Isa Guha has backed “ultimate professional” Clare Balding to excel as she succeeds Sue Barker to become the BBC’s face of Wimbledon.
Barker called time on 30 years presenting national coverage from the All England Club in emotional scenes last summer, with past and present greats of tennis paying tribute to her.
In March it was confirmed that Balding, who has been part of the BBC’s coverage since 1995, would step into Barker’s shoes, with former England cricketer Guha sharing presenting duties for a second year.
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Guha praised her co-host, telling the PA news agency: “Clare is the ultimate professional. She’s got so much energy about her and that’s what she brings to the screen. You very much feel you’re in there with her when she’s talking to you.
“I think she wants to do it in a way that’s true to her and that’s bringing that energy. I think as people who haven’t played tennis to a professional standard, it’s asking those questions the general audience wants to hear. You get that different take.”
Guha relished learning off Barker last year, saying: “She’s got an incredible warmth. When you watch her on television she feels like a friend.
“She was someone I certainly watched when I was younger, never imagined that I’d even be in her company so to be sat there with her and see how she goes about her business, her offering me advice and so forth, it was a little bit surreal but at the same time we’re just watching her in awe because she’s been the face of the BBC for such a long time and we absolutely respect and admire everything she’s done for sports broadcasting as a female.
“It was just an incredible time last year. The ability to be there with Sue, see how she operates, the doyenne of sports broadcasting, and to be in Clare Balding’s company and all these legends. It was a pretty amazing experience.”
With Wimbledon being one of the jewels in the BBC’s crown, it is no surprise to hear that Barker’s departure will not mean any radical departures from previous coverage of the grand slam, although Balding and Guha are keen to put their own stamp on it.
“No one can ever be Sue Barker,” said Guha. “She was who she was because she was true to herself as an individual, and that’s what made her so special. I just do the best I can to bring the best out of my guests.
“The role as a presenter is really managing the traffic and giving the audience what they want but also trying to make it fun as well as informative.
“I love the dynamism of broadcast and being able to throw it around a bit. I don’t think we’ll be moving too far away from what’s made it successful but we’d love to get out and about. I think that dynamism is really important.”
With Barker and Balding at the helm, tennis has been at the forefront of female-led sports broadcasting, and Guha has played a key role in the move to gender equality in cricket.
“It’s a huge honour and we absolutely understand what that signifies,” she said.
“We just see ourselves as broadcasters and I think what we’re striving to achieve is that normalisation across the board, whether that’s commentary, presenting or reporting or punditry.
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“That’s what’s excited me about cricket in recent times is that it doesn’t feel normal to not have a female on a broadcast now.”
Guha will be in the host’s chair when live coverage begins at 11am on Monday and there will be comprehensive coverage across the BBC’s platforms, including iPlayer and BBC Radio 5 Live, where John McEnroe and Tim Henman will present the 6-Love-6 phone-in.
Newcomer Qasa Alom, meanwhile, will host daily highlights show Today at Wimbledon daily on BBC Two.
In the week the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket’s report shone a sobering light on racism, sexism, elitism and classism within that sport, Guha shared her own more positive experiences of broadcasting.
“I think sport is a reflection of society, it’s a reflection of every environment you go into, but, if we’re all trying to create progress and create environments that are truly inclusive, (then we can’t shy away from it),” said the 38-year-old.
“Certainly when I first started broadcasting in cricket it was male dominated and there was a sense of feeling the need to fit it, not speaking out too much. I’ve been very lucky to have support from many of my male colleagues and I’m genuinely thankful for that.”
Guha is still building those relationships within tennis but, a long-time fan of the sport, she treasures the experiences she had last summer.
“One of my favourite things was just walking into work every day,” she said. “I was going in at 6.30am and it was so peaceful and calm before the chaos. It was goosebumps every time I walked into the grounds.
“It was a bit like how I feel when I walk into Lord’s when it’s empty, just that sense of history and being a part of something really special.
“Also, I was there a couple of days before it started and I was being shown all the different camera zones where we would do our broadcasts.
“I walked with my director to Centre Court and I saw (Matteo) Berrettini practising with (Rafael) Nadal so it was just me and my director, those two playing on court and maybe one other person. That felt very surreal and just to be able to see Nadal at close quarters like that was a real privilege.”
ATP Finals: Comeback win keeps Fritz in semi-final contention
Taylor Fritz has put himself in a strong position to make it to the ATP Finals semis after a comeback win against Alex de Minaur.
Fritz rallied in three sets to triumph 5-7 6-4 6-3 in just over two hours, sealing De Minaur's fate, as he crashed out having failed to win a match.
The Australian made a strong start as he attempted to overturn the odds to reach the semi-finals in his maiden tournament and took control with a break late on, winning the final three games of the first set to take an early advantage.
Fritz fought back, protecting his serve in the opening game before finding his edge late on, and though De Minaur valiantly defended two set points, he could not prevent a decider.
The American eased into cruise control after that, taking a 4-1 lead with a three-game winning streak, from which he did not look back.
"Even though I won the match I feel like there wasn't necessarily any moments when I changed too much," Fritz said.
"He was all over me when I did a great job, but towards the end of the second set, I began to find my serve and I started serving much better.
"When I wasn't creating the first serves, he was just killing me from the baseline. It just gave me a little bit of comfort to just stay in the match and not be under so much pressure all the time. It was still incredibly tough."
His attention now turns to the late match in the Ilie Nastase Group between Jannik Sinner, who has already progressed to the final four, and Daniil Medvedev. The Russian must win in straight sets to progress, but if he drops a set or loses, Fritz will advance along with the world number one.
Data Debrief: On the brink
Any further involvement at the ATP Finals for Fritz may hinge on favours from elsewhere, but he worked hard on Thursday to put himself within touching distance of the semi-finals for the second time.
He struggled against the big serves of De Minaur, whose aggressive approach saw him outhit Fritz with 12 winners to seven, though he could not translate it into a win.
It means that Fritz (nine) is the first American player to register 9+ wins against top-10 opponents in a single season since Pete Sampras (10) and Andre Agassi (12) in 1999.
ATP Finals: Zverev targets 10 more years at the top after Ruud win
Alexander Zverev outlined his plan to stay at the top of the game for another decade after overcoming Casper Ruud in his second match at the ATP Finals.
Having started his campaign at the season finale in Turin by downing Andrey Rublev, Zverev made it two wins from as many matches with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over the Norwegian.
He needed just 86 minutes to wrap up his victory, hitting 28 winners to his opponent's 13 in a confident, powerful performance.
Zverev is appearing at the ATP Finals for a seventh time, and another victory over Carlos Alcaraz on Friday would secure his spot in the semi-finals.
The German has won the event on two previous occasions, beating Novak Djokovic in the 2018 showpiece and overcoming Daniil Medvedev in 2021.
Asked what his experience at the ATP Finals meant for his chances of success, he joked: "It means I'm old! But I still don’t feel old.
"I hope I have another solid 10 years ahead of me, but I think it’s a young group of guys.
"There has been kind of a shift in tennis this year and I think it's a good thing. They're exciting new players and everybody loves watching them."
Data Debrief: ATP Finals specialist marches on
Since the ATP Finals moved to Turin for the 2021 event, Zverev's eight victories at the competition have only been bettered by Djokovic's 12.
Meanwhile, the German has also managed more ATP Tour-level wins this year than any other player, with Wednesday's success his 68th of 2024.
ATP Finals: Alcaraz 'surprised' himself with battling Rublev victory
Carlos Alcaraz surprised himself with the level of performance he was able to produce in his win over Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals on Tuesday.
Alcaraz emerged a 6-3 7-6 (10-8) victor against the Russian in his second match of the tournament, keeping his hopes of advancing to the next round in Turin alive.
The Spaniard fell to defeat in his opening game against Casper Ruud, citing a stomach issue that left him feeling unwell before and during that match.
But the world number three looked back to his brilliant best against Rublev, claiming the first set in 37 minutes before edging a thrilling tie-break in the second.
"Yes, I surprised myself a lot," Alcaraz said shortly after the victory.
"The way I played today from the baseline, I was really calm and tried to just focus on my game and what I had to do - forget that I'm not really feeling well.
"Once you step on the court, you have to forget everything you're struggling with outside the court."
Alcaraz, though, said he was still not feeling 100% ahead of facing Alexander Zverev, who is in action against Ruud later on Tuesday.
It will be the pair's first meeting since the Spaniard's triumph in the French Open final in June, but Zverev has not let that defeat ruin a fine season.
His own opening win over Rublev was his ATP Tour-leading 67th win of the campaign, with only Jannik Sinner matching the German for victories this year.
"I could be better, healthier. I'm just trying to step on the court and play good tennis, try not to think about my issues right now," Alcaraz said.
"I've been struggling the last week and that's going to be the case over the next day too, for sure.
"Zverev is playing great tennis. He is one of the toughest players in the world right now, that's for sure.
"I will try to play good tennis and enjoy the same way I did today. Then let's see."
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