![Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon where he is working for BBC as he recovers from injury](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/tennis/2024/07/09/TELEMMGLPICT000383833726_17205193779800_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Nick Kyrgios reopens BBC war of words with Andrew Castle as he calls out commentary
Kyrgios said Castle’s commentary on Taylor Fritz’s win over Alexander Zverev showed he had ‘never played tennis at a high level’
![Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon where he is working for BBC as he recovers from injury](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/tennis/2024/07/09/TELEMMGLPICT000383833726_17205193779800_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Nick Kyrgios, the outspoken Australian, has once again taken aim at Andrew Castle after his BBC commentating colleague criticised the standard of play in Taylor Fritz’s fourth-round victory over Alexander Zverev at Wimbledon on Monday.
Kyrgios, on broadcasting duties owing to long-term injury concerns, took to X - formerly known as Twitter - to accuse Castle of being “disrespectful” and that the 60-year-old’s comments proved that he had “probably never played tennis at a high level”.
Castle, a former British No 1 who made the second round of Wimbledon twice in the 1980s, remarked during the match that “you can’t say it’s been the most captivating tennis, to be frank”.
On X, the 29-year-old took Castle to task, writing: “‘Not captivating’ - was a comment from a commentator who is doing the Zverev & Fritz match. This alone tells me that they have probably never played tennis at a high level. 2 of the most elite servers we have. Quite disrespectful. Cmon be better.”
Monday’s incident was not the first time that Kyrgios had publicly lambasted Castle. Last year, during the men’s singles final at Wimbledon, the Australian called the longstanding broadcaster a “clown” for comments he made during Carlos Alcaraz’s victory over Novak Djokovic and accused him of “spoiling the match big time”. In both instances, Kyrgios has never referred to Castle by name.
He tweeted: “Whoever is the clown next to [Todd] Woodbridge in that commentator box needs to just not speak, spoiling the match big time.”
The 2022 Wimbledon men’s singles finalist has not played a competitive match since June 2023, dogged by serious wrist, knee and foot ailments and is appearing as part of the BBC’s commentary team - alongside Castle - for a second successive year. Castle has been the BBC’s lead commentator on all men’s singles finals for two decades and, as a player, reached the second round at Wimbledon in 1986 and 1987.