Daily Mail: BBC 'defend paying John McEnroe more than £205,000 for Wimbledon'

Story from Daily Mail:

BBC insiders have reportedly defended their decision to increase John McEnroe's pay for this year's Wimbledon, despite him not commentating the men's final.

The three-time men's singles champion at the All England Club has been a consistent feature of the BBC's coverage of the sport's most prestigious event for a number of years.

According to a report from The Times, figures from the public service broadcaster show McEnroe earned between £205,000 and £209,000 for his coverage of the event, an increase of around 10% from the previous year.

An insider told The Times that the 64-year-old appeared on the BBC every day during the tournament, serving as both an in-studio analyst and a commentator.

'He is one of the most popular and respected pundits in tennis, and he provides a unique perspective to our coverage.'

However, McEnroe was not selected to provide commentary for the men's singles final as Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic earlier this month.

Instead, the Beeb opted for the trio of Andrew Castle, Todd Woodbridge and Tim Henman for the historic clash.

McEnroe did serve in the commentary team for the women's final, as Marketa Vondrousova defeated Ons Jabeur to become the first unseeded woman ever to triumph in the competition.

This year's tournament also marked the first time coverage was not headed by veteran broadcaster Sue Barker.

After 30 years as the face of the BBC's coverage of the event, Barker stepped down last year to be replaced by Clare Balding.