The tennis world thrives on high-stakes drama, and it’s not just players who find themselves in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. While we’ve seen players lose their cool or engage in heated exchanges on the court, commentators have also been known to stir up controversy with their choice of words. One such eyebrow-raising incident involves former British tennis player and commentator John Lloyd, famously Chris Evert‘s ex-husband. In his autobiography, Lloyd spills the tea on a moment from his commentary days that left him in hot water.

The former British tennis player’s autobiography, Dear John: The John Lloyd Autobiography was published in May 2022. The book detailed a lot of aspects related to the life of Lloyd on tennis courts, not just as a player, but also as a commentator. He shared critical perspectives on various topics and detailed some intriguing facets of the sport. And one such aspect was the challenges he faced during his role as a commentator.

Sharing an instance from Wimbledon, Lloyd wrote how he faced the heat of the masses for not choosing his words aptly. “In my early days with the BBC, I was a guest on Harry Carpenter’s Wimbledon highlights show. After a certain British player had lost in the first round, Harry asked: ‘John, if you were her coach, what would you ask her to do to improve her game?’ ‘I’d tell her to drop a stone and a half in weight straight away’.”  Lloyd recalled in his book how the media and fans lashed out at him over his remarks. 

“I was slaughtered in the newspapers. One editorial said: ‘Who is John Lloyd to think he can get away with that?’ Another comment was: ‘He’s got a nerve. He doesn’t exactly look sylphlike himself.’ What’s that got to do with the price of coal in Spain? The cheek of it. I was in damn fine nick.” Explaining his stance, Lloyd revealed that he was just trying to be honest and constructive about his thoughts and had no intention of being insensitive. However, it was these responses that taught him the nuances of commentary. “I learned the hard way, from that angry backlash, that it is not politically correct to mention female players and weight in the same sentence,” Lloyd added.  

Remember, the now 70-year-old started working with BBC in the 1990s and became a known figure, particularly at Wimbledon. His trademark style of using the analogy of food and drink to describe tennis shots was quite loved by fans. Eventually, Lloyd learned his lesson of using apt words from  Lindsay Davenport. “The only way to get away with it is to say something like: ‘She needs to work on her fitness’, and let the public read into that what they will,” Lloyd wrote recalling Davenport’s suggestion. Interestingly, even Chris Evert has faced quite some flak for her commentary. 

During the US Open this year, Evert’s commentary for ESPN during Naomi Osaka’s match with Karolina Muchova drew immense criticism. She ended up comparing Muchova with a male player and said,  “She plays like a guy. She wants to play like a guy.” This led to a huge furor with fans demanding actions against the former pro. Coming back to Lloyd, his bittersweet experiences with commentary definitely made him a pro as he shared interesting advice for the current and upcoming commentators. 

When Chris Evert’s husband John Lloyd shared some advice for commentators

John Lloyd’s career as a commentator saw him working for not just BBC but also Sky Sports. Over the years, he did not just travel to different venues but also witnessed the similarities in differences between cultures, customs, and admiration of fans, which made him experienced enough to share some thoughts with other commentators. One such advice came during an interaction on Tennis Channel’s Inside-In podcast. 

Speaking in the interview in October 2022, Lloyd shared the difference between calling a match in America and Britain. “In American TV, to be honest, the commentators talk a lot. On the BBC, if you talk during the rallies, you’ll lose your job. The fans will literally right in!” he said. Continuing further, he shared some crucial things that a commentator should remember. “You’ve got to have a bit of a sense of humor. It’s a sport and obviously there’s serious times, but it’s just a game,” he added highlighting it’s equally important to enjoy the art of commentary. 

As time evolves, it would be interesting to see if Lloyd will continue to share some more interesting insights from the remarkable experiences he has had in the tennis arena.