Todd Woodbridge opens up about the one thing his son told him — and why it made him rethink his new life in showbiz
Todd Woodbridge may be one of Australia’s most decorated sporting figures, but on the Logies red carpet, it was his 24-year-old son Beau who delivered the reality check.
The former tennis champion and Tipping Point Australia host is in the running for the 2026 Gold Logie, but he revealed to nine.com.au that he regularly turns to his son for advice about his new life in entertainment.
And Beau, who works in musical theatre, apparently isn’t afraid to tell his famous father exactly what he thinks.
“He tells me I’m a terrible actor!”
Asked about his son’s advice, Todd couldn’t help but laugh.
“[Beau] tells me I’m a terrible actor!” he told nine.com.au on the Logies red carpet.
Beau’s criticism apparently comes down to Todd’s tendency to go a little too far when he’s in front of the camera.
“He says I overact all the time,” Todd explained.
The tennis great admitted he has never had formal acting training — although, as he pointed out, he’s not actually trying to be an actor.
Still, having a son who understands the entertainment industry has given Todd someone he can turn to as he continues navigating a career that looks very different from the one he built on the tennis court.
His son has become an unexpected sounding board
Beau’s advice may be blunt, but Todd clearly values it.
“I actually talk to him quite a bit about what I should do, how I should do things,” he said.
“So he’s a pretty good shoulder to lean on.”
And despite the age difference, Todd believes his son has a surprisingly good understanding of the industry.
“He’s only young but he gives good advice,” he said.
For a man who spent decades competing at the highest level of professional tennis, having his son critique his television performance is perhaps a very different kind of coaching.
From Olympic champion to Gold Logie nominee
Todd’s career has taken an extraordinary turn in recent years.
He is already an Olympic gold medallist and one of Australia’s most accomplished tennis players, but his transition into television has opened an entirely new chapter.
Within just three years, Todd moved from professional sport into sports broadcasting before becoming the host of Tipping Point Australia.
Now, he finds himself nominated for one of the biggest individual prizes in Australian television.
And Todd admits that even he never imagined this would happen.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be standing with a chance at Gold.”
“This would be the ultimate”
Todd has already experienced the feeling of winning Olympic gold.
Yet he says a Gold Logie would still rank among the greatest achievements of his life.
“Funny thing is people would think that [Olympic gold] is the highest achievement,” he said.
“But with a transition into a new career, from sporting to entertainment, this would be the ultimate.”
It is a remarkable reflection from someone whose public identity was once almost entirely tied to tennis.
Today, a new generation increasingly knows him for something else.
“The Tipping Point guy”
Todd recently celebrated a major milestone with Tipping Point Australia, reaching 500 episodes of the Nine game show.
He has also noticed a subtle but significant change in the way people see him.
Rather than approaching him as the former tennis champion, younger viewers increasingly recognise him as “the Tipping Point guy.”
For Todd, that change represents just how far his second career has come.
He previously told nine.com.au that fans regularly approach him in public to tell him how much they enjoy the program.
“They love it,” he said, describing the show as light entertainment where audiences can laugh while still experiencing genuine emotion.
A big night for Todd — whatever happens
Todd is nominated for Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television, while Tipping Point Australia is also nominated for Best Entertainment Program.
Whatever happens on the night, his nomination represents a remarkable transition from one world to another.
And perhaps the most fitting part is that, while millions of Australians will be watching Todd on one of television’s biggest nights, there is one person in his corner who isn’t afraid to tell him when he’s getting it wrong.
His son may think he overacts. But for Todd Woodbridge, Beau’s brutally honest advice might just be one of the most valuable parts of his unexpected second career.