How much does John McEnroe get paid for Wimbledon commentary job
The amount of money the BBC spends to maintain John McEnroe on its Wimbledon commentary team has been the subject of some conjecture as well as a fierce debate regarding the gender pay gap in tennis.
McEnroe is said to earn between £150,000 and £199,999 for his commentary work.
He also appears on other programming for the BBC and makes guest appearances in still more tennis media.
An outspoken figure, there has long been a keen interest in what McEnroe has to say, whether it is about the game or related issues.
During his playing career, McEnroe bagged north of $12 million in prize money after racking up 77 career singles titles.
His current net worth is estimated to be somewhere in the region of $100 million thanks to various commercial arrangements, appearance fees and royalties.
McEnroe has even appeared as a guitarist on the solo debut album of Chrissie Hynde, the former lead singer of The Pretenders.
McEnroe is an expensive get, and in a field where the gender pay gap has long been a contentious issue, he was rumoured to make 10 times as much as Martina Navratilova, a fellow former Wimbledon champion who is now a pundit and commentator.
McEnroe has persistently denied the suggestion of gender discrimination.
“If you work at a paper and there’s a woman and man,” he said in 2008.
“You’re going to get paid based on the job you do in the opinion of the paper. Right?
“If the girl does the better job she should get more money.
“That’s what it boils down to.”
His trademark temper tantrums have wound up generating considerable opportunities, but McEnroe admitted that it is hard to watch himself years later.
While reviewing footage for an the 2022 documentary McEnroe, he remarked: “What are you? A stupid f***ing moron?”
In McEnroe, he opened up on his life away from the court, which he admitted was often a shambles as he sought fulfilment in substance abuse and excess destroying the connections he ultimately craved.
Now 63, McEnroe seems to believe that he has a better handle on his temper, even if he still speaks his mind and manages to get himself into trouble from time to time.
The brash American will return to the Wimbledon commentary box this season alongside former champions Navratilova, Billie Jean King and Pat Cash. We know he won’t hold back.
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