Nick Kyrgios slams his ‘disrespectful’ BBC colleague Andrew Castle for his Wimbledon commentary, re-opening their feud after he called him a ‘clown’
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has publicly criticised fellow player Andrew Castle for a ‘disrespectful’ comment, reopening his feud with the BBC commentator.
Kyrgios, 29, first lashed out at Castle at Wimbledon last year, calling Castle a “clown” over comments he made during the final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz won 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in just under five hours, but Kyrgios was clearly annoyed by watching the match on the BBC and urged the 60-year-old Castle to keep his involvement to a minimum.
Who’s the clown next to you? [Todd] “Woodbridge in the commentary box should just keep his mouth shut or he’ll ruin the game big time,” he tweeted.
Castle, a former professional footballer now best known for his commentary, irritated the Australian again during Monday’s match between Taylor Fritz and Alexander Zverev.
During the match, Castle said: “You can’t say it was the most exciting tennis, to be honest.”
Kyrgios, who also does commentary for the BBC, was unhappy with the comment and took to social media to criticise Castle.
“Not interesting,” was a comment from a commentator following the Zverev-Fritz match,” Kyrgios posted.
Nick Kyrgios (pictured) lashes out at BBC colleague Andrew Castle for ‘disrespect’
Castle (pictured) has once again gotten under the Australian fire-eater’s skin with his commentary
“This alone tells me they’ve probably never played at a high level. 2 of the most elite servers we have. Very disrespectful. Come on, step it up.”
Castle, a former British No. 1, has been the BBC’s lead commentator on all men’s singles finals for the past 20 years.
As a player he reached the second round at Wimbledon in 1986 and 1987, but at the Australian Open he never got past the first round on three attempts (1987, 1988 and 1991).
His best result in a singles tournament at any of the four majors came in 1987, when he reached the third round of the US Open.
The 60-year-old was more successful as a doubles player, reaching the final of the mixed doubles tournament at the Aussie Open in 1987 and the semi-finals of the doubles the following year.
Kyrgios is back on the BBC commentary team at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club this year, having last played a competitive tennis match in June 2023 due to a series of injuries.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist has struggled with serious wrist, knee and foot problems over the past two years, as well as a host of legal issues.
He was charged with simple assault, among other things, for pushing his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari. In 2021, he pleaded guilty to this charge.
Kyrgios was unimpressed when Castle delivered a very different drama last week.
The veteran commentator instead decided to grill Kyrgios about his removal of a spectator from the Wimbledon crowd during his men’s singles final loss to Novak Djokovic, saying at the time that “it looked like she had about 700 drinks”.
“She distracts me when I’m serving in a Wimbledon final. There’s no greater occasion, you didn’t believe me and then she did it again. It almost cost me the match,” Kyrgios raged.
“Why is she still here? She’s drunk and talking to me in the middle of a game. What’s acceptable? Throw her out. I know exactly which one it is. The one in the dress, who looks like she’s had about 700 drinks, bro.”
Kyrgios had previously called Castle a ‘clown’ for his comments during the 2023 Wimbledon final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz
Kyrgios and Castle were on commentary for the English-language showdown between Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie when the incident occurred.
Draper complained to the chair umpire about someone in the crowd. He said, “That guy needs to stop talking during my service.” The umpire then warned the crowd.
Castle was quick to seize on the parallels, saying, “Draper’s a little annoyed with someone. Maybe they’ve had 500 beers, mate?”
Kyrgios quickly responded: ‘Oh no! We can’t say that, otherwise I’ll get into trouble!’
“Since when have you been trying to avoid that?” Castle asked.
“Yes, that’s right,” Kyrgios replied with a laugh.
Castle: ‘Starting a new chapter? Being a good boy?’
Kyrgios: ‘I’m trying to find the balance.’