Sue Barker got Judy Murray email after Andy and wife watched 'embarrassing' clip

Daily Mirror

a day ago

Sue Barker spent almost 30 years as the face of the BBC's Wimbledon coverage, and she was left red-faced when one example of her passionate support was sent to Andy Murray's wife and mum
A BBC broadcasting legend like Sue Barker has had her fair share of moments she'd rather erase from memory. And one such incident left her red-faced when she was caught on tape wildly cheering Andy Murray to victory at Wimbledon.
This wouldn't be embarrassing in the slightest if not for Barker's own commitment to maintaining neutrality while covering British players. However, the former French Open champion couldn't resist supporting Murray as he stormed to his first Wimbledon title in 2013.
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Barker, who also confessed to nearly setting the media centre alight, made it her goal to appear impartial when her fellow Brits were competing at SW19. At least while the cameras were rolling, as one leaked clip revealed she was as enthusiastic as anyone else in supporting Murray when she thought no-one was looking.
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"One of the challenges of hosting the BBC Wimbledon coverage was watching the British players," Barker wrote in her 2024 book, Wimbledon: A Personal History. "As someone who loved playing for my country – and when I look back on my career it is our GB Wightman Cup triumphs that mean more to me than winning a Grand Slam and reaching No.3 in the world rankings – I was often a wreck.
"I used to make sure I was scrupulously impartial on air, but of course I always wanted the home players to succeed because I know how special it is to play well at Wimbledon and please an appreciative crowd.
"As a player whose successes came mostly on hard courts, I also understand the flip side of that and the emotions you go through when you have to acknowledge that you've not just let yourself down but also the incredible supporters who've cheered you through thick and thin.
"The most nerve-shredding match was Andy's quarter-final against the Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in that 2013 campaign. He was two sets down and I was living every point with him in the studio, so tense and emotional as he looked like he was down and out.
"Jo, the sound lady, filmed me screaming and fist pumping and sent the clip to Judy Murray, who later passed it on to Andy and [Murray's wife] Kim. So embarrassing! Then, incredibly, he battled through the Verdasco challenge and went on to win Wimbledon. I got an email from Judy after his eventual victory saying that I was getting more wound up than she ever would!"
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Murray, 38, successfully rallied from two sets down to beat Verdasco and reach the Wimbledon semis. He then came from behind once more to beat Jerzy Janowicz before sealing a straight-sets victory over Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final.
Barker, the beloved face of the BBC's Wimbledon coverage for nearly three decades, made a poignant return last summer to honour Murray's emotional goodbye to SW19. And it was apparent just what a bond the pair share after so many years working together.
Judy Murray, Andy's mother, amusingly noted that Barker's enthusiasm during her son's triumphs often surpassed even her own. This comes after Andy himself likened conversations with the tennis broadcasting legend to those with his own mother.
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"I always loved chatting to Sue. It was like chatting to my mum or a relative almost," he reflected in 2022 as Barker bowed out from her Wimbledon commentary duties. "She has that warmth to her.
"Usually you do interviews on the TV and it doesn't always feel the most natural to me. But with her, I almost felt like she was able to make you forget about that.
"When I would go to the studio at Wimbledon, rather than doing an interview with the BBC in a studio she made it feel more relaxed. It was like you're chatting to someone in the living room. That was what I really loved about her."