Showing posts with label Elena Baltacha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elena Baltacha. Show all posts

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

Elena was One in a Million - Judy Murray

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Judy Murray has paid tribute to Elena Baltacha, who died of liver cancer at the age of 30 on Sunday.

Murray coached Baltacha as a junior in Scotland and then worked with her as captain of Britain's Fed Cup team.

She added it was "an awful loss" for tennis, those who knew and loved her, but most of all for her husband Nino Severino and her family.

She was one in a million," said Murray. "An absolute gem."

Murray added: "I don't have the words to say what an incredible person Bally was, how loved she was or what an inspiration she will continue to be to everyone who met her."

Baltacha, who was British number one for nearly three years and retired in November 2013, learned she had liver cancer in January 2014 - two months after retiring and only a few weeks after marrying her former coach Severino.

A host of tennis stars, including Martina Navratilova, Laura Robson, Andy Murray, Ross Hutchins, Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski, Jamie Murray, Jonny Marray, Anne Keothavong and Heather Watson, have agreed to take part in The Rally Against Cancer - Rally For Bally, a fundraising event to be held in Baltacha's memory on 15 June.

The mixed doubles exhibition matches at the Aegon Championships at Queen's Club, the Aegon Classic in Birmingham and the Aegon International in Eastbourne will raise money for the Royal Marsden national cancer charity and the Elena Baltacha Foundation.

#RIP
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Tuesday, 14 February 2012

GB FedCup Team Draw Sweden


Great Britain will travel to Sweden in April's World Group II play-offs after missing out on a home draw.

Captain Judy Murray led the team of Elena Baltacha, Anne Keothavong, Heather Watson and Laura Robson through Euro/Africa Zone Group I two weeks ago.

Their reward is a trip to Sweden, seeded third of the four possible opponents for Britain, on 21-22 April.

The winners will earn promotion into World Group II - the second tier of the Fed Cup.

Sweden have two top-100 players in Johanna Larsson (62) and Sofia Arvidsson (74), but no-one else inside the world's top 500, while Baltacha (61) and Keothavong (89) are top-100 players, with Watson (109) and Robson (120) close behind.

In five previous meetings between the nations, Britain lead 3-2 overall, but Sweden have won on the last two occasions in 2007 and 2001.

Britain's women last played a home tie in 1993, when the team of Clare Wood, Julie Salmon, Monique Javer and Amanda Grunfeld defeated Turkey 3-0 in Nottingham.

For the last eight years they have competed in the gruelling Euro/Africa Zone Group I - a 15-team event played in a single location over four days with only two qualifying spots.

Victories over Portugal, Netherlands, hosts Israel and Austria in Eilat earlier this month gave Murray the perfect start to her Fed Cup captaincy.

Speaking afterwards, she told BBC Sport: "There are obviously some that we would rather play than others. I hope we get a home tie but I won't be too worried about the draw."