From her days as a player, to helming the BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon, to now attending as a fan, the first thing Sue Barker does on arrival at the All England Lawn Tennis Club is to look out over Centre Court. An experience that was always “terrifying” as a player – particularly as a home favourite – has nonetheless never lost its shine.

Barker’s love for tennis – if it was in any doubt – is apparent the moment we start talking. Before I can even ask a question, she wants to know whether Jacob Fearnley, playing earlier that day in the last 16 at Queen’s, won his match. (He did, a tricky three-set tussle with Corentin Moutet.)

The strength in depth of British tennis is a source of joy to Barker, the 1976 French Open champion and the anchor of Wimbledon coverage until 2022. She notes drily, “When I worked at the BBC it was always, two players have got in and the rest require wildcards. Now they’re getting in by right.”

There is also a host of talented junior players, many of whom are making their main-draw or qualifying debuts this year. Barker tells The Independent, “I think a lot of that is to do with Andy [Murray]. He’s just been such a role model and set the standard for them. He’s shown them how hard you’ve got to work to be the best, and I think now it’s really beginning to pay off.”

Nowhere is that more obvious than in the form of British No 1 and world No 4, Jack Draper. The 23-year-old reached a maiden semi-final at Queen’s last week and has underlined his status as a name to watch at SW19 – despite having never previously gone past the second round.

“Jack has just been a revelation,” Barker says. “I spoke to him a couple of years ago when he was having shoulder issues and wondering whether he’d ever play again, and now to see him – what the heck was wrong with his shoulder, because now these bullets are coming out, the serve, the ground shots he’s hitting! Most impressive is physically how he’s changed. He’s super-strong now, but I guess he has to be to compete with the top guys.” She doesn’t name the top guys, but they hardly need to be spelled out: world No 1 Jannik Sinner and two-time defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.

“We always wondered who was ever going to take over from Roger, Rafa, Novak, and Andy. Now we have the answer,” she says. “I thought we’d have a few lean years, but these guys are amazing. And now to have Jack right up there, being talked about in the same sentence, is fantastic.”

Achieving consistent results on the tour is one thing, but Wimbledon is a different beast. “There’s so much pressure on British players,” Barker says, “so I don’t want to put a huge amount of pressure on him – but I will! Because he’s being talked about as a grand slam champion, a multiple grand slam champion, and this is in an era of Alcaraz and Sinner. And it’s not just me saying it: John McEnroe, who I bow down to [for] his greater experience, is so excited by Jack and what he can achieve.”

Draper has wins over both Sinner and Alcaraz – but is there something missing in his game to bridge the gap to the world’s best? Barker doesn’t believe so: “He’s doing everything he can, he’s got the weapons, because it’s going to be the serve and the forehand [that make the difference], he’s got such power.

“Those guys are like little road runners, which Jack isn’t going to be; he’s strong. They’re like little Duracell batteries. Whereas Jack, physically, is going to bash them off the court.

“He certainly has the game to take to them, absolutely. The way he’s improved in the last two years, I can’t wait to see what he does now.”

She brings up Draper’s Queen’s last-16encounter against Alexei Popyrin, when the Brit trailed 4-2 in the deciding tiebreak only to win the next five points to seal the match. “Those last few points were world-class,” Barker says. “To see a British player raise his game like that, it just shows mentally how strong he is, to do it when it matters.”

At the other end of the spectrum are the talented British youngsters. Barker says that as a player she preferred earning a place via qualifying rather than being “gifted it”, and notes that, “We’ve seen at Queen’s, going through qualifying often sharpens you up so much to go into a grand slam.” (Tatjana Maria won the women’s title this year as a qualifier.) “Emma [Raducanu] winning the US Open, coming through qualifying gave her so much confidence.”

Barker, whose best result at Wimbledon was a semi-final appearance in 1977 – the year Virginia Wade won her last title there – is enthusiastic about the future of British tennis. She has followed the likes of teenagers Hannah Klugman and Mimi Xu for some years, but strikes a cautionary note when discussing them. “Now is the time we’ll be hoping to see a bit of a breakthrough, but hopefully not too much. I think we learned from Emma that sometimes too much can be too much.”

Barker won her only major title aged 20 and never made another grand slam final, although she thought there would be plenty more in her future. Injuries hampered the latter stages of her playing career before she turned to an incredibly successful second act as a broadcaster and presenter. There is perhaps an element of kinship between her younger self and Raducanu.

“I think everyone expects too much from Emma,” she says. “It was a fairytale, a fluke, whatever you want to say – a qualifier coming through to win a grand slam, it should be a Hollywood movie. And yet everyone thinks that because she’s done that, she’s now going to be top 10. It doesn’t work like that – she wasn’t a top-10 player [when she won], she’d hardly played the game.

“I’m thrilled that this year she’s playing really well, the serve’s improved, the forehand’s improved, Petch [Mark Petchey] is in the corner, I think that’s a great signing. I hope she really builds a relationship with a coach, like Jack, because to have that longevity and trust with someone is important.” But she adds, “Physically, I worry about the injuries. It doesn’t matter how well you play; if your body breaks down, you’re gone. As Jack found out – Emma has got to do the same, build up her strength.”

Barker has advised 16-year-old Klugman previously about staying grounded as hype around her begins to build. Social media is another minefield, particularly for young players, and Katie Boulter’s recent interview discussing online abuse has put it back in the spotlight. Barker, who is acquainted with the dark side of fame – a man who sent her death threats in 2004 went to prison – describes social media as “frightening”.

“For me, everything has to change. Everyone should have an identity and should be answerable to anything they write on any public platform. I don’t see why social media should be different from regular media – and these are young, impressionable girls [dealing with it]. I find it really upsetting.

“It’s so easy to say don’t read it – but they read it! It’s difficult not to. I just think everyone should be accountable for what they say, and gambling has made it a huge problem now. I don’t see how they can correct it, but I wish they would.”

Sipsmith Ambassador Sue Barker spoke to The Independent at an event hosted by Sipsmith, the official Gin Partner of Wimbledon, to celebrate the launch of Top Seed Gin.