BBC presenter Roger Johnson was forced to apologise after making an embarrassing on-air blunder while covering Wimbledon on North West Tonight. The veteran journalist, who has been with the BBC since the 1990s, accidentally said 'straight sex' instead of 'straight sets' when reporting on the defeat of Liverpool-born Neal Skupski and his doubles partner Christian Harrison to Aleksandar Kovacevic and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the round-of-16.
Immediate Correction and Apology
Johnson swiftly corrected himself, saying: 'Bit of a slip of the tongue. Straight sets, by Aleksandar Kovacevic and Thanasi Kokkinakis, I was so worried about the names of those tennis players, I made a right mess of that.' The gaffe was met with humour on social media, with @scottygb posting on X: 'Pride is over.' @uncreativetom added: 'Beaten in WHAT?' Johnson himself responded from his personal X account with two face-palm emojis.
Viewer Reactions
Some viewers praised Johnson for his composure. @spinoutdaz wrote: 'Love how he just owned it.' And @Parisamsyerman said: 'Well recovered Roger [smiley face].' The incident added a light-hearted moment to the day's tennis coverage.
Skupski's Wimbledon History
The defeat was a disappointment for Skupski, who won the men's doubles title at Wimbledon in 2023 and reclaimed the world No. 1 position in the doubles rankings earlier this year. Despite his exit, British hopes remain alive in the men's doubles, with Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool advancing to the quarter-finals. Henry Patten has also secured a place in the last eight alongside Harri Heliovaara.
Arthur Fery's Stunning Upset
In the singles draw, attention is focused on Arthur Fery, who produced a stunning upset against Grigor Dimitrov in the last-16 on Centre Court. Reacting to the news, the 23-year-old said: 'I've no words right now. It's incredibly tough to put words to what I just felt on a tennis court. First time on this court, five sets against an absolute legend of the game. I grew up five minutes from here, coming to watch matches on this court. It's unbelievable.' He added: 'A week ago, I would have been happy to win a few matches here. Now being in the quarters is a dream. Just trying to keep fighting and have a good attitude with my back against the wall. It paid off today.'
