Seven's summer of tennis - Seven West Media

COMMENTATOR
SANDY
ROBERTS
COMMENTATOR
— AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Equally at home at the ground or in the studio, Sandy is again
looking forward to being part of the commentary team for
Seven’s coverage of the Australian Open in 2010.
“On current form I think the men’s will be fought out between
a handful of players - namely [Roger] Federer, [Juan Martin]
Del Potro, [Nikolay] Davydenko and possibly [Andy] Murray if
he gets a good draw,” he says. “Perhaps a Federer / Del Potro
final with the Swiss ace winning in five absorbing sets.
“The women’s is a different story. Serena always plays well
here but after her tumultuous year, it will be interesting to
see how she recovers. If I am allowed a fairy tale final it
would be between Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, who has
been out of the sport for the last 18 months. Justine will lack
match practise but makes up for that with her determination
and aggression.”
Over the years, he says it’s not necessarily the top players
that have provided the most memorable matches.
“In 2006, the rise and rise of Marcos Baghdatis and his
emotional rollercoaster was just fantastic,” Sandy says. “So
was witnessing the precision of Andre Agassi as he thrashed
Rainer Schuettler in the 2003 final. And watching Roger
Federer in any match is amazing – he is a genius. He may not
play any five-set epics, but watching him is just sensational.”
Like many people in sports, Sandy has taken a circuitous road
to the top of his profession.
He spent his childhood on a sheep farm in South Australia
before working in Adelaide, Perth, Bendigo and overseas as
he learned the media trade. He finally settled in Melbourne,
joining Seven as a presenter, sports analyst, host and
commentator. He currently presents sport for Seven News in
Victoria on weekdays.
Today, Sandy has an enviable reputation for being one of
Australia’s most knowledgeable and respected industry
professionals.
When he isn’t at the world’s largest sporting events, he
escapes back to his farm just outside Melbourne.
Sandy has vast experience at major sports events. He has
been involved in every Olympic Games since Moscow in
1980, most recently as one of Seven’s hosts for the Beijing
Olympics in August 2008. Sandy has also commentated on
more than 700 AFL games, countless Australian Open tennis
tournaments, major golf tournaments such as the Masters
and PGA and other top events around the world.