Isa Guha backing Clare Balding to excel as Wimbledon host in place of Sue Barker

Former England cricketer Guha with sharing hosting duties with Balding.

Isa Guha at Wimbledon (BBC handout/PA)

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.

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.

No one can ever be Sue Barker. She was who she was because she was true to herself as an individual, and that's what made her so special.

“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.

“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.”