It’s 7.11pm on Wednesday night at the Australian Open, and Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis is about to begin his second-round match against Britain’s Jack Draper.
John Cain Arena is full of fans gearing up to cheer for Kokkinakis but even as the noise builds at “the people’s court”, it’s quiet in the Channel Nine commentary box. “Is there a reason it’s so dark in here?” asks John McEnroe as the players complete their warm-ups.
John McEnroe, Lleyton Hewitt and Todd Woodbridge commentate the Kokkinakis-Draper match.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Nine’s director of sport, Brent Williams, explains that the lights are kept low so as not to distract the players. “Oh man,” says McEnroe, that’s a high ball toss.” (At Rod Laver Arena the commentary boxes are bunkers at court level, but here they are at the top of the stands.) The lights go on so the legendary American can read his notes, then off again for the start of the match.
Nine, the owner of this masthead, granted behind-the-scenes access to the commentary box for the Kokkinakis-Draper match, to observe how the team of Todd Woodbridge, Lleyton Hewitt and McEnroe bring the matches to life for hundreds of thousands of TV viewers. This night, Kokkinakis is carrying a chronic pectoral injury that will end up derailing his campaign.
“Hey, can we please keep a camera on his shoulder? I want us to be able to run vision if it looks like he’s impacted by it,” says Woodbridge, releasing a button that allows him to talk directly to the control room.
After a stellar playing career that included 16 grand slam doubles titles, Woodbridge is like the captain and playing coach of the commentary team.
The commentary team records a live cross before the match.Credit: Chris Hopkins
He is acutely aware of the need to cater for the Australian audience. He isn’t commentating for the world.
“This is our Olympics. We have to be careful with balance, however. Because not everyone at home is barracking for the Australian,” he says.
There is more to the role than commentary.
“You’ve got to be a producer as well. You have to be producing on the run to help these guys build on their content,” Woodbridge says during a 60-second ad-break, as he motions towards the rest of the on-air team.
Woodbridge sits on the right of the desk, with two monitors to his side; one showing the vision going live to viewers and another displaying graphics that he can throw to.
There is plenty of banter in the box.Credit: Chris Hopkins
In front of him is a computer where he writes his own notes and statistics for each match. Details about the players – where they went to school, their parents’ names, their injury history, anything that can help build a profile.
Next to him is Hewitt. A former world No.1 and one of Australia’s greatest athletes, Hewitt still looks fit enough to go a couple of sets against one of his old foes.
And at the end of the desk is McEnroe. At 1-2 in the first set, Draper unleashes a backhand winner that’s called in, but looks out to the pro-Kokkinakis crowd, which erupts. “Oh, that’s just barely caught the line!” McEnroe says. Woodbridge turns to him: “That’s unlike you, to question a line call, John.”
“Exactly, well said,” says McEnroe, deadpan.
The seven-time grand slam champion sits back in his chair at the end of the first set and takes off his headphones.
Kokkinakis has just won a tie-break. The monitor in front of McEnroe shows that in the 13 games so far against the 15th seed, the Australian has missed just three first serves.
“Pwoar, I’ll tell you something guys,” McEnroe says. “That’s one of the best serving sets I’ve ever seen. The question is, can he keep it up?”
Hewitt, as if stepping in to a short second serve with his lethal backhand, springs on the question. “If he keeps that up, he can beat anyone.”
Thanasi Kokkinakis receiving treatment during his round two match.Credit: Getty Images
When the microphones are off, the banter ramps up.
When Woodbridge is asked what he talks to the producer about during the match, Hewitt jumps in before he can answer. “We usually think he’s asking them to slip in a promo for [game show] Tipping Point.”
McEnroe likes the gag, and slaps the desk as he laughs.
Behind the 29 hosts, experts and reporters – or talent, as they are known – are 151 broadcast crew members, who oversee 68 control room screens, control 1232 buttons on the director’s switch panel and pump out an average of 19 hours per day of live TV.
Like any good team, the three commentators bring different skills.
Woodbridge juggles commentary with the polish of a panel host, prodding his two teammates to extract moments of gold.
Hewitt, by his own admission, sees every moment as an opportunity to be a coach.
“For me, it’s a hard thing to turn off,” said Australia’s Davis Cup captain.
“Especially when it’s guys that you know so well; you’re always thinking about what you’d be telling them if you could talk to them at the change of ends.”
And McEnroe? “I think the key is just enjoying it, you know, we’ve got the easy job. You gotta be you,” he says.
“You know, I saw my late, great buddy Vitas Gerulaitis, he was doing some commentary, he was enjoying himself, not taking himself too seriously and he knew the game. He was having fun.
“I said to myself, if I ever did this, I want to do it like that. And that’s what I try to do. I gotta set up for me.
“Obviously American TV is my main job, but to be able to it here in Australia, where people just love sport. They love tennis. It just feels great,” explains McEnroe, 65, who is one of the sport’s straightest shooters.
“Because, like, at ESPN it’s the middle of the night [for viewers in the US], we don’t even talk about tennis half the time because it’s football, football, football. It’s the play-offs, I get it, I love football. But here, it feels like this is what’s happening. Here, it’s like the BBC at Wimbledon.”
As the match stretches into the night, the commentators reach for the bottles of water on the desk. Kokkinakis is clearly labouring with the pec injury every time he serves or hits a forehand, and after succumbing to Draper in five punishing sets he reveals the physical and mental “torture” he’s been through to even take the court.
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