Andy Murray’s Wimbedon stance emerges as BBC ‘demand’ made clear | Tennis | Sport

Andy Murray has reportedly shown no interest in joining the BBC for their Wimbledon coverage. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are also said to have displayed little inclination towards working for the broadcaster.

The former British No 1 has publicly said before that he views coaching as a more rewarding enterprise than punditry and has no plans to pursue a job in the latter field. He has not been directly involved with the sport since splitting with Novak Djokovic after six months together last year.

The Times reports on their lack of inclination to become pundits, following claims that the BBC faces demands from the All England Club to revamp and significantly improve their Wimbledon coverage. There is reputedly a strong feeling that changes to their rather unadventurous and unoriginal presentation are necessary.

A Wimbledon insider told The Times that the agreed priority inside the All England Club regarding their television coverage was “to ensure that how we show the tennis during the championship is innovative and has the best presenters”. The reputed feeling within tennis is that the BBC‘s output is outdated.

An industry source told The Times: “John McEnroe is great — although he can split opinion — but some of the other presenters and pundits at Wimbledon seem out of touch and not really up to date with a lot of the players. There is obviously a balance to be struck to cater for those who like the traditional aspect of the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage, but it definitely needs to look at what is happening in other tennis coverage.”

New blood and new ideas appear on the cards, and Murray could be at the top of the BBC’s list to join their current presenters and pundits. Annabel Croft, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Pat Cash, Tim Henman and Tracy Austin currently contribute to their coverage as experts.

Murray, however, spoke warily about staying in the public eye last summer. He told GQ: “I’m not thinking daily that I need to tweet something today, or somehow remain relevant. That’s why I’m much more interested in the idea of coaching, because I feel like I’d actually really be helping someone.

“Whereas with punditry, it can be harmful. 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.”

He retired from tennis after the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and took up golf. He then surprisingly returned to the sport as Djokovic’s new head coach for the 2025 season. They notably worked together at the Australian Open, where his long-time rival reached the semi-finals before retiring due to injury. Djokovic also reached the Miami Open final while working with Murray, but they ended their relationship before the French Open began.

Murray now tells The Times that he has not hit a tennis ball since stopping coaching in May last year. He said: “I’m really happy about that. A lot of people want me to say, ‘I’m really missing it,’ or, ‘I wish I’m still playing,’ but I don’t feel that. I’m happy I’ve finished playing tennis. Maybe I’ll feel differently in a few years.”