For those that work in the world of tennis broadcasting, it is a real skill to be able to switch from excitable commentary to hushed tones, depending on what is taking place on the court. Although television viewers can obviously see what is taking place in front of them, there is still often a need for the commentary team to talk through certain shots and deliveries from players that requires them to have a solid understanding of the sport in general. That is why former players often make the best pundits, because their knowledge of tennis is something that could best be described as ‘unimpeachable’ in terms of what they are watching.
Pundits & Commentators on TV
As is so often the case with a sport in the modern era, Sky Sports is the best place to head to if you want to watch tennis being played on a regular basis. Thankfully, Wimbledon remains one of the Grand Slam events that the BBC has kept hold of, meaning that the national broadcaster is the best place to look any time tennis is being played at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Sadly, the amount of tennis shown on the BBC outside of Wimbledon and Queen’s is much less than it should be. That leaves people mainly having to turn to Sky Sports Tennis if they want to watch some of the other tournaments play out.
There are other broadcasters who offer some tennis from time to time, with Amazon Prime and TNT Sports being good examples. Tennis TV is also able to show some highlights and other bits of tennis matches, depending on where the event in question is taking place. As you might imagine, such a paucity of broadcasters means that many of the same voices can be heard across the various channels. The good news is that most of the people you will hear from know what they’re talking about, so you’re likely to get decent insight into what you’re watching irrespective of the channel that you’ve chosen to watch a live broadcast on.
List of Pundits & Commentators
As mentioned, the various pundits and commentators will often work for numerous different broadcasters, but many will come out in force when it’s Wimbledon week on the BBC. The likes of TNT Sports will also use some names that differ from the other channels as they look to offer something a little more interesting to their viewers. The list here is definitely not exhaustive, to say nothing of the fact that it is likely to change on a regular basis, but it will give you a sense of who you can expect to hear from when you turn on your television to catch some live tennis or watch the highlights:
| Person | Channel | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Clare Balding | BBC | Experienced Broadcaster |
| Isa Guha | BBC | Experienced Broadcaster |
| Andrew Castle | BBC | Experienced Broadcaster |
| Andrew Cotter | BBC | Experienced Broadcaster |
| John McEnroe | BBC/TNT Sports | Former Professional Player |
| Martina Navratilova | BBC | Former Professional Player |
| Billie Jean King | BBC | Former Professional Player |
| Pat Cash | BBC | Former Professional Player |
| Tracy Austin | BBC | Former Professional Player |
| Tim Henman | BBC/Sky Sports | Former Professional Player |
| Laura Robson | BBC/Sky Sports | Former Professional Player |
| Annabel Croft | BBC | Former Professional Player |
| Kim Clijsters | BBC | Former Professional Player |
| Andy Stevenson | BBC | Experienced Broadcaster |
| Greg Rusedski | BBC | Former Professional Player |
| Leon Smith | BBC | Tennis Coach |
| Johanna Konta | BBC | Former Professional Player |
| Ashleigh Barty | BBC | Former Professional Player |
| Nick Kyrgios | BBC | Professional Player |
| Gigi Salmon | Sky Sports Tennis | Experienced Broadcaster |
| Marion Bartoli | BBC | Former Professional Player |
| Jonathan Overend | Sky Sports Tennis | Experienced Broadcaster |
| Andre Agassi | TNT Sports | Former Professional Player |
| Coco Vandeweghe | TNT Sports | Former Professional Player |
| Sloane Stephens | TNT Sports | Professional Player |
| Chris Eubanks | TNT Sports | Former Professional Player |