Sue Barker facts for kids
Barker in 2008
|
|
| Country (sports) |  Great Britain |
|---|---|
| Residence | Stanton, Gloucestershire, England |
| Born | 19 April 1956 Paignton, Devon, England |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Turned pro | 1972 |
| Retired | 1984 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$ 878,701 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 407–250 (61.9%) |
| Career titles | 23 (15 WTA) |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (20 March 1977) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1975, 1977Dec) |
| French Open | W (1976) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1977) |
| US Open | 4R (1976) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | F (1977) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 33–38 |
| Career titles | 12 |
Susan "Sue" Barker (born 19 April 1956) is a famous British former tennis player and television presenter. During her time as a tennis player, Sue won 15 singles titles, including a major championship at the 1976 French Open. She reached a career-high ranking of world No. 3 in singles.
After her tennis career, Barker joined the BBC as a tennis presenter in 1993. The next year, she started presenting the coverage of the Wimbledon tennis championships. She stopped this role after the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Sue Barker was also a presenter for the popular sports quiz show A Question of Sport.
Contents
Early Life and Tennis Training
Sue Barker was born on 19 April 1956 in Paignton, Devon, England. She grew up there and went to a convent school. When she was 10 years old in 1966, she was chosen to receive special tennis coaching from Arthur Roberts. Roberts had previously coached Angela Mortimer to win three Grand Slam titles.
Roberts continued to coach Sue even after his initial commitment, charging her only a small fee per session. This allowed her to keep improving her skills. Sue's forehand shot was her strongest and most admired skill throughout her career. Arthur Roberts even called it "especially potent," meaning very powerful.
When Sue was a teenager, another tennis coach suggested she change her forehand. But Roberts told her not to. He even resigned from the LTA Coaches Association because he disagreed with their advice. Roberts later sent Sue to play in tournaments in Europe. He gave her a one-way ticket and told her to "earn your ticket home" by winning prize money. Roberts remained an important mentor for Sue throughout her entire career.
Sue Barker's Tennis Career
When Sue was 16, she was ranked 21st in the world. Her coach, Arthur Roberts, advised her to move to the United States to help her tennis career grow. On her 17th birthday, she signed with Mark McCormack's International Management Group (IMG). She then moved into a townhouse provided by IMG in Newport Beach, California. Her neighbors there included the famous tennis player Rod Laver, who had just retired. She trained at the John Wayne Tennis Club.
In 1973 and 1974, Sue won the Exmouth Open in Devon, England. She beat Annette Coe in the finals both times. In 1975, Barker won her first major singles title and three more titles that year. She also reached her first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open in 1975. In 1976, she won the German Open, defeating Renáta Tomanová of Czechoslovakia in the final.
Later in 1976, Sue Barker achieved the biggest win of her career. She won the French Open at 20 years old, again beating Renáta Tomanová in the final. After this victory, Sue felt she would win many more Grand Slam titles. However, she never reached another Grand Slam final in her career.
In 1977, Sue won two singles titles in San Francisco and Dallas. She beat Martina Navratilova to reach the Virginia Slims Tour Championships final. There, she lost in three sets to Chris Evert. Barker also reached the Australian Open semi-final for the second time in 1977. That same year, she made it to the Wimbledon semi-final. It looked like she would play Virginia Wade in the Wimbledon final, but she unexpectedly lost her semi-final match against Betty Stöve from the Netherlands.
Years later, Sue Barker said that losing to Stöve was the biggest disappointment of her career. She was so upset that she could not watch the final, which Virginia Wade won.
After 1978, when injuries caused her ranking to drop to World No. 24, she made a strong comeback. In 1979, she won three singles titles and reached three other finals. Her fellow professional players named her the "Comeback Player of the Year." In 1980, Barker reached one final. She won the last singles title of her career at the Brighton International in 1981, finishing that year ranked World No. 16. She won her last doubles title in 1982 in Cincinnati. Sue played her final professional tennis match in 1984.
Overall, Sue Barker won 15 singles titles and 12 doubles titles. She had wins against many top players like Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Evonne Goolagong, and Virginia Wade. In 2004, looking back at her 1976 French Open win, Sue said, "I'm still incredibly proud of what I achieved."
Major Tennis Finals
Grand Slam Singles Title
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1976 | French Open | Clay |  Renáta Tomanová |
6–2, 0–6, 6–2 |
Year-End Championships Singles Final
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1977 | Virginia Slims Championships | Carpet (i) |  Chris Evert |
6–2, 1–6, 1–6 |
Year-End Championships Doubles Final
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1979 | Avon Championships | Carpet (i) | Ann Kiyomura |
 Françoise Dürr Betty Stöve |
6–7(1–7), 6–7(3–7) |
Broadcasting Career
After retiring from playing tennis, Sue Barker became a sports commentator and reporter. She worked for Australia's Channel 7 in 1985. Then, she presented tennis coverage for British Sky Broadcasting from 1990 to 1993. In 1993, Barker joined the BBC. She was a regular guest on Today at Wimbledon with Harry Carpenter, covering the Wimbledon tennis championships. She became the main host of Today at Wimbledon in 1994. From 2000 until 2022, she led the two-week-long broadcast for the BBC.
Sue Barker became one of the BBC's main sports presenters. She presented Grandstand and was the host of the long-running sports quiz show A Question of Sport (QoS) from 1997. She took over from David Coleman. She left her role as QoS presenter after the BBC decided to change the show. Her last episode was recorded in September 2020. She also hosted the yearly BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony from 1994 to 2012.
Barker has hosted BBC Sport's coverage of many major tennis events. These include the Australian Open, the French Open, Queens Club Championships, Eastbourne, the Davis Cup, the ATP World Tour Finals, and Wimbledon.
She also hosted coverage for other sporting events. These include the Grand National (2000–2007), the Derby (2001–2007), and various athletics championships. She also covered the Commonwealth Games (1994–2010) and the Summer Olympics (1996–2012).
In June 1999, she helped present the TV coverage of Prince Edward's wedding to Sophie Rhys-Jones at Windsor.
In 2008, Barker and the BBC extended her contract to cover the London 2012 Summer Olympics.
Sue Barker has received several honors for her work. She was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2000. She became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2016. In 2021, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to broadcasting and charity.
In September 2020, it was announced that Sue Barker would leave her role as host of A Question of Sport after 24 years. She said she was "sad to say goodbye." On 9 June 2022, Barker announced she would also be stepping down from BBC's Wimbledon tennis coverage after the 2022 finals. She had covered Wimbledon since 1993.
Barker later said that she was asked to leave the show, rather than choosing to leave herself. She claimed she was asked to agree to a statement that said she left by choice, which was not true. Barker accepted the BBC's decision to replace her because they wanted to "refresh" the show. However, she felt the BBC handled the situation poorly, calling it "insulting" and saying she felt "slightly damaged" by the experience.
Personal Life
At 17, Sue Barker moved to California. In 1978, she ended her engagement to Australian tennis player Syd Ball. She later said she wasn't ready for marriage at that time. After this, she had a brief relationship with golfer Greg Norman.
In 1980, Sue was temporarily unable to see in her right eye after a dog bit her in Spain. She lost her sight for five hours. She worried the dog attack would stop her from playing tennis, which she said "broke her heart."
In 1982, Barker met singer Cliff Richard. Their relationship lasted about four months and got a lot of media attention. Richard flew to Denmark to watch her play tennis, and they were seen together at Wimbledon. Richard later said they were "closer than just friends."
In 1988, Sue Barker married Lance Tankard, a landscape gardener and former policeman. They live in the Cotswolds village of Stanton, Gloucestershire.
In September 2022, Barker was a guest on the radio show Desert Island Discs. Her favorite song was "Harry Hippie" by Bobby Womack. She chose All In by Billie Jean King as her book and New Zealand sauvignon blanc wine as her luxury item.
Sue Barker's autobiography, Calling the Shots, was published in September 2022.
Images for kids
-
Barker in 2008
-
Sue Barker interviewing Andy Murray at Wimbledon in 2016
See also
- Table of all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final
