BBC Wimbledon commentator surprises everyone by announcing retirement during the final
John Lloyd, the well-loved BBC tennis commentator, shared that he will be commentating on his final Wimbledon during Saturday’s men’s doubles final. At 71, Lloyd, who was a player reaching the Australian Open final back in 1977, has been a familiar voice on BBC since the 1990s.
As the former British number one called the men’s doubles final—won by British player Henry Patten and his Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara—he announced that he would be retiring from broadcasting after this event.
Lloyd is the second BBC commentator to retire after Wimbledon this year. Jo Durie, former women’s world number five, called her final match last Saturday when Iga Swiatek lost to Alexandra Eala on Centre Court. Andrew Castle is also leaving the BBC following the men’s final on Sunday between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev.
After the men’s doubles final, co-commentator Todd Woodbridge took a moment to say some kind words to Lloyd before the trophy presentations. Lloyd modestly replied, “Wow. Don’t need to.” Woodbridge said, “This might be our last time sitting together in the commentary box. It’s been a real pleasure.” Another co-commentator, Chris Bradnam, added, “John’s last Wimbledon.” Lloyd thanked them warmly.
Woodbridge jokingly said he looked forward to catching up with him later in the members’ room since Lloyd wasn’t leaving the club entirely. Lloyd happily agreed.
Lloyd won’t be commentating on this year’s men’s or women’s finals. Instead, Sam Smith will cover the women’s final between Czech players Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova.
Besides his work with the BBC, Lloyd occasionally worked on Sky Sports tournaments and captained Great Britain’s Davis Cup team until 2010.
While Lloyd and Durie have both decided to retire, Andrew Castle is stepping down after learning he’d lose his lead commentator role following this Wimbledon. He mentioned in an interview that he had hoped to commentate on the 2027 final to mark 25 years with the BBC but said with a smile, “But who’s complaining?”
BBC’s director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, spoke about finding new talent, emphasizing that age or gender doesn’t play a role in their decisions. He pointed out that the focus is always on who is the best fit. He gave examples of different expert commentators, including Laura Robson, Eugenie Bouchard, and Tracy Austin, highlighting their tennis knowledge.
He also confirmed that the BBC will keep offering courtside analysis during matches, a move that worked well for Sky Sports during last year’s US Open with Laura Robson.