Sue's on the ball - thanks to fish oil
18/06/2007
Sue Barker has been a household name since the 70s, first as a professional tennis player and then as one of the chief sports presenters at the BBC. During her tennis career, she won the women's singles title at the French open, reached the semifinals at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open, and upset Martina Navratilova to reach the Virginia Slims Tour Championships final, where she lost in three sets to Chris Evert. In her private life, Barker was romantically linked with both the singer Cliff Richard and golfer Greg Norman - but is now married to policeman Lance Tankard.
This year Sue will once again be a leading anchor for Wimbledon 2007 starting on 25th June, and, she says, she'll be relying upon a fish oil supplement which she takes to boost her concentration and memory while she's hard at work.
“I grew up in a very sporty family and fell in love with tennis at the age of six,” she says. “I started playing at school and at the local public courts and imagined the garage wall was Centre Court at Wimbledon, dreaming of playing there one day. When you take pleasure in a sport as much as I did, it spurs you on to be the very best you can and I was lucky enough to turn the hobby that I loved into a successful career.”
At 28, with a weak Achilles and shin splints in both legs, Sue realised it was time to retire from tennis and moved into presenting almost by accident. Her television career has since seen her become a regular at Wimbledon, cover The Olympics and present Grandstand and BBC sports quiz A Question of Sport. “I never really decided to go into broadcasting,” she says. “At the time Bob Wilson was the only other sports person who had gone on to become a presenter, but I was approached to have a go and the rest is history. I’ve been at the BBC since 1993.”
Now 50, Sue might not be professionally playing tennis any longer, but she continues to make health and fitness a priority. “Even when I retired from tennis, it didn’t seem right if I wasn’t playing or training and that has very much stayed with me,” she says. “It’s vitally important to me that even later in life, I stay fit and focused. During the winter, I try to exercise at least three times a week at the gym and in the summer, I like to get outdoors. I love jogging, cycling and walking my dogs.”
Sue’s busy television schedule means that ensuring she is mentally fit is also vital, with live commentary requiring her to be prepared for anything. She says: “Because so much of my job involves thinking on my feet and interpreting sporting statistics, I’ve become increasingly aware of the need to look after my mental ability and can’t always rely on food to provide me with all the nutrients I need.
"I’ve taken Efamol’s fish oil supplements for quite some time, and I recently started taking their new Efalex Active 50+ to specifically help boost my concentration and keep my memory sharp.
“For me, it’s a question of self preservation - while I can’t fight time I can help myself stay fit and focused through good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.”
Sue continued: “A key challenge for me is to be ready for any situation. If you are fully prepared at a live event then nothing will faze you. Sport often throws up surprises on or off the court, course or pitch and you have to be able to react fast and cope with any pressures.” Carrying off the 1998 and 1999 Sports Broadcaster of the Year awards, Sue’s contribution to the sporting world was also recognised with an MBE in 2000. “I feel very lucky that I was able to move on to a job that I enjoy as much as my tennis career. Very few people have one career they love, let alone two.
“I’ve also been able to witness many fantastic sporting moments over the years with my favourite probably the 2001 Wimbledon final between Pat Rafter and Goran Ivanisevic. It had a thrilling fifth set and was very exciting to watch.”
Asked if she has any ambitions yet to fulfil, she replies: “I can honestly say that I don’t. I had such an adrenalin rush playing tennis that I don’t think anything else could ever come that close.”
Efamol’s Efalex Active 50+ is the first fish oil supplement specifically designed for the over 50s and is available from Boots priced £9.49 for 30 capsules. For further information visit the link below or call 01372 379828.