No Challenges Remaining

No Challenges Remaining episodes:

• 04.25.2024

  Episode 366: "Challengers" Screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes

  To dive further into "Challengers," the much-buzzed-about tennis movie coming out this Friday, Ben chats with the movie's screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes about his inspiration to tell a story about the unique emotional landscape of tennis. We discuss the infamous match that...

  
• 04.20.2024

  Episode 365: "Challengers" Changes the Tennis Movie Genre

  Ben and AJ Eccles attended screenings of the new movie CHALLENGERS this week, and are here to discuss this bold new entry into the growing tennis movie canon (NB: we very carefully avoided any significant spoilers until a very clearly...

  
• 04.13.2024

  Episode 364: WTA Goes Saudi; Huge Premier Tour Changes on the Table

  Ben and Tumaini reconvened this week to react to the news that the WTA Finals are going to Saudi Arabia, a move that felt unfathomable five years ago but has more recently felt inevitable. What do we make of the...

  
• 04.05.2024

  Episode 363: Sun Shines on Sinner, Collins, Swiatek and Alcaraz

  Ben and Tumaini answer listener questions and recap the month that was in March, where Indian Wells and Miami formed the Sunshine Double and changed some of the forecasts of the sport. We start with Indian Wells, where Swiatek and Alcaraz...

  
• 03.13.2024

  Episode 362b: The State of the Union in Women's Tennis, Golden, Oldies

  Picking up where we left off on the last episode, Ben and Tumaini cover several other big stories from the first part of this season. We talk about the diverging fates of Brits in tennis, as Andy Murray sets a...

  
• 03.08.2024

  Episode 362a:A Halep Reversal and a Rublev Removal

  Ben and Tumaini had a lot to catch up on this week, so we are splitting this episode into two parts. The first part, here, begins with the Court of Arbitration for Sport issuing a radical reversal of the first decision...

  
• 01.31.2024

  Episode 361b: Sabalenka Smashes Australian Open Women's Field

  Ben and Tumaini turn to the women (and the miscellany) in this second Australian Open wrap show. This one was more straightforward, resultswise: Aryna Sabalenka was the best player, by a lot, defending her title in emphatic fashion. What do we...

  
• 01.30.2024

  Episode 361a: Sinner the Winner of Men's Australian Open

  Jannik Sinner is the winner of the Australian Open, dethroning the Djokovic dynasty and prevailing in a thrilling comeback final to claim his first Slam win. We discuss Sinner's ascendance and what the defeats mean for the two men, Djokovic and...

  
• 01.13.2024

  Episode 360: 2024 Australian Open Draw Show

  Coming full circle, NCR begins its 13th(!) season with our look at the Australian Open draws. Ben and Tumaini start with the men. Who can meaningfully challenge Novak Djokovic? And then we talk about the women. Have you heard that Ben wrote...

  
• 01.09.2024

  Episode 359: ”Naomi Osaka” - Behind the Book

  At last it's finally publication day for Ben's new book, the biography Naomi Osaka: Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice!  After months of copious plugs on the show, we are excited to finally be able to talk about...

  
• 12.09.2023

  Episode 358: Women’s Tennis Turmoil Reviewed

  Ben and Tumaini have a lot to cover as they try to make sense of the year in women's tennis and explain the forces behind the stormy finish to the year, on-court and off-court, and where it leaves the sport...

  
• 11.02.2023

  Episode 357: The Year in Men’s Tennis (With Ricky Dimon)

  With Ricky Dimon in town to run his sixth Marine Corps Marathon, he joins Ben for their annual wrap show on the year that was in men's tennis, which was another season of Novak Djokovic, now 36, lording over a...

  
• 09.26.2023

  Episode 356: Simona Halep and the Biggest Doping Conviction in Tennis History

  Ben and Tumaini read the 126-page decision in the tribunal's decision to convict former No. 1 Simona Halep on two charges of intentional doping, and give you a deep dive into the details of the document and expound on what...

  
• 09.12.2023

  Episode 355i: 2023 US Open Finals - Coco Gauff’s First; Djokovic’s 24th

  Ben and Tumaini wrap the US Open finals in their eighth show of the tournament, starting with Coco Gauff fulfilling the years of hype and hope by winning her first grand slam title. What did this win show us about...

  
• 09.09.2023

  Episode 355h: 2023 US Open - Semifinals Wrap, Finals Preview

  Ben and Tumaini discuss the four semifinals that were, and all the storylines they contained, before looking ahead a bit to the fast-approaching US Open finals. First, what do they think of the protest that lengthily interrupted Coco Gauff's win? What...

  
• 09.07.2023

  Episode 355g: 2023 US Open Day 10 - Blair Henley, the New Voice of the US Open

  Ben is joined by Blair Henley, the star interviewer on tennis courts around the world, to talk about her new role as an announcer inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, and the many different roles she's had at this US Open. What are...

  
• 09.06.2023

  Episode 355f: 2023 US Open Day 9 - Shelton Upsets Order, Beats Tiafoe

  Ben and NCR's Youth correspondent Alex Gruskin discuss Ben Shelton's big win Tuesday night over Frances Tiafoe in the US Open quarterfinals, a big result both within the American tennis ladder and in the big picture of the ATP generations game. Has...

  
• 09.04.2023

  Episode 355e: 2023 US Open Day 7 - Ostapenko Ends Swiatek’s Reign

  Ben and Tumaini convene in the late hours of the night after Jelena Ostapenko thunderously knocked out Iga Swiatek, emphatically ending both Swiatek's title defense and her 75-week reign at the #1 ranking. Given Ostapenko's talent and head-to-head record, should this...

  
• 08.31.2023

  Episode 355d: 2023 US Open Day 4 - Going Back to Tennis

  For our fourth daily show from the US Open, Ben is joined by tennis writer AJ Eccles to discuss his return to live tennis at the US Open last night, and what the sport looks like from inside the stadium. What...

  
• 08.31.2023

  Episode 355c: 2023 US Open Day 3 - Is the US Open a Good Neighbor?

  Ben is joined by David Waldstein of The New York Times, who recently wrote about the disconnect between the US Open and its neighbors, the Latino communities of Corona and other neighborhoods like Elmhurst and Flushing. Why is the US Open...

  
• 08.30.2023

  Episode 355b: 2023 US Open Day 2 - John Isner’s Legacy

  Ben and Tumaini reconvene on Day 2 of this US Open to talk about players retiring at this US Open, including Barbora Strycova (who you'll hear), CoCo Vandeweghe, and Jack Sock. But mostly, we talk about John Isner, the towering American...

  
• 08.29.2023

  Episode 355a: 2023 US Open Day 1 - Saudis, Sakkari, and Schedule Screeching

  Ben and Tumaini are back together again at the US Open, for the first of what will be daily shows here! We discuss the big story off-court, which is the Saudi bid to move into women's tennis, as well as some...

  
• 07.31.2023

  Episode 354: Bianca Andreescu

  As he wraps up the book he's been writing about Naomi Osaka (pre-order now, please, thank you!) Ben is back on site at the ATP-WTA tournament in Washington, where he did a short-but-sweet interview with Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S....

  
• 07.17.2023

  Episode 353: Wimbledon Wrap - Alcaraz Upends Djokovic; Vondrousova Vexes Jabeur

  Ben and Reem Abulleil chat about the big stories of the business end of Wimbledon, starting with the massive narrative potential of the men's final. Does Carlos Alcaraz's win over Novak Djokovic in the final represent a passing of the...

  
• 07.02.2023

  Episode 352b: 2023 Wimbledon Draw Show (REUPLOAD)

  With their preamble out of the way, Ben and Tumaini Carayol (*who is audible in this fixed, reuploaded audio!) dig into the 2023 Wimbledon women's and men's draws to discuss the favorites and other notable names among the 256 players...

  
• 07.02.2023

  Episode 352b: 2023 Wimbledon Draw Show

  With their preamble out of the way, Ben and Tumaini dig into the 2023 Wimbledon women's and men's draws to discuss the favorites and other notable names among the 256 players competing for the singles crowns at SW19. Both respective top...

  
• 07.01.2023

  Episode 352a: A Wimbledon Preamble

  Ben and Tumaini Carayol sat down to record a draw show, but there was enough other stuff they wanted to touch on beforehand that they're breaking it into a separate prologue episode for you to enjoy here as an amuse...

  
• 06.12.2023

  Episode 351: Djokovic & Swiatek Rack ’em Up Again in Paris

  Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek both won their third French Open titles this weekend at Roland Garros, separating them from their respective fields in meaningful ways, and Ben and Tumaini Carayol discuss them and more! First on Djokovic, we discuss how...

  
• 05.26.2023

  Episode 350: Draw Me Like One of Your French Opens, 2023

  Ben and Tumaini Carayol dust off the NCR machine to bring you a look at the 2023 French Open women's and men's draws, breaking down the contenders and darkhorses while touching on several of the big stories of the past...

  
• 01.31.2023

  Episode 349: Sabalenka and Djokovic on Top Down Under at Australian Open

  Ben and Tumaini Carayol wrap up the year's first Slam with two hours of chatting across all sorts of topics. First, we discuss the breakthrough win of Aryna Sabalenka, who conquered her demons (and braved new frontiers in her iconic trophy...

  
• 01.14.2023

  Episode 348: Australian Open Draw Show, 2023

  Ben and Tumaini Carayol break down the women's and men's draws at the year's first Grand Slam event, and also discuss some of the early season storylines like United Cup and Netflix's "Break Point" that have dominated discussion in the...

  
• 01.09.2023

  Episode 347: Netflix’s ”Break Point” Hits and Misses

  To start our 12th(!) season of NCR, Ben and Reem Abulleil preview and review the highly anticipated Netflix tennis docuseries "Break Point," which features a group of young challengers on the tours in the first half of the 2022 season. Ben...

  
• 11.01.2022

  Episode 346: Men of the Year (With Ricky Dimon)

  Ben is stepping back briefly from book writing hiatus on the occasion of being joined by Ricky Dimon of The Grandstand for a look back at the year that was in men's tennis, and how it's setting up for the...

  
• 09.14.2022

  Episode 345: Swiatek, Alcaraz Reach New Heights at US Open

  Ben and Tumaini Carayol reconvene a bit after the U.S. Open to reflect on the tournament that was, with two winners who capped off great seasons with their first titles in New York. And they've only just begun? First, Iga Swiatek...

  
• 08.28.2022

  Episode 344: U.S. Open Draw Show 2022!

  Ben and Tumaini Carayol are courtside at the U.S. Open to give you the outlook on how the year's last Grand Slam and Serena Williams' last tournament is shaking up. We start with the women, where we discuss Iga Swiatek cooling...

  
• 08.10.2022

  Episode 343: Serena’s Sunset

  Ben and Tumaini Carayol convene to discuss Serena Williams, the greatest women's tennis player of our lives, calling time on her career. Well, she didn't exactly call Time; she called Vogue, and penned a first-person cover story explaining her thoughts and...

  
• 07.10.2022

  Episode 342: Rybakina and Djokovic Win Wimbledon

  Ben and Tumaini Carayol (before he turns into a pumpkin) wrap up the Wimbledon that was, which featured both some feel-good and some uncomfortable storylines across the fortnight. We begin with the women, with Elena Rybakina making good on her potential...

  
• 06.26.2022

  Episode 341: Walking Around Wimbledon’s Century

  On the 100th birthday of Centre Court, Ben is joined by Alexandra Willis, the director of communications and marketing for Wimbledon, and the two of them take a walk into Centre Court's most hallowed places. Along the way, we discuss Wimbledon's...

  
• 06.24.2022

  Episode 340: Wimbledon 2022 Draw Preview

  Ben and Tumaini Carayol are back together again at Wimbledon for another look ahead at a Grand Slam draw, looking at the men's field, the women's field, and a concerning hole on the side of Court 14.  After a general look at...

  
• 06.18.2022

  Episode 339: The Book on Emma Raducanu (With Mike Dickson)

  As Emma Raducanu readies for her first Wimbledon as a Grand Slam champion, Ben chats with Mike Dickson, the man who literally wrote the book on the young British sensation's origin story and remarkably meteoric rise to stardom last year. Emma...

  
• 06.06.2022

  Episode 338: Swiatek and Nadal Roll Roland Garros

  Ben and Tumaini Carayol meet back up just hours after the men's final at Roland Garros to discuss Rafael Nadal's record extending 14th title here and Iga Swiatek's streak extending 35th win and second French Open title. We start with Swiatek,...

  
• 05.21.2022

  Episode 337: Draw Me Like One of Your French Opens, 2022

  We are delighted to return to you, and to return to Paris, and to return our favorite annual episode title! Ben and Tumaini Carayol start this French Open draw show with a bit first on the big news of the day,...

  
• 04.22.2022

  Episode 336: Was Wimbledon Right to Ban Russians and Belarusians?

  Wimbledon took the drastic step of banning all Russian and Belarusian players from this year's tournament, escalating the impact that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had on the world of tennis. Tumaini Carayol joins Ben to discuss this decision, where it...

  
• 04.15.2022

  Episode 335: José Morgado on Tennis Twitter

  Taking the face of your tennis scrolling into your ears, Ben is joined by José Morgado, the Portuguese reporter and commentator who has become the most complete and comprehensive stop on Tennis Twitter for news and information about this never-stopping...

  
• 04.03.2022

  Episode 334: Harvey Fialkov, Miami Maven

  Harvey Fialkov, a veteran sportswriter who covers the Miami Open with more gusto than anybody, joins Ben to share his contagious excitements for all things tennis. Chatting before the women's final, Ben and Harvey discuss the pros and cons of the...

  
• 04.01.2022

  Episode 333: Rick Macci on ’King Richard’

  In a week where the Williams family got a bizarre twist on what should have been a Hollywood ending for their cinematic journey, Ben traveled to the Rick Macci Tennis Academy in Boca Raton to chat with Rick Macci, whose...

  
• 03.23.2022

  Episode 332: Ash Barty Goes Out On Top

  Emergency Episode! Top-ranked Ash Barty's surprise announcement that she is calling it a career at only 25 years old and less than two months after winning the Australian Open was urgent cause for our first emergency episode in a long while,...

  
• 03.22.2022

  Episode 331: Indian Wells - Fritz Breaks Through; Swiatek Soars

  Just back from the desert, Ben chats with David Avakian about the weeks that were at Indian Wells, with culminated in a surprise triumph for Taylor Fritz over Rafael Nadal, and an increasingly expected victory for Iga Swiatek, over Maria...

  
• 03.03.2022

  Episode 330: Dayana Yastremska on Escaping the War in Ukraine [Reupload]

  (Reuploading this episode as a duplicate because of issues with iTunes and Apple Podcasts services) With war suddenly raging in Ukraine after Russia's invasion, Ben is joined on this episode by Dayana Yastremska, the 21-year-old WTA player who had to flee her...

  
• 03.02.2022

  Episode 330: Dayana Yastremska on Escaping the War in Ukraine

  With war suddenly raging in Ukraine after Russia's invasion, Ben is joined on this episode by Dayana Yastremska, the 21-year-old WTA player who had to flee her hometown of Odessa, Ukraine, after the bombs began dropping on her city. Yastremska tells...