Sue Barker has claimed she feels she is ‘useless’ at tennis now – but is also enjoying her retirement following her departure from the BBC back in 2022.
Before becoming a presenter, the 68-year-old impressed on the court by winning the French Open back in 1976.
Barker left the BBC two years ago in controversial circumstances, with the broadcaster cutting her loose to focus on the next generation.
Speaking to Heat magazine, she says she recently played tennis – despite being advised against it.
And Barker has now claimed she was ‘useless’ while joking that Tim Henman and Andrew Castle were less than impressed.
“Not really,” she replied when asked if she still plays the game she loves.
“I’ve had plenty of injuries over the years and when I snapped my Achilles years ago, the surgeon said, ‘Be careful. You put your body through a lot and it can’t take much more.’
“But, of course, me being me, I couldn’t listen to that and last month, my best friend – who is a Wimbledon referee who I trained with back in the day – suggested a game on one of the back courts at Wimbledon where no one could see.
“I knew I was going to be useless, but I just wanted to feel the grass under my feet and the ball on the racquet at Wimbledon again.
“We’d only been playing for about 15 minutes when I hear this booming voice saying, ‘Quick, get the drones out!’
“That was Mr Tim Henman – he was two courts away shouting abuse, and he was soon joined by [co-presenter] Andrew Castle, who was equally rude about my game!
“It was such fun though, even if my Achilles was sore for about two weeks afterwards.”
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Barker insists she is enjoying her retirement, however.
Though she admits to slightly missing preparing for interviews, she’s more than content with her life nowadays.
“My life is totally different. Retirement means waking up with nothing to do,” she continued.
“There’s no stress, there’s nothing to worry about because I don’t need to be preparing for interviews or shows. And I sort of miss that, but not really.
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“I’m just really enjoying life. My dogs have never been walked so much!
“I’ve learned just to be really thankful – for my career and the friendships that I’ve made.
“Now, I’m navigating how to keep them all going, because we’re all spread around the world.
“It’s important to keep people that are really special in your life close and not let them go.”
When told that’s a great place to be in, Barker agreed and insists that her failure to win Wimbledon is her only regret.
“It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? Tennis was my love, Wimbledon was my dream place, not only to play there – I would have loved to have won it, but we can’t turn the clock back – but then to present it,” she said.
“There’s nothing in sport that I would want to present that I haven’t presented because Wimbledon, to me, is the pinnacle of all.
“And A Question Of Sport was my favourite show on TV, so to present that, and to do it for 24 years – well, you can’t beat that.”
