Andrew Castle has revealed he has four job offers on the table after his BBC exit, including two in tennis and two in news and current affairs, but says a return to television is not a priority for him at the moment.
The 62-year-old former tennis player and commentator was removed from his role as the BBC's lead Wimbledon commentator, a position he held for nearly 25 years. He subsequently decided to leave the broadcaster.
Four Offers on the Table
Speaking to Betway, Castle said: "I really don't know. It's not a priority for me. I mean, I could come back, I've had two really good offers, actually, outside of tennis. Well, I have had two offers within tennis, two outside of tennis on the broadcasting side but at the moment. I'm just going to take it easy."
He added: "I can't make any decisions at the moment. I'm just trying to build this house and look after the grandchildren that we have for a little bit and be involved in family. It's been great. As you get older, you want to do slightly less."
News and Current Affairs Offers
Castle noted that some of the offers are in news and current affairs, saying: "A couple of these job offers are in news and current affairs and it's just like 'Oh my God', it's a queasy ride for anybody who's a journalist at the moment. It's just an extraordinary world to try to make sense of. So, there's no rush. It's a privileged position to be that there's no rush. I know that."
Grateful for Wimbledon Years
Castle had been the BBC's lead commentator at Wimbledon since 2003, but was informed he would be demoted, with Andrew Cotter set to replace him as lead commentator for next year's tournament.
Reflecting on his departure, he said: "I was lucky to be put in there in the first place and lucky to do it for as long as I did it. And so I leave really, very grateful. That is the truth. Would I have liked to have carried on? Of course I would, but nobody ever knows when you're going to get that tap on the shoulder and say, 'Okay, you've had your time,' but, I mean, it's been absolutely unreal."
He added: "You don't realise how long 24 years is and you don't realise how many people, how many good people, you've worked with and how many good times you've had when you're concentrating on what you're doing. Obviously leaving on the last day, actually arriving on the last day as well, just going through the same process was, in a way, sad, but in another way, joyous. I had very mixed feelings about it all. I thought we had a pretty good match in the final as well."
Busy Personal Life
Castle has other commitments to keep him occupied, including a third grandchild on the way and building a new house. He said: "We've got a third grandchild on the way, we're building a house and we're getting it finished. We took the plunge and we're building a house, so that's got a few months to run. There's always bits and bobs of work outside of tennis, which I still do."
