New BBC Wimbledon presenter Qasa Alom warns young players priced out of playing ‘expensive’ tennis

Is Wimbledon’s “white, middle-class” image a turn off for the next generation of sports fans?

Not according to Qasa Alom, the self-proclaimed “tennis geek” who takes over presenting the BBC’s nightly SW19 highlights show from Clare Balding.

“When I was an eight-year-old kid, I never thought Wimbledon wasn’t for me,” said the investigative journalist and YouTube filmmaker thrust into the spotlight as the new Today at Wimbledon host.

“Yes, they serve strawberries and cream and it was traditionally white-dominated. But I just saw some guys on free TV playing tennis. I think it’s adults who start to impose politics on it and say, ‘Oh. It’s very white, middle-class dominated.’”

“How many sports these days are still on free-to-view TV?,” asked the Birmingham-born rising star, who has directed documentaries on climate change and won an award for his Radio 4 investigation into Stoke-on-Trent’s illegal sex trade while also reporting on the Oscars, athletics and tennis for the BBC.

The network hopes Alom’s youthful presence, alongside cricket commentator Isa Guha, in its Wimbledon line-up will help broaden the event’s appeal.

There still remains a dearth of British Asian players on the competitive circuit. “The number of young people playing regularly is down. It’s not just a British Asian problem, it’s a societal problem,” said the journalist, born to a British Bangladeshi family.

“Kids are moving (physically) less and the facilities are few and far between. I first knocked a ball around in my back garden because I watched a lot of Goran Ivanisevic.”

Alom added: “Germany and France have tennis courts all over the place. We haven’t been investing in our infrastructure over many years. It’s a challenge, playing tennis is expensive. I played on the park courts near our house. A lot of kids want to play but do they have the capability?”

Alom, who started his career in local radio, is in awe of his highlights show predecessors, which include Harry Carpenter and Sue Barker. “I won’t say it’s my dream job because I’ve got lots of dreams,” Alom told i as he prepared for his debut in the 9pm BBC Two slot. “But when I first went to journalism school 14 years ago I said my ideal job would be presenting Wimbledon.”

Citing John Inverdale as his broadcasting role model, for his ability to move seamlessly from sports to current affairs, Alom’s Wimbledon elevation was questioned by some who said the role should have gone to a tennis “specialist”.

Yet Alom’s extensive knowledge of the top players, as well as the outside bets, means he is confident about trading verbal volleys with Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe on the nightly show. He also brings fan-level passion.

“I used to queue at 6am to get into Wimbledon. My favourite thing as a teenager was getting there with ‘the art of queueing’ booklet – only in the UK could you get a booklet on queueing! Then I worked there as a reporter. But it is surreal to now be presenting alongside the legends I grew up watching.”

Fronting a show watched by millions of viewers inevitably means every word Alom utters will be scrutinised on social media. He is primed for the additional exposure after being described as a “hunky environmentalist” by one newspaper.

“Thanks very much for that,” he joked. “It’s one of the nicer things you could say about someone. But I wouldn’t really call myself an environmentalist.”

Alom has travelled extensively around the world making short documentaries for his YouTube channel, QasaVision.

“Coming from a British Bangladeshi background, the issue really hit home when I saw first-hand what is happening in Bangladesh,” said Alom, who shot a video in Sunamganj, which is flooded for eight months out of the year, to see how the people living there coped with the extreme weather conditions.

“The area is being totally wiped out. This isn’t just something in a geography textbook at school, this is real and it’s happening right now,” warned Alom, who hosted events for the UN at the Cop27 conference.

Alom’s experience handling live events for the BBC Asian Network and 5 Live will come in handy for the fast-paced highlights show, which often begins while Centre Court matches are still reaching a climax.

“My radio background should help with that fluidity, you just roll with the punches.”

The good news for Wimbledon fans who aren’t glued to screens during the day is that the highlights will no longer be a movable feast. “To avoid the confusion we’ve had when there’s been several different programmes, things are going to be a bit different. The highlights will go out at 9pm every night. If there is a late running game on Centre Court it will move to the iPlayer.”

“We’ll bring you all the news if Andy Murray is still involved in a five-setter but equally people are coming in from work and they want us to cover the whole day’s action.”

“Yes, we’ll be analysing how straight a player’s arm needs to be for their backhand but also our job is to tell the stories of the day for people who aren’t hardcore tennis fans like me.”

With Rafael Nadal among the big-name absentees, this year’s Wimbledon is being billed as a chance for new stars to light up Centre Court. Alom is excited to see Scandinavian seeds Casper Ruud and Holger Rune take on Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the Men’s singles – although Novak Djokovic is still the one to beat. “The player I would queue at 6am to see though is (Tunisian star) Ons Jabeur, she is a magician,” Alom enthused.

Alom, who will present the World Service’s Climate Question series following the tournament, is also likely to emerge as a new Wimbledon star.

“I don’t really think it’s hit me that I’m doing Today at Wimbledon. I started off making up my own commentary playing football in our garden. The presenters who have done it before are institutions.

“Suddenly it’s ‘muggins’ in the hot seat. I’m privileged and honoured to be doing it.”

Wimbledon runs from Monday 3 July – Sunday 16 July on BBC One. Highlights show Today at Wimbledon is on BBC Two and iPlayer daily at 9pm, presented by Qasa Alom