Over the last year or so, many of us who have a passion for sport have seen our favourite past-time hobbled. The days of events with no crowds meant getting used to sport from a whole new perspective – a perspective that was far less satisfying to enjoy. Now, though, things feel totally different – the world feels more alive, more ambitious, more human. Thanks to the return of crowds to sporting events, we got to witness a flagship change in the form of Wimbledon. Complete once again with crowds, we have a fascinating insight into how things work for those who actually spend their day covering the events.
If you are interested in ever getting into commentary, or even just knowing how a commentator is chosen, then it is worth listening to Andrew Castle. As one of the commentaries and punditry leads on tennis for the BBC, Castle is hugely respected within the sporting world. His down to earth personality paired with his friendly and endearing style, matched with plenty of tennis knowledge, makes Castle an erudite and endearing personality to listen to.
However, Castle has opened up about how his job came to be in the first place. if you have ever wondered how one of the leading voices in British commentary found himself to this position, then read on.
How did Andrew Castle get into commentary for tennis at the BBC?
Speaking about the chance to land his dream role as a tennis commentator, Castle opened up about his exciting lifestyle and the path that led him to this point. Speaking about the opportunity he was provided, Castle said: “I remember being up in Slaley Hall in Northumberland during the first week of Wimbledon,” he said. “I was covering the golf for Sky Sports.
“I was sitting there in my room thinking: ‘It’s a bit mad that I’m doing the golf when all this tennis is going on’. I called an old friend who was actually in charge of the Wimbledon broadcast and managed to get on board with that, luckily.
“My first commentary was a Rafael Nadal match out on court 12, and I remember him standing out. It grew from there. Now I get to sit in the Centre Court commentary box with these legends watching guys like Nadal and Roger Federer. How lucky is that?”
So, as you can see, things just sometimes happen as you might not expect. The world of sports commentary can be, like the match itself, something that is about opportunism and taking the right approach when the moment feels just right.
For that reason, then, there is a huge level of intrigue in how you make it as a commentator. As Castle shows, then, most of the time it comes from a mixture of hard work, talent, and, crucially, being in just the correct place at just the right time and thus making life that bit easier.