Sue Barker is a former television presenter and professional tennis player.
Formerly the face of A Question Of Sport, Barker began working with the BBC in 1993 after a decorated career on the court, which included 15 WTA singles titles.
Long after departing the tennis betting scene, Barker has remained at the forefront of the sport’s coverage, becoming a beloved television personality and broadcaster.
Graduating to the status of national treasure, Barker’s retirement in 2022 prompted emotional scenes at the All England Club and brought waves of praise from across the sporting world. Read below to learn a bit more about Barker, starting with her net worth.
Net Worth
Estimations of Sue Barker net worth cover a massive range. Some are below £2 million, while others get into the tens of millions.
There is limited information about Barker’s financial status in recent years, but she earned just over three-quarters of a million pounds in prize money during her playing career.
Of course, this will have been supplemented by a healthy BBC salary over the last three decades.
Barker has been one of the faces of sport on the national broadcasting channel, becoming synonymous with Wimbledon (one of the BBC’s biggest annual events).
Husband
Sue Barker is married to Lance Tankard, and the couple reside in Gloucestershire. A star on the court, Barker’s relationship status attracted a lot of interest through the 1970s and 1980s.
Prior to her marriage to Tankard, Barker had relationships with Cliff Richard, Syd Ball, Stephen Shaw and Greg Norman.
Speaking years after their split, Richard said he ‘seriously contemplated’ proposing to Barker, but they ultimately went their separate ways.
Barker and Tankard had initially met in Portugal, and the relationship developed after a chance encounter while they were both out for dinner in the UK.
Retirement
Sue Barker announced her retirement from Wimbledon coverage in 2022 after rejecting a three-year contract extension offer from the BBC.
Barker has been an ever-present at the event, educating new fans on Tennis terms and interviewing some of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Speaking in an interview about the decision, Barker cited the passing of her mother as an important factor.
She said, "My mum was always so interested in my broadcasting career, and we would speak every evening. When something like that happens it does make you reassess life, which is another reason I think this is the right time.
"Basically I just feel the time is right. It has been my dream job and I have loved every minute of it working so many great colleagues who I am going to miss so much.
"When I started I never thought I would manage 30 years. I had actually made up my mind to leave in 2017 because the hours were becoming very long and quite challenging.
"That would have been 25 years and seemed a good time, but I am so glad I made the decision to stay on. I’m very happy to be leaving with no regrets and on my own terms while I am still on top of the job, it just feels like the right time to go and leave it to others."
Naturally, it was an emotional goodbye for Barker on Centre Court. John McEnroe introduced a touching montage, featuring tributes from Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Chris Evert among many others.
Murray, a two-time Wimbledon champion, said, “You’ve been amazing for our sport. I’ve grown up watching you on the TV, and then obviously I’ve been interviewed by you many times.
"I’ve loved watching you on Question of Sport as well. You’re going to be sadly missed by everyone who loves and watches tennis in this country.”
With the crowd chanting ‘we love you Sue, we do’, Barker said a final goodbye as she wiped away the tears.
"It’s been an absolutely privilege, I’ve loved it, 30 amazing years, thank you. I’ll miss the job, I wish I had the next 30 years to do it. I love it.
"Most of all I’m going to miss the people I work with, in front of the camera, behind the camera, you have been absolutely amazing. I’ve been so proud to front the programme."
Calling The Shots
Following her retirement, Sue Barker is releasing an autobiography, entitled ‘Calling The Shots’ in September 2022.
This isn’t an insight into the latest tennis predictions, but rather a story of Barker’s journey from a schoolgirl in Paignton to a Grand Slam champion and face of Wimbledon coverage.
Barker is also taking part in a nationwide tour under the same name to promote the book. Event tickets are priced at just £20 and include a signed copy of the autobiography.
French Open Title
Barker won the French Open in 1976 – no other British woman has reached the final at Roland Garros since then. This was the clear highlight of Barker’s playing days, and turned out to be the only Grand Slam final appearance of her career.
Only reaching the last eight at a Grand Slam four more times after her triumph in France, Barker also won just one more singles match at the French Open.
It was an entertaining final against Renáta Tomanová, with Barker winning the first and third sets 6-2 either side of a 0-6 loss.
Sue Barker Titles
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Surbiton, 1974
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Bastad, 1974
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Bastad, 1975
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Kitzbuhel, 1975
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Adelaide, 1975
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Auckland, 1975
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Hamburg, 1976
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French Open, 1976
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San Francisco, 1977
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Dallas, 1977
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Brisbane, 1978
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Manchester, 1979
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Pittsburgh, 1979
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Sydney, 1979
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Brighton, 1981
