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John Barrett says farewell to Wimbledon

SJA member John Barrett, whose dulcet tones have enhanced the BBC’s television coverage of the Wimbledon tennis championships for 35 years, has announced his retirement from working at the event.

Barrett, pictured, who replaced the late Dan Maskell as the principal BBC commentator in 1992, did his last piece of commentary at this year’s Wimbledon, which ended earlier this month.

A former tennis professional, Barrett played in every Wimbledon championship between 1950 and 1970, but at 75 years old, he has decided to reduce his commentary commitments (he will continue to work at the Australian Open each year).

“He has made the decision after all this time to stop commentating almost completely and he shan’t be doing Wimbledon anymore,” a BBC spokeswoman said. “He has the feeling that he wants to enjoy Wimbledon socially.”

Barrett will continue his work as the freelance tennis correspondent of the Financial Times, writing pieces for the paper’s Saturday sports page.

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