WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONS UNITE AT RALLY FOR BALLY

Written by: Staff on 6th June 2014

WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONS UNITE AT RALLY FOR BALLY

epa02782333 British tennis player Elena Baltacha arrives for the Pre-Wimbledon party held at the Roof Gardens in West London, Engalnd, 16 June 2011. The annual WTA pre-tournament party is attended by VIPs and tennis professionals. EPA/DANIEL DEME |

Marion Bartoli will share a court with fellow Wimbledon singles champion Andy Murray as part of the Rally For Bally on June 15th.

Bartoli and Murray, both of whom lifted Wimbledon trophies at The Championships in 2013, will join with Ross Hutchins at The Queen’s Club, which hosts one of three Rally For Bally fundraising matches all being held that day.

The Rally For Bally is part of a national fundraising effort being held in memory of former British number one Elena Baltacha, who died of liver cancer on 4th May this year. As well as a host of fundraising events all over the country, mixed doubles exhibition matches are being held on June 15th as part of the Aegon Championships at The Queen’s Club, Aegon Classic in Birmingham and the Aegon International in Eastbourne.

Elena Baltacha of Britain returns to Flavia Pennetta of Italy during their first round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 24 June 2013.

Bartoli, Murray and Hutchins – plus one or more other female players yet to be announced – will entertain the crowds at The Queen’s Club. Anne Keothavong, Tim Henman, Martina Navratilova and Jamie Murray will be in action in Birmingham, and Eastbourne will see Petra Kvitova, Greg Rusedski, Agnieszka Radwanska and Johnny Marray and others all take to the courts as tennis unites behind the Rally For Bally cause.

The Rally For Bally, via the Just Giving page, has already raised almost £45,000 in text and online donations. All money raised will be split between the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity (which successfully treated Ross Hutchins last year) and the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis, the charity attached to Elena’s tennis academy in Ipswich.

Elena Baltacha

Marion Bartoli said: “Bally was my friend and I want to do everything I can to help the Rally For Bally. She was a lovely person and she always wanted to help other people, so everybody coming together like this is a really great tribute to her.”

“I’m looking forward to being back on a grass-court again, especially with Andy. I’m sure it will bring back lots of good memories of Wimbledon for both of us.”

A Rally For Bally JustGiving page has been set up, and donations can be made quickly and easily here: www.justgiving.com/RallyForBally. Or, text “EBAL60 £10″ to 70070, to make, for example, a £10 donation via your mobile phone.

We would be very grateful if you are able to tweet the link above, using the hashtag #Rally4Bally

Any finals day tickets purchased for the Aegon Championships between now and the event will see an additional £10 charged and donated to the fund. Tickets for the Aegon Championships are on sale at www.aegonchampionships.com.

About The Royal Marsden

The Royal Marsden is a world-leading cancer centre specialising in diagnosis, treatment, care, education and research. The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity (Charity Registration number: 1095197) raises money to help The Royal Marsden provide world-class care for cancer patients, to support the hospital’s pioneering work in cancer research. The charity enables the hospital to continue its groundbreaking work for the benefit of cancer patients worldwide.

About the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis

The Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis (Charity Registration No. 1148532) is a charity set up in 2012 by Elena Baltacha and her husband Nino Severino to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds and deprived areas to learn to play tennis. The charity funds free and subsidised coaching and also supports free tennis taster sessions in schools in all sections of the community. The charity is based in Ipswich, UK.

Topics: Agnieszka Radwanska, Andy Murray, Bally, Elena Baltacha, Johnny Marray, Marion Bartoli, Petra Kvitova, Rally For Bally, Tennis, Tennis News, The Queens Club

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10sBalls_com says:

June 6, 2014 at 9:25 am

WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONS UNITE AT RALLY FOR BALLY – http://t.co/dEVpoxqPED #tennis #Rally4Bally #QueensClub #Bally #ElenaBaltacha #Wimbledon
Madysonx7x says:

June 7, 2014 at 5:38 am

RT @10sBalls_com: WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONS UNITE AT RALLY FOR BALLY – http://t.co/dEVpoxqPED #tennis #Rally4Bally #QueensClub #Bally #ElenaBalta…