Sue Barker and Roger Federer could be set for surprise appearances at Wimbledon

Sue Barker and Roger Federer could be poised to attend Wimbledon this year despite the pair having stepped back from tennis since the last edition of the tournament. Barker presented the BBC’s live coverage of the event for the final time last summer and has since been replaced as the broadcaster’s face of Wimbledon by Clare Balding.

Plenty of emotional tributes were paid to Barker as she waved goodbye to Centre Court after Novak Djokovic’s victory over Nick Kyrgios in the final. The likes of Andy Murray, John McEnroe and Chris Evert were all in attendance to honour the 67-year-old, who struggled to hold back tears as the curtain came down on her 29-year spell as the BBC’s lead presenter.

Federer was also present at Wimbledon last year but has since retired from professional tennis after bowing out at the Laver Cup back in September. It remains to be seen whether the Swiss icon or Barker will return to the All England Club over the coming weeks, although they would certainly be welcomed by fans and TV viewers alike if they decide to show their faces once again.

Wimbledon chairman Ian Hewitt has already confirmed that Federer is due to appear this year as a lifetime honorary member, while Tennis Infinity have reported that a tribute to his glittering career could be unveiled over the course of the Wimbledon fortnight.

“He is a very great champion,” said Hewitt. “We have a very close association. I am delighted to say that Roger will be making a visit here as a member. He is very welcome any time, and yes, we will be celebrating his achievements in an appropriate Wimbledon way in due course.”

It was claimed by The Telegraph back in February that a deal was on the cards to see Federer return to Wimbledon as a BBC commentator, but the man himself quickly rubbished the speculation via Twitter by insisting that he has no plans to work at the All England Club in a media capacity.

Federer was taking questions from fans on Twitter when a fan asked: “Any plans to do commentary on TV? Like joining BBC during Wimbledon?” The 41-year-old promptly replied to explain that he does not have any broadcasting commitments for this year but refused to rule out a return to the tournament in future, saying: “No plans to commentate this year!”

Meanwhile, no concrete plans for Barker to attend Wimbledon have been confirmed by any party as of yet, although it would not be a massive surprise to see the veteran broadcaster watching the action as a fan for the first time in around three decades.

Representatives for both Barker and Federer were contacted by Express Sport but did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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