Sue Barker: Our Wimbledon

It has a history as tightly packed with stories

as these courts are with blades of grass.

This richness of colour - you know immediately where you are.

It has sounds all of its own.

-CHEERING

-Game, set and match...

-JOHN MCENROE:

-You cannot be serious!

This place and I...

Let's say we go back.

Good evening. Well, the Men's Singles final,

as it should be, was between the two best players in the world.

Wimbledon - a word, a place,

a love affair.

I'm going to meet some of the greats of tennis

to see if they feel the same way about this place as I do.

I was in awe of the whole place.

It was just amazing.

I grew up dreaming and reading about Wimbledon my whole life.

Get fresh with ice cream!

You could feel the tradition,

the magic thing was inside the gates.

The shot flew up!

It was the first real time that I remembered being booed.

It changed my life so much that I called Wimbledon my home.

When you walk out on Centre Court, there's such a hush

before everybody explodes.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Walking through the gates, everything was so new

and it's like living in a dream world.

Love the court, love the atmosphere, the place,

the echo of the ball, the royalty in the box.

Like, it was...it was different.

Ladies and gentlemen, quiet, please.

I've been coming here since I was ten,

and every time I pass through these gates,

it still gets to me.

It's a very British place

and it puts on a show at the height of our summer,

which means you have to come prepared...

THUNDER ..for anything.

Court violation, double abuse, point penalty.

No way! That's it!

Ah...the pain of it.

This is a personal journey into what sets Wimbledon apart,

of coming close, but not quite being one of these -

a Wimbledon champion -

and what it allows you to do.

No! You...! I can't believe you just touched that!

This is off the record.

Am I ready? Born ready!

Spencer Gore was the winner of the first men's title

back in 1877, watched by just 200 people.

After the match, he said, "Lawn tennis? It's a bit boring.

"It'll never catch on."

Ha-ha! Now look where we are, with all of this being broadcast

to millions around the globe.

As soon as it could, the BBC came to Wimbledon -

and, before the age of television, radio was here, as far back as 1927,

and putting on record the golden age in the '30s.

-RADIO:

-Now we're going to take you over to Wimbledon

for a running commentary on the All-English championship.

Here's the great man himself, Fred Perry -

won it three times.

Fred's last win came in 1936,

a year before the BBC began its experiment

of televising play on the Centre Court.

They'd be highly experienced

by the time the next player from our islands

became Men's Singles champion.

77 years - the long, tough wait.

Hello!

All right, how are you?

-How's things?

-All right, yeah.

-Nice, being around here.

-It's so quiet.

-I know.

-I mean, this bit here,

during the tournament, is packed, obviously.

-I know.

-With all the royal box and...

I know - we don't get in here.

-You're not allowed in here?

-No.

-You should be.

SHE LAUGHS

Can we mic him up now and just get that on tape?

This is how tough it can be.

All right, I'm going to try this, and it's not going to be easy.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Everybody always talks about

the pressure of playing at Wimbledon,

how tough it is,

but, um...it's not the people watching.

They make it so much easier to play.

The support has been incredible, so, thank you.

APPLAUSE

You can be very proud - Andy Murray.

The 2012 loss, it was a really tough one for me.

A few days after, I was still... You know, I was upset,

not just on the court, but off the court,

when I got home, it was hard -

but I also, around that time, that was when I also accepted

that, you know, I may never win one of these tournaments, you know?

And that was a big moment for me.

And I think it turned a corner

because I think you felt the affection from the public, as well.

I felt like, when I was growing up in the spotlight and stuff,

that...I found it difficult, I found it really hard,

and it came at a very early age for me.

I played on Centre Court for the first time when I was 18

and, literally, two, three weeks beforehand, you know,

I was playing in front of, like, five or ten people, maximum -

and all of a sudden, I was on Centre Court and my life changed,

like, very quickly, and I found that hard,

really hard to deal with

and I, sort of, shut myself off from, you know, a lot of the media.

So a lot of people saw me as just being, like -

maybe they still do - as just being boring,

doesn't show any emotion -

and, obviously, in that moment, you know, I was clearly very upset.

For me, I dreamed of playing on Centre Court,

and I was lucky enough to do it.

For me, it's a magical place. I cannot imagine what you must feel

when you come out here with what you've achieved.

Yeah, I mean, this court is obviously...

It'll be the most famous tennis court in the world,

so, yeah, any time you come out here,

it does have a slightly different feeling,

and I feel like it helps...me -

like, I feel the pressure, for sure, and I find it stressful -

but also, I never feel like I'm struggling to concentrate

or struggling for motivation, like, when I'm out on this court.

It sort of just happens.

12 months later, he was doing it all again.

CHEERING

Andy Murray looks to put 77 years of hurt behind British tennis.

I couldn't remember much of the game itself.

CHEERING

When I came off the court, I was asked immediately after the match,

like, "What happened in the last game?"

and I was like...I literally couldn't remember

hardly any of the points at all.

Advantage, Murray.

-CHEERING

-Game, set and match, Murray.

The waiting is over!

You looked like you were sort of disorientated,

cos at the end of it, I think you thought

you were looking up at your box, weren't you?

but you were down the other end,

and you sort of screamed at the press box.

I don't know exactly why I did it, in towards that corner.

I don't know who I was looking at in particular,

or if I was doing it towards the press.

-I know that the commentary box is also right there, as well...

-Yes!

..but...yeah.

We've waited 77 years for this.

The Men's Singles champion at Wimbledon 2013, Andy Murray!

CHEERING

From the reigning champion who cast off the burden of history

to a maker of history.

West Coast America, California, home of one tough Australian -

perhaps the greatest Men's Singles champion of them all,

Rod Laver, who also helped change Wimbledon forever.

When I was grew up,

he was my idol, Laver.

I mean, I wanted to be like him on the court.

He, because of his record,

he stands alone, in a way,

and that's why I think it's really important

to honour the greats of the game.

Rod Laver straddled the two ages of tennis -

the amateur and the professional -

and was a colossus of them both.

At 17, you know, I walked through the gates at Wimbledon.

I was in awe of the whole place.

He remains the only player to have twice held

the four Grand Slam titles in a calendar year,

in 1962 and 1969.

His first Wimbledon title came in 1961.

Centre Court at Wimbledon, there's only one.

Everything is so close and their knowledge of the game

is so much more accurate,

because they know exactly who's playing,

any of the history behind it.

And off the wood...

1961 champion, after 56 minutes' play...

Fred Perry was timing it at the side of the court.

One of the quickest Wimbledon finals he had ever seen.

Yeah - I guess I had been in the final two years prior and I think...

Third time lucky, I guess. I'm hoping.

Do you remember what prize you received for winning Wimbledon?

I got a £10 voucher and a firm handshake.

SHE LAUGHS

And what did you blow your £10 voucher on?

And I wasn't allowed to cash it,

otherwise they would have turned me pro.

So...so I went to Lilywhites and got a shirt, I think.

For winning Wimbledon!

A simply tremendous display by Rod Laver,

that goes certainly down into the history of this game.

1962, to be able to win all four titles...

But you can't just gloss over "I won all four Grand Slams" like that.

Because this is, as we've seen, one of the hardest things to do.

How hard was it back then?

Yeah, it certainly is tough, and I had the good fortune

of having the Queen there to present me with the trophy.

But there would be no more of this for six years.

In late 1962, he turned professional.

A lot of the tennis world back in those years

didn't quite understand -

they thought that we could just travel around

and not ever have any need for money,

and I was saying, "How do you...? It doesn't work that way."

And so, finally, I decided that I had to turn professional

and I signed for 110,000

for three years of playing for 11 months a year.

I became a tennis player when I turned professional -

could I get back to Wimbledon again?

That's over.

Professionals were barred from Grand Slam events,

including Wimbledon, but the club chairman, Herman David,

was campaigning to let them play and staged a pro tournament in 1967.

The BBC covered it as an experiment in colour television.

The place was packed out for the last three days

and then Herman David said,

"You're invited to play in next year's Wimbledon."

I know the Australian and the French and the US were not too amused,

but they, you know, came to a part of saying,

"Well, why don't we all have open tennis?"

The first Open Championships, 1968.

Rod was back, better than ever.

The greatest prize of all - the first Open Wimbledon.

It's probably my most favourite tournament, ever,

and so being able to go out there again and compete,

yeah, it's just amazing.

The dance of the champions.

In 1969, Rod completed his last set of Grand Slam titles -

the full set, again, making him unique.

Those treasures don't come back, but they just...

Amazing to think that we lived through that era.

For me, it was just...

It meant so much to be able to be at Wimbledon, being able to play

and feel like, you know, it was almost a second home.

Can I just say, on behalf of everyone in tennis,

thank you for everything that you did during that time,

and where you have helped take tennis.

It wouldn't be the same without...

I have a little picture that I treasure, Rod.

HE LAUGHS

This was when I was...

That's not a little boy in the middle!

That is actually me, when I was 12 years old,

and you came over to London

and I actually won one of your rackets

and it was...I used the same grip, that racket,

for the whole of my career, and I absolutely treasure that.

It's on my wall. It made such a huge impact on me as well.

Sue, it's my pleasure to be part of this great game, and to be with you.

We are now into the members' lounge,

so we get to use this throughout the year,

but during the tournament, this is purely for the royal box,

the royal guests and all of the people

they invite to the royal box,

and this is the way they go,

from having their lovely refreshments,

through this door -

there's one the other side, exactly the same.

And then out onto Centre Court -

all the seats, obviously, are taken away during the year.

Never been in here myself. Other than days like today.

The royal connection -

King George VI played in the Men's Doubles here.

Mostly, they watch, and make players nervous.

The worst part was when you had to turn around at the service line

and do the curtsy.

-Oh, my God.

-SUE LAUGHS

I don't think anybody is particularly practised

at their curtsies.

I think I asked Billie Jean, "How do you curtsy?"

Except she really went down on her knees, and I go,

"That's because you volley like that!"

I think that was the most difficult thing to do.

The most regular of the royals in the best seats in the house

is the Duke of Kent.

The Queen's cousin has been president

of the All-England Lawn Tennis Club for nearly 50 years.

My first Wimbledon as president was '69.

I actually stood in for my mother in '68,

when she was ill.

That was the first time that I handed over a trophy,

to Rod Laver...

-Yes.

-..and so that was, for me, a rather memorable year.

The tournament has evolved,

but the feel of the tournament hasn't changed.

I think they've been remarkably successful in evolving the thing,

so that we still have a place which looks discreet,

which has beautiful green grass,

which isn't plastered with advertisements everywhere

or painted bright blue or something.

I think people do admire that aspect of it.

I mean, it may be rather silly to pay so much attention to traditions

but it does seem to matter to people.

Do you get a sense of the national pride within Centre Court?

Oh, yes, certainly.

The crowd are not always exactly impartial.

They make it pretty clear whom they favour!

I remember it was a terrific atmosphere that day

for Andy Murray's victory.

We all prayed it was going to happen

but you can never count on it, can you?

The brief is to watch and present the prizes,

but also to comfort the runners-up.

You have to go onto the court to talk to them.

Yes, and they can't speak!

You interview them and they can't speak, can they, really?

It's not easy to know what to say to them,

particularly the runner-up who comes up first.

Occasionally, they are quite emotional, too.

They are very emotional.

One of the most emotional

involved the Duchess of Kent, Her Royal Highness,

when Jana Novotna lost to Steffi Graf,

and I think that for many people,

that's one of the most famous images of Wimbledon.

Yes, because it was quite unexpected, you know,

that she would break down in tears

as she was being presented with the runner-up trophy.

She just couldn't contain herself, poor thing. My wife comforted her.

It was a very nice spontaneous moment.

You must be so proud of the tournament,

because I have travelled the world talking to so many

of the great champions, and every single one of them

talks about their love for the Championships and the tradition.

-That must make you very proud.

-That's very palpable, isn't it?

Almost every one of the, should I say, senior players that I've met

all say they want to win Wimbledon more than any other championship,

which is rather wonderful.

Not exactly leafy SW19 any more -

this is New York City.

Remember Wimbledon's part in the tennis revolution of the 1960s?

Well, I'm here to meet the mother of the revolution.

On Court, off court,

the player who changed everything in women's tennis.

Time now to meet Wimbledon's most prolific champion.

A remarkable lady who has done more to advance

the cause of women's sport than anyone before or since.

Her record tally of 20 titles here,

six in singles, ten in doubles, four in mixed,

sets her apart, Billie Jean King.

APPLAUSE

Hi. How are you? Good to see you.

-I'm Billie.

-He's into tennis.

-Oh, good.

Hi, I'm Billie Jean. Good to see you.

-This is Sue Barker who also played.

-Hi!

-Sue Barker is the superstar on BBC, literally.

-Wow.

20 Wimbledon titles, a record equalled but never bettered.

-I'm assuming this is Sue.

-Yeah.

1979, her last Wimbledon title.

1961, her first.

Between the ages of 17 and 35,

nobody has ever felt more at home here.

What was your impression of walking on to Centre Court,

-because everyone talks about it?

-I loved it. I loved it.

I loved the tradition, I loved the process,

I love that we walk into this...

In the old days, they had a little waiting room

and you sit in there and they had the different photos of players

that came before, and of course, I knew all of them

and knew their history - but it's tough,

because you have to sit in there with your opponent sometimes.

I remember looking out that window.

Do you remember the two little windows?

Chris and I had to wait a day to play our finals

and we were in there together, there's a photo of Chris and I

looking out of that window.

We were there the whole day.

When I walk on Centre Court,

I always am thinking of all the past champions that came before me.

I think about people who never got to play there

and then I think about the future, like, which future champions

are going to be here, while I was playing?

Others had thought of her -

neighbours who raised 2,000 to finance her first trip to Wimbledon.

She won the doubles, which earned her no money but an invitation.

-The Wimbledon Ball that year.

-We couldn't go.

-So what did you do?

-We couldn't afford it.

We had three dollars left,

so Karen and I went out in Knightsbridge someplace,

I went downstairs to this Italian restaurant, and we had dinner.

I'm sure we had pasta, or spaghetti or something.

Putting food on the table.

Billie Jean became a driving force on all fronts,

a champion on court and off it.

A pioneer of the women's professional tour -

creating it, fighting for its survival,

and then fighting for equality.

Thanks to her,

the women players of today have the same prize money as the men.

I am so happy I came up in the '70s.

Women's tennis just exploded

because of Billie Jean King.

At Wimbledon, you were fighting so hard, as well, off the court.

Yes, off the court.

-Do you think that affected in some ways...?

-My performance? Oh, sure!

I didn't win as much. I didn't care.

I had this vision when I was younger how I wanted the game to look

and I wanted men and women to be together, working hard together,

and because the men rejected us we didn't have one association.

Our dream, the nine of us, we decided

was that if any girl in the world was born,

she'd have a place to play and compete.

The other reason was we wanted them to be appreciated

for their accomplishments, not just their looks.

If I said to you a sentence that would sum up Wimbledon?

Pure splendour. Just pure heaven.

I don't know, the gardens and the ivy and the surroundings,

the people, the fans.

I remember talking to Roy Emerson, who I absolutely adore,

he won so many titles at Wimbledon.

I'll never forget him telling me, he says,

"Billie, what keeps me going is when I'm at Wimbledon

"and I walk in and I see all those people that have been up

"all night to see us," he says, "We are so lucky" -

and he's right.

Still in New York, still turbulent.

For me, this is a tricky one.

The mid-1970s, there was a rivalry between me and...

THEY LAUGH

Oh, my God! Look at you! You look a million dollars!

-Fantastic, this is great!

-And so do you.

We were both Grand Slam champions.

I'd won the French Open, Virginia the US and the Australian,

but hopes of an all-British final were scuppered

when I lost to Betty Stove in the semis,

so only Virginia made it to the 1977 final.

I was just quite relieved, I have to say,

that it was not a certain Sue Barker who won that match.

Betty cost me a fortune, because I couldn't bear to watch the final.

I'm sure you couldn't.

No - so, I went out and spent an absolute fortune on jewellery.

-That's very funny!

-So, you made £13,000 and I spent a whole load!

That's very funny, Sue, I don't think I've ever heard that one.

This is what I missed that July Friday.

The Queen, 25 years on the throne,

here to see Virginia in her first Wimbledon final.

It was incredible motivation that she was going to be there.

Everybody was very excited

so they all have Union Jacks and the flags everywhere.

It was sort of cool, because she was dressed in the same

colour as my cardigan. It matched my lucky dress.

Why was it the lucky dress?

Well, because I was winning in it!

And it washed very easily -

and so that was such a good omen when you go in

and then you see the Queen's wearing the same colour.

That was really very fortuitous.

I'd said before the tournament,

I don't know if I'd said it in public,

but I kept saying it to whoever I was speaking to, I said,

"If I get to the final of Wimbledon this year, I'll win it."

That's a bad error.

The feeling of match point -

"Here I am, one point away from the dream becoming reality."

Well, it was one of the things that I'd really been working on,

this particular forehand return after second serve,

and lo and behold that was the shot I got

and lo and behold that was the execution that won the day.

She's done it. She's done it.

A fairy story come true.

Were you aware of just what it meant to the British public

to have a Wimbledon champion?

It was like they were desperate for a celebration

and it gave them a reason to celebrate.

I think it was very...

It elevated a lot of people's moods.

Ladies and gentlemen, the score was 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

APPLAUSE

And finally, having my record being very debatable

in the eyes of the British public, I suddenly could do no wrong, so...

-Do you remember what she said to you?

-I couldn't hear her.

There was so much noise going on.

So I said, "Pardon?" I still didn't hear.

"Excuse me?" Still didn't hear. I thought I'd better not say.

What a proud and happy girl.

Wimbledon is the golden globe you're aiming for,

and in retrospect, it changed my life a lot.

Virginia, it must seem like the fulfilment of a dream.

No, it was just like fairyland out there.

I saw the fairy tale and it made me very insignificant

to be part of it, but it was nice to know that you were.

We should go and have some lunch,

there's a hot dog stall there

or we could go to that very expensive restaurant.

Are you paying? Which way are we going?

We're going this way.

She didn't say she'd pay!

And by the entrance to Centre Court,

the busts of the five lady champions from Great Britain,

including Angela Mortimer from '61, Ann Jones in '69

and Virginia in '77.

Conditions were fine for Virginia's win

but the year before it was hot - really hot.

And I'm not talking about the weather.

MUSIC: Bang a Gong (Get it On) by T Rex

-He's nice.

-Sexy.

He's smashing.

He's quite something. He really is.

Bjorn Borg was the biggest rock star tennis has ever seen.

And even on the Centre Court we've got the teenagers rushing on,

I've never seen this before in my life.

There were literally a couple of hundred girls

screaming outside like it was the Beatles arriving in America.

I thought to myself, "Now, this...

"this would be nice, to be able to get a little bit of that."

You, in some ways, changed tennis.

Now they have tunnels underneath Wimbledon,

but you guys, you'd have to leave the locker room

and fight your way to get to practice courts,

which can't have been easy.

No, it was different during our time. You remember too, Sue.

I do - but you used to get mobbed!

I used to see you outside the window,

you could tell when you were walking out,

because there was this whole scene,

-all the policeman surrounding you.

-Yeah...

Well, something happened in tennis during that time.

You know, staying at a hotel, you stay in your room and in

the reception was hundreds of girls standing downstairs.

It was crazy.

We were used to doing that.

That's the way we're supposed to do.

It was crazy.

Today is different - tennis is different.

Everything is different today than when we played.

Every one a fluffy one.

Come on, girls, it's agony on the boards.

One, Bjorn, enjoying the glow and all that came with it,

and the other, the 20-year-old ice cold Swede

in his first final against Ilie Nastase, ten years his senior.

When you walk out to the Wimbledon final

on Centre Court, it's a special thing.

The first three, four games, I was very nervous.

-You never looked nervous.

-I was very nervous!

Three championship points for Borg.

That's it!

And after winning the last point,

in the Wimbledon final, that's the most beautiful thing

that can happen to you as a tennis player.

Finally, you're a Wimbledon champion, it's something special,

something extra.

It went beyond extra special.

He could not lose at Wimbledon...

..and he did it his way.

The unbeatable Borg won two, three, four titles in succession.

Now, we're all wondering here, Bjorn, whether you can make it five?

-Do you think you can?

-I hope so, why not?

-Or even six or seven?

-Yeah, I wouldn't mind.

The fifth final, 1980, against John McEnroe.

What was he like in the locker room before a final?

Did he try and talk to you?

I am kind of a private person.

I sit and do my things, but he was the same.

He didn't say a word. Nothing.

Saved it for on-court.

Used to save it... Exactly!

Saved it to the court. To have something to say!

Everybody talks about the 1980 final and that fourth set tie-break.

To date, since we first saw the tie-break in 1971,

no final has ever ended on the tie-break, but it might now.

I felt like my game matched up really well to him

and he had won four in a row,

and what are the odds of a guy winning five in a row?

So many unbelievable shots we did, both me and John.

On and on went the fourth set tie-break, 20 minutes,

Bjorn to win again and John to stay in the final.

Yes, two sets all!

Borg was one of those guys, never got tired,

and I started to physically feel, like, "Oh, my God."

It just caught up to me,

and then next thing I know he's on his knees.

That's it!

He wouldn't win again, and soon he was gone from Wimbledon.

His last Centre Court match was the 1981 final,

this time losing to John McEnroe.

That never happened to me before in my life that...

OK, I lost. I'm not that disappointed.

Then I felt there was something wrong with me.

I could not go anywhere, I could not do anything and it was crazy.

In the end I said, "I cannot live this kind of life. I am fed up."

Maybe it would have been nice to play another 3-5 years in tennis,

I was 25 years old.

I think that's had a big part, why I stepped away from tennis.

He did come back, 20 years later - not to play,

just to be adored again.

It's Bjorn Borg.

APPLAUSE

I mean, what a welcome back it was to Centre Court, by the crowd.

Yes, that was very nice.

It felt really good in my heart.

Because Wimbledon, it's a special thing for me.

It's the most special tournament for me,

of all the tournaments I played all over the world.

It's...

Those wins, and being there, playing there, it's deep.

Deep inside my heart.

The player that ended the reign of Bjorn Borg

was just about everything the inscrutable Swede was not.

Well, John, do you enjoy coming to London?

I enjoy it quite a bit now.

When I was playing, it was a lot more difficult to enjoy.

There was some self-inflicted wounds and some pressure,

obviously, a lot of pressure - most of which I put on myself.

I came here for one reason only, which is to try to win Wimbledon.

1977, an 18-year-old rookie from New York making an impression.

I had played Phil Dent in the French Open.

There were a lot of bad calls in this match at the French,

so he sort of put his arm around my shoulder,

and he goes, "Son, this is the pros now,

"so if you want to question a call, you've got to ask the umpire."

You know, "Don't go look at me," so this light bulb went off in my head.

I didn't know when or if this opportunity would present itself.

Ironically, we played in the quarters at Wimbledon.

Oh, come on!

Well, he's not going to like it.

For the first time that I recall, I started to question calls.

You're quite sure?!

7-7.

The ball was so far in. Did you see it in?

I got frustrated. I ended up losing the first set in a tie-breaker,

and I remember I tried to take my racket,

and I grabbed my racket, it was wood rackets...

Just couldn't believe I lost the set.

Well...

he has a right to be disappointed.

Whether he has a right to make such a fuss is debatable.

It was the first real time that I remember being booed.

So I thought, "Why are they booing?"

So I decided just to see what they'd react.

I'd put the racket on the court and kick it

towards where I was going to sit,

just to see if they reacted to that, which they did.

That suddenly completely changed my life.

He's done it.

A wonderful win.

Marvellous win for this young fellow of 18.

He was a bit lost in the beginning.

He has a temper and he was behaving bad,

and all the other tennis players, they said, "We don't like this guy."

They didn't accept him as a person and as a player.

It was long this side.

You can't be serious, man. You cannot be serious!

That ball was on the line!

Chalk flew up! It was clearly in!

Some of it obviously was my fault,

but I didn't feel like I deserved quite the shellacking I was getting.

You guys are the absolute pits of the world.

I am going to award a point against you, Mr McEnroe.

APPLAUSE

By the time I played Borg in '81,

the notoriety that I was receiving was getting to be very distracting.

Everything was magnified

so I had to be really careful about not really doing anything

otherwise it would just look like I was going absolutely crazy.

I had a tendency to sort of get distracted

and lash out at times, but this one I was under control.

-Game, set and match...

-That's it! He's won it!

He's won it.

When you look back at it now, do you think it did distract you?

I think it did. I think I would have been a better player had I not.

Others disagree.

They think I harnessed this energy

to, whatever, throw off the opponent -

but, ultimately, I think the way I played prepared me well,

but there were times where I felt like it got in the way of things,

but then again, maybe I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you.

A New Yorker who would be both booed and loved by Wimbledon.

Three singles titles, five doubles.

A brat and a magician, singled out as a bad example,

universally adored.

A complex personality in a theatre of many moods

and still very much here.

Today, his verbal outbursts are admired around the world.

Dressed to thrill from the 1920s. Look at that.

There is one the dress in here that actually belongs to me.

And it's that one!

That was made for me by the great tennis designer, Teddy Tinling,

and he asked me what I wanted in a dress and I said,

"Make me a dress of what you think I am," and he made me that.

I'm very gold lame, apparently.

How times have changed.

# Fashion! Turn to the left

# Fashion! Turn to the right

# Ooh, fashion... #

Wimbledon has always had a white only dress code -

a code never broken, but stretched.

The backless dresses, the halter.

We talked about collars versus no collars.

Cashmere sweaters with my initials.

Cardigans. some jackets.

Even long pants, even the vests.

The sundresses, the dresses with cut-outs.

And the whole crowd went, "Whoa!"

It was very fashionable back then, don't you think?

# Oh, bop, do do do do do do do do

# Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion

# Oh, bop, do do do do do do do do... #

Tennis lends itself to actually look very good.

We are light years from Wimbledon. This is tennis country, USA.

Fort Lauderdale in the southernmost state of Florida.

You won't find too many grass courts here, but Wimbledon reaches out,

and a teenager from this town knew exactly why she had to go.

The beauty of Wimbledon is it's like the tennis cathedral,

because there's such a reverence about that Centre Court,

and when you walk out there's such a hush before everybody explodes.

You don't get that at any other Grand Slam on Centre Court.

-How are you?

-Good!

-I can't believe you're down here!

-I can't believe I'm here!

I was a 17-year-old protected schoolgirl from Florida.

England, London, seemed so far away, across the ocean.

Wimbledon was special because you walk into that tea room

and you look around, there would be every player there,

and you'd go, "Oh, my God, Bjorn Borg over there,"

Rod Laber was over there, Billie Jean was over here.

I mean, it was really the social scene of London,

really, at that time.

You in some ways were the first person that made women's sport sexy.

I always wanted to be feminine

and being feminine while I was on the court sweating

and while I was on the court really trying my best was important to me.

You don't have to be big and tall and muscular -

I wasn't the greatest athlete but I made it happen,

and so I think I gave hope to little girls all around the world

that, "If I try really, really hard

"and I work hard and I want it badly enough,

"I've got a shot at this."

I think that that's what my appeal was.

OK, what happened there?

Right, but also if you're going to commit and poach,

you've got to go in. You don't go sideways.

OK, cut it off and go in.

I see things. I didn't do them but I see things.

Chris won three Wimbledon singles but 1974 was the year,

a headline writer's dream -

her fiance Jimmy Connors won, too.

That was also '74, when they called it the Love Double.

'74, I don't think the two of you were off the front page.

-Yeah.

-People were intrigued

with two young tennis players that were in love

and that were going to get married. It was like a Cinderella story.

It was fantastic, and I remember he beat Ken Rosewall in the finals

and I sat next to his mom and Ava Gardner.

-Wow!

-Yeah.

Wimbledon brings out special people.

Did you have to dance together when you won that?

We did, and we danced to the Girl Of My Dreams,

and I remember I saw a picture of it

and I'm wearing, like, seven-inch stilettos.

My hair was down to here...

We were both pretty immature, but we were caught up in the story too,

I think, and...

When two people are trying to be number one in the world,

it's never going to work.

Chris was undisputed world number one.

A Wimbledon favourite until a rival emerged,

not from sun-kissed Florida but from Revnice,

near Prague in then-Communist Czechoslovakia.

So, Martina, this is home.

Your home is how far from here?

It's about 300 yards down the hill.

But this is like the centre of the village?

It used to be cobblestones but then they paved the road

so riding a bicycle was a bit of a precarious proposition.

When she was 18, Martina left home for America.

It would make life hard for the family she left behind,

behind the Iron Curtain.

That was the hardest thing that I've ever had to do.

After that, playing a match, even coming out, piece of cake,

when you consider what I did when I was 19, almost 19.

Didn't know when I was going to see my parents again,

didn't know if I was going to see them alive.

When I won my first Wimbledon, I was stateless.

I was officially not from anywhere.

In rejecting her home country, it wasn't just Martina who suffered.

Her family were isolated, lost their jobs

and prevented from leaving the country.

We all felt for you in that Wimbledon final

when your family couldn't come to watch you, in '78.

I didn't even know if they were able to watch

because Czech TV didn't show it.

They would show Wimbledon until I started winning

and then they wouldn't show it.

That's how people knew I was in the finals,

when they didn't show the final.

They would write about the tournament

and then ignore my half of the draw!

That's it! That's it!

And a truly wonderful victory for Martina...

Finally saw my mom in '79, four years later,

when she came to Wimbledon,

when the Duchess of Kent helped get her Visa.

It's like a long-lost daughter or son coming from war, almost.

At some point, we didn't even know

if we would ever see each other again.

-It's four years since you last saw her in the flesh.

-Four and a half.

-How has she changed?

-She is now very skinny

and, for me, is very beautiful.

It was a perfect rivalry.

You couldn't ask for two more different people, players,

personalities, looks.

Everything was polar opposite.

Coming out, I think, really helped me become the tennis player

that I became because then you're free.

She brought her set of fans, I brought my set of fans

and it was really pretty intense and pretty unbelievable.

Game, set and match, Miss Navratilova.

They couldn't have been more different.

They couldn't have been closer at the top of the women's game.

Chris dominated on the clay of Paris

winning seven singles titles there -

but on grass, there was only one winner.

They met in five singles finals,

Martina won them all,

but in those days she couldn't win the hearts

of the Centre Court crowd.

I did get the acceptance early on, but then it disappeared.

Being gay and winning, it was too threatening.

It was OK to be gay as long as I was losing,

but when I started dominating, somehow I had an unfair advantage -

I don't know, how -

and that support had really shifted.

After all her nine wins, it was when she lost

that Martina showed what Wimbledon meant to her

and the crowd took her to their hearts.

And tremendous cheer for the former champion,

and one or two tears for her, I suspect.

I did get a big round of applause

when I got the trophy and they just kept clapping -

and that's when I broke down because I realised that they accepted me

as an American, and as a gay woman.

The crowds really embrace you,

no matter who you are, no matter where you are from.

They really are respectful,

they're knowledgeable and you feel appreciated -

but I think the crowds have a lot to do with the love

that I have for Wimbledon.

But what do they do when play is stopped?

Ladies and gentlemen, Cliff Richard!

CHEERING

-HE HUMS

-Right.

# We're... # No, wait a minute.

-What key would it be in?

-LAUGHTER

# We're all going on a summer holiday

# No more working for a week or two

# Fun and laughter on our summer holiday

# No more worries for me or you

# For a week or two... #

Oh, my God! When it rained...

We'd read the tabloids and have a laugh...

-"Chrissie! Look at Sue Barker!"

-SUE LAUGHS

Keith Richard! No, what was...?

-Cliff!

-Cliff, sorry!

-Not Keith Richards!

# ..I'm all shook up! #

CHEERING

Long before Sir Cliff shook Centre Court,

a certain German teenager came to London and fell in love.

Everything I am, everything that I have

and everything that I will be is because of this court.

So I have nothing but great memories.

I wouldn't change a thing.

This place very much became my home.

In 1985, Boris Becker was unseeded

and a complete outsider for the title...

I was 17 but I was already number 20 in the world.

..but he powered his way into the final.

Game, set...and match!

I felt, you know, there is something changing, now,

especially the second week.

I kept talking to more and more people

and the press conferences were getting longer.

But I wasn't afraid - put it that way.

I slept pretty well the night before.

I envisioned holding the trophy, which is something.

I really stuck to my routine

and I didn't want to change anything from the semifinal to the final.

Just obviously, when I walked out, I was trying to be the first one.

All this roar started and I was, "OK, where am I?!

"It is a Wimbledon final!"

The power was obvious.

The big serve was back...

..plus the Boris dive.

-It changed your life - drastically, didn't it?

-Yeah. Until now.

The reason we are talking today is because of the summer of 1985.

It changed my life so much that I call Wimbledon my home these days

and it's never been the same.

I call 7 July 1985 my birthday!

At some point, the youngster would falter

against the experienced Kevin Curran, wouldn't he?

Coming out to serve for the title, surely the nerves were kicking in?

That's when I, for the first time in the match,

became a little nervous, a little frightened.

First point, double fault, immediately.

Another double fault on my first match point and I just, you know,

prayed God, give me one more serve! I need one more serve!

And then, there we go.

-Yes!

-CHEERING

-Game, set and match...

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

..to Becker.

That was the moment, that I felt,

walking to shake Kevin's hand, that something changed.

Something dramatically is not going to be the same any more.

At that moment, I didn't know what, but it felt there was a change.

CHEERING

If you win out here, you lose your privacy, period.

That's the price you are going to pay.

Some players didn't mind.

Some players couldn't handle it.

I had my moments of good and bad.

I felt a lot of pressure from everybody -

and I wasn't sure whether that was a one-time thing,

if it was two weeks that would never, ever be repeated again,

or am I good? Am I that good?

So, for me personally,

the defence was much more important than the first time around,

because it instilled in me an inner belief of...

I belong in this tennis world.

Yes!

-CHEERING

-Game, set and match to Becker!

Back-to-back championships

and the following year, he lost in the second round.

Now came a test.

How would he treat such an indignity?

I think you had one of the quotes of the championship ever

when you lost to Peter Doohan

and you went in the press conference and you said this...

Well, basically, I lost a tennis match, you know.

I didn't lose a war. Nobody died. I lost a tennis match.

And everybody was stunned

and, I said, "Yes, I lost a tennis match, that was it."

He would win again and for a while, Germany would rule Centre Court.

-CHEERING

-That's it! Steffi Graf!

The new Wimbledon champion.

MUSIC: 20th Century Boy by T. Rex

Wimbledon was box office.

What began as German interest in the Boris and Steffi show

became an income stream from television

that would change the face of Wimbledon.

Stand by...

No expense is spared, from practice facilities...

tunnels that protect the stars from the mobbing of old...

an international broadcast centre, the latest technology...

..and against our dear old weather, roofs.

Looking ahead, respecting the past.

The good part about the All-England Club

is that they have kept a lot of the traditions

but they have come up into the 21st century, too.

So we sort of have the best of both worlds

and the players appreciate it.

I think it's the better experience for the fans than ever.

The wonderful thing about Wimbledon is tradition and innovation -

and combining those two give it texture.

But it still has that magic atmosphere about it.

There is something magical about that place.

Wimbledon. It's like a grandparent who you love

but who's totally up-to-date.

Wimbledon has an interesting way of staying relevant,

staying very much in the moment,

yet preserving history and tradition.

Boris had been the teenage sensation, fearless in his youth -

but the next dominant force was about to appear.

Pete Sampras, he took over your living room, didn't he?

I gave him the keys. I said that.

"You are the new owner of this court,"

and he is the best one I ever played on it.

He was just better.

I felt, on my very best day, and on his best day, he was just 10% better

and he is probably the reason why I eventually retired

because I said, if I feel like I can't beat everybody I want to beat

on this court, then what's the point of playing?

-CHEERING

-Game, set and match Sampras!

I remember I was about ten years old,

we'd get up at six in the morning in LA

and we would all sit around together and watch the final.

It was sort of our Super Bowl in our sport,

and as a kid, I just, you know, watching Borg-McEnroe,

Becker winning at 17, Pat Cash winning there,

those were big moments for me.

So as a kid, I was, like,

"OK, Wimbledon, that's the place I want to be."

That was it.

And what a moment...

for this delightful shotmaker.

He is absolutely up there

with the very best players who have graced this famous court.

The age of the man they called Pistol Pete.

There had been Rod Laver and now there was Pete Sampras.

And 1999 was his year of years.

-Yes!

-CHEERING

Game, set and match, Sampras!

The performance of a maestro and surely, no-one will argue

that Sampras is the greatest grass court player of all time.

It was the best tennis I have ever played, bar none.

People ask me my best match, it was sheer perfection.

I almost felt embarrassed when I won, sometimes -

but I was all about the winning and the working hard and achieving goals

but the attention and the stardom...

I grew to accept it.

I always felt that when I was the best player in the world,

something was going to make me fall.

That's why I always kind of had this recipe to keep it the same.

Keeping it fast and familiar, he won six times.

Nobody had ever won seven Wimbledon titles.

My parents were there, I had just got engaged

and life was just about perfect.

Now, then, we have found the parents of Pete Sampras.

The gentleman with the eyebrows, yes, a telltale sign!

Sam and Gloria, their first time ever at Wimbledon.

As far as I know, their first time ever

watching him in a Grand Slam final.

Fault!

Did they not see you play that often, then?

Well, they never saw me play live -

and I wanted them to come to Wimbledon and they never would...

-Their choice?

-It was their choice.

I was always nervous to bring them over

if I would have lost or just... my dad is superstitious.

It was my dream to have him there.

Time.

CHEERING

He wanted to be away from it, but deep down, I missed him.

Three points for a seventh championship

and a 13th Grand Slam title.

-UMPIRE:

-Quiet, please. Please.

-CHEERING

-Game, set and match, Sampras!

6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2.

There was an amazing time after,

they were emotional, I was emotional and...

-Sorry.

-No, that's all right.

I still get emotional about it,

especially as I see my dad getting older now.

It's tough times as you see your folks get older.

So I think about him in those moments

and wish he would have been part of those a little more often.

And I think, I think we just want to hear how much that meant to you.

It means so much to me.

My parents are over here today.

They gave me an opportunity to play this great game and I love them,

I love my fiance, Bridget.

Everybody who really put me together these last couple of weeks.

CHEERING

My kids are 14 and 11, now.

You want to be part of those moments

and my parents weren't part of those moments enough for me -

and I think I carry that a little bit today.

Um...

It's my home away from home, so, I...

I've grown to love Wimbledon and...

..I always will come back here,

even when I'm done playing this great game,

come back as a fan and sit in that royal box

and enjoy these guys sweating it out!

He did come back to play twice more, but without winning again.

Another new age was beginning.

I saw Lleyton Hewitt play his first-round match

and I was in Palm Springs

and I turned it on and watched for half an hour, I'm like, "Oh, my God,

"I don't miss it, I don't want to be there."

I had no emotion towards it.

I was tired of the sport, tired of the lifestyle...

For me to say that about the Wimbledon,

you know deep down I'm officially 100% done playing tennis.

..as arguably the greatest champion of all time.

God, I won seven times - I never thought that would happen.

It's where I made my name.

When people think of me, they think of Wimbledon.

CHEERING

The making of the name, etching a place in the list of the greats.

Some are still in the process.

Roger Federer, still going,

seven times the Wimbledon singles champion, equalling Pete Sampras -

and no sign yet the Swiss master of precision

is reaching that moment of saying, "I am done."

A great moment, walking through the gates and asking,

"Where is the locker room and where can we warm up,

"what we are allowed to do?

"When do we play, what's the routines?" and all these things.

Everything was so new,

and it's like living in a dream world

once you enter the gate, back in the day.

I remember very vividly, actually.

Memories of the junior championship, which he won.

Now he needed a breakthrough moment as a grown-up.

The 2001 fourth round against Sampras was a surreal experience.

A few times, I was like...

"Is this a dream, or is this, like, reality?"

But then I thought, "This must be real,

"because this is an unbelievable feeling I have right now."

I remember warming up, the five minutes with Pete, hitting balls.

I was so nervous, and then I would hit the ball,

I would follow the ball in and Pete would hit it back to me,

and I was like, "This is so cool!"

I mean, it was Pete Sampras on Centre Court at Wimbledon,

I mean, what else do you want?

Victory in five sets.

He was on his way.

The first to topple Sampras at Wimbledon in five years.

He had the whole package, even at that time.

I just felt like, "This guy serves pretty big

"and he returns quite well and he moves well,

"and he's got all the shots,"

and at that point, I said, "This kid's going to be good."

Little did I know that he would win 18 majors

and do everything in the sport!

But I could see that he was going to be good,

I just had no clue that he was going to take it this far.

Your first Grand Slam title.

Is that still one that is the most special to you?

Yeah, I think it was the most emotional.

It was so real.

-CHEERING

-Game, set and match, Federer.

I can tell how raw it is when people walk over,

because it has just happened,

and so many emotions are going...

Yeah, I was young and it was unexpected and everything.

So it was absolutely the most magical moment in my life, and...

my career could have stopped right then

and I would have been a complete human being

and tennis player, really.

Roger Federer, Wimbledon champion - you had better get used to that!

CHEERING

Thank you.

You know, it's an absolute dream for me, coming through...

I was always joking around when I was a boy, I'm going to win this!

-And...

-SUE CHUCKLES

..now I have it!

And you have had so much support from back home and everybody here.

What is your message to them?

Oh, yeah, a lot of people came from Basel and home.

So nice to share this moment -

and thanks to everybody... It's great...!

HE SOBS Congratulations, Roger Federer!

It became an annual event.

Roger won the next four finals.

He was the best of a golden generation.

Tennis, as it had never been played before.

CHEERING

Rafa Nadal finally ended Roger's run in 2008 in a final to cherish.

When you are winning, it's easy to love you,

because you are supposed to be the best and everything you do is great,

and everything you touch turns to gold -

but when you lose and you get the support,

I think that means so much to you.

He was soon winning again.

If he won here in 2009,

he would pass Bjorn Borg's five Wimbledon titles,

pass Pete Sampras's total of 14 Grand Slam victories.

Andy Roddick was his opponent on court

and not the only person in Roger's thoughts.

The record was on the line, of getting to my 15th Grand Slam.

My wife was pregnant with twins -

nobody knew that other than the family and my friends -

and it was like this perfect summer, really, for me.

Under the gaze of a former champion.

CHEERING DROWNS COMMENTARY

..number 15 overall.

..7-6, 7-6, 16-14.

History for Roger Federer, and respect between these two men.

Bjorn Borg was there, John McEnroe was there...

-Pete was there?

-Pete, absolutely, exactly. Pete came.

Four and a quarter hours,

37 service games without being broken until that last game!

Yeah, and I couldn't break Andy, he was playing that well -

and my only break I got, got me the win.

It was totally crazy,

but it shows that you just have to sometimes mentally push

and stay around and physically believe you can manage,

and it paid off. It was amazing.

I fell in love with the club,

and not only just the atmosphere of the tennis tournament,

and its history, but also the people at the club.

Everybody has always been so super-friendly -

and yes, I can't wait for the day to come when I will go there

away from the Championships. Yeah.

Champion Serena Williams. For me, the greatest of all time -

but she won't be here this year.

Perfect excuse, though.

-CHEERING

-It's Serena Williams,

14 years after that first victory here.

Grand Slam number 22.

Serena won't be here to defend.

She's pregnant, so she can't add to her tally

of 39 Grand Slam titles for a while.

Last year's win was her seventh Wimbledon crown,

her 22nd Grand Slam singles title.

Yes!

My dream was never to win Grand Slams,

and then all of a sudden, it became my goal.

I wanted to win the US Open and wanted to win Wimbledon and...

people are talking about, "You can equal Martina Navratilova

"and Chris Evert's records and win 18."

I was like, "OK, I want to do that."

And then the next one was like,

"Well, you can equal Steffi Graf with 22."

I'm, like, "OK, I'll do that, too."

-CHEERING

-Game, set and match...

I didn't grow up and say, "Oh, I'm going to win 22 Grand Slam titles."

-No!

-That still doesn't sound right, but...

-SUE LAUGHS

-..it happened.

And there's more -

with sister Venus, she's won six doubles titles.

This must feel like home, now, this court?

Well, this court definitely feels like home.

I love playing out here on Centre Court, especially with my sister,

who has just inspired me so much to be here and to be who I am.

Well, you have inspired many, as well.

Congratulations.

Ladies and gentlemen, Serena Williams!

CHEERING

Her achievements are there for the next generation to aim at.

Just as a young Serena found her motivation in an earlier era.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

This is Peter Wilson with the BBC film unit

speaking to you from the Centre Court at Wimbledon

on the final day of the 1958 championships.

Althea Gibson won back-to-back championships in 1957 and '58.

Almost 20 years later, Arthur Ashe won his Wimbledon title.

Coming up in the late '80s,

it was like, there wasn't many African-Americans playing,

so it was, like, you wanted to learn the history of all of them.

So I read all the books about Arthur Ashe,

I read all the books about Althea Gibson,

because I wanted to know the history and everything they went through -

and it motivated me.

We are all here to do our best and to inspire one another

and to lift each other up, and not to let anyone down.

There will be something new for this year's championships.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge

has become patron of the All-England Club.

She is a fan of Wimbledon and a Wimbledon great is a fan of hers.

It adds even more prestige to the tournament,

seeing Princess Catherine there, Prince William...

Who knows, maybe in the future we will see some of those people

giving a Wimbledon trophy, as well. That would beautiful, I think.

-Roger Federer, isn't he a joy to watch?

-Absolutely.

Here's my mother's heart-throb

and I don't think she's going to mind me saying that!

I think he probably knows that, too.

He is many people's heart-throb!

Absolutely.

Growing up, I sort of watched - obviously watched Wimbledon,

it has been very much part of my family growing up.

It's such a quintessential part of the English summer,

and I think it really inspires youngsters -

myself, it inspired me when I was younger,

to get involved in the game.

It hasn't changed, either, I think that's what is so wonderful -

and everyone's still there in their whites.

Wimbledon still looks as amazing as it did,

as I remember it as a youngster.

You've got the strawberries and cream.

Every time Wimbledon's on,

I'm thinking, "I can do the same, get that the racket!"

Sadly, never the same results.

-Who did you enjoy watching?

-I was really taken by the likes of Agassi

and Sampras, Ivanisevic when they were playing, and things like that.

So that, for me, was my first memory of the players.

-Did you ever go to the Championships?

-I did.

My first chance at going was queueing up on a People's Sunday,

or People's Monday, I think,

and being able to go into Wimbledon

and sort of be part of what is so amazing there.

The atmosphere there is incredible.

Whether you are sitting on Henman Hill or been fortunate enough

to be in and wander around the ground courts, it is hugely special,

and I was very fortunate that I did get through -

it was quite late in the day, I'm not going to lie!

but luckily, play went on quite late in the evening,

so I managed to get to see some.

What are your favourite Centre Court games?

The Ivanisevic game, where he got the wildcard draw.

Because it was such a passionate game.

That, for me, just shows the sportsmanship behind tennis

and actually, anyone has got a chance.

Do you get to meet any of the players during the tournament

-when you're there in the Royal box?

-Every now and again -

that's what's so wonderful, you sort of bump into somebody

as they're walking courtside or to an interview or something,

and then, after games I try and say hello to players.

I can remember, actually, walking past ...

My father is not going to enjoy this!

but I remember walking past Tim Henman,

from under one of the show courts,

and I was there with Dad and we had got in and very excited,

keeping a beady eye out on who we could see,

and I can remember walking past Tim Henman

and we'd just seen Sampras play,

and Dad, as he came past, said very coolly, "Hi, Pete,"

and I was like, "Dad, you can't do that!"

Utterly...