成人快手

Interview with Sue Barker

The little girl who turned her garage wall at home into Wimbledon's Centre Court dreamed of one day walking through those magical gates at SW19 and playing in arguably the world's greatest tennis tournament.

For player-turned-presenter Sue Barker, that dream came true.

What are your special Wimbledon memories?

"I grew up watching Wimbledon with my family, then the garage wall became centre court. It was my dream to walk through the gates and play there and, luckily, I was able to achieve my dream.

"The first time I played at Wimbledon I was playing in the Juniors.

"The very next year I got direct acceptance into Wimbledon and my competitor's badge came through in the post. I remember vividly that first day, just walking through those gates. It was a dream come true - the garage wall had suddenly become reality.

"I felt tremendously proud and my parents were really proud. I suppose it was a payback for them in a way because they gave up so much for me.

"My favourite memory as a player was the first time I played on centre court as a teenager, and I played Maria Bueno who was making a comeback.

"She had won so much, she was an absolute idol. To play someone of that calibre in my first match on centre court was amazing, and I won the match in three sets. That was really special for me.

"As a spectator when I was playing, I think the Borg/McEnroe tie-break was fantastic.

"More recently, it was an absolute privilege to be courtside for the end of the Ivanisevic/Rafter final. I was standing just behind the umpire's chair and saw these two gladiators battling it out and the nerves and the tension and what it meant to them both. And I thought, that is what sport is all about."

What do you think makes Wimbledon unique?

"It's the tradition. The other tournaments have all changed so much - Australia has moved venues, Paris has remained the same, but has never had quite the same feel or tradition as Wimbledon, and the US Open has changed from Forest Hills to Flushing Meadows.

"But I think the international players find Wimbledon, with the old Virginia creeper and all the very British bits that go with it, so different.

"Some don't like it - some find it possibly a little bit pompous and they prefer the rather brash US Open.

"But when you talk to people like Agassi and McEnroe and Sampras and Chrissie Evert and Martina, Wimbledon to them does have a unique atmosphere.

"You walk through those gates and it just knocks you for six. It's like no other tournament I know."

How do you prepare professionally and personally for Wimbledon?

"It's great because I do all the tennis beforehand. I watch the French Open, then I'll work at Queen's for the whole week, then I'll go down to Eastbourne the week before Wimbledon, so I'm presenting the tennis, but I'm also meeting all the players and doing all the research.

"Once I get to Wimbledon, I'm in the studio and can't get away, so I don't really get to meet the players, other than the winners.

"But I so look forward to it that I don't really feel as though I prepare for it, other than doing my research.

"They're long days, but it's such an adrenalin rush that it doesn't seem like a long stint.

"And when I'm not presenting it I'll be going there watching it, probably nine hours a day. I'll just be sitting in a different seat."

How frustrating is it when rain stops play?

"It's more so for the players than anybody else. I've experienced it from both sides.

"In some ways I look at it as a bonus because, if it rains, we get the chance to put in interviews and do little features.

"I don't like long rain delays, but if it's only 45 minutes to an hour, I quite enjoy those breaks and looking back at events.

"And sometimes we get great players in, like Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean and Chrissie. People are always coming in and having a chat. It just breaks up the day.

"But long rain delays are just dire, for everybody. It's frustrating for us, for the viewers at home, for everyone at Wimbledon. They're the people I feel most sorry for. I meet people, or get letters from them, and they've been on the waiting list for tickets for 25 years, then they come on a day when it rains. It's such a shame."

What do you enjoy most about being at Wimbledon?

"I love being courtside, because it's reliving all that wonderful atmosphere - you get a real buzz. There's an aura when you're around centre court - just something very special about it.

"I love the opening day as well, because it's so exciting when it's all just about to start."

What are your Wimbledon predictions this year?

"I change my mind constantly bit I have already predicted that it's going to be the same two winners as last year - Serena Williams and Roger Federer. I still think that Federer is the class player in the men's draw.

"I would dearly love it to be Tim Henman, and I don't count him out - I think he's certainly one of four or five that could win it - but if Federer plays to the same level that he did last year I just don't see anyone touching him.

"The women's is more wide open. I say Serena because, although she's been injured, she's started playing now and all she needs is a few matches and if she does well at the French Open, her confidence is going to be high and she's the person they've all got to beat.

"Having said that, she's just lost in Rome and if she loses in Paris, then suddenly the whole thing changes. So I'll say Serena, but I'm likely to change my mind on the first day of the tournament because it's all going to change over the next few weeks."

What do you think of Britain's chances?

"I'm a huge fan of Tim's - I've known him since he was about eight - and I get slightly annoyed when people knock him because he's made four semi-finals.

"The only match he felt got away from him was the Ivanisevic match, but losing to Sampras twice and losing to Hewitt - they were both the best at the time. That's nothing against Tim - he lost to the best players in the world.

"It's been a thrill to work at Wimbledon while Tim's been there because we've been getting audiences of up to 14 million when he's been playing.

"It just goes to show what the public think of Wimbledon and of Tim, or of a British player doing well. I think we should applaud him more. Hopefully, he'll do the business for us again this year because it's so much more exciting when you've got a British player in the second week.

"And there's a great atmosphere up on Henman Hill. I meet people who know they won't get a court ticket but they go to Henman Hill and take a picnic and make a day of it - and that's because they want to go and watch Tim and they're having a fabulous day out."

Who are your tennis idols?

"I lived in a very small town and my coach, Arthur Roberts, whom I worked with from the age of 10, never set such goals as, 'I want to be world number one, I want to win Wimbledon'.

"My idols tended to be the better people that I saw playing in my area, because I saw them and I wanted to be better than them.

"I used to look on television at Billie Jean King and Margaret Court and it was like a different world."

Is there a current player you most like to watch?

"Federer, Tim and Agassi. Kim Clijsters and Jennifer Capriati - she gives everything, facially, physically, mentally, you sort of live the match with her."

Do you miss playing?

"I snapped my Achilles tendon on court about four years ago and I haven't played since.

"I go to the gym a lot, and I like to push myself and get better there, and I like cycling.

"I don't miss playing because I love my job. I've been lucky enough to move on to a job that I love as much as my tennis career and very few people have one career they love, let alone two. I've been extremely privileged."

How has Wimbledon changed since you were playing there?

"It's now so much more professional, as is all of sport. We used to wander round on our own, go and get our own lunch, it was just all very free.

"Now, getting players ready for court is almost like a military operation! But that's just the way it is now and Wimbledon has moved along with it.

"There's a wonderful gym, which we never had. If it rained, we sat around playing backgammon and Trivial Pursuit and trying to kill time.

"Now they can go and have a workout and full marks to Wimbledon for doing that because they realised that to stay at the top of their game, they had to change and they have.

"The facilities are fantastic. They've also opened up a lot of new areas for the public and made access to the courts so much better."

Tennis aside, is there another sport you like to watch?

"Every sport. Even when I was playing tennis, I used to watch cricket down in Australia, and when I lived in America, I used to go and watch American football, baseball and basketball.

"I love watching ice-skating live, I love athletics. The rugby is fantastic and my husband and I are season ticket holders at Southampton so we go and watch the Premiership football. I'm just a huge fan of all sports."