Wimbledon: A Personal History by Sue BarkerSynopsis: “Sue Barker first walked through those famous wrought-iron gates aged 13 in 1969 to play in the National Schools event. What Sue didn’t know then, was that every year for the next half century, she would be back in some capacity. As a junior, aged 15, as a semi-finalist and Grand-Slam winner ranked No.3 in the world, as a broadcaster leading the BBC coverage for thirty years and for the first time, as a fan in 2023. And now she returns as a storyteller. The magic has stayed the same, but times have changed. With her first-hand insight and perspective, Sue paints an intimate portrait of the place, past and present, full of behind-the-scenes details drawn from her own experiences as well as personal conversations with her former mentors, contemporary players, friends and colleagues – giants of the game such as Rod Laver, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Roger Federer, Venus Williams and many others. They share poignant memories with her and some startling revelations, from Sampras’s deep regret that he didn’t involve his parents more in his Centre Court triumphs to Borg divulging that McEnroe was always the quietest presence in the locker room … You cannot be serious! From the most talked-about matches and famous rivalries to the fashions and trends, from the stunning breakthroughs, to the near wins and gut-wrenching disappointments, Sue’s personal history of Wimbledon is touched throughout by Championship stardust and is as tightly packed with stories as the courts are with blades of grass.”

My Review

This was a really interesting audiobook that brought back a lot of happy memories of watching Wimbledon over the years.

I enjoyed hearing Sue Barker talk about her journey as a tennis player and then broadcaster, as she spoke about the greats from the world of tennis and their journeys.

My favourite chapters were about Björn Borg, John McEnroe and Tim Henman.

I didn’t realise that Borg and McEnroe were good friends, and not rivals like they were on the courts. I also didn’t realise that the reason Borg retired was because of the intense media coverage about his personal life. This was obviously long before social media was around, but just as damaging. I think he was one of the first players I ever watched.

I must admit that I wasn’t keen on McEnroe when he first appeared at Wimbledon, because of all the tantrums and his ‘Super Brat’ personality. So it was actually really good to hear Sue Barker talk about her friendship with him and his own recollections of that time.

One particular moment that changed the way he played was when Borg told him quietly across the net to stop misbehaving. Borg understood McEnroe because he’d also had a temper when he was younger, so knew what was going on in his opponent’s mind and really helped him.

Another really interesting bit of information I loved was that Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders wrote Don’t Get Me Wrong about McEnroe, because she was frustrated about the way people misunderstood him.

I loved the short chapter about Tim Henman, and I was very glad to hear I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t bear to watch when he played. It was just so nerve- wracking.

It was lovely to have Sue Barker reading her book, but I must admit it wasn’t always easy to follow when the interviews had ended, which wouldn’t have been an issue in a different format.

Book 20 of 20 Books of Summer 2024