Barker ‘got in trouble’ with Wimbledon for comments after Murray win

Sue Barker says she ‘will miss’ Wimbledon

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Sue Barker has revealed she got into ‘awful trouble’ due to comments she made after Andy Murray’s maiden win at Wimbledon in 2013. Murray secured his first ever Grand Slam on home soil when seeing off Novak Djokovic 6–4, 7–5, 6–4 nine years ago.

It was a monumental moment for British tennis, as Murray became the first since Fred Perry in 1936 and first Scot since 1896 to get his hands on the famous trophy on home soil. It was a dramatic day at Centre Court, and Barker revealed she let the emotions get the better of her live on air.

The former tennis star and broadcasting legend was in charge of conducting the post-match interviews with the players, and due to the momentous occasion Barker decided to go slightly off-piece with her script – to the displeasure of tournament bosses. Barker revealed all when appearing on ITV’s Lorraine this week.

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Speaking about that famous day, she said: “I got in awful trouble with Wimbledon, because Wimbledon had asked me, in the early 2000s, to do the on-court interviews and to read out… and you know, I have a little script. It’s very Wimbledon. ‘The winner of the gentlemen’s singles trophy for whatever year it is is so and so’.

“And suddenly, I looked over at Andy and he was crying, and I could hear on Murray Mount the crowd were going mad. There was such a buzz around Centre Court, I said, I can’t just read this. So I said, ‘We’ve waited 77 years for this!’ I just felt it needed something more.

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“That was the highlight for all of us. He was amazing. The pressure he was under… I don’t know how he did it.” After proving to be the face of British tennis for 30 years, with her final Wimbledon for the BBC coming this year, she went onto reveal it was a role she never wanted to give up.

Barker went on: “I will miss it terribly. I wish I was 30 years younger and starting out. I loved the job and I didn’t want to give it up but I felt it was the right time and I could walk out with my head held high, which I was able to do.”

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