David Mercer (15 April 1950 26 August 2020) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

television sports

presenter A presenter is a person or organization responsible for the running of a public event, or someone who conveys information on media via a broadcasting outlet. Presenter may refer to: People * News presenter, person who presents news during a new ...

Early life

Mercer was born in

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

and educated at Dynevor School, at the time a state grammar school known as Dynevor Secondary Grammar School. He went on to the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...

. He played most sports at school and university, and won the Welsh junior doubles at tennis in 1968. In 1969, he was captain of the Nottingham University tennis team. He graduated in 1972 and qualified as a solicitor in 1973.

Life and career

Mercer was a partner in a large solicitors’ firm in Swansea for nine years. He became a freelance sports reporter after winning a competition organised by

BBC Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is ...

in 1979, for a time combining this work with his legal practice and with public relations duties for the

Law Society A law society is an association of lawyers with a regulatory role that includes the right to supervise the training, qualifications, and conduct of lawyers. Where there is a distinction between barristers and solicitors, solicitors are regulated ...

. Alongside his legal career, he also stood as the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

candidate in the Swansea West parliamentary constituency in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

. He umpired at tennis including

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

from 1973 to 1984, notably the men's singles final at Wimbledon in 1984, won by

John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beha ...

against

Jimmy Connors James Scott Connors (born September 2, 1952) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He held the top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from 1974 to 1977 and a career total of 268 ...

. Mercer began his tennis commentary career on BBC radio around 1987. From 1992, Mercer commentated on tennis for BBC Television, including the Wimbledon men's singles finals in 1999 and 2000. He was the only person to have both umpired and commentated on a Wimbledon men's singles final. He also commentated for many years for Eurosport. Mercer commentated on other sports including badminton, football, rowing, skiing, and American football. Mercer played racquet sports like tennis, rugby, football and cricket. Later in his life, he played golf.

Personal life

Mercer lived in Wendover in Buckinghamshire, with his third wife Sue. He had one daughter, Caroline, from his first marriage, two stepchildren, Liz and Chris, and four grandchildren. Mercer died on 26 August 2020, at the age of 70.

References

External links

BBC biography

Blackburn Sachs Associates client profile
* http://www.tmcentertainment.co.uk/speaker-index.html?speakerid=427&speakertypeid=14 1950 births 2020 deaths Alumni of the University of Nottingham People educated at Dynevor School, Swansea People from Swansea People from Wendover Welsh sports broadcasters {{UK-tv-bio-stub