Sue Barker opens up on Wimbledon return after surprise appearance as BBC legend admits ‘I didn’t want to leave’
SUE BARKER would want to make a shock return to host the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage – after admitted she “did not want to leave” in the first place.
Former French Open winner Barker, 68, presented the tennis Grand Slam on the Beeb for 30 years.
But she was harshly pushed out against her wishes by BBC bosses two years ago with Clare Balding and Isa Guha taking over.
However, despite the pain of the treatment she received, Barker admitted the door is open to her retaking the hot seat once again.
Asked if she would come back to host Wimbledon for the BBC, she told the Mirror: “Yes, I would. I loved it.
“I loved the people and I didn’t want to leave.
“But you start hearing rumours of what is happening and [the BBC] obviously wants the next generation, and when you start hearing those rumours you think, ‘Maybe it’s time to get out while they still want me rather than being shoved out of the back door.’
“The sacking from A Question Of Sport hurt so much that I thought, ‘I don’t want to go through that again.’
“I wanted to get out at the top.”
Barker’s warmth and charisma on screen delighted tennis fans across the nation every summer – alongside her various other BBC presenting roles.
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The national treasure waved an emotional goodbye from Wimbledon in 2022 – before returning in 2023 as a fan to simply watch the tennis.
However, she took to the Centre Court grass again last week to interview Andy Murray as part of his ceremony celebrating his illustrious career – getting a huge ovation from the British crowd.
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Barker added: “I went last year as a fan. It was different.
“I have to say, walking in on the first day I didn’t know what to do with myself because I wanted to go into the studio and argue with John McEnroe and Tim Henman! I queued up with my husband for a hot dog.”
Barker added that Pierce Brosnan and Princess Diana left her starstruck while “wonderful” Roger Federer is “definitely the king” and “smells nice”.
But the one biggest regret of Barker’s career was missing out on the Wimbledon title.
The closest she came was when she got to the semis in 1977, losing to Betty Stove who was beaten by Virginia Wade in the final.
However, Barker has certainly found the silver lining.
She explained: “I will never get over 1977.
“I once asked Virginia Wade if it changed her and she said, ‘No.’
“She later told me she had bought a place in New York, a home in London, and a place in Kent. I had to go and work for a living!
“But if I had won and swanned off to Monaco on my yacht, I would never have had 30 years working for the BBC.”
And now fans may get to see Barker back on their screens again in future Wimbledons if she gets her way.
Tennis stars’ new careers
PLENTY of tennis stars have stayed involved in the sport since retiring.
But others pursued very different careers. Here are some of the best…
- I reached French Open and Wimbledon finals as a teenager but I quit to become a nun
- I won Wimbledon mixed doubles with my sister but got fed up with English weather so now run luxury B&B
- I was tipped for stardom aged 12 but retrained to become high-flying lawyer
- I earned £9m and won French Open before setting up bistro with Brazilian model girlfriend
- I’m last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, now I’m singer with six albums hitting No1 in charts
- I’m former world No1 but quit aged 29 – instead I went on to play professional poker and golf
- I was destined for the top but swapped lobs for labs as award-winning Harvard physicist
How Sir David Attenborough made tennis balls yellow
DID you know Sir David Attenborough is one of the main reasons tennis is played with yellow balls?
It’s hard to imagine Wimbledon being played without the signature fluorescent balls.
However, the truth is that upon the inception of lawn tennis in the late 1800s players would normally use white or sometimes black balls.
That went on until fans started to buy colour televisions.
Attenborough worked as a controller for BBC Two in 1967 and it was up to him to transition viewers to colour from black and white.
The legendary presenter quickly realised that it is hard to notice the white ball when it travels over white lines and suggested tennis chiefs switch to the bright, yellow colour.
The International Tennis Federation approved what is now known as the “optic yellow” ball in 1972.
But it took Wimbledon another 14 years before they finally saw the light, eventually making the switch for the Championships in 1986.