MP hits out at BBC’s Wimbledon appointment
British Conservative MP Caroline Nokes slammed the BBC for its decision to hire Nick Kyrgios as a Wimbledon 2024 commentator.
Speaking ahead of Wimbledon day one, Nokes said: “It (hiring Kyrgios) is a disgrace and shows the utter contempt our national broadcaster has towards women.”
Nokes, who is also the chair of the British parliament’s women and equalities committee, continued, saying: “Not content with consistently underpaying their own female staff and forcing out women once they hit a certain age, they now bring a man who admitted assaulting a woman on board for Wimbledon.”
The MP’s comments related to a 2021 incident where Kyrgios pushed his then-girlfriend Chiara Passari to the ground in a domestic dispute.
Passari described being with Kyrgios after the incident as feeling "scared to be alone” with the tennis star. She also said the “trust and safety I felt with Nick no longer existed.”
In 2023, a magistrate dropped the charges against Kyrgios, saying that the incident was just an “act of stupidity.”
In response to the decision, Kyrgios said “I reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret.”
BBC defend decision
In light of MP Caroline Nokes’ criticism, the BBC issued a statement defending their decision to hire Kyrgios. The national broadcaster stressed that it did not condone Kyrgios’ past actions and that he is only employed to share his views on tennis as an expert of the sport.
“As a current and high profile player, Nick Kyrgios, will provide insight and analysis of the action on the court from his experience in the game,” the BBC said.
“We are in no way condoning his cited previous actions or behaviours, on and off the court, and he is employed to share his views on tennis only. He has provided similar services to other major sports broadcasters in recent months.
“The legal process he was involved in has concluded, is well documented, and he has spoken about it publicly.”
Beyond this controversy, Kyrgios made waves on his first round of Wimbledon commentary for his effusive praise of betting sites favourite Carlos Alcaraz, saying he looked like “prime (Tim) Henman.” Almost everyone, including his co-commentator, called out Kyrgios’ hyperbole, but he was praised for the entertaining remark nonetheless.
