Holding COURT

Former pro-turned-presenter ANNABEL CROFT on this year's tournament

- SEAN MARLAND

WIMBLEDON

LIVE MONDAY-FRIDAY, TIMES VARY, BBC1, BBC2 & BBC IPLAYER SPORT

The courts are carefully manicured, the players are perfecting their serves and the strawberries are ready to be served as The All England Lawn Tennis Club prepares to welcome thousands of fans to its world-famous grounds for this year's Wimbledon.

Play is due to get under way on Monday and the BBC will bring us all the action from SW19 until the tournament concludes on Sunday 14 July.

Having taken over lead presenting duties from British tennis legend Sue Barker last year, Clare Balding will again be at the centre of BBC1's coverage from mid-afternoon, while Isa Guha is reporting on proceedings from 10.30am (Monday) and 11am (Tue-Fri) on BBC2.

Among the experts joining them in the studio are Grand Slam winners John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King, alongside former professional players Tim Henman and Annabel Croft.

Here, in an exclusive interview, Annabel, 57, chats to TV Times about the ones to watch in the 137th championships...

What do you think makes Wimbledon such a special event?

It’s the most historic tournament in the world [the first championship was held in 1877], and there’s so much prestige attached to it. But as a competition, it’s really interesting because it has such a specialised surface. You can have players who do really well on other surfaces, and then they just can’t come to terms with grass. At times it feels like a different sport!

So, who are you backing in the men’s singles competition this year?