ATP
Report: Federer could become BBC Wimbledon pundit
Roger Federer could replace Boris Becker as an all-star Wimbledon commentator, London’s Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday.
The Swiss icon who retired with a knee injury last autumn with 20 Grand Slam singles titles, could be in talks with BBC bosses, the broadsheet reported,
Becker was for a decade the go-to talking head during blanket overage of the grass-court fortnight.
But the German’s release in December from a London prison after serving 10 months of a fraudulent bankruptcy sentence, comes with a provision which is unlikely to allow him back into the country for several years.
Federer could possibly work in tandem with the prestige British broadcaster and the more downmarket ESPN, doubling up – but without the manic, hyped-up style – of New Yorker John McEnroe.
The salary split would likely be a necessity for accountants, with Federer’s past appearance fees hovering in the millions for even one night of exhibition tennis.
The opportunity to bring Federer back to Wimbledon for TV work would be a significant boost to the tournament
The last time Roger Federer visited Wimbledon – in late November – he was denied entry by an overzealous security guard who wanted to see his membership card.
The All England Club however, now finds themselves courting Federer for a commentary role at the tournament he won eight times.
The Telegraph can reveal that talks are at an advanced stage to bring Federer into a revamped BBC production, which will also involve different presenters and a new studio that is being constructed on top of the old broadcasting centre.
Federer hinted at his possible availability in September, on the eve of the Laver Cup event in London that saw him retire from professional tennis.
“Commentating the odd match or giving back in this way, I guess I could imagine it,” he told reporters. “Sometimes you watch matches because of the commentary and less about the match itself.”
The timing is perfect for a BBC production that is about to reinvent itself – but hopefully in a less clunky way than when it launched the ill-fated Wimbledon 2day show in front of a Top Gear-style studio audience, and triggered such a backlash that the concept was abandoned a week later.
This year, the coverage will be missing Sue Barker – the evergreen presenter who retired last summer after 22 years in the anchor’s chair – and Boris Becker, who is not expected to be re-engaged after being released from prison in December.
In their absence, the main presenting duties are expected to be shared between Clare Balding and Isa Guha, who made their names in horse-racing and cricket respectively.
Federer’s presence as a pundit is sure to add charisma and gravitas to a production that depends heavily on John McEnroe’s verbal fluency.
Since his retirement, Federer has appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – which is where he revealed his story about the Wimbledon security guard – and attended Paris Fashion Week with his wife Mirka.
Other content posted on his Instagram account included a video of him skiing – accompanied by the caption
.“It’s been 15 years, it’s so good to be back on the slopes” – and a film about the art installation project he modelled for in Venice, where he had to strip down to his underwear before being encased in plaster.
Federer is not expected to spend Wimbledon fortnight working frantically in the manner of McEnroe, who splits himself between BBC TV, BBC radio and ESPN’s coverage for the American market. He prefers a more serene existence.
Doubling up between BBC and ESPN is still a possibility for Federer, but would more likely involve some kind of alternating deal: a daily commentary match for one network, followed by a punditry appearance on the sofa on the other, and then switching around 24 hours later.
Two different employers would help to cover Federer’s costs, which – for a man who used to command at least $1m per day for an exhibition event – are likely to be substantial.
BBC documents show that for the last two years they have paid McEnroe a salary of between £180,000 and £184,999, but they have found it difficult to retain other overseas stars such as Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Jim Courier, who have all made appearances on the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage without becoming regulars.
Federer received a rapturous standing ovation at Wimbledon last year
For comparison, Balding’s salary was listed at between £205,000 and £209,999, and Guha’s at between £155,000 and £159,999 – although they both work on other sports as well.
Becker was never paid enough to be included among the biennial disclosure of the BBC’s highest-paid stars, who must earn at least £150,000 to be included.
The All England Club co-operate closely with the BBC and other rights-holders on their broadcasts, usually providing the production for the live match coverage in-house.
It would certainly be in the tournament’s interest to make use of the most popular champion in Wimbledon history, whose arrival on Centre Court during last summer’s 100th anniversary ceremony prompted a rapturous standing ovation.
Federer also enjoyed a special rapport with Barker, who famously reduced him to tears when she interviewed him after his maiden Wimbledon title in 2003. “I hope the club will do a tribute for him next year,” Barker told the Telegraph in September. “If I were in the job I would certainly be pushing to celebrate his career at Wimbledon.”
Main photo:- Roger Federer appeared to a rapturous ovation at the 100 years centenary event at Wimbledon 2022
Alexander Zverev cooled the jets of a teenaged tearaway on Tuesday, schooling Spaniard Rafael Jodar 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to power to his fifth career semi-final at the French Open.
The world No. 3 German finished runner-up in Paris two years ago and is still seeking his first trophy at one of the majors.
Zverev has been a consistent presence at the business end of the event here, figuring iin five of the past six semis.
But the achievement doesn’t amount to much for the seed, who has his eye on the big prize.
“I want to keep going. I don’t really care so much about a semi-final,” he said. “I want to win all the matches in front of me.
“Today was a tough test against a good player – that’s it for now.”
The 29-year-old who becomes the ninth man to play five Paris semi-finals, got away slowly as the 19-year-old Jodar showed his intentions with an early break..
But the seed began turning the tables on his young opponent while trailing 5-2 in the opening set after dropping serve in the eight-minute opening game.
Jodar’s unravelling began as he served for the first set leading 5-4 but was unable to close it out.
From then on, Zverev was in control.
The German won the opener in a tiebreaker and dominated the second to claim that chapter also.
In the third, he broke the fading youngster in the first and last games of the set
before closing out the win with a running forehand down the line on match point.
“He had perfect rhythm in the first set and I didn’t,” the winner said. “I was playing too short and too defensive.
“The ball was also not bouncing as high as it did in (last week’s) heat, I had to flatten out my shots.
“He outplayed me at the beginning of the first, but I managed to come back.
he seemed a bit nervous when he served for (the set).
“I took my chances, it was a good match for me.”
Main photo:- Alexander Zverev in control at Roland Garros – by ATPTour.com
Matteo Berrettini took Italian revenge on Monday against the Argentine who knocked out Jannik Sinner with a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6) fourth-round demolition of Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the French Open.
Former top 10 player Berrettini, now mended after several seasons of intermittent injury absences sent the South American packing in a solid clay display.
The Italian saved three Cerundolo set points in the third-set tiebreaker, with Berrettini claiming a match point on an inside-out forehand, and following up with a serve winner..
“I feel great,” Berrettini said. “I’m happy with the support in a full stadium.
“This is why we train and fight, I’m enjoying the atmosphere with my team and family.”
Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime booked the last eight as he put out another South American in Canadian-born Chilean AlejandroTabilo 6-3, 7-5, 6-1.
FAA becomes the first Canadian man to complete the set of quarter-finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
The 30-year-old Berretini from Rome is competing at Roland Garros for the first time since 2021 when he also reached the last eight here.
The current No. 105 is the lowest-ranked men’s quarter-finalist in Paris since in 2007.
Cobolli lost his first set of the tournament as he ran up against an American with negligible experience on clay, defeating Zach Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5).
The 10th-seeded Italian’s victory put him into his second Grand Slam and his first in Paris.
“I was a little bit nervous to close the match today,” the winner said. “It means a lot, this tournament, for me.
“Sometimes it’s not easy when you have to close, especially when you are up in the score like I was today.
“But also Zachary played a really good match today after the second set… tennis is like this. At the end, I was happy, and that’s the important thing.”
Svajda came to the major with only one career match win on clay. He began correcting that in the third round by beating Francisco.Cerundolo.
Cobolli cruised through the first two sets but his perfect set record took a dent in the third as Svajda forced a tiebreaker and saved a match point after closing the Italian’s 5-1 lead and forcing a tiebreaker.
It took a tiebreak fourth set to settle the outcome after more than three and a quarter hours.
Alexander Zverev stayed on track for a possible fourth Grand Slam final as the highest seed remaining in the men’s draw at the French Open moved efficiently into the quarter-finals on Sunday.
The German who has finished runner-up at the Australian and US Open plus Roland Garros, defeated qualifying lucky loser Jesper de Jong 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-1.
With this week’s second-round losses by world No. 1 and top seed Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic, Zverev could have one of his best chances at lifting a major trophy.
The 29-year-old reached his eighth Roland Garros quarter-final as he beat his Dutch opponent on de Jong’s 26th birthday.
He needed a tiebreak to secure the opening set but picked up momentum before crushing it in the third set to get off court in a relatively quick two and a quarter hours.
“I had some early difficulties but he started well,” the winner said. “But once I found my rhythm I felt comfortable on the court.
“That is important for my game. It’s (his game) is there, I just have to show it on the match court.”
With the recent 10-day heatwave now gone, temperatures dropped into the mid-20s Celsius, which should make for more comfortable conditions.
But Zverev is not so sure: “To be honest, I like the heat, I prefer it. My ball flies a lot faster through the air and opponents struggle a bit more.
“I also spend a lot of time in Florida so I’m used to the heat. But we have to make the best of it, things can change within one day.”
Zverev will bid for the semi-finals in a matchup against Rafael Jodar, the prodigy who won an all-Spanish fourth-rounder 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 over Pablo Carreno Busta.
The fightback took nearly three and three-quarter hours and put the 19-year-old into his first last-eight spot in only his second Grand Slam appearance.
He has reached the last eight here for a sixth straight year.
Jodar, ranked No. 707 a year ago, is the fifth man this century to reach the quarters in his main draw debut at the event.
The youngster made a 4-1 start in the opening set but soon found himself in a five-set dogfight against a 34-year-old dealing with a shoulder injury.
The winner of a clay title in March has now taken victory in 19 of his last 22 matches.
“He’s young and incredibly talented,” Zverev said of his next opponent. “He came onto the clay scene in two months.
“He will be a difficult challenge but I’ll be ready for it.”
Main photo:- Favourite Alexander Zverev wins third round match – by ATPTour.com
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