John McEnroe has opened up on the "void" he expects to be left by former Wimbledon host Sue Barker.
Barker, who reached the semi-finals as SW19 as a player, hosted the BBC's coverage of the UK's tennis major for 30 years. The 2022 tournament was her last at the helm, though, with Clare Balding taking the former pro's place.
Former world number one and three-time Wimbledon champ McEnroe has been part of the BBC's coverage as a commentator and pundit for a number of years. Speaking ahead of the 2023 tournament, the American laid bare how significant he expects Barker's absence to be.
“Her not being there is going to be a bummer," McEnroe said. "But Sue is a legend. You know, I mean she was incredible at what she did. So it’s going to be a void.
"It’s like when (Bjorn) Borg didn’t play. For us, it was a huge thing. So especially since I’ve been doing this, the other side, the commentary side for as long as I have and doing it with her.
"She just makes it easier for everyone around her. And she’s did that for 25 years or something. So it’s a tough act to follow, shall I say?
"So we’ll see what happens. The old cliché is that all good things come to an end. She decided that this was enough, go out I guess on a high. And God bless her. Hopefully, she’ll come by and say hello.”
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The Borg comparisons relate to the retirement of the Swede at the age of just 26. Borg and McEnroe were fierce rivals on the court, facing off in two Wimbledon finals and two US Open finals.
McEnroe's playing career featured a number of outbursts after decisions he felt went against him unfairly. However, he has now admitted he would have welcomed the benefit of technology were it available in his day.
“I think that's where everything's headed," he said.. "I don't think there's any two ways about it. But there's other ways that players can engage. It's not just the linesmen.
"With Illie Nastase, when they first had the Cyclops, I was like; ‘Nasty they got Cyclops, We can't question a call.’ And he was like: ‘Macaroni. Don't worry, we can figure something out. There are other things’
“But I think if you have equipment that's accurate, I'm sorry, you gotta go with that. Maybe I wouldn't be talking to you now because of the antics and maybe maybe I would have won more but I would have been more boring.
"It's difficult to say. But I think this is just the way it's, it's going so, but I will say that if you had told me at 18: ‘They've got a system where they get every call correct’, I would definitely have wanted that.”
John McEnroe is part of the BBC’s Wimbledon 2023 line-up. Catch all the action across BBC TV, radio and online from Monday July 3.
