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Episode 166: Keeping the Faith in Tennis Sep 21, 2016

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With the Istanbul final between Tunisian Malek Jaziri and Israeli Dudi Sela on Sunday, the cross-section of religion and tennis again came into focus this week. To look at it from several angles this week, we welcome three guests: Israeli Jew Shahar Peer, American Catholic Tim Smyczek, and Pakistani Muslim Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, about how their respective faiths (and sometimes their intertwined nationalities) have affected their lives playing tennis on tour in various ways.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR165e!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 165f: U.S. Open - Kerber, Wawrinka Win; We Punch Out Sep 13, 2016

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Recording late the night after the U.S. Open concluded, Ben and Courtney are low on energy (and occasionally coherence) but high on thoughts about the tennis that transpired, and the two parallel champions who emerged in Angelique Kerber and Stan Wawrinka. Can their every(wo)manness inspire the rest of the tour? And will Kerber be able to hang onto the #1 spot for the rest of the year, or can Serena Williams be counted on to make her reign a short one?
Also, we discuss why we are (both, now) so over best-of-five and why tennis would be smart to phase it out. Also, the highs and lows of the Slam season in retrospect, plus Yakko, Wakko, and Dot.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR165e!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 165e: U.S. Open - Finals Reckoning Sep 10, 2016

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The finals of the U.S. Open are upon us, and so Ben and Courtney discuss what we can look for and how we got here. On the men's side (for which we are joined by the emerald of our eye, Leigh Walsh), we start with a contemplation of Gael Monfils, and the tactics (tanking?) that drew so much ire in his semifinal performance against Djokovic. Speaking of Djokovic, everybody seems to think he's going to lose to Stan Wawrinka. Why?
On the women's side, we discuss Serena Williams' straight-set loss to Karolina Pliskova, and Angelique Kerber's subsequent ascendancy to #1, as well as who is better equipped to win that final.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR165e!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 165d: U.S. Open - The Women in the Room Sep 06, 2016

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The U.S. Open is proud to have been a leader in gender equality in terms of prize money (and it's the only Slam with the same number of male and female competitors), but how does that translate to the press room? Carl Bialik of FiveThirtyEight joins Ben and Courtney to discuss his analysis of the data regarding this, and our pal Carole Bouchard, quoted in the article, also weighs in.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR165d!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 165c: U.S. Open - Halfway Home Sep 04, 2016

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With pudding and beer in hand, Ben and Courtney wrap up their main thoughts from a first week of the U.S. Open that mostly went without major disruption. Raonic, Kyrgios, Cilic and Muguruza being out is surprising, as is Caroline Wozniacki and Anastasija Sevastova being in. But mostly, it's business as expected, which should set up for a grand second week. We hope.
Also, there's a roof and it makes things louder.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR165c!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 165b: U.S. Open Foot Soldiers Sep 02, 2016

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The first few rounds of the U.S. Open are in the books, and most of the stars have advanced. But they've advanced past the tennis cavalry of the sport--lovingly known by our guest Andrew as the Foot Soldiers of Tennis.
Paolo Lorenzi has become the prototype for such effort without reward--until now. As he's made it into the third round of the U.S. Open, we'd thought it would be a fitting time to pay tribute.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR165b!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 164: US Open Preview State of Mind Aug 27, 2016

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The year's final grand slam event is upon us, and Ben and Courtney are ready with their draws to break down the who and how of this US Open.
There are surprising champions in Cincinnati to review (Marin Cilic and Karolina Pliskova) to mull over, shaky #1s to evaluate (Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams), and increasingly steady anchors at the bottom of each draw (Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber). So, who do we pick?
Lastly, Courtney sings.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR164!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 163: Golden Girl Monica Puig and More Rio Results Aug 15, 2016

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Olympic tennis produced one of its most stunning results with Monica Puig winning gold, and so Ben nd Courtney are here to break that down, as well as all the other medals and losers in Rio. What does Monica's win show us about Olympic tennis, and what does it mean for her going forward? How delightful were the silver efforts of Juan Martin del Potro and Venus Williams? And why weren't many of the other results surprising? Also, is it fair to call Jack Sock a "doubles specialist"?
To tee up this week's tournament in Cincinnati, we chat with local sports reporter Shannon Russell, who has covered the tennis here for the Cincinnati Enquirer, and sheds light on what it's like being a one-week-a-year tennis reporter serving a tournament's local market.
Then in a wide-ranging rant extravaganza, Courtney talks about journalism (after John Oliver did) and Ben talks about plaques (but really Pokemon again).
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR163!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 162a: Olympian Upset: Delpo Defeats Djokovic Aug 08, 2016

Show notes

After one round of action in Rio there are already some big tennis upsets in the books, so Ben and Courtney raced to their microphones to discuss. Firstly, Juan Martin del Potro stunned Novak Djokovic in straight sets, upending the tournament. This was shocking, even if it was a match to watch, and we explain why. Does Djokovic's reaction show the gravity of the Olympics? And how about those doubles upsets?
Also, our thoughts about other doings at the Olympics early on, from soccer heckling to gymnastics injuries, as well as our fat kid snacking proclivities.
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR162a!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

Episode 162: Federer Out, Olderers In Jul 28, 2016

Show notes

Roger Federer is out for the rest of the 2016 season, so Ben, Courtney, and Kickstarting guest producer/host Ashish Malhotra talk about what it means for his future, his present, and the rest of the year's tennis.
Then, with the Olympics fast approaching, are players ready or anxiously awaiting? The answers vary and surprise.
Ben then chats with 37-year-old Ivo Karlovic, who won Newport and reached the Washington final as part of an ever greying tour. Is the aging game a good thing?
And as always, thanks for liking us on Facebook (leave comments on the episode thread!), following us on Twitter (discuss this episode with hashtag #NCR162!), and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting app/platform of choice may be.

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