A version of this article was originally published in May 2020
It was a dream Grand Slam title for a rising British tennis star. There might have been no TV cameras, no coach or parents watching either, but when she was lifting the trophy that didn’t matter – this was supposed to be the first of many.
If Sue Barker had known her 1976 French Open triumph would be her only major title – and indeed still the most recent singles trophy for a Briton at Roland Garros – it’s fair to say she would have done things a little differently.
When she got home, she realised she’d lost the medal and had no photos or footage to look back on.
“I would have collected everything from the court – a bit of dust from Roland Garros, the umpire sheet to prove that I’d won it – but I was just rushing off to have my glass of champagne!” says Barker, who was only 20 when she won one of her sport’s four biggest tournaments.
To anyone under 50, Barker, now 66, is probably best known for being a TV presenter and on Sunday at the end of this year’s Wimbledon she stepped down after 30 years at the helm of live sports broadcasting for the BBC.
But before all that, she was a world number three tennis player, whose formidable forehand was voted ‘best in the game’ by her peers several years in a row.
She also recorded victories over many of the sport’s greatest names – from Martina Navratilova, to Chris Evert, to Billie Jean King.
Barker describes the start of her tennis story as like something from a Hollywood movie – for reasons that will soon become clear. There were some painful defeats along the way, and injury heartbreak too. But a mysterious phone call would open up a whole new chapter in retirement – leading to a unique perspective on her sport, and the life she’s led in it.
Raised in Devon, Barker outgrew the British tennis system quickly and at 17 was advised by her coach to move to the United States, so she could play on the professional circuit there and train with some of the world’s best players.
It was the summer of 1973 when her life changed overnight.
“I rented a car at Los Angeles airport – I’d only passed my driving test about a month before – and I upgraded myself to a convertible, drove down the 405 freeway to Newport Beach where my new townhouse was and collected my keys,” she says.
“I’d…
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