For much of his career Todd Woodbridge made choices based on instinct. With that – and hard work – he’s become one of Australia’s most successful tennis stars and an esteemed commentator. Now, he’s also a game show host, and nominated for a 2025 TV WEEK Logie – the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter!
In his tennis days Todd enjoyed plenty of victories: including 22 Grand Slam doubles titles and a gold medal from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Will there now be a Logies triumph too?
He cemented his place in tennis as one half of the ‘Woodies’ alongside Mark Woodforde and left his name in the Hall of Fame. To say he’s a high achiever is an understatement but, as he reflects on the 20th anniversary of his retirement, Todd, 54, says some bits of it came down to chance.
“I didn’t go into that tournament thinking that would be it,” Todd tells TV WEEK of his decision to quit at Wimbledon in 2005. “It just wasn’t going as planned.”
At the time Todd was still listed in the top 10 and was winning tournaments, so there was some surprise at his decision.
“There was a bit of that. The conflict was that I was still playing well enough, and I had broken all the records you could on the doubles court,” he says.
“But it was getting harder to motivate myself to be out on the road. It just felt like it was the right time to go.”
His children, Beau and Zara, both born in Florida, were set to start school and priorities needed to shift. “I had a pact with my wife, Natasha, that if I was going away for more than two weeks, I either had to come home or they had to come with me. It was getting increasingly difficult.”
While retirement is a taboo word for athletes, Todd, who was 34 at the time, says he had instinctively prepared himself for the moment for years.
“I was studying media at the Australian Institute of Sport,” he says. “I’ve always had the bug. But you never know how things are going to turn out.”
Todd is a natural fit in the commentary box. But what he didn’t expect or plan for was for his career to move beyond the sports realm. In 2022 he appeared on travel show Postcards and then, in 2023, on Tipping Point.
“A game show host was certainly not on my bingo card,” he says with a laugh.
“I remember doing a screen test and then I called my manager and said, ‘Can you make sure the network knows I really want to do this?” he laughs. “I want to give things a go; I’m glad I did!”
With 325 episodes – and counting – of Tipping Point under his belt and a growing fan base, Todd is again at the top of his game. And, while his demeanour might have softened, his drive is ever present.
“I was nervous to make it work and hell bent on making it a success,” he says. “But Tipping Point has shown people more of my personality than tennis ever did. On the court I was so focused and temperamental. This is my lighter side and I enjoy building a rapport with our contestants. They are what makes the show work.”
Unlike some of the brave contestants, Todd doesn’t describe himself as a gambler. He’ll take calculated risks, but he does so alongside Natasha, his ‘best friend’ of 30 years, and their two children.
“30 years – where the heck did that go?” he says with a smile. “Tash and I married young and she gave up a lot at that time. We’ve worked as a team and now the kids are grown, we’ve found interests that keep us side by side.”
While Todd says he didn’t encourage the kids to pursue tennis, Beau and Zara have found success in their own passions – Beau in theatre and Zara in golf.
“We’re so proud of them,” he says. “I didn’t really want them to play tennis because it’s very hard, but we encouraged them to work hard and do what they choose.”
So, with such high achievers in the Woodbridge household, we wonder, how would they fare on Tipping Point?
“There’s a fair bit of competitiveness, so you might see a side of us you don’t want too,” he says with a laugh. “But it would be funny to watch.”
Tipping Point airs Weekdays, 4.30pm on Channel Nine.
Wimbledon 2025 begins Monday June 30 on Channel Nine and Stan Sport.
