TENNIS pundit Annabel Croft was slammed by Wimbledon viewers yesterday over a flirty comment she made live on air.
The retired tennis ace, 58, is a staple of the BBC‘s coverage and was tasked with interviewing the men’s finalists after their match on centre court.
Croft, who appeared on Strictly Come Dancing last year, accidentally called 21-year-old champion Carlos Alcaraz “hot” when interviewing runner-up Novak Djokovic.
She said: “Novak, I know this is not the result that you wanted, but you were up against such a hot, talented opponent today in Carlos Alcaraz…”
The crowd immediately picked up on the compliment and cheered in good humour.
It prompted Croft to immediately explain herself, saying: “He was on fire. Can you just share with us your thoughts on the final?”
The light-hearted remark didn’t sit well with everyone though.
One viewer at home wrote on X: “Would we be saying the same if a older man said this about a young women?”
A second added: “I thought the same thing! Carlos is only just 21. Totally inappropriate & unprofessional.”
A third fumed: “Cringeworthy. I turned off at that point. Stop these terrible on-court interviews.”
However, others found it amusing and agreed with her wording.
One said: “Annabel speaks for all of us!”
Another posted: “It was very funny.”
A third commented: “If @BBCSport cannot grovel, be humble enough and let Sue Barker come back. Then, if she is ready get @Annabel_Croft to be lead Tennis presenter. Even if she calls a player hot…”
Alcaraz eased to a 6-2 6-2 7-6 straight sets victory to become only the ninth man to defend his Wimbledon crown.
Djokovic, 39, wasn’t his usual dominant self on the court, playing just weeks after undergoing knee surgery.
He was gracious in defeat though and answered Croft’s question by saying: “Obviously not the result that I wanted, of course especially in the first couple of sets, not the level of tennis I wanted.
“It wasn’t up to par from my side but credit to Carlos for playing some incredible tennis, some very complete tennis from the back of the court, serve, I mean he had it all today. I tried to push him, I saved three match points and extended it, but it wasn’t to be.
“He was an absolutely deserved winner today, so huge congratulations to him for amazing tennis. And to his team, Juan Carlos [Ferrero] and everyone, his family, you guys are doing an amazing job. It’s a one-man show when you’re on the court. Only 21 years old age, it’s incredible, keep it going and we’ll see a lot of you, I’m sure.”
While four-time slam winner Alcaraz told Croft: “I did an interview when I was 12 or 11 years old and I said my dream was to win Wimbledon. I am achieving my dream. I want to keep going. For me this is the most beautiful court, tournament and trophy.”
The Princess of Wales, making a long-awaited return to public duty following her announcement she was undergoing cancer treatment, handed out the trophies on Centre Court in her role as AELTC patron.
VIPs in attendance included Tom Cruise, Mo Salah, Jack Grealish and Emma Raducanu.
PRIZE MONEY for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships is a new record – and puts the grass-court Slam at the top of the tree.
The All England Club will dish out £50million across all the events – an increase of £5.3m and 11.9 per cent on last year, where singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova picked up £2.35m each.
However, the king and queen of grass this July will collect an extra £350,000 – taking the winner’s earnings to £2.7m.
Here is the breakdown for the 2024 Wimbledon singles prize money:
