Sue Barker retirement: Everything tennis players have said on BBC icon's Wimbledon exit

Sue Barker sent shockwaves when she announced this year's Wimbledon would be her last as the anchor for the BBC's coverage, having worked on the broadcast since 1993. She rejected a contract extension, admitting the time was "right" to retire but the former French Open champion was teary as a tribute montage was played to her on her final day of coverage following Novak Djokovic's title-winning victory over Nick Kyrgios.

Barker had become synonymous with Wimbledon, working on the BBC's coverage since 1993 and becoming the anchor of the two-week broadcast in 2000. But at the beginning of June she announced this year's Championships would be her last, coming as a shock to many including the players whose runs she had covered at Wimbledon over the last few decades, and Express Sport takes a look at what active tennis players have said in response to the Wimbledon icon's retirement.

Murray was famously in tears after losing the 2012 Wimbledon final, telling Barker he was "getting closer" a year before lifting his first trophy at SW19. And upon hearing the news that she was stepping down from the BBC's coverage, the former world No 1 admitted he "loved" that 15-time title winner made it feel like he was speaking to his "mum".

"Away from the camera, I always loved chatting to Sue. It was like chatting to my mum, or a relative almost. She has that warmth to her," he said ahead of her final year as the Wimbledon anchor. "Usually you do interviews on the TV and it doesn't always feel the most natural to me. But with her, a lot of the time I almost felt like she was able to make you forget about that.

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"When I would go to the studio at Wimbledon, she