Andy Murray and Roger Federer could save BBC in Wimbledon bidding battle | Tennis | Sport

Andy Murray and Roger Federer could prove to be the saviours for the BBC in their fight to keep hold of the Wimbledon rights. The All England Club have reportedly informed the Beeb that improvements need to be made to their coverage in order for the tennis tournament to remain with the public broadcaster in the long term.

A report from The Times suggests that chiefs at the All England Club believe the BBC’s product has become ‘stale’ and is now ‘outdated’ compared to that of their competitors. It comes after big hitters like Sky Sports and TNT Sports have ventured into the tennis space, leaving those at Wimbledon asking for more from the BBC.

As a result, one avenue that the BBC are considering is a shakeup to their punditry team, with both Andy Murray and Roger Federer mooted as potential options. The legendary tennis duo both dazzled on the courts of SW19, with the BBC hierarchy hoping they could sprinkle a touch of stardust on its Wimbledon coverage.

However, as far as Murray is concerned, it could take plenty of persuading, given the Scottish ace has already talked down prospects of transitioning into punditry. Referencing former football icon Roy Keane, Murray told GQ: “I’m not thinking daily that I need to tweet something today, or somehow remain relevant. Interestingly, I love Roy; I would love to see him coaching. People like that have so much to offer to actually really help people.”

He continued: “If I go and work at, let’s say Wimbledon, you start getting asked questions about British players like Jack Draper. I know when the British ex-tennis players would talk about my tennis and what I should be doing. Because you respect them, you listen to what they’re saying – but it’s not always the same as what your coach is telling you.

“What the pundits are saying could be wrong. They’re not right all the time, and when you’re young, it’s quite conflicting. So I’d be more inclined to do coaching, because I think punditry is quite an easy gig. You can just throw stuff out there. People love it if it’s a bit controversial, but you don’t actually have any skin in the game.”