- Nick Kyrgios is a pundit for the BBC at Wimbledon
- The BBC’s decision to hire him has proven controversial
- Kyrgios, 29, pled guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend in 2021
The BBC have defended their decision to hire Nick Kyrgios after being accused of showing ‘utter contempt’ towards women by hiring the Australian as a Wimbledon pundit.
Kyrgios, who finished as 2022 men’s singles runner up, has joined the BBC’s punditry team for this year’s tournament in South West London, after ruling himself out of competing due to injury.
The 29-year-old has demonstrated his prowess as a pundit while being sidelined, impressing fans during stints with Eurosport during the Australian Open as well as the Tennis Channel.
Kyrgios was behind the microphone for Carlos Alcaraz’s opening round win over Mark Lajal on Monday, but his presence on the broadcast has angered some onlookers, given his chequered past.
The Australian pled guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari in Canberra in 2021, and Caroline Nokes, Conservative MP and women and equalities committee chair, said that Kyrgios’s appointment is insulting towards women.
‘The BBC should hang its head in shame at this appointment,’ said Caroline Nokes. ‘It’s a disgrace and shows the utter contempt our national broadcaster has towards women.
‘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.’
Nick Kyrgios’s punditry gig with the BBC has been criticised by an MP
Caroline Nokes says Kyrgios’s presence on the TV coverage shows ‘contempt to woman’ after he pled guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Chiara Passari (left)
The BBC defended its decision after Kyrgios escaped conviction following the incident
Kyrgios was apologetic for the incident, in which he pushed his ex-girlfriend to the ground during an argument in January 2021, but he avoided a criminal conviction for the incident.
In response, the BBC said that the incident should not prevent the broadcaster from relying on his tennis expertise during the tournament.
‘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 in a statement.
‘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.’