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Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- 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.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Raducanu, Kartal and Tarvet get British Wimbledon charge off to flying start
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 30, 2025 Britain's Sonay Kartal shakes hands with Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko after winning her first round match REUTERS/Toby Melville LONDON - The biggest home assault on Wimbledon for 41 years got off to a great start on Monday when Sonay Kartal and Oliver Tarvet claimed upset wins and Emma Raducanu triumphed in an all-British clash. British tennis is enjoying a buoyant period, and although former U.S. champion Raducanu and Jack Draper are making most of the headlines, there are 23 local players in the men's and women's singles this week, the most at Wimbledon since 1984. Seven qualified directly through their top-100 world rankings, U.S.-based collegiate player Tarvet came through qualifying and a further 15 were handed wildcards. With Draper not in action until Tuesday, British women's number one Raducanu was the main attraction, although home loyalties were somewhat split as she faced 17-year-old Welsh wildcard Mimi Xu, making her Grand Slam debut. Xu had not beaten a top 50 player and never looked likely to break that duck on Number One court as she went down 6-3 6-3. Raducanu, desperate for a deep run in her home slam after a previous best of two fourth-round exits, did not have to do anything too extraordinary against a rival who for a while seemed intimidated by the occasion. After Xu swung wildly for a rare air shot and then tumbled to the pristine turf after a slip, the 318th-ranked teen got what no young player wants to hear - some sympathy applause. Raducanu swept to the first set, dropping only three points in her four service games, and with a lack of tension on court, the obligatory 'come on Britain' shout drew the usual ripple of Wimbledon laughter usually reserved for any lingering pigeon. Xu settled in the second set, however, finally getting to grips with the Raducanu serve during a run of five successive breaks, but the favourite got back on track to come through. FLYING START Raducanu, Katie Boulter and Kartal were all in the top 50 last week, the first time three British women have been ranked that high since 1986, and Kartal got the day off to a flier by beating ex-French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 7-5 2-6 6-2. She fought back from 4-1 down to win the first set before Ostapenko, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2018 and quarter-finalist last year, hit back to take the second. However, the Latvian's famed inconsistency showed up again in the third as Kartal stormed to a 5-0 lead and, after a minor wobble, finished it off. "I was happy to be first up," Kartal said. "I guess the other (British) guys that are coming out can maybe get a bit of motivation from my win." It was also a good day, though not as lucrative, for Tarvet as the British qualifier beat Switzerland's Leandro Riedi 6-4 6-4 6-4 for his first win in a Grand Slam tournament. The 21-year-old's reward is a Centre Court meeting with holder Carlos Alcaraz but, win or lose, he will go home with only $10,000 plus expenses due to the rules surrounding student athletes in the United States, where he goes to college. All other second-round losers will take home 99,000 pounds ($135,000) in prize money. Britain's Cameron Norrie got past Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets and Bill Harris was an impressive straight-sets winner over Serbian Lucky Loser Dusan Lajovic, but British number two Jacob Fearnley went down in three against Brazil's Joao Fonseca. Fourth seed Draper, one of 13 Britons in the men's draw, is the biggest home hope since Andy Murray and kicks off his campaign against Argentine Sebastian Baez on Tuesday. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
