The BBC "has been accused of a dereliction of its duty to impartiality after allowing John McEnroe to commentate on Milos Raonic’s epic Wimbledon semi-final win against Roger Federer," according to Ben Rumsby of the London TELEGRAPH. McEnroe was also criticized "for fulfilling his broadcasting commitments instead of sitting with the other members of Raonic’s coaching team on Centre Court." The three-time Wimbledon champion "has combined his new role with his television duties during the past fortnight." But the BBC’s decision to allow him to commentate on Raonic’s "stunning five-set triumph over Federer was seen by many as a step too far" (TELEGRAPH, 7/8). In London, Esther Addley wrote the BBC "denied that there was any conflict of interest," with a source for the broadcaster describing McEnroe as "an extremely experienced professional" who "has always been impartial through all his years of commenting." The source said, "We absolutely trust that he wouldn’t be biased and we wouldn’t have put him forward otherwise. He has continued to be unbiased throughout today’s commentary." The source added that McEnroe "will not be providing the BBC commentary for the men’s singles final on Sunday because he is contracted with ESPN for that match" (GUARDIAN, 7/8).
