The director of sports at the BBC has expressed a desire for Andrew Castle to continue his role in the Wimbledon commentary team, following the news of his departure from the broadcaster.
Alex Kay-Jelski confirmed that 62-year-old Castle chose to leave after being informed of his demotion from the position of lead commentator, which means that this year’s men’s final will be his last.
Kay-Jelski emphasized Castle’s significant contributions, stating that he had “an absolutely brilliant innings” and that he hoped the commentator would remain involved in 2027 and beyond.
“I’m not going to get into private conversations,” Kay-Jelski remarked. “We asked Andrew to stay, because we think he’s excellent. He’s been doing this for 20 years, and he took the decision that that’s enough.”
He added that Castle was informed by the BBC that this would be his final men’s final, noting, “this was going to be his last men’s final”
Castle himself revealed that he felt hurt by the BBC’s decision, sharing his feelings in an interview.
“I think he said this week that it was done face to face, done nicely, he’s done an absolutely brilliant innings.”
Reflecting on his career, Castle expressed a desire for his last Wimbledon to coincide with the 2027 tournament, marking a quarter-century of his commentary work with the BBC. “Am I upset? Yeah, I was upset, and I will stay that way this year, knowing it’s my last. But all good things come to an end.” he noted, adding, “It would have been my 25th year,”
When asked about the process of finding Castle’s successor, Kay-Jelski stated, “To go and get the best person” regardless of age or gender.
“You asked there about age and gender, I don’t ever look at that,” he clarified. “It’s just not how my brain works, and it won’t be how the team’s brain works,”
Kay-Jelski highlighted the diversity of talent in punditry, mentioning notable commentators such as Laura Robson and Eugenie Bouchard, alongside Tracy Austin, whom he regards as extremely knowledgeable about tennis.
Furthermore, he announced that Laura Robson would be providing analysis courtside during matches, starting with Serena Williams’ first-round match against Maya Joint, a first for Wimbledon.
“You just look at who the best people are, sometimes the best person is X, sometimes the best person is Y. “You can see that with pundit lineups. You can have Laura Robson and Eugenie Bouchard. You can also have Tracy Austin, who probably knows more about tennis than all of us put together. I just don’t think it’s about male, female and age.” he stated. “We’re adding more analysis,”
