No Challenges Remaining

In an episode that is also available on video form on our Patreon, Ben and Tumaini  are back together for the first time since their late nights in Melbourne, catching up on a busy week of February tennis.

The WTA calendar seemed to reach an abrupt breaking point, Carlos Alcaraz kept winning, Jessica Pegula showed just how underrated she is, and Arthur Fils and Jack Draper made comebacks.

We also discuss another comeback about which not much is yet known...that of Serena Williams.

Plus a look at the future of the South American swing and what's causing its struggles, as well as the looming shadow of the soon-arriving Saudi ATP 1000 event.

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! 

There was going to be history on Sunday no matter what, and Ben and Tumaini end their Australian Open coverage with discussion of Carlos Alcaraz's big win over Novak Djokovic, coming back from a slow start to clinch his career slam by winning the Australian Open, his seventh major title overall.

We discuss Alcaraz's present and his ambitions for all-time greatness, where this event leaves his rivalry with Sinner, the future for Djokovic, the significance of a post-Ferrero win.

We also, as we planned, use our last show of the tournament to look back at one of the early storylines: American players getting questions about U.S. politics in press conferences, and why we think this is a completely fair and rational thing to have happen.

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! 

After a very good women's final, Ben and Tumaini hop the microphone once more to discuss Elena Rybakina's impressive three-set win over Aryna Sabalenka, avenging her loss in the final here three years ago.

We discuss Rybakina's strong form, her potential to challenge for the top spot in the rankings, as well as Sabalenka's struggles in some of these big matches while still being the clear top player in women's tennis overall.

We also discuss the remarkable arc of Stefano Vukov, Rybakina's coach, who was banned from the premises of the Australian Open a year ago, but this year collected a coach's trophy.

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! 

After a dozen days that were mostly dull, the Australian Open kicked into high gear on Day 13, and so Ben and Tumaini stayed up late to discuss what made it so great.

Carlos Alcaraz was up big, then was in trouble, then was up against the wall, but finally eked out a rousing win over Alexander Zverev to book his spot in his first Australian Open final. 

But instead of being joined by his customary opponent Jannik Sinner for the fourth time in a row in a major final, Alcaraz will face 38-year-old Novak Djokovic, who used his restedness to deliver a redline beauty of a match.

We look ahead to the final and how Djokovic might be able to win it, where these losses leave both Zverev and Sinner, 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.

And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian! 

The women's Australian Open final is now known for this year, and Ben and Tumaini also talk about several other buzzy topics of the day.

We start with Aryna Sabalenka and the great win she had, as well as the strange hindrance call, which leads to a grunting rehash. We also discuss Elena Rybakina, and the high-quality second set she had against Pegula.

We then take on two other topics of the day: the player backlash against cameras prying into their backstage lives, as well as the increasingly apparent (and rapidly approaching) Serena Williams comeback.

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!