Wimbledon 2008
Biographies
Television
Presenters
Sue Barker
Former world No. 3 tennis player, French Open champion and Wimbledon semi-finalist, Sue started work as a sports broadcaster with Australia's Channel 7 in 1985.
She then joined BSB in 1990 and later moved to Sky Sports.
She made her ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport TV debut co-presenting the evening highlights programme from Wimbledon '93 with Harry Carpenter. Since then she has gained a wealth of experience presenting world class competitions, including coverage of other major tennis tournaments, Summer and Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games, The Grand National, The Derby and World and European Skating Championships.
In addition, Sue has also hosted Grandstand and Sunday Grandstand and has worked on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ TV documentary Chalk Flew Up – a history of Wimbledon's No. 1 Court which made its final appearance during Wimbledon '95.
Her credits also include hosting Sports Personality of the Year and A Question of Sport.
Among her many accolades are the 1998 TRIC award for Sports Presenter/Reporter of the Year and the 2001 RTS Sports Presenter award.
John Inverdale
John began his broadcasting career with ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Lincolnshire in 1982.
He joined ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Sport in 1985, working for Radio 4's Today programme and on Radio 2 sports output before joining Radio 5 in 1988 as presenter of its flagship sports programme, Sport On 5.
During the Championships, John will present ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ television's daily highlights programme, Today At Wimbledon.
John is also ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport's rugby presenter and will be part of the team covering the Beijing Olympics.
He has also presented ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 5 Live's coverage of many major sports events including the Wimbledon Championships, Olympic Games and World Cups (football and rugby).
Commentators
Tracy Austin
Tracy Austin received her first tennis lesson at age two and appeared on the cover of World Tennis at the age of four.
After winning 25 national titles as a junior, Austin launched her professional career by winning the first tournament she entered (Filderstadt, Germany, 1978) as a pro.
Triumphs over Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova produced two US Open crowns for Austin.
In 1978, she broke Navratilova's 37-match winning streak and, in the 1979 Italian Open, she broke Evert's 125-match clay court winning streak. Her incredibly consistent record earned her celebrity status and worldwide recognition. She became the youngest person to become No. 1 in the world in 1980 at age 17.
Tracy represented the USA on winning Federation Cup and Wightman Cup teams. When forced to the sidelines in the mid-Eighties, she translated her on-court experience into a successful broadcasting career.
Boris Becker
Wimbledon crowd favourite Boris Becker joined the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport commentary team for the 2002 Championships.
Born in 1967 in Leimen, Germany, Boris became the youngest man to win Wimbledon at 17 years seven months when he defeated Kevin Curren in 1985.
Over his career he won 49 ATP singles titles, including six Grand Slam titles, and became world No. 1 for the first time after victory at the Australian Open in 1991.
Andrew Castle
A former British No. 1 singles and doubles tennis champion, Andrew became a professional tennis player in 1986 after completing a marketing degree in America.
He was a member of the UK's Olympic teams in Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992, and also part of the British teams for the Davis and European Cups.
Andrew Castle is a regular presenter on GMTV.
Mark Cox
Mark's finest hour as a player was as a member of the Great Britain team which reached the final of the 1978 Davis Cup against the USA.
In the semi-final against Australia, he partnered David Lloyd to victory in the deciding doubles rubber.
Mark won 10 singles tournaments between 1970 and 1977, was twice a quarter-finalist in the Australian Open, reached the quarter-finals of the US Open in 1966 and was runner-up at Queen's in 1977.
Annabel Croft
After taking up tennis at the age of nine, Annabel became, at 15, the youngest Briton to play at Wimbledon for nearly 100 years.
In 1984, she was a Wimbledon Junior Champion and a year later picked up her first senior tournament trophy in San Diego.
Annabel retired from the international circuit at 21, having established herself as British No. 1, ranked in the world's top 25.
She has since carved a career in entertainment, particularly on TV as a sports presenter.
Annabel married former America's Cup yachtsman Mel Coleman in 1993.
Barry Davies
One of the most versatile commentators of his time, Barry joined ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio in 1963 after leaving the Army.
He was part of ITV's commentary team for the 1966 World Cup Finals and reported for ITV on the 1968 Olympics.
Barry rejoined the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ in 1969 and has worked on a succession of football World Cups, Summer and Winter Olympics and Commonwealth Games, plus numerous Wimbledon Championships and Boat Races.
Barry has also commentated on ice skating, ice hockey and badminton.
Peter Fleming
Peter teamed up with John McEnroe to form the most formidable doubles partnership in the men's game during the Eighties.
The pair won the Wimbledon men's doubles title in 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1984 and took the US Open doubles crown in 1979, 1981 and 1983. In total, Fleming and McEnroe took 57 doubles titles.
Tim Henman
Tim Henman brings his experience of reaching four semi-finals and three quarter-finals at Wimbledon to the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's commentary team this year [2008], following his retirement from professional tennis.
Tim was the No. 1 ranked tennis player in Great Britain, was ranked No. 4 in the world in 2002 and won 11 career titles.
Member of the British Davis Cup team since 1994, Tim was awarded an OBE in 2004.
He founded his own charity, Kids at Heart, in 2000.
His interests include all sports, and golf in particular, now playing off a handicap of four.
John Lloyd
In reaching the final of the 1977 Australian Open, John Lloyd became the first Englishman to reach a singles final of a Grand Slam in the Open Era.
In the following year he achieved his highest ranking when he finished at No. 21. That year, John led an inspired British team to its most recent Davis Cup final where they were defeated by the US.
During his career he compiled three Grand Slam titles in mixed doubles, all with partner Wendy Turnbull, including back-to-back victories at Wimbledon in 1983 and 1984.
He now continues to provide the mix of class and competitive fire that has made him one of the most popular players on the senior circuit.
John McEnroe
A winner of 77 singles titles and 78 doubles, John first made Grand Slam headlines in 1977 while still in his teens by capturing the French Open mixed doubles title and reaching the singles semi-finals at Wimbledon.
He asserted his mastery on the professional circuit soon after, with three successive US Open Championships in 1979, 1980 and 1981.
He ended Bjorn Borg's five-year reign at Wimbledon with a commanding victory in 1981 that promoted him to the men's top-ranked player (and the youngest to achieve it), a position he held for four years.
He took another Wimbledon title in 1983, but John McEnroe's most memorable year was 1984 when he won both Wimbledon and US Open titles.
In addition to his singles achievements, John dominated the field as a doubles player. With longtime partner Peter Fleming, John earned four Wimbledon titles and three US Open titles - Masters titles seven years in a row.
John represented the United States 12 times in Davis Cup competition, achieving five championship team wins and establishing the record for the most US Davis Cup wins (39 singles and 15 doubles).
More recently, John was a doubles winner of the SAP Open in San Jose ATP Tournament in February 2006 at 47 years of age.
David Mercer
Swansea-born David entered sports broadcasting as a freelance via ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Wales in 1979 and joined ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Sport in London on a full-time basis in 1984.
He joined the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Television commentary team in 1992.
Tennis has been his main sport since then, but he has also commentated and reported on football, rugby union, rowing, skiing, skating, badminton, snooker, squash, ice hockey and American football.
David, a former solicitor, was Welsh Junior Doubles champion in 1968, captained the tennis team at Nottingham University in 1969 and umpired the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final in 1984.
Greg Rusedski
Greg Rusedski was born in Canada and began representing Great Britain in May 1995.
He was recognised as the No. 4 seed in the world and at one point had the fastest serve in the world, recorded at 149 mph.
He won the prestigious ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sports Personality of the Year award in 1997 and the following year won the biggest tournament of his career at the ATP Masters Series in Paris, defeating the world No. 1 Pete Sampras in what he calls the greatest match he ever played.
Since retiring from tennis professionally in 2007, Greg has become a television and radio sports commentator and presenter.
Greg joins the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's Wimbledon commentary team for the first time this year.
Simon Reed
Simon's career began with ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio in the late Sixties when he worked for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Sport, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service and ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio London.
From 1973, he was a presenter and reporter for Thames TV.
Simon's career as a tennis commentator began with Channel 4 in 1984, and he also freelanced for Sky and Eurosport.
In 1995, he became Head of Commentators for Eurosport specialising in tennis.
In 2002, Simon commentated for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ TV at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
He has commentated on the last six Wimbledon Championships for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ TV.
Sam Smith
Sam was National Champion in 1997 and British No. 1 from 1996 to 1999.
She reached her highest world ranking – 55 – in February 1999 and represented Great Britain in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, as well as the Federation Cup and European Team Championships. Sam now works as a freelance tennis commentator and columnist.
Virginia Wade
Virginia Wade's 1977 victory over Betty Stove to win the Wimbledon ladies' singles final, during the Queen's Silver Jubilee, remains one of the tournament's most memorable triumphs.
Notably, Virginia is currently the last Briton to have won Wimbledon.
Born in Bournemouth in July 1945, her career also included winning the US Open in 1968, the Australian and Italian Opens in 1972, and four Grand Slam doubles titles.
Awarded the OBE in 1986, Virginia has worked as a tennis commentator for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ since 1981.
Radio
Clare Balding
A former leading amateur flat jockey and champion lady rider, Clare's speciality is horse racing but she also covers a wide variety of other sports and assignments.
She began her ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ career with ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 5 Live in 1993 presenting the racing bulletin on Danny Baker's Morning Edition.
Clare was appointed as ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport's TV racing presenter in December 1997.
She first presented Wimbledon with Simon Mayo on Radio 5 Live in 2003 and this year takes on commentary duties for the first time.
Frew MacMillan
Famous for his trademark white cap, Frew McMillan won the Wimbledon men's doubles title with Bob Hewitt in 1967, 1972 and 1978.
The Radio 5 Live summariser also won the mixed doubles title with Betty Stove in 1978 and 1981.
From December 1966, Hewitt and McMillan were unbeaten for more than 50 matches – at Wimbledon in 1967.
Frew never lost a service game and the pair never dropped a set.
Frew played Davis Cup tennis for South Africa between 1965 and 1978, and had a 22-5 doubles record in the competition.
Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo is one of radio's best known names and this year won the Sony Award for Speech Broadcaster of the Year.
He has a weekday show on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 5 Live and first presented Wimbledon on 5 Live in 2003 with Clare Balding and has done so every year since.
Simon joined the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ in May 1986 with a Saturday evening show on Radio 1.
At the beginning of 1987 he took over the weekday evening show and progressed to the Breakfast Show later in 1988.
Simon joined Radio 5 Live in May 2001 and his show broadcasts 1.00pm – 4.00pm Monday to Friday.
Judy Murray
Judy Murray is perhaps best known as the mother of young British No. 1 Andy Murray and his brother Jamie, Wimbledon mixed doubles champion in 2007.
Judy was the former Scottish No. 1 and won 64 national titles during her playing career.
She is also the former Great British hard courts ladies doubles champion and represented Great Britain at the World Student Games.
She has been a Scottish National coach for eight years.
Jana Novotna
Jana Novotna won the women's singles title at Wimbledon in 1998 and endeared herself to the public in 1993 when she cried on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent after losing the Wimbledon singles final.
Jana is from the Czech Republic and in her 14-year career she won 100 titles, 24 in singles and 76 in doubles, including 12 Grand Slam women's doubles titles and four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
Jana retired from the professional tour in 1999 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005.
Jonathan Overend
Jonathan Overend is ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 5 Live's tennis correspondent.
He joined ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Essex in 1989, while still studying for his A levels, later becoming sports producer and then presenter of the Drivetime show.
In 1997 he joined ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Sport to work on Radio 5 Live as a reporter and presenter and took over as the main tennis reporter in 2003 and correspondent a year later.
Jonathan has commentated on Roger Federer's Grand Slam titles and has also closely followed Andy Murray's career out of the junior ranks and into the world Top 10.
Mark Pougatch
Mark Pougatch presents ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 5 Live's flagship programme 5 Live Sport every Friday (7.00-10.00pm) and Saturday (12.00noon-6.00pm).
Mark started out in the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ at GLR, the former ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ station for London, and then worked at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Essex in 1992 where he became a regular football reporter.
He took up his first 5 Live presenting role in 1998 when he became the anchor of 5 Live Sport on Sundays. In August 2000, he moved to present the Saturday edition of the show and took on the Friday night slot in August 2005.
Mark has worked on many of 5 Live's main events, including World Cup football, the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.
Mark has presented on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Television's Match Of The Day and Football Focus.
Roger Rasheed
Elite tennis coach Roger Rasheed is perhaps best known as the former coach of Lleyton Hewitt.
The pair were a fierce team, and during Roger's coaching appointment Lleyton rose from a ranking of 19 to No. 2, made two Grand Slam finals and won nine titles.
Roger hit his first tennis ball at the age of 10 and decided he liked the game as much as Australian Rules Football, a sport in which he excelled at as a junior player.
At 16 he became the youngest player to qualify for an Australian Open (a record only eclipsed in 1997 by Hewitt).
However, a back injury was to end his days as a player in January 1993 and Roger ventured into tennis coaching at elite level, taking on Hewitt in 2003.
Roger is highly regarded on the international tennis scene for his preparation of players, particularly leading up to and during major Grand Slam events.
He is also widely known for his infectious personality and ability to motivate athletes and individuals.
Michael Stich
Michael Stich won the men's singles at Wimbledon in 1991, seeing him beat Courier, defending Wimbledon champion Edberg and three-times winner Boris Becker in consecutive rounds for the title.
He has also won the men's doubles at Wimbledon and the Olympics.
Michael began playing tennis aged six and won the German national junior singles title in 1986. That year he posted a 13-match winning streak which included reaching the quarter-finals at the US Open and winning titles in Stuttgart, Schenectady and Vienna.
He also played the most singles and doubles on the Tour – 149 matches.
Other career highlights include leading his country to the Davis Cup title against Australia in 1993, for the first time since 1989, and finishing as German No. 1 for the first time.
Michael served on the ATP Tour Player Council in 1991 and has an overall playing record of 35-11 (21-9 in singles).
He began the Michael Stich Foundation in November 1994 to help HIV-positive children in Germany.
Michael has worked for Radio 5 Live and ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ TV for five years, and hosts his own show for the first time in 2008.
Jeff Tarango
One of tennis' most flamboyant characters, Jeff Tarango is a former US professional tennis player who won 16 singles and doubles titles during his career.
He gained notoriety at Wimbledon in 1995 for defaulting a match by leaving the court after a dispute over a serve ruling.
Jeff retired from the professional tour in 2002 and now devotes his time to coaching and broadcasting, joining Radio 5 Live in 2007.
Todd Woodbridge
Todd Woodbridge was arguably one of the top doubles players in the world for most of the 1990s and into the early 2000s.
With fellow Australian Mark Woodforde he won a record 61 ATP doubles titles, including 11 Grand Slam events.
After Woodforde retired from the tour in 2000, Todd established a partnership with Jonas Björkman that resulted in five Grand Slam event titles in four years.
He also partnered Mahesh Bhupathi for a year before retiring in 2005 with a total 83 ATP tournament wins in doubles to his name, an all-time record.
Todd commentates on the Australian Open for the Seven Network in Australia and joined the Radio 5 Live commentary team in 2007.
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