New face of BBC's Wimbledon coverage is a hunky environmentalist and self-proclaimed 'tennis geek'
As Sue Barker departs from the 's coverage of after 30 years in the chair and takes over, a vacancy has been left on the daily evening round-up, Today at Wimbledon. With experienced cricket presenter Isa Guha set to occupy one of the two presenting spaces on the team, it is likely in safe hands - and this year she'll be joined by equally experienced, but lesser-known Qasa Alom. A huge tennis fan (and self-proclaimed tennis 'geek'), Alom has previously presented a Radio 4 programmes on one of the sport's most iconic stars, Arthur Ashe, and also takes an interest in cricket, rugby and athletics. Posting on yesterday about his new gig, he said: 'Im really excited to make some brill TV, speak to experts abt the days action & have a bit of fun with it! Ive been watching the coverage since I was a child. Now, I cant wait to be part of it' He added in a second tweet: 'Fair to say today is a good day...Im a bit obsessed with the sport - I remember commentating on my own backyard matches as a child when I used to try & serve like Goran. From that to now - yeah Im gonna do my best to do this programme justice.' On Instagram, he added he was a 'tennis geek' who has always wanted to present shows about the sport. Last summer, he was part of the team on the BBC's coverage of the Commonwealth Games as well as the London Marathon - and has also been at the helm of shows on the BBC's Asian Network and 5 Live. Elsewhere, the filmmaker runs his own YouTube channel, QasaVision, which explores issues stemming from the climate crisis, and he is passionate about protecting the environment. As Alom prepares to take the chair in the studio at the end of this month, he'll be continuing a lifelong love of tennis, which he has spoken about on his Instagram account. Posting a photo of himself on the court while carrying a racket on a sunny day in March 2021, when the nation was in the midst of its third Covid lockdown, Alom wrote about how it was important to do what you love to get yourself through difficult times. He said: 'Weve all not had as much of a chance to do what we love over the last year, but today I remembered how important fun, enjoyment and laughter are to life. 'Hopefully, bit by bit, all the little things in life that made it great will soon return to all of us! For me, tennis is back. So is being able to see family. Soon gyms, restaurants, haircuts and holidays...!' The same month, Alom announced he was leaving his BBC Asian Network show, The Big Debate, to move onto bigger and better things. By summer 2021 he had been enlisted as a presenter of The Hundred, and also launched a podcast with Davis Cup champion Dominic Inglot, the Real Tennis Pod, where he discusses one of his greatest passions. If Alom wasn't busy enough, he also travels around the world making short documentaries for his YouTube channel, QasaVision. In particular, the environmentalist (who also spoke at COP 27), uses the channel to explore communities who have been affected by climate change in some way. One video sees Alom travel to the community of Sunamganj in Bangladesh, which is flooded for eight months out of the year, to see how the people living there coped with the extreme weather conditions. In another, Alom travelled around Europe where he reported on the wildfires raging through forests across the continent. Recently, Alom teamed up with journalist Matthew Parris to profile tennis icon Arthure Ashe, who was the first black man to win Wimbledon and campaigned for social justice off the court. In his personal life, Alom appears to enjoy travelling and has taken recent trips to European destinations such as Ibiza and Rome. When he's at home, he hangs out with his dog, Rafa - who may well have been named after tennis star Rafa Nadal. Writing on Instagram about his new presenting gig last night, Alom said: 'Cant wait to roam around SW19, watch tennis, analyse the matches with the ex-players and just have a bit of fun making some great TV!'