John McEnroe piles strain on BBC’s Sue Barker substitute for Wimbledon
Wimbledon legend John McEnroe has piled strain on Clare Balding forward of internet hosting her first Championships for the BBC. Balding is changing the long-serving Sue Barker because the company’s foremost Wimbledon host.
McEnroe has likened Barker’s absence to being like when Bjorn Borg didn’t play. The American was pressured to lift his sport to fill the footwear of the Swedish former World No 1, who received 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles.
Barker ended her 29-year profession because the BBC’s Wimbledon presenter final yr, claiming the ‘time was right’ to reject a contract extension. McEnroe was famously emotional because the 67-year-old former French Open winner waved goodbye to the Wimbledon crowd.
And McEnroe has insisted that Balding has massive footwear to fill this yr. “Yeah, that (Barker’s absence) is going to be a bummer. Sue is a legend. She was incredible at what she did, so it’s going to be a void,” the 64-year-old instructed i paper.
“It’s like when [Bjorn] Borg didn’t play. For us, it was a huge thing. So especially since I’ve been doing this, the other side, the commentary side, for as long as I have been doing it with her, she just makes it easier for everyone around her.
“And she did that for 25 years or something. So it’s a tough act to follow. The old cliche: all good things come to an end. She decided that this was enough, go out I guess on a high. And God bless her. Hopefully, she’ll come by and say hello.”
Barker introduced previous to the 2022 Wimbledon version that she would step down, whereas Balding’s appointment was confirmed quickly after. The 52-year-old admits she shall be nervous forward of changing her good friend.
“It’s a tremendous honour. Sue is a good friend of mine and has been really supportive and I will try to do her proud without trying to do what she did,” Balding instructed the Telegraph.
“I’m really excited about it. Obviously I will be nervous, of course I will. It’s a big deal. This is one of the major sporting events in the world.”
Balding factors out that she is beginning her new job throughout a altering of the guard on the court docket in addition to within the studio. She added: “What I’m really looking forward to this year, and over the next five or six years, is seeing who will become the major stars of the next decade.
“We have reached the end of Roger Federer’s reign here, and we are reaching the end of Novak Djokovic, who is still reigning supreme, but what next?”