On ladies’ finals day, Sue Barker - the face and voice of Wimbledon for three decades - was honoured with a Distinguished Service Award, presented by The All England Lawn Tennis Club for outstanding contributions to The Championships.

It was a visible switch of roles for Barker as she watched the final between Marketa Vondrousova and Ons Jabeur - and the on-court post-match interviews she used to conduct with such warmth - from a front-row seat in the Royal Box, as a guest of Chairman Ian Hewitt.

Barker, the 1976 Roland-Garros champion and a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, hung up her microphone at the conclusion of last year’s Championships after leading the BBC Wimbledon coverage for 30 years. 

With the same combination of grit, grace and talent that took her to world No.3 in her sport, she rose to the top of live sports television, pioneering a path for former athletes to become figureheads in broadcasting.

From her eyrie in the Broadcast Centre at Wimbledon, she witnessed Championships tennis at its most emotional: Pete Sampras’s retirement, Goran Ivanisevic’s last-gasp 2001 victory, the dominance of Roger Federer and his rivalry with Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.

In the women’s game, she announced the retirement of Steffi Graf, empathised with Jana Novotna’s emotional win (having previously lost from a winning position) and marvelled at the Williams sisters’ superiority.

She invited into the studio many of her playing peers - Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, John McEnroe, John Lloyd and many others - and introduced a sense of conviviality and camaraderie that extended to the viewer at home.

What made “Auntie Sue” - as Tim Henman has been known to call her - such a special presenter was her deep knowledge of the game, laced with scrupulous research and a perfectionist’s approach that underpinned her natural manner.

Long before the WTA and ATP introduced their audio player introductions, Sue was famous for her correct pronunciation of the names of players from all over the globe.

Her association with Wimbledon has lasted for more than 50 years and counting (longer if you include the years of hitting against her garage wall in south Devon dreaming of beating Billie Jean King on Centre Court).

The place is a home from home for her - and that sense of familial affinity is very much reciprocated with the presentation of the Distinguished Service Award.

Barker is only the seventh recipient. Previous winners include:

Tony Gathercole, a former Assistant Referee, who became responsible for scheduling all matches on No.1 Court (he referred to the new No.1 Court as “SW191/2”). He is probably best-known for his invention of WOMBLE (Wimbledon Order of Play Matrix Board, London, England). This was a magnetic board for match scheduling, which was a huge improvement on the previous paper system. From 2003 to 2018, Tony ran the Last 8 Club during The Championships.

The late Alan Little attended The Championships each year from 1948 until 2017. He founded the Kenneth Ritchie Wimbledon Library, officially opened in 1977 and which he voluntarily ran for 40 years. His grandest undertaking, the Wimbledon Compendium, is still updated annually.

Honor Godfrey worked as the Curator of Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum from 1999 until her retirement in 2014. She oversaw its complete redisplay in 2006 and her persistent collecting and detailed research hugely enhanced the Museum’s displays and exhibitions.

Richard Grier dedicated 34 years of service to the Club, 28 as Championships Director. He rose to the challenge of Middle Sundays and Third Mondays, overseeing the organisation of everything required to stage The Championships, including security, ticketing, catering and the ball boys and girls.

Andrew Gairdner was Chief Steward from 1999 until his retirement in 2012. His first year as an Honorary Steward was in 1978 and in his 35 years at the Club, Andrew transformed the Association, receiving an MBE for services to tennis in 2013.

The late Eddie Seaward retired in 2012 after 22 years as Head Groundsman. He revolutionised the way courts are renovated at the end of each season and raised the profile of groundsmanship. He was awarded an MBE for services to sport in 2008 in recognition of his expertise.

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