BBC tennis presenter Qasa Alom has revealed he’s spent time in hospital after delaying treatment for a health issue to work at Wimbledon. Alom has been with the Beeb since 2010, and has previously covered The Boat Race and also worked at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
In June 2023, he was announced as the new presenter of Today at Wimbledon. The highlights programme airs daily during the tournament at SW19 and has become an iconic part of the annual coverage. However, Alom has now admitted to making an ‘error’ by working throughout Wimbledon this summer, and has released a statement on social media to explain his situation to fans.
Can’t say the last few weeks have been easy…” he wrote on Instagram. “Ever since the middle of Wimbledon I’ve been battling my body with a health issue. I put off getting proper medical care because I just did not want to miss The Championships (error). Eventually, it became too much and escalated.”
Alom also sounded caution to people reading the post, adding: “Thankfully, the NHS have been brilliant in giving me the care I needed. A real wake-up call to all those health-conscious young seemingly fit people out there seeing this.
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“No matter how good your VO2 max might be; or what your resting heart rate is….no matter how many chia seeds you eat or interval fasts you can do….things can happen inside of our bodies that you can’t control and it will completely knock you for six. Respect your body and its limitations. We only have one.”
He concluded the message by saying: “ I am grateful to my family for helping me through a difficult period, and now on the road to recovery.”
Many of his followers responded with messages of support. He regularly uses social media to provide updates on his tennis travels, and this summer described his job as a ‘privilege’.
Alom has also worked for BBC Radio and was previously a newsreader for Midlands Today. His stints with the BBC Asian Network saw him win the Radio Presenter of the Year Award at the 2020 Asian Media Awards.
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