When he graduated from Nottingham with a 2.1 in Law in 1970, David Mercer looked to have a very successful career ahead as a solicitor.

But sport is his first love.

During his time at Nottingham, he was captain of the tennis team, tried his hand at rowing and, with twice-weekly runs and weight-training on Fridays, he was the fittest he’s ever been.

David played a handful of professional tennis tournaments to see if he had what it takes.

“I took one summer off to see if I was good enough — and very quickly discovered I wasn’t,” says David. “So the way to get involved was umpiring.”

And as an umpire, he was one of the best.

From 1973, the Welshman kept order on the lawns of Wimbledon — and umpired the legendary 1984 men’s singles final in which John McEnroe defeated Jimmy Connors.

“To be part of the greatest match in tennis was very special, as was John’s performance on the day. He beat Jimmy in straight sets to win his last Grand Slam title.”

David then returned to Swansea and a job as a solicitor. But his passion for sport remained.

“I entered a sports reporter competition in 1979,” says David. “And, to my total astonishment, I won!”

He started working for BBC Wales alongside his day job until the opportunity came along to join BBC Radio Sport in London in 1984.

He became their tennis correspondent in 1990 before being invited to join the BBC commentary team two years later.

This year’s was David’s 39th Wimbledon and he has the enviable job of spending much of the year chasing the sun around the globe as part of Eurosport’s tennis coverage.

“I am so lucky that my job has enabled me to see the world, from Australia to the United Arab Emirates, Beijing to Guayquil.”

This year — his sixth Olympics as a commentator – David is heading up the BBC’s badminton coverage.

“It will be a very interesting contrast to Beijing,” says David. “The facilities were wonderful but there wasn’t the party atmosphere from Sydney. So I hope London will capture that atmosphere.

“The support for the torch relay as it’s made its way around the country suggests that the London Olympics are going to be very special.”

You can hear David’s badminton commentary on the BBC from Saturday 28 July to Sunday 5 August.