BBC bosses are facing a talent-juggling act to keep a trio of former champions from verbal volleying in the broadcast booth at the Wimbledon Championships.
The volatile Jimmy Connors, one of the original bad boys of the game three decades ago, will be on hand along with Wimbledon TV regulars John McEnroe and Boris Becker.
With McEnroe and Connors hot rivals during their heydays of the late 1970s and into the 1980s, the pair have never been best mates.
Becker, the three-time Wimbledon winner, has had his broadcast run-ins with the opinionated McEnroe.
Connors is back in circulation after 15 or more years out of the tennis spotlight. The American known for his blustery demeanour, would not be expected to pull any punches during match commentary — a style which has already gotten up the nose of the notorious Mac.
At this month’s Queen’s tournament, Becker and McEnroe also got into a few verbal sparring matches, with the German abruptly shifting the talk back to tennis when the American seemed to drone on with a personal anecdote.
To prevent any on-air feuding, BBC officials have said they will only decide on the commentator lineups at the last minute.
With a book release due and 22 summers on the job, outgoing Wimbledon referee Alan Mills has created a well-timed stir by blasting the grunts which predominate in today’s tennis.
The official known as the ”Rain Man” for his appearances over the years, radio in hand, for a decision on whether to keep playing or roll out the court covers, says the noise pollution blighting the game is all a bit too much.
”I don’t like it at all,” he told the Sunday Times. ”Today there is probably more grunting than there has ever been.
”If I was playing an opponent making so much noise, I think I’d just laugh. But it’s what young players are being coached to do.” For Mills, the quieter players are being subjected to ”noise pollution” and some are striking back.
”Many of the non-grunting players are unhappy about the noise pollution and a kind of counter-grunt culture has emerged in recent years whereby offended parties ape their opponent’s noises.
”Officials can only act if the player is shown to be making the noise on purpose, which is virtually impossible to do. As far as I am concerned, it is certainly a specific matter that the rule makers should address.” -Sapa-DPA