John McEnroe earning fortune at Australian Open after BBC wages left fans baffled
Tennis icon John McEnroe is on media duties at the Australian Open, and the famously outspoken star is expected to pocket a tidy sum for his efforts
Tennis legend John McEnroe is back on media duties for the Australian Open, and he’ll be pocketing a small fortune if his past earnings are anything to go by. The 65-year-old will not only share his expertise on Australia’s Channel Nine but also help his compatriots out by going behind the mic for U.S. network ESPN. That’s not all; alongside Brits Laura Robson and Tim Henman, McEnroe will also feature across the coverage on Eurosport and Discovery+.
The fiery star returned to take on the coverage of the Melbourne showpiece last year after a four year lay-off. However, while it’s not exactly known how much he will rake in for his array of television appearances across the tournament, if McEnroe’s hefty salary for his work with the BBC during Wimbledon last year is anything to go by, as well as his stature as one of the game’s leading analysts, then he’s in good stead.
McEnroe’s earnings for just two weeks’ work at Wimbledon last summer left fans stunned.The icon was one of the corporation’s leading pundits at the All England Club, and as the BBC published the salaries of its highest-paid stars as part of its annual report, it emerged McEnroe earned just under £200,000, which is the equivalent of £14,000 for every day of the tournament.
His pay of £195,000 is even down from the £205,000 he earned in 2022/23. According to a report dated back to 2014 by Australian outlet news.com.au, ex-players on media duty for the Australian major would expect to take home up to $150,000 (£76,000) from one network alone.
However, with inflation, this is expected to have risen sharply over the last eleven years. The report went on to state that any luxury wage would also “include business class flights and five-star accommodation or a suitable serviced apartment.”
The report stated that stars can also pick up a pretty penny from corporate gigs while they’re in Australia. While it’s largely expected for ex-pros to make a substantial earning from calling games, McEnroe’s salary for the Beeb in 2024 forced some fans to kick up a fuss on social media.
One posted on X: “Wow, 2 weeks work at nearly £100,000.00 a week. Come on, all kids’ hard work does pay” while another added: “How can the BBC justify paying John McEnroe £195,000 to commentate for a few hours per day over 14 days?”
However, it’s not all been plain sailing for McEnroe since returning to Australia. The seven-time major winner came in for flak recently after his commentary on former Australian Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas’ first-round clash with Zizou Bergs, with McEnroe conceding he knew nothing about Bergs.
Tennis star Thai-Son Kwiatkowski took to social media to call out McEnroe, saying: “Insane to me that time and time again J. McEnroe goes on air and just admits he has zero clue who a player is.
“Today, (Zizou) Bergs, 120 atp (ranking), just says to the world, hey guys, I’ve done zero research for my job and I’m just going to disrespect someone who’s top 150 in the world at a job.”
Former world No.1 McEnroe won Wimbledon three times, the U.S. Open four times, and the French Open once during his career. However, the Australian Open is the only major final he didn’t reach, with the famously outspoken star having to settle for a semi-final appearance as his best effort in the competition.
