No Challenges Remaining

Ben and Tumaini are no longer together in Paris, but catch up on the finish in France as well as the event that had Tumaini rushing back to London: Serena Williams' return to professional tennis. We start with Serena's comeback with Tumaini's perspective from on the ground at Queen's Club: how did she look after four years away? What's it like being back in her orbit? Where does she go from here? We then look back at the French Open, starting with the women where Mirra Andreeva consolidated years of teen phenom hype and Maja Chwalinska was one of the most shocking Slam finalists ever. We also discuss the discussion around the men's champion, Alexander Zverev, about whom TV broadcasters badly failed their audiences. 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 are back after the third and fourth rounds of what's turned into a wild and thrilling French Open, particularly on the men's side where the post-Sinner free-for-all has produced stunning full-length battles over and over and over again. We discuss Fonseca d. Djokovic, Jodar and the ball girl, Arnaldi d. Tiafoe, and Zverev's clear status as the favorite to win. We also discuss the women's side exits of Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek. And we're sorry that Ben's phone died mid-reading the Patrons list off of it! A reminder that is still a 15% discount on Bounces subscriptions during this French Open! 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 up the first round at this 2026 French Open, where it's been very hot and a bunch of the top 10 seeds haven't looked so hot, particularly on the men's side. On the women's side, the car crashes have somehow been literal, but Naomi Osaka's fashion moment was a big hit in all the best ways. Also some Bounces items mentioned: there's a 15% discount on subscriptions during this French Open, and you can read the recent pieces on Oleksandra Oliynykova and Emma Navarro at the links. 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 get back together at their kitchen table in Paris, discussing events of Rome, where the biggest story was Jannik Sinner making ATP history. We discuss the enormity of Jannik Sinner having won all nine Masters 1000 events, and how the ATP's term for it is deeply suboptimal. It's not the most suspenseful tour right now, but it's impressive. We also discuss the far more unpredictable women's field, including champion Elina Svitolina as well as Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Sorana Cirstea, and more. We also discuss boycott talk (we don't think it's plausible but it's still notable), and the Italian Federation's stated goal of making Rome into the official "Fifth 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 and J. O'D.

In an episode that came out on video overnight for our Patreon backers, Ben and Tumaini discuss April events in tennis so far, including the Monte Carlo Masters from which Tumaini just returned. Has Jannik Sinner meaningfully pulled ahead of Carlos Alcaraz right now? And have they pulled even further from the pack? Plus, Valentin Vacherot's unlikely staying power. On the women's side, we cover the uncertainty around where the WTA Finals is going next (deja vu there) as well as Iga Swiatek's new coaching hire and her time on court with Rafa, and Coco Gauff showing vulnerability on social media. 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 have reunited for the Miami Open, a tournament which Tumaini is covering for the first time. We start the show with his impressions of the city and the event itself, including its passionate crowds and very strange center court. We then shift to a few of the intriguing results and players here, including the stunning Arthur Fils rout of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Sebastian Korda beating Carlos Alcaraz. We also discuss Iga Swiatek's concerns and possible crossroads with her team, as well as Naomi Osaka's state of mind. Plus, we gush a bit about Aryna Sabalenka, as she increasingly deserves. 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.

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 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!

This Australian Open still hasn't yet had the epics we've been hoping for, but Ben and Tumaini are here to review and preview as hope springs eternal, and as the star-studded quarterfinals make way for the star-studded semifinals. There were a lot of duds in the quarterfinals, it must be said, none duddier than Lorenzo Musetti's brutal injury while commandingly leading Novak Djokovic. We also discuss the greatness of Aryna Sabalenka, and the great play of soon-to-be semifinal opponents Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula. 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!

A relatively drama-lite Australian Open third round sets up a blockbuster fourth round in both draws, and Ben and Tumaini were delighted to look back and look ahead as the year's first major rounds into the second week. We look ahead to the intrigues of matches like Alcaraz-Paul, Bublik-de Minaur, Medvedev-Tien(!!!), Musetti-Fritz, Mensik-Djokovic, Sabalenka-Mboko, Gauff-Muchova, and Pegula-Keys, as well as how all of our second week participants got there. 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!

With the first round of the Australian Open main draw finally complete, Ben and Tumaini got together to discuss some of the biggest moments and stories. We discussed the women first, starting with Naomi Osaka's big fashion moment (and her interview with Ben), the tournament's failure to supply seats to meet the massive crowd demand for Alexandra Eala, the impressions Oleksandra Oliynykova made on court and in the press room, plus the veterans Venus Williams and Karolina Pliskova. On the men's side, we discussed Frances Tiafoe's turnaround, as well as a bit on Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic, Michael Zheng, and Italian incontinence. 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!

In an episode that was already released as a video yesterday for our Patreon backers, Ben and Tumaini kick off Season 15(!) of No Challenges Remaining from opposite sides of the globe. Tumaini talks about the start to the season so far in far-flung Perth, which includes injury issues plaguing Brits at the United Cup. We then discuss some of the biggest headlines from recent weeks: the Battle of the Sexes debacle, the Alcaraz-Ferrero split, and the news that Serena Williams has reentered the tennis testing pool. 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!

In another episode that was already released as a video overnight for our Patreon backers, Ben and Tumaini wrap up what was a very busy Saturday in the world of tennis, including three simultaneous finals. We start with the WTA Finals in Riyadh, where Elena Rybakina won a very high-quality, high-level tournament that still looked small. How is the WTA going in Saudi Arabia after two years? Should they extend their stay there? Read Tumaini's column on the state of the WTA for more. We then discuss the down-to-the-wire (down-to-the-netcord?) drama around the race to Turin, where Novak Djokovic made Lorenzo Musetti and Felix Auger-Aliassime sweat it out until the last possible moment before withdrawing from Turin. Was that fair or foul? We also discuss the newly announced "Battle of the Sexes" between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios, which we both think is a bad idea (but for a different perspective, read Ben's interview with the organizer, Stuart Duguid). And then for a fun finish, Tumaini waxes lyrical about his love for 1 Point Slam, which is returning in Melbourne next year in a much bigger form. 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!