You cannot be serious, says Navratilova on pay

TENNIS LEGEND Martina Navratilova has hit out at the BBC after discovering that fellow Wimbledon pundit John McEnroe is paid at least 10 times more than her.

McEnroe’s pay packet, of £150,000 to £199,999, was revealed in a list of the BBC’s top-paid talent last summer.

Navratilova, 61, told Panorama that she is paid about £15,000 by the BBC for her commentating role during Wimbledon.

“It was a shock because John McEnroe makes at least £150,000... I get about £15,000 for Wimbledon and unless John McEnroe’s doing a whole bunch of stuff outside of Wimbledon he’s getting at least 10 times as much money”, she said.

Navratilova said that she was told she was getting paid a comparable amount to men doing the same job as her, adding: “We were not told the truth, that’s for sure .... “(I’m) not happy... It’s shocking... It’s still the good old boys’ network .... “The bottom line is that male voices are valued more than women’s voices.” Navratilova, who was crowned Wimbledon ladies’ champion nine times, said that her agent will be asking for more money in future. BBC Sport told Panorama that “John and Martina perform different roles in the team, and John’s role is of a different scale, scope and time commitment.” BBC Sport added: “They are simply not comparable. John’s pay reflects all of this, gender isn’t a factor.”