EXCLUSIVE | Robbie Koenig: From doubles specialist to the Voice of Tennis
· The South African
Today, Robbie Koenig is one of the most recognisable voices in tennis broadcasting. His energetic calls, colourful phrases, and deep tactical insights have made him a favourite among fans around the world.
Visit somethingsdifferent.biz for more information.
Yet when his playing career ended in 2006, commentary wasn’t part of the plan. In fact, Koenig almost missed the opportunity entirely.
“I actually fell into it by default,” he recalls.
After retiring from professional tennis, the former South African doubles star moved into coaching. He was enjoying the work and had little interest in media. Then fate intervened during an ordinary encounter in Southfields, London.
Koenig bumped into tennis commentator Jason Goodall on the street. The two began chatting and Goodall mentioned that ATP Media was looking for a replacement for legendary broadcaster John Barrett.
Goodall encouraged Koenig to spend some time in the commentary booth during tournaments.
At first, Koenig wasn’t interested.
“I said, ‘No, I’m happy with my gig now.'”
But Goodall persisted.
Over the following months, Koenig occasionally joined broadcasts at tournaments such as Indian Wells and Rome, helping commentators during breaks and talking tennis from a player’s perspective.
The feedback was immediate. By the time the tour reached Cincinnati, ATP Media had seen enough.
“They offered me a gig for the next season.”
It turned out to be one of the most important decisions of his career.
Landing in Tennis’s Golden Era
Timing is everything.
Had Robbie Koenig entered broadcasting at almost any other point in tennis history, his experience might have been very different. Instead, he found himself ringside for arguably the greatest era the sport has ever witnessed.
Federer. Nadal. Djokovic. Murray. Wawrinka.
Week after week, he was watching and analysing legends in their prime.
“I couldn’t have started my commentary at a better time.”
Unlike many broadcasters, Koenig had competed against some of these players. He had shared locker rooms with them. He knew their coaches. He understood what their shots felt like from the opposite side of the net.
That personal connection added a layer of authenticity to his analysis.
“Now I’m commentating on these guys knowing a little bit what their ball feels like.”
It also helped him explain the game in ways viewers could understand.
Seeing Tennis Differently
Robbie Koenig was never the biggest hitter during his playing days. He didn’t possess the overwhelming weapons of many rivals. As a result, he developed a different strength: tactical analysis.
“I was always good at analysing opponents’ strategy.”
Throughout his career, he constantly searched for patterns.
Which players struggled against low slices? Who preferred passing crosscourt? Which tendencies emerged under pressure? That habit transferred naturally into broadcasting.
Today, one of Koenig’s greatest strengths is identifying strategic shifts before they become obvious to viewers.
“When I got into commentary, it was quite easy for me to watch patterns of play unfold quickly.”
His goal isn’t simply to describe what happened. It’s to explain why it happened.
Whether it’s a serving pattern, return position, or subtle tactical adjustment, Koenig enjoys helping viewers see the chess match beneath the athletic spectacle.
Learning a New Craft
The biggest challenge wasn’t understanding tennis. It was understanding language.
Robbie Koenig quickly discovered that commentary is communication first and tennis second.
“Realising that tennis is such a repetitive sport” became one of his earliest lessons.
Great matches contain dozens of winners and spectacular moments. Describing each one with the same adjectives quickly becomes stale.
Instead, Koenig set about expanding his vocabulary, refining his delivery, and learning how to express similar ideas in fresh ways.
“We’re in the game of communication and language.”
That philosophy remains at the heart of his broadcasting style today.
And it helps explain why, nearly two decades after that chance meeting in Southfields, Robbie Koenig remains one of tennis’s most distinctive and respected voices.
Coming up in Part 2: The greatest matches, unforgettable Federer moments, and why the 2025 French Open final may have surpassed even Federer versus Nadal in Melbourne in 2017.
Dave Marshall is reporting exclusively from the 2026 US Open in New York for The South African.