Wimbledon 2023: Q&A with BBC presenter Clare Balding
The world's eyes will be on a small corner of South West London from Monday, July 3 until Sunday, July 16, as the 2023 Wimbledon Championships get underway.
Apart from the lucky minority who will get to witness the action live at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the vast majority of British tennis fans will get their daily fix of the tournament from the BBC.
And it's a new era for the broadcaster's coverage this year as Clare Balding takes over as Lead Presenter, with former England cricketer Isa Guha welcoming viewers each morning for the 11am coverage, live from SW19.
Meanwhile, Qasa Alom will present daily TV highlights on Today at Wimbledon at 9pm on BBC Two.
Balding is certainly looking forward to taking the helm for the first time following the retirement of Sue Barker last year, having presented the Today At Wimbledon highlights segment since 2015.
Balding follows in the footsteps of David Coleman, Harry Carpenter, Des Lynam and Barker in taking up the high-profile role.
Q&A with Clare Balding
What does Wimbledon mean to you?
Clare Balding: “I've watched Wimbledon since I was a teenager. My A-Level revision, as I'm sure it's true for many kids, was completely disrupted by epic Wimbledon matches that you can't possibly tear yourself away from.
“I've worked on it since 95. I've done all those jobs, all the way up the ladder, and I understand the role everybody plays and how important it is. Every single role.”
Taking on the role of Lead Presenter, what’s going to be the biggest change for you this year? Are there any words of advice that Sue gave you?
CB: “It's a tremendous honour. Sue is a good friend of mine and has been really supportive. I will try and do her proud without trying to do what she did. I'm really excited about it, but obviously nervous also. It's a big deal. This is one of the major sporting events in the world.”
What players should we look out for?
CB:“What I'm really looking forward to this year, and over the next five or six years, is seeing who will become the major stars of the next decade. We have reached the end of Roger Federer’s reign here, and we are reaching the end Novak Djokovic, who is still reigning supreme, but what next? What happens with Stefanos Tsitsipas or Felix Auger Aliassime or Carlos Alvarez? Could Ons Jabeur win this? Can they lift the trophy? Can they win the championship here at Wimbledon?”
What can we look forward to from Wimbledon this year?
CB:“This is the greatest sporting theatre anywhere in the world and therefore creates the greatest drama, because the crowd is so close and so involved. They live and breathe every single shot, but also things happen fast on grass. A match can start to slip away from a really good player who looks in a dominant position, then suddenly something happens it turns and the underdog comes back.
"It is a place that attracts elite celebrities and a place that royalty regularly attends - the trophy is given by a member of the royal family. That in itself means that for the players it's different. It has that sense of history and tradition, but it also has that razzle dazzle, that X factor that makes it matter to them, and that's why it's one of the greatest sporting events in the world. Tune in and stay tuned.”
