The BBC has announced its all-star team for this year’s Wimbledon and it has introduced several new faces and voices to the line-up, but fear not, the regulars will be back on screens and radios.
John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Pat Cash, Tracy Austin, Tim Henman, Annabel Croft and Kyle Edmund will again deliver expert analysis of the public broadcaster’s coverage of the grass-court Grand Slam.
But the Beeb has freshened things up as Andre Agassi, Jamie Murray, Genie Bouchard and Laura Robson will add some extra gloss to the line-up.
Clare Balding and Isa Guha will front the daily TV coverage across BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC iPlayer, and Gigi Salmon and Clare McDonnell will be on the airwaves across BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds.
Former world No 1 Agassi, who won Wimbledon in 1992, made his BBC debut last year and the American will return “for the climax of the tournament”.
The eight-time Grand Slam winner will “provide expert analysis and unique insight into the evolution of the game, drawing on his own remarkable experiences competing for Wimbledon glory while examining the players shaping the future of the sport”.
Olympic mixed doubles silver medallist Robson also returns and “deliver immediate reaction and expert analysis” over the fortnight while two-time Wimbledon mixed doubles champion Murray “will use enhanced match data, advanced technology and tactical breakdowns to offer viewers deeper insight into the modern game than ever before”.
Wimbledon News
Wimbledon withdrawal list: 11 players out as Carlos Alcaraz joined by former world No 9
Full Wimbledon wildcards list as organisers save singles spot for Serena Williams
Murray will be the dedicated analysis expert and fellow newcomer Bouchard – a Wimbledon runner-up in 2014 – will offer a contemporary player’s perspective.
“Wimbledon remains one of the defining moments of the sporting year, where world-class performance meets a truly British sense of occasion,” Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport, said.
“This summer, BBC Sport’s coverage combines the heritage and prestige audiences expect with exciting new voices in our presenting line-up, alongside more advanced analytics and tech that bring fresh insight to every game, set and match.
“Our aim is simple: to bring audiences closer to each story and moment that defines Wimbledon whether they are watching clips on their phone, TV, listening to the radio or following live text.”
Andrew Castle will once again be the lead commentator and he will be joined by the likes of Cash, Naomi Cavaday, Matt Chilton, Andrew Cotter, Croft, Katherine Downes, Jo Durie, Colin Fleming, Dom Inglot, Abigail Johnson, Anne Keothavong, Robbie Koenig, Nick Lester, John Lloyd, Sam Smith and Todd Woodbridge.
This will be Castle’s last Wimbledon as he confirmed to The Times earlier this week that he will bow out after 23 years.
“To be honest, when I got the job 23 years ago, a lot of the more experienced commentators felt that they should have been first in line,” he said.
“Their noses were put out of joint. So, in the wider scheme of things, I am lucky that I had the best gig in sports broadcasting for so long, during the greatest age of men’s tennis.”