Roger Federer’s BBC Wimbledon role should be ‘something unique’ like ‘running a show or doing interviews’

Wimbledon
Roger Federer interview at Wimbledon

Roger Federer will be a welcome addition to the tennis TV studios should he take up a role at the BBC for this year’s Wimbledon coverage, but former world No 2 Alex Corretja feels he would be wasted in the commentary booth as he should be “doing interviews or a programme”.

The curtain came down on Federer’s playing career in September last year after he failed to recover from a serious knee injury, but the tennis great has vowed to stay involved in the sport as he insisted “I won’t be a ghost or a stranger”.

And it looks like his involvement will come at Wimbledon this year as he is in advanced talks with the BBC about joining their commendatory team.

One player who made a smooth transition from the court to the studio is Corretja as the two-time French Open runner-up is a regular with Eurosport these days.

The Spaniard says “it will be awesome” to have Federer on television screens.

“I mean Roger can do whatever he likes, he’s going to be welcome anywhere he goes,” he told Express Sport.

“He knows tennis, he loves tennis, he is well respected, he’s such a classy guy and definitely that would be awesome for us to have him somewhere related to tennis.”

Corretja added: “I think it’s nice to have the ex-players involved because they can add lots of things, lots of experiences that no one lived before so if you’ve been there before it’s much easier to explain why players are feeling one way or another than if you’ve never been there before.

“I think it will be awesome to have Federer involved in tennis which I think he will continue, but the more he will be, the better for everyone.”

Many believe that if Federer does accept a role with the BBC, it will be as an analyst or co-commentator, but Corretja feels it will be a waste of his talent if he sits in the commentary booth for eight hours a day as he “deserves” to have a special show.

“I’m not so sure if he’s going to be calling matches or not, I’m not so sure if he’s going to be sitting in the booth, maybe he might do it from time to time,” he said.

“But I see him running a show, being the main one there and saying ‘Okay, I’m the man here’, guiding the whole thing. Maybe doing interviews or a programme, doing something special.”

He continued: “But it has to be something special and knowing Roger, for sure it’s going to be something special.

“He’s not going to be calling matches for eight hours a day, I don’t think that makes sense. You need to value Federer as what he is and he has to be something very unique because he is very unique.”

READ MORE: Will Roger Federer get John McEnroe money from the BBC for Wimbledon gig?

Alex Corretja Roger Federer

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