No Challenges Remaining

In another episode that was already released as a video overnight for our Patreon backers, Ben and Tumaini wrap up what was a very busy Saturday in the world of tennis, including three simultaneous finals. We start with the WTA Finals in Riyadh, where Elena Rybakina won a very high-quality, high-level tournament that still looked small. How is the WTA going in Saudi Arabia after two years? Should they extend their stay there? Read Tumaini's column on the state of the WTA for more. We then discuss the down-to-the-wire (down-to-the-netcord?) drama around the race to Turin, where Novak Djokovic made Lorenzo Musetti and Felix Auger-Aliassime sweat it out until the last possible moment before withdrawing from Turin. Was that fair or foul? We also discuss the newly announced "Battle of the Sexes" between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios, which we both think is a bad idea (but for a different perspective, read Ben's interview with the organizer, Stuart Duguid).  And then for a fun finish, Tumaini waxes lyrical about his love for 1 Point Slam, which is returning in Melbourne next year in a much bigger form. 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! 

In an annual post-marathon tradition, Ben and Ricky Dimon catch up on the world of men's tennis, both recent news and the overall stories of this 2025 season that is nearing its conclusion.  We start with the big news from the ATP, who have announced that a new, 10th Masters 1000 event will be added to the calendar win a few years. With complaints about the schedule rampant, what do we make of the addition of a big tournament that no one was really asking for? And what will the ripple effects on the rest of the calendar and the sport be? We also discuss the field of the WTA Finals, the new location of the Paris Indoors Masters, and hand out some of our own year-end awards: what ATP player had the Most Surprising 2025 (Good) and the Most Surprising 2025 (Bad)? Also, who and when will be the next non-Sinner-nor-Alcaraz Slam winner? 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 Ricky's writing at TennGrand! 

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!