Sue Barker’s 1976 French Open Win: 50 Years On

As one of Britain’s leading TV sports presenters for three decades, Sue Barker has always been more comfortable asking questions than answering them. Many who watched her confident, relaxed style covering Wimbledon from 1993 to 2022 likely did not know she once played tennis herself, and fewer still that she is a grand slam champion.

Her finest hour came at Roland Garros in 1976, when she won her only slam title, beating Czech Renata Tomanova in three sets. This year’s tournament, starting Sunday, marks the 50th anniversary of that victory. Barker is the last British player, man or woman, to win in Paris, following Christine Truman (1959) and Ann Jones (1961, 1966).

The achievement remains one of the finest in British tennis and arguably one of the most underrated in British sport. The 1976 final was not broadcast live due to a reported strike by French camera technicians. It is also overshadowed by Virginia Wade’s Wimbledon title the following year. Barker lost to Betty Stöve in the semifinals and was so distraught she skipped the final, spending most of her £3,500 prize money on jewelry.

Barker declined an interview request for the anniversary, saying she prefers not to dwell on the past. “It’s funny how some people look at their losses,” said former British No. 1 Jo Durie, four years younger. “I know she was really disappointed in 1977 when she knew she could beat Virginia [but lost to Stöve].” Durie added: “Virginia’s win was a bigger inspiration because it was Wimbledon. But when Sue won in Paris, it made me think, if she can do it then maybe I can do it.”

At only 20, Barker seemed destined for more, but after missing out at Wimbledon in 1977, injuries cut her career short; she retired in 1984. “Winning the French Open was magical,” she told the Isle of Wight literary festival last year. “Of course, I thought it was the first of many, so I didn’t really celebrate that well. If I’d known it was my only one I really would have gone to town.”

After a few glasses of champagne, Barker flew home, losing her trophy and medal in the process. When Ash Barty won the French Open in 2019, she saw Barker listed as an Australian on the trophy. In a 2022 BBC Sport interview, Barker said: “I think it’s because I used to play so much in Australia that people used to think I was Australian. But it doesn’t really bother me, I knew I’d won it.” Embarrassed tournament organizers vowed to correct the error, but the French Tennis Federation did not respond when asked by the Guardian if the change had been made.

Ranked No. 3 at her peak in 1977, Barker possessed a forehand that rivals envied, enough to beat Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King. “Sue could beat anyone on her day, she knew that,” Durie said. With those three absent in 1976, Barker was the top seed in Paris. “I looked back at her draw,” Durie added. “She had a close one in the quarter-finals [against Regina Marsikova], then [Virginia] Ruzici was a great player on clay and Tomanova in the final, they were good wins. She was expected to win too, so she had that pressure.”

Ruzici won Roland Garros in 1978 and later managed fellow Romanian Simona Halep. She recalled: “We had similar styles. She had the big forehand and more of a slice backhand, although with time, she started to drive it more.”

Like Barker, Ruzici’s win came when Evert was absent. “I was lucky in 1978 because Chris Evert didn’t play,” Ruzici said. “Chris was my bête noire, she beat me about 20 times. But what counts is having the title, because you have it forever, and it’s there in the books.”

For all the disappointment of Wimbledon in 1977, Barker would surely agree.