Sue Barker: ‘Our matches looked as if they were in the Stone Age’ jokes BBC host

The initial tennis broadcasting role down under only lasted eight weeks but her appearances helped her land work with Sky Sports before she was signed by the BBC to cover Wimbledon for the first time alongside legendary broadcaster Harry Carpenter in 1993.

“I love my job,” she said. “I’ve been lucky enough to have two great careers. The first one helped get the second one. I’ve had an absolute ball.”

The 64-year-old’s broadcasting career has seen her present Grandstand, the Olympic Games as well as becoming the popular host of A Question of Sport, whose latest run will begin filming next month.

Asked to compare her time on the court with the current era, Barker insists that she is delighted that she played when she did.

“Would I want to be playing now? Absolutely not,” she said. “We had a blast when we were playing in the 1970s and ’80s. We’re still good friends today.

“I was doing this Zoom call with Martina at Wimbledon and we finished the interview and she said ‘shall I give you a tour of the house, Sue?’ and she goes all around her house showing me her exotic pets.

“Today it’s business. They all have their entourages and they tend not to mix very much so I’m glad I’m got Chrissie and Martina and Virginia and others as friends. We were friendly rivals back then.”