Episode 384: Adiós, Rafa

Rafael Nadal, one of the all-time greats who we have been lucky to watch and cover over the past two decades, made his retirement official today. After learning a few days ago that his announcement was imminent, Ben and Tumaini pre-recorded an episode on their reaction to this long-anticipated news. We discuss what led to this decision, share our favorite memories of Nadal from watching him on court and interacting with him off court, and discuss his legacy and how he completely disrupted the game. 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.   

Ben (who formally announces and thanks folks for following along at his new writing home, Bounces!) and Tumaini catch up on the happenings in the Asian swing so far, led by the star-studded results in Beijing that marks changes from New York. On the women's side, Coco Gauff bounced back from a disappointing summer to win her second WTA 1000 title, beating Muchova in the final. Is this a meaningful rebirth for Gauff, or is she still a work in progress? On the men's side, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner produced yet another spectacular duel in the final, adding to what's already the best active rivalry in tennis right now. Plus Swiatek making a coaching change, Fils winning in Tokyo, weekday finals, Wimbledon's expansion win, WADA appealing Sinner's verdict, and 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.  

Ben catches up with Tumaini, who is freshly back from Berlin, about the state of the Laver Cup, which might as well be called the Federer Cup for how it foregrounds the retired superstar. We discuss the relevance, successes, and struggles of the event, and contrast it with Davis Cup, which had a lumpy round of competition in recent weeks to set up for its big final this year later in Spain. Speaking of the tennis calendar, we discuss the age-old complaints about the tennis calendar which were given renewed voice by Carlos Alcaraz (and pushed back on by his rival Jannik Sinner). Then we switch to the women's side, and go in-depth on the huge news of Naomi Osaka hiring Patrick Mouratoglou, a collision of two of the biggest brands in tennis. Will they be a good fit? And how do we judge Mouratoglou's pedigree to this point?  We also discuss Coco Gauff's own coaching change, Sinner hiring Djokovic's ex-team members, and what the future might hold in store for both Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Plus, a little rant on tennis promoters being shady about stars who are unlikely to stay entered in events, and Ben teases a new project!  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.  

Ben is joined by Alex Gruskin of Cracked Racquets for the second half of another home-and-home pair of podcasts looking ahead to the rest of the remaining year (and beyond, a bit) in women's tennis, counting down what we think the biggest stories and questions are. After chatting about men's storylines over on The Mini Break Podcast, we focus on the women's side here, ranking the biggest curiosities and quandaries on what seems like a tour in transition. From Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka making coaching changes, to the tour reestablishing itself in China and finally making its highly anticipated venture into Saudi Arabia, there's lots of stories, big and small, to discuss. 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. 

Ben and Tumaini wrap their U.S. Open coverage with a look at the women's and men's singles finals, in which Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner both completed a sweep of the hardcourt majors this season. The finals were both fairly straightforward, which leaves us for some time to cover related topics and listener questions including the intense celebrification of the U.S. Open (hello, Taylor Swift), Sabalenka's career vs Azarenka's, the shadow of Sinner's anti-doping saga over his win, and Olympics skipping paying off. We also zoom out a bit to discuss the total, generational European domination of men's tennis, and if a man born in the 1990s is ever going to win another Slam.  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, Jean Simeon, and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini are back again 24 hours later for a look at the men's side of the second week of this US Open, which has culminated with Jannik Sinner rolling into the final and Taylor Fritz ending a 15-year drought for American men between Slam final appearances. We discuss the messy Sinner-Draper semifinal, the pivotal change that pushed Fritz past Frances Tiafoe, and how Fritz and Sinner might match up in the final. We also talk about the (negative) vibe shift around Sinner after his recent anti-doping cloud, the repeated failures of Alexander Zverev at Slams, the mixed feelings of Medvedev, and the various other players who couldn't pounce on this open opportunity. 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, Jean Simeon, and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini cover the second week of the US Open on the women's side, which is now set to reach its dramatic conclusion in a final between Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula.  We discuss the two high-quality semifinals that set up these wins, what has made Sabalenka develop into such a better player than the version of her we first saw, and Pegula's long-awaited breakthrough. We also discuss Pegula's win over Swiatek, the debated off-court moments of Swiatek's during and after the match, and the struggleful defeat of Coco Gauff.  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, Jean Simeon, and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini chat through all the big stories of the first week of the U.S. Open, which kicked into gear with the upsets of two big men's stars. Carlos Alcaraz (to Bob van de Slap!) and Novak Djokovic lost on back-to-back nights, but which was more surprising? We also discuss the crisis expressed in defeat by Stefanos Tsitsipas, scheduling, and other issues on the men's side. On the women's side, we discuss the difficulty in assessing Naomi Osaka's year, the thrill of Karolina Muchova, and concerns over Elena Rybakina.  Lastly, Ben thanks everyone for their generosity, and we commemorate the end of the Slam careers of Dominic Thiem and Danielle Collins, and discuss ghosting ceremonies.  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, Jean Simeon, and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini wrap up their U.S. Open preview double header with a discussion of the women's field at the 2024 U.S. Open. We discuss topics such as the paths for Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, our relief at news of a coaching change by Elena Rybakina, the reliably broad resonance of Naomi Osaka's vulnerability, frustrations with Emma Raducanu's scheduling, the recent woes of Coco Gauff, and the golden glow-up of Zheng Qinwen. 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, Jean Simeon, and J. O'D.

Ben and Tumaini discuss the men's field at the fast approaching U.S. Open, leading off with Jannik Sinner, the man who was the focus of our emergency episode earlier this week. How did he handle the press conference better than the USTA did? And (scattered throughout the rest of the episode) what were the reactions of other players in the draw? We also discuss how contenders like Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Daniil Medvedev are positioned in the draw, the uniquely international flavor of the wildcards at this year's Open, and how the qualifying week ballooning in popularity effects the experience. 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, Jean Simeon, and J. O'D.