05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Wimbledon and BBC legend was saved from drowning in bath by fellow player
Sue Barker was present as British tennis legend John Lloyd recalled how he almost died in a Wimbledon bath before being saved by a fellow player who needed the toilet
A British tennis legend almost died following a gruelling five-set loss at Wimbledon. Sue Barker, who presented the BBC's Wimbledon coverage for more than two decades, has retold the alarming story involving former colleague John Lloyd.
Barker has made a nostalgic return to the tournament this year after stepping back from her broadcasting role in 2022. In partnership with Emirates Airlines, the ex-French Open champion was tasked with ensuring every corner of the prestigious venue was in tip-top shape ahead of the championship.
What the popular presenter doesn't know about SW19 isn't worth knowing. Her book 'Wimbledon: A Personal History', which hit the shelves in 2024, recalls her experiences and anecdotes from the world's most famous tennis tournament. Amongst the myriad of tales, one particularly striking account involves Lloyd, the BBC commentator, former British No.1 and ex-Davis Cup captain.
In 1976, Lloyd had a horrifying brush with death following a defeat at Phil Dent. Barker wrote: "One thing Wimbledon does so well is The Last 8 Club, a sort of club within the Club that welcomes all players who have ever reached the singles quarter-finals, the doubles semi-finals or the mixed-doubles finals..
"There are refreshments available all day, a six o'clock happy hour and an annual dinner, which I discovered attracts about 70 former players each year.
"It was my first appearance here, and I joined Billie Jean, Rosie Casals, Christine Janes, Tracy Austin and the 1974 finalist Olga Morozova; as well as Mark Woodforde, Jan Kodes, Peter Fleming, Fred Stolle and Chris Lewis, the finalist from 1983.
"We had such a laugh at dinner. John Lloyd and I both gave speeches, as did Chris. I told stories from my memoir, Calling the Shots, and Lloydy, who is a great raconteur, told the tale of how he nearly died in the men's locker room at Wimbledon after one cruel defeat.
"He had lost a four-hour, first-round, five-set match to Phil Dent - a nightmare result for a Brit fancied to do well at Wimbledon, as he was in 1976 - and then done the exhaustive rounds of media that a home player used to have to endure (these days there are time limits and players can take a shower and have a massage before facing the press).
"It was 9pm when he got to the locker room and found it empty. As he tells the story, he ran a deep, steaming hot bath and wallowed in it, going over in his mind all the crucial points of his match, angry that he had lost it. When he reached for the soap, his hand cramped, and soon he had seized up all over with an excruciatingly painful full-body cramp.
"'I was sliding down into the water. I was sinking, I was going to bloody well drown in the Wimbledon bath,' he recalled. "And then he had us in stitches.
"'It's funny what goes through your mind at such moments,' he said. 'My life should have been passing before my eyes, but my ego took over and I started to imagine the headlines in the newspapers the next day: British player commits suicide in bath after devastating loss.'
"Luckily for Lloydy, a former player had dashed into the locker room bursting for a pee after a Wimbledon cocktail party - and the urinals were close to the bath. His distress was noted and he was safely hauled out of the water, and lived to tell the tale."
Before Barker's return to Wimbledon, she dismissed the idea of her leading coverage of the grand slam for a different TV channel. CityAM reported that Barker was asked at an event whether she would ever present Wimbledon for a rival broadcaster, which she quickly dismissed.
