Wimbledon may not be taking place this summer but BBC Sport will still give tennis fans their fix with over 50 hours of special programming over the course of what would have been the fortnight of the 2020 Championships.
From 29 June to 12 July, the BBC will broadcast weekday replays of memorable matches, an ‘Andy Murray Greatest Hits’ weekend and a countdown of ‘The Greatest Finals’, plus a special nightly show hosted from The All England Lawn Tennis Club, featuring special interviews and highlights from the tournament’s most memorable moments.
Wimbledon 2020 air each weeknight on BBC Two from 8pm where presenter Sue Barker will be joined by legends of The Championships to look back on some of its highlights.
The one-hour show will see Tim Henman and Boris Becker join Sue in the studio, with John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova also joining the programmes via video link, while current players will also share their reflections on life away from competition.
Viewers will have their chance to get involved with each programme via online votes, quiz questions and a chance to send in their attempts at trick shots for review.
On weekday afternoons at 1.45pm throughout the fortnight on BBC Two, Wimbledon Rewind will take viewers back in time to some of The Championships’ most memorable matches.
Over three hours, Clare Balding will revisit many Wimbledon classics including the women’s 1969 final between Ann Jones and Billie Jean King, Boris Becker v Kevin Curren in 1985, the men’s final between Goran Ivanisevic and Andre Agassi in 1992 and the women’s 2012 final between Serena Williams and Agnieszka Radwanska.
Kicking things off on 28 June will be a review of Wimbledon 2019, including the epic men’s final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
In Andy Murray’s Greatest Hits, Sue Barker looks back at the remarkable career of one of Britain’s greatest sportsmen, airing across the weekend of 4-5 July.
Highlights include the 2013 Wimbledon Final when he became the first British male player to win the Wimbledon singles in 77 years as well as both of his dramatic victories in the London and Rio Olympic Games.
Even more tennis throwbacks are served over the weekend of 11-12 July on BBC One with Wimbledon: The Greatest Finals, which will count down the greatest ever women’s and men’s finals at SW19.
In addition, BBC Two will broadcast a special documentary – One Day – which looks back at the famous day of 14 July, 2019, which saw one of the most incredible Wimbledon men’s final matches of all time and the England men’s cricket team winning the World Cup for the first time ever.
Relive the tense five-hour back and forth between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer and the electrifying moment the England men’s cricket team stormed to victory against New Zealand.
All of the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage will be available to watch live and on-demand via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Commenting on the BBC’s Wimbledon programming this summer, director of port Barbara Slater said:
“Whilst there will be no live play this year, we’re looking forward to bringing plenty of Wimbledon action to tennis fans this summer. Incredible victories, crushing defeats and expert comment and opinions from our tennis teams will combine for a fortnight of entertainment.”
Wimbledon Rewind is part of the BBC’s summer of classic sporting highlights, which have been added to its schedules in the wake of many of this year’s major sporting events being postponed or cancelled, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Championships were cancelled for the first time since World War Two because of the pandemic, with the entire 2020 grass-court season also abandoned.
Prior to its Wimbledon programming, BBC Two will air a special programme looking back at some of Andy Murray’s greatest matches at the Queen’s Club tournament, in Andy Murray: King of Queens, on Sunday, 21 June.
The BBC Sport website will live stream coverage while hosting a series of votes for fans to have their say, including selecting the top ten Wimbledon finals to ever take place, as well as new content available daily alongside a mixture of fun quizzes and features.
Full details of the BBC’s special Wimbledon programming this summer, including TV times and programme information, can be found below (timings subject to change).
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SUNDAY 28th JUNE
Wimbledon 2019 Review
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A look back at the 2019 Championships, where storylines included both Roger Federer and Serena Williams aiming for history and the emergence of a new young star in Coco Gauff.
Before the review programme starts at 1.05pm, BBC Two will air World Beaters short film at 1pm, in which Alicia Keys tells the incredible story of her friend, tennis legend Serena Williams.
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MONDAY 29th JUNE
Wimbledon Rewind: Episode 1
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Clare Balding presents a chance to relive the 2008 Wimbledon men’s singles final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, which many consider to be the greatest tennis match of all time.
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WEEKNIGHTS – 29 JUNE – 10 JULY
Wimbledon: The Best of the Championship
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Live from Wimbledon, Sue Barker is joined by tennis legends past and present to look back on the greatest matches in the championships’ history.
From Serena Williams to John McEnroe, from Coco Gauff to Roger Federer, Sue and guests rewatch and remember breathtaking moments and unforgettable champions from glorious British summers past.
Meanwhile, without the Wimbledon crowds to navigate, the programme takes a look behind the scenes and into the inner sanctum of one of the most beautiful sporting venues in the world.
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TUESDAY 30th JUNE
Wimbledon Rewind: Episode 2
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Today’s trip to the Wimbledon archives features two finals involving four great American champions: Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport.
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WEDNESDAY 1st JULY
Wimbledon Rewind: Episode 3
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Two of tennis’s great entertainers, Andre Agassi and Goran Ivanisevic, take centre stage in today’s look back at classic Wimbledon finals of the modern era.
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THURSDAY 2nd JULY
Wimbledon Rewind: Episode 4
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This trawl through the SW19 archives features finals involving two of Wimbledon’s greatest stars – Boris Becker and Steffi Graf, who have ten singles titles between them.
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FRIDAY 3rd JULY
Wimbledon Rewind: Episode 5
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Time to rewind to 1977 and one of the most famous afternoons in British tennis history – Virginia Wade’s clash with Dutch player Betty Stove in the 1977 Wimbledon final.
It is the year of both the tournament’s centenary and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee so the stage seems set for a home triumph – but Stove is hoping to cause a royal upset on Centre Court.
The other match takes place ten years later, when Ivan Lendl, who has won three of the previous five Grand Slams, takes on Pat Cash, who is looking to become the latest in a long line of great Australian Wimbledon champions.
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SATURDAY 4th JULY
Andy Murray’s Greatest Hits – Part 1
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Sue Barker introduces the first of a two-part look at the career of one of Britain’s greatest sporting stars – Sir Andy Murray.
This programme covers his early success and the memorable summer of 2012, when he bounced back from Wimbledon heartbreak to Olympic gold and Grand Slam glory in the space of a couple of months.
Also featured is that unforgettable July day in 2013, when Murray ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a Wimbledon men’s singles champion, an achievement which sealed his status as one of the biggest British sports stars of the modern era.
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Sue Barker: Our Wimbledon (rpt)
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John McEnroe: Still Rockin’ at 60 (rpt)
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SUNDAY 5th JULY
Andy Murray’s Greatest Hits – Part 2
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Sue Barker continues her look back over the career of one of Britain’s greatest sporting heroes – Sir Andy Murray.
Today’s highlights centre around an extraordinary 12-month spell from the end of 2015 that saw Murray steer Great Britain to Davis Cup success, then go on to win Wimbledon again and retain his Olympic title.
He then embarked on an incredible winning streak, culminating in clinching the year-end number one spot at the ATP Finals in London.
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Arthur Ashe: More Than a Champion (rpt)
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Just Call Me Martina (rpt)
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MONDAY 6th JULY
Wimbledon Rewind: Episode 6
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BBC Sport turns the clock back 40 years to 1980 in today’s classic Wimbledon finals, which feature four tennis legends and the most famous tie-break in history.
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TUESDAY 7th JULY
Wimbledon Rewind: Episode 7
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Billie Jean King and Roger Federer, two of Wimbledon’s most successful players, feature in today’s look back into the archives of classic finals at the All England Club.
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WEDNESDAY 8th JULY
Wimbledon Rewind: Episode 8
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A chance to relive a couple of great Wimbledon finals – the 1993 rollercoaster involving Steffi Graf and Jana Novotna and the 1975 classic between Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe.
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THURSDAY 9th JULY
Wimbledon Rewind: Episode 9
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Clare Balding continues her delve into the Wimbledon archive and introduces classic finals involving two great champions in Serena Williams and Pete Sampras.
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FRIDAY 10th JULY
Wimbledon Rewind: Episode 10
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The final Wimbledon Rewind of the series looks back to last year, when the singles finals brought together top seeds Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer and former world number ones Serena Williams and Simona Halep.
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SATURDAY 11th JULY
Wimbledon: The Greatest Finals
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What was the greatest Wimbledon ladies’ singles final of all time? Sue Barker takes a nostalgic trip down memory lane to mark what should have been this year’s ladies’ final day.
A team of BBC experts have reviewed the archives and chosen the best ten finals of the Open era to relive and enjoy. Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Virginia Wade and Ann Jones are among a host of Wimbledon legends in action, with drama, emotion and excitement aplenty.
With finals dating back to the 1960s, this is a rare opportunity to appreciate the generations of women’s tennis heroes who have battled it out for the right to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish on the hallowed Centre Court grass.
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SUNDAY 12th JULY
Wimbledon: The Greatest Finals
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What was the greatest Wimbledon men’s singles final of all time? Sue Barker celebrates what should have been this year’s men’s final day with a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
A team of BBC experts have reviewed the archives and chosen the best ten finals of the Open era to relive and enjoy. This generation’s big four of Sir Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will all be in action, as will numerous other trailblazers including Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, John McEnroe and Arthur Ashe.
Tears, tantrums and spine-tingling triumphs are all on display, as are numerous five-set thrillers, as several icons of the men’s game and their Centre Court achievements are celebrated.
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Billie Jean King: Born to Lead
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One Day: Sport’s Super Sunday
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