What Makes a Good Tennis Commentator on TV?
To start with, he or she must have an appealing voice... even though it's TV, you practically never see tennis commentators' faces, but you always hear their voices. Nonetheless, appearances matter as well. I really appreciate the commentators who seem to have "done their homework" (or have research assistants who have) because I expect them to provide background and historical information about the players beyond the
analysis of the current match. Less is usually more and the better commentators know when to let the moment speak for itself. Do you need to have been a superstar player, e.g. John McEnroe, to be a good commentator? Definitely not. In fact, some former tennis legends have not been effective as tennis color commentators. However, it is an asset to have played on the pro Tour because it provides the first-hand knowledge of the training, nerves, etc. One trend that I hope continues is women commenting on men's matches, as well as men commentating on women's matches. Gender is less important than knowledge, perspective and experience.
|| Comments (5)
Comments
A good play-by-play commentator should know when to quit talking. In my opinion that is the most important thing. Most of them are pretty good about that, and I can just hit the Mute button when the "color" guys start up. Tennis fans know the game, know most of the players, and don't need a whole lot of yak-yak to enjoy the match.
Posted by: Gayle DeForest | August 25, 2007 01:49 PM
Very interesting... as always! Cheers from -Switzerland-.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 27, 2007 07:28 AM
how do u become a tennis commentator?im a big fan of tennis
Posted by: siddharth | June 18, 2008 02:15 PM
I think commentators have to try harder to pronounce the players' names. My personal pet peeve is Rafael Nadal. Spanish is so easy because all vowels are the same and it's just as you spell it. So, it's RA-FA-EL NA-DAL, not RA-FEE-EL NA-DALL. Sometimes, they are disrespectful, too. I think it was P. McEnroe this week insisted on saying, SIMON (like Simon Says) instead of SEE-MON, even after he was corrected by his colleague.
Can't SOMEONE suggest to the commentators that they need try a little harder?
Posted by: Connie | July 3, 2008 03:45 PM
Please tell that woman commentator I cannot remeber her name but she is a real motor mouth she never shuts up so annoyiny
Posted by: barbara davies | August 31, 2008 11:15 AM