No Challenges Remaining

Surprise! Yes indeed, we are bringing you Episode 99h on the same day we're dropping our much anticipated (by us, anyway) Episode 100. We wanted to make sure all the happenings in Charleston and Houston didn't get overlooked by the momentous occasion of our centennial. Let's face it, we are casting a very large, virtually inescapable shadow today.On this episode we wrap up the happenings at the American clay court tournaments. How surprising was Angelique Kerber's run to the Charleston title? Is it time to buy Jack Sock stock? Is Sania Mirza the most badass bitch in town? These are not rhetorical questions! We actually try to answer them!Plus, you'll hear from Madison Keys, Genie Bouchard, and Sania as we take you into the press room so you can hear them address their highs and lows without any interference. We think you'll be impressed!As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be! PS: Episode 100 will be dropping in a few hours. Don't you worry. 

Surprise! Yes indeed, we are bringing you Episode 99h on the same day we're dropping our much anticipated (by us, anyway) Episode 100. We wanted to make sure all the happenings in Charleston and Houston didn't get overlooked by the momentous occasion of our centennial. Let's face it, we are casting a very large, virtually inescapable shadow today.On this episode we wrap up the happenings at the American clay court tournaments. How surprising was Angelique Kerber's run to the Charleston title? Is it time to buy Jack Sock stock? Is Sania Mirza the most badass bitch in town? These are not rhetorical questions! We actually try to answer them!Plus, you'll hear from Madison Keys, Genie Bouchard, and Sania as we take you into the press room so you can hear them address their highs and lows without any interference. We think you'll be impressed!As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be! PS: Episode 100 will be dropping in a few hours. Don't you worry. 

Courtney and Ben are in Charleston for the Family Circle Cup. In between meals and food comas they convene to break down the Miami Open finals. Is Novak Djokovic the Serena Williams of the ATP? Is Serena Williams the Novak Djokovic of the WTA? Do these comparisons even make sense? We don't know! We are so high on shrimp and grits we don't even know what we're saying! Ben is so out of it he saw flying fish! It's been quite a week so far.  Ben and Courtney then turn the mic over to a few people you would much rather listen to: The Players. Why is Andrea Petkovic slapping herself? Who knew Sara Errani loved math! Doesn't Caroline Garcia sound like WTA Stan Wawrinka? And Eugenie Bouchard investigates an X-File while Madison Keys bids a sad adieu to hard courts. No claiming we misquoted you here, ladies! This is WTA unplugged.  The episode closes with a few clips from Ben and Courtney's talk at the College of Charleston about the current media landscape, tennis media specifically, and that one time Courtney totally screwed up on Twitter. We are all about teachable moments, you guys! As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!  PS: Episode 100 drops next week. Get excited. So excited. 

Courtney and Ben are in Charleston for the Family Circle Cup. In between meals and food comas they convene to break down the Miami Open finals. Is Novak Djokovic the Serena Williams of the ATP? Is Serena Williams the Novak Djokovic of the WTA? Do these comparisons even make sense? We don't know! We are so high on shrimp and grits we don't even know what we're saying! Ben is so out of it he saw flying fish! It's been quite a week so far. Ben and Courtney then turn the mic over to a few people you would much rather listen to: The Players. Why is Andrea Petkovic slapping herself? Who knew Sara Errani loved math! Doesn't Caroline Garcia sound like WTA Stan Wawrinka? And Eugenie Bouchard investigates an X-File while Madison Keys bids a sad adieu to hard courts. No claiming we misquoted you here, ladies! This is WTA unplugged. The episode closes with a few clips from Ben and Courtney's talk at the College of Charleston about the current media landscape, tennis media specifically, and that one time Courtney totally screwed up on Twitter. We are all about teachable moments, you guys!As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be! PS: Episode 100 drops next week. Get excited. So excited. 

Ben and Courtney are not in Miami, and they have lots of thoughts and concerns about various others that have already made untimely exits from that tournament? What's going on with Maria Sharapova? And is it time to sell stock in Rafael Nadal, or will he turn it around and perform at his best again like always? And what about the bevvy of top 10 players from the WTA in 2014 who are slipping now, like Kerber, Radwanska, Wozniacki, Bouchard, and Ivanovic? Also, why aren't Ben and Courtney in Miami, and why do so few American beat writers make that trip? And why should nobody be complaining about who is there? You can freeload on us all you want, dear listeners, no matter what hobbies you have. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!  Related polling/reading/viewing for this week: We'd love it if you filled out our listener feedback survey! 

Ben and Courtney are not in Miami, and they have lots of thoughts and concerns about various others that have already made untimely exits from that tournament? What's going on with Maria Sharapova? And is it time to sell stock in Rafael Nadal, or will he turn it around and perform at his best again like always? And what about the bevvy of top 10 players from the WTA in 2014 who are slipping now, like Kerber, Radwanska, Wozniacki, Bouchard, and Ivanovic? Also, why aren't Ben and Courtney in Miami, and why do so few American beat writers make that trip? And why should nobody be complaining about who is there? You can freeload on us all you want, dear listeners, no matter what hobbies you have. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be! Related polling/reading/viewing for this week: We'd love it if you filled out our listener feedback survey! 

After a 12-hour ride from Misaki Doi, Ben and Courtney are in the Bay Area, ready to look back on the desert. What to make of the surreally familiar withdrawal of Serena Williams? How was it handled, and how was it a fitting conclusion to her appearance? What does the mean win for Simona Halep? On the men's side, is Djokovic-Federer the sport's greatest rivalry? We also talk about a guy who is only the greatest at doping offenses, Wayne Odesnik. Then we look ahead to Miami, and Courtney gets all excited about X-Files. Again. Deja vu, you guys. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be! Related polling/reading/viewing for this week: We'd love it if you filled out our listener feedback survey! 

After a 12-hour ride from Misaki Doi, Ben and Courtney are in the Bay Area, ready to look back on the desert. What to make of the surreally familiar withdrawal of Serena Williams? How was it handled, and how was it a fitting conclusion to her appearance? What does the mean win for Simona Halep? On the men's side, is Djokovic-Federer the sport's greatest rivalry? We also talk about a guy who is only the greatest at doping offenses, Wayne Odesnik. Then we look ahead to Miami, and Courtney gets all excited about X-Files. Again. Deja vu, you guys. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!  Related polling/reading/viewing for this week: We'd love it if you filled out our listener feedback survey! 

It's all about Serena. It always has been. On this week's episode, Ben and Courtney dissect Serena Williams' return to Indian Wells after 13 years. How was she received (pretty well!)? How did she handle the scrutiny (pretty darn well!)? How did she handle questions about her split with Sascha Bajin (well....)? We also talk about Sloane Stephens (Queen of the Block), Rafael Nadal (King of the Rant), and the kids from Australia, (Kings of...Australia, I guess).We finish it off by praying to heaven that we don't die in our tiny car. But if the last song we hear on earth is "Your Love", we would be a-ok with that! As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!  Episode 100 is coming soon, we promise. Tennis is all about being able to adapt to changing circumstances at a moment's notice. Your patience will be rewarded!

It's all about Serena. It always has been. On this week's episode, Ben and Courtney dissect Serena Williams' return to Indian Wells after 13 years. How was she received (pretty well!)? How did she handle the scrutiny (pretty darn well!)? How did she handle questions about her split with Sascha Bajin (well....)? We also talk about Sloane Stephens (Queen of the Block), Rafael Nadal (King of the Rant), and the kids from Australia, (Kings of...Australia, I guess).We finish it off by praying to heaven that we don't die in our tiny car. But if the last song we hear on earth is "Your Love", we would be a-ok with that!As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be! Episode 100 is coming soon, we promise. Tennis is all about being able to adapt to changing circumstances at a moment's notice. Your patience will be rewarded!

In a quicker, one-take episode, Ben and Courtney blow through the Davis Cup results from the past weekend. How do we, as Americans, digest a second straight humbling at the unheralded hands of James Ward? And what do we make of the rest of the results this weekend from around the world? Then we turn our sights toward our current desert locale, and break down the men's and women's draws at Indian Wells. Love may hurt, but you guys always make us feel just super. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!  Related polling/reading/viewing for this week: We'd love it if you filled out our listener feedback survey! 

In a quicker, one-take episode, Ben and Courtney blow through the Davis Cup results from the past weekend. How do we, as Americans, digest a second straight humbling at the unheralded hands of James Ward? And what do we make of the rest of the results this weekend from around the world? Then we turn our sights toward our current desert locale, and break down the men's and women's draws at Indian Wells. Love may hurt, but you guys always make us feel just super. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be! Related polling/reading/viewing for this week: We'd love it if you filled out our listener feedback survey! 

As they inch toward triple digits, Ben and Courtney reflect on the week that was, and the sudden, undeniable relevance of Dav id Ferrer, who has won back-to-back 500 titles, and Courtney shares some of her conversation with Ferrer from Rio. We then discuss the importance of Roger Federer's winning record over Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal's run through the soft Buenos Aires field, and Victoria Azarenka's reemergence as she lost to Lucie Safarova in Doha. Then, most excitingly, they welcome hall of famer Pam Shriver onto the show for a great, wide-ranging conversation about tennis past, present, and future, and the many different roles she's had in the sport as a player, leader, and broadcaster. It's awesome stuff, and you'll love it. And as they close out the show, Ben rants snappily and Courtney sets a raving record. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!  Related polling/reading/viewing for this week:  We'd love it if you filled out our listener feedback survey!  Ryan Harrison (and others) on Denys Molchanov and match fixing in Ben's piece for Slate. The ladies of Broad City sit down with the gals of Sleater-Kinney for NPR (video). 

As they inch toward triple digits, Ben and Courtney reflect on the week that was, and the sudden, undeniable relevance of Dav id Ferrer, who has won back-to-back 500 titles, and Courtney shares some of her conversation with Ferrer from Rio. We then discuss the importance of Roger Federer's winning record over Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal's run through the soft Buenos Aires field, and Victoria Azarenka's reemergence as she lost to Lucie Safarova in Doha. Then, most excitingly, they welcome hall of famer Pam Shriver onto the show for a great, wide-ranging conversation about tennis past, present, and future, and the many different roles she's had in the sport as a player, leader, and broadcaster. It's awesome stuff, and you'll love it. And as they close out the show, Ben rants snappily and Courtney sets a raving record. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be! Related polling/reading/viewing for this week: We'd love it if you filled out our listener feedback survey! Ryan Harrison (and others) on Denys Molchanov and match fixing in Ben's piece for Slate.The ladies of Broad City sit down with the gals of Sleater-Kinney for NPR (video). 

As they hurtle toward triple digits, Ben and Courtney stall on opposite sides of the equator this week, and discuss Courtney's adventures in Brazil. What is tennis in Rio like, and what do we make of Rafael Nadal's latest drama? Over in Dubai, how big a win was it for Simona Halep? We then award a Slay Badge and Dragged Condolence(?) to the players who had the best and worst weeks. Then we welcome in guests Victoria Chiesa and David Kane, founders of The Tennis Island, to discuss all sorts of tennisy thing. And, lastly, Courtney rants and Ben raves. As always, thanks for liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and subscribing/reviewing on iTunes or whatever your podcasting platform of choice may be!  Related reading for this week: "Iskorazzi" on Forty Deuce, Original Flavor.