Épisodes

  • Wimbledon at the Halfway Point
    Jul 5 2025

    Ben is back with Ricky Dimon to discuss a third round at Wimbledon that was much less tumultuous than the previous two rounds, and the second week outlook for the tournament that it set up.

    On the women's side, is it Sabalenka or the field? And is the men's side still looking like likely chalk of Sinner-Djokovic and Fritz-Alcaraz 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 Ricky's writing at TennGrand!

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    37 min
  • Draper, Paolini Out as Wimbledon Upsets Continue
    Jul 3 2025

    Ben is joined once more by Ricky Dimon to catch up on the further upsets in the second round of Wimbledon after the carnage in the opening round, and to set up third round clashes.

    We start with Jack Draper, the local hope who was bundled out by 2017 runner-up Marin Cilic. We then wrap up the rest of the men, including exits for Americans Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul, and look for what could be in store the rest of the way if upsets subside.

    We then turn to the women, who lost last year's finalist Jasmine Paolini, but who have a few real tasty third rounds now on the cards, including Sabalenka-Raducanu, Andreeva-Baptiste, and Krejcikova-Navarro.

    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!

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    27 min
  • A Sound Portrait of Wimbledon, A Half-Century Ago
    Jun 23 2025

    Something different and pretty cool this time:

    50 years ago at Wimbledon, the two singles champions were two of the biggest pioneers in tennis history: Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe.

    It was also the first of many Wimbledons covered by then-young Canadian tennis journalist Tom Tebbutt, and he made a radio documentary for the CBC of a remarkable breadth of voices from around the tournament, from the stars to the various margins.

    Tom revisited and revamped the documentary this year for the 50th anniversary, and he generously shared it with us here at NCR to build up the hype and heritage around Wimbledon a half century later. It's a time capsule of tennis history, dusted off and showing some things you just wouldn't see (or hear) in the sport anymore, for better and worse.

    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!

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    42 min
  • Alcaraz d. Sinner and Gauff d. Sabalenka in French Open Final Thrillers
    Jun 9 2025

    [Reuploaded to fix what was an incomplete file on some podcast platforms the last time!]

    Ben and Tumaini, on the mic one last time from their house in Paris, are fresh off two thrilling finals at Roland Garros.

    We start with the just-ended men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, which produced some of the best tennis ever seen after a five-hour mark. What made this match so good? And was it too long or just right?

    We then get to the women's final, in which Coco Gauff won with her immense mentality and physicality, and in which Aryna Sabalenka turned into a human salt shaker in defeat.

    Lastly, we discuss what Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic should do with themselves at crossroads in their near futures.

    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!

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    51 min
  • Alcaraz d. Sinner and Gauff d. Sabalenka in French Open Final Thrillers
    Jun 9 2025

    Ben and Tumaini, on the mic one last time from their house in Paris, are fresh off two thrilling finals at Roland Garros.

    We start with the just-ended men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, which produced some of the best tennis ever seen after a five-hour mark. What made this match so good? And was it too long or just right?

    We then get to the women's final, in which Coco Gauff won with her immense mentality and physicality, and in which Aryna Sabalenka turned into a human salt shaker in defeat.

    Lastly, we discuss what Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic should do with themselves at crossroads in their near futures.

    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!

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    51 min
  • Roland Garros 2025: Quarters Into Semis
    Jun 5 2025

    Ben and Tumaini, together again, are back to wrap up the quarterfinals and look ahead to the semifinals for both the men and women at Roland Garros.

    We start with the women, where a too-close-to-call Sabalenka-Swiatek semifinal is set, and super-surprise Lois Boisson might just be playing well enough to keep her strong form going against Coco Gauff?

    We then shift to the men, where a Sinner-Alcaraz collision course seems likely, and in which Novak Djokovic defeated another similar effort from Alexander Zverev.

    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!

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    40 min
  • Roland Garros 2025 Midway Round-Up
    Jun 3 2025

    Ben and Tumaini, fresh off their collaboration on Ben's Victor Barber interview, catch up on everything in the first four rounds of Roland Garros.

    We start with the big results of the day--Bublik d. Draper and Boisson d. Pegula--and then discuss the scheduling and the morass of night sessions.

    We then check in on the various shortlist contenders--Alcaraz, Sinner, Swiatek, Sabalenka, Gauff--and end with some chat on Nadal's retirement ceremony and PSG's big celebrations here.

    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!

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    44 min