story in men's tennis, including this week as Sinner won Beijing while Alcaraz won Tokyo. 

We discuss the process of writing this book--which hopefully is particularly interesting to media folks--and also the ways in which Sinner and Alcaraz's dominance might be taking suspense out of the sport right now.

Slightly condensed versions of this interview are also up on Bounces.

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.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And buy Giri's book!!

Ben and Tumaini, eventually joined by Giri Nathan, discuss the ending of this 2025 U.S. Open, which concluded with Carlos Alcaraz dominating Jannik Sinner in a four-set victory to complete their third major final of the year. How much better is Alcaraz right now in this match-up? And what did Sinner reveal in his press conference during our intermission.

We also discuss the elephant in the room for this final: the US Open return of Donald Trump, and the disruption his presence caused on site.

We also talk about the women's tournament, which ended with most-improved Aryna Sabalenka defeating an impressive Amanda Anisimova, and also featured a resurgent Naomi Osaka reaching the semifinals. 

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.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian! And buy Giri's book!!

Ben and Tumaini check back in after the most-hyped match of this U.S. Open so far, in which Naomi Osaka soundly beat Coco Gauff to make it into her first major quarterfinal in more than four years.

We discuss that match as well as the rest of the women's draw, including the Krejcikova-Townsend epic, and then turn to the men, in which Djokovic-Fritz is an intriguing match before what looks like (we think?) a pre-destined Sinner-Alcaraz final.

Plus, Tumaini met JoJo! 

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.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian! 

It's a whistlestop episode for Ben and Tumaini, who had a train to catch late Friday night at the U.S. Open.

We have a lot to catch up on, including the firestorm created by the Townsend-Ostapenko match and why that hit such a cultural nerve, the bizarre mess of a scene at Iga Swiatek's press conference (which the USTA deleted from the record), Altmaier's avoidance of Tsitsipas' drama, chatter around Carlos Alcaraz's hair, Coco Gauff's struggles, Naomi Osaka sparkling, Ben Shelton and Jack Draper's injuries, the visibility of gambling on site, and a bit more.

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.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian! 

Scuttling previous plans, Ben and Tumaini are together once more for a bit of an emergency episode on the wild shitshow which Daniil Medvedev delivered on Sunday at the US Open, exacerbating a long delay when down match point to Benjamin Bonzi which dramatically turned the match, only for Bonzi to win in five.

We discuss the surreal scenes, the mistakes made by pretty much every party involved, how single-official matches just aren't working in tennis, and more of the fallout, including Medvedev's press conference (we recorded this episode before Bonzi came in). 

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.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian! 

Reuniting where they first met 15 years ago, Ben is delighted to have Courtney back on NCR once more for this episode, catching up on what's happened for her this year and what she currently has in the works as she rejoined the tour this month.

We discuss the end of Courtney's time at the WTA, what she's been doing in the months since, and how she got started with the new project she's been working on: a revival or reinvention of Forty Deuce.

Related to what used to be and what is, we also talk a lot about how the media landscapes in which we operate have shifted since we first met, what's been lost over time, and what we hope can be rebuilt.

And speaking of rebuilding, we also marvel at the radically renovated Cincinnati Open, which pulled off a stunning transformation since last year.

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.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Courtney's work at Forty Deuce!

Ben is joined by Ava Wallace of The Washington Post to discuss their hometown tournament in DC, and how this place still manages to charm and shine as a uniquely accessible and diverse place on tour despite the challenges of a rusting stadium.

We discuss the big players this week as well, including the impressive comeback of Venus Williams, local hope Hailey Baptiste, and top American men Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, and Taylor Fritz.

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.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Ava's work at The Washington Post!

Ben and Tumaini are joined for their Wimbledon finals show by Giri Nathan, who literally wrote the book on the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry that featured its latest chapter in the Wimbledon final. 

Before discussing Sinner and Alcaraz and their continuing takeover—and Sinner finally getting another win in his column—we start with the women's final, in which Iga Swiatek blanked Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0. What do we make of Swiatek's dominance?

Also, which of Swiatek, Alcaraz, and Sinner will complete their Career Slam first?

We also chat about the widely-discussed wildcard misadventure of Bill Ackman in Newport, which Giri wrote about at Defector. 

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.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian! And buy Giri's book!!

Ben and Tumaini, on the mic once more together, recap the business end of Wimbledon, where one final is already set on the women's side and two blockbuster semifinals are set for the men. 

We start with the women's side, on which Amanda Anisimova is making her first major final after beating Aryna Sabalenka (who had herself a much more composed press conference this time). We then discuss, to Tumaini's delight, how he was right and Ben was wrong about Swiatek's grass possibilities this season. 

We then turn to the men, where Taylor (Harry) Fritz is going to face Carlos Alcaraz (Garfia) and where there will be a Sinner-Djokovic rematch. Who should be the favorite in that second semifinal, and are injuries a concern?

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.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian!