Andrew Castle is set to commentate his last Wimbledon men’s final and he couldn’t resist a parting shot at the BBC
16:35, 12 Jul 2026Updated 16:36, 12 Jul 2026
Andrew Castle took a parting shot at the BBC on his final Wimbledon appearance(Image: BBC)
Andrew Castle has claimed he is being “booted” off BBC‘s coverage during his final Wimbledon appearance. The 62-year-old revealed ahead of the tournament that this would be his last after the BBC told him they would be demoting him.
The broadcaster intends to replace him with Andrew Cotter as lead commentator for next year’s tournament. Castle, who again admitted he was ‘upset’ about his exit on Sunday, couldn’t resist a cutting parting shot at the BBC as he was given an opportunity to say his goodbyes on live TV.
Ahead of the men’s final at the All England Club, Castle was joined by John Lloyd and presenter Rishi Persad to discuss the tournament. Their segment was swiftly wrapped up by Persad as they “were running out of time”, though he took a moment to wish Castle well on his farewell appearance.
Castle responded: “Yes, I am a bit sad about it, of course. I have fabulous memories, even working with John. And John is finishing as well, we’re being put out to grass, I mean that’s it. Booted.”
Lloyd, who will also not be part of next year’s coverage, added: “I’ve had a good run. We were talking about it earlier, I started when there was still black and white TV, so it’s been a while. You didn’t start that young, you’re much younger than me and you were great to work with and I loved every minute of it.”
Castle brought the segment to a close by saying: “Well, I did too. My kids were eight and 10 when I did my first Wimbledon final and they’re now married.
“One has children and there’s one expecting on the way so don’t tell me there’s nothing to do. (Turns to John) We’ll play golf next week yes?”
Alexander Zverev vs Jannik Sinner is the last Wimbledon final that Andrew Castle will commentate on
Castle is now set to commentate on the men’s final between Sinner and Zverev, which will mark his last time in the commentary booth.
Since 2003, he has served as the BBC’s lead commentator at Wimbledon, but has opted to depart after learning he would be stripped of the role he occupied for 23 years.
Speaking about his decision, Castle said: “I’m approaching it [the final] in exactly the same way I have the other ones,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I’m taking a few more pictures this time because I know it’s coming to an end.
“I don’t hide this, I’m very, very sad and disappointed and all these other things. There’s a sense of grief that goes with this because there’s so many memories. I’ve never taken it for granted.
“To a degree, this was unexpected. The news was delivered to me in a respectful way. I had a meeting after taking a phone call that didn’t sound too good.
“Phil Bernie came down from BBC Sport and said ‘look, we’re going in a different direction for the final next year, we’d like you to stay a part of the team’.
“I thought about that, talked to my wife Sophia and the children, let it sit. Then I declined to be a part of the team for next year, because once you’ve done the final, everything else is less. It’s such an event, such a thing.”
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