Ben and Tumaini Carayol dust off the NCR machine to bring you a look at the 2023 French Open women's and men's draws, breaking down the contenders and darkhorses while touching on several of the big stories of the past few months while the show has been on hiatus (Relatedly, Ben's forthcoming book on Naomi Osaka is now available for pre-order!)
Can Iga Swiatek reestablish her dominance on the women's side at her favorite tournament? How clear a favorite is Carlos Alcaraz on the men's side?
Before that, we start with a discussion of two notable absences: Rafael Nadal, the 14-time champion who hasn't played in months due to a persistent psoas injury, and Simona Halep, a former champion and #1 who has taken an increasingly vocal and outspoken stance as she tries to rally support against anti-doping authorities following her positive test for a blood doping agent last year.
We also discuss the extended formats of the Madrid and Rome Masters 1000 events, changes which have been poorly received across the board.
Thanks for listening! Bon voyage, bonne chance, bonne nuit!
Episode 320: Djokovic’s Exemption and The Vibes
Episode 319: Wrapping Up Tennis in December (With Reem Abulleil)
Episode 318: WTA Stands Up Against China For Peng Shuai
Episode 317: Peng Shuai, China, and the End of WTAsia?
Episode 316: NCR Movie Club - KING RICHARD (2021)
Episode 315: Prague Progress Report (with Jannik Schneider)
Episode 314: Backroom Business (With Bret McCormick)
Episode 313: ATP is Investigating Zverev; What Comes Next?
Episode 312: Starting up in San Diego (With Dani Vallverdu)
Episode 311: Bridging the App Gap
Episode 310b: Medvedev Beats Djokovic for U.S. Open Title; the Grand Slam Is Hard
Episode 310a: Emma Raducanu Wins U.S. Open; What, Like It‘s Hard?
Episode 309: Mardy Fish‘s Breaking Point
Episode 308: Live, From New York, It's US Open Draw Show!
Episode 307: Tokyo Takes a Toll (With Tumaini Carayol)
Episode 306: Checking Back in in the Capital
Episode 305: Ringing in the Olympic Tennis Draws (With Alex Gruskin)
Episode 304: Barty, Djokovic Win Wimbledon; Olympic Exodus
Episode 303d: Wimbledon's Second Week, With Tumaini Carayol
Episode 303c: Wimbledon, on the Last Middle Sunday
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