Rio Ferdinand starts new job in different sport after TNT Sports exit

Rio Ferdinand made a surprise appearance at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open after swapping football for tennis in his new role.

The former defender has been working for Tennis TV at this week’s ATP Tour 500 event.

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Ferdinand was on court in Doha on Monday to interview Jannik Sinner following his opening match of the tournament.

The world No.2 secured a straight sets win over Tomas Machac to advance to the last 16.

Sinner will now face Alexei Popyrin on Wednesday for a place in the quarter-finals.

The four-time Grand Slam champion is the second seed at the event in Qatar behind rival Carlos Alcaraz.

Following his victory over Machac, Sinner spoke to Ferdinand in front of the crowd.

The Manchester United icon asked: “How tough was it for you with the conditions today? And how did you deal with that?”

His appearance at the event came after he relocated to the Middle East in 2025.

Ferdinand could be on court once again for Sinner’s post-match interview later this week.

The 47-year-old has landed a job with Tennis TV after leaving TNT Sports last year.

He had spent a decade with the broadcaster as a pundit following his retirement from professional football in 2015.

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During that time, Ferdinand became a key part of TNT Sports’ Premier League and Champions League coverage.

However, he announced his exit in May but has continued to work on his own media outlets.

Ferdinand’s YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand Presents, has amassed over 1.5million subscribers.

The six-time Premier League champion has interviewed former teammates Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov on the channel in recent months.

He has also spoken to the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Sadio Mane as part of his ‘Rio Meets’ series.

Ferdinand has continued to show off his presenting skills away from YouTube, though.

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The ex-England international conducted the 2026 World Cup draw live from Washington DC in December.

As a player, Ferdinand made 504 Premier League appearances for United, West Ham United, Leeds United and QPR.

During his time with the Red Devils, he won 15 trophies including the Champions League and Club World Cup alongside his six league titles.