WTA MOBILIZES TENNIS COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT ” RALLY FOR BALLY” IN LONDON , TENNIS IS GLOBAL 10SBALLS.COM WANTS RALLY FOR BALLY IN EVERY COUNTRY 10S IS PLAYED ON WTA TOUR ! (33 NATIONS)

Written by: Staff on 11th June 2014

Bally with girls from the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis

WTA MOBILIZES TENNIS COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT " RALLY FOR BALLY" IN LONDON , TENNIS IS GLOBAL 10SBALLS.COM WANTS RALLY FOR BALLY IN EVERY COUNTRY 10S IS PLAYED ON WTA TOUR ! (33 NATIONS) |

Photo by Heather Watson

WTA MOBILIZES TENNIS COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT “RALLY FOR BALLY”

· “Rally For Bally” exhibition matches across Great Britain set for Sunday, June 15

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) is encouraging tennis fans worldwide to pledge their support for the fundraising efforts for “Rally For Bally,” a series of exhibition tennis matches staged on Sunday, June 15, in memory of former British No.1 tennis player Elena Baltacha, who was affectionately known as “Bally” by her friends and those within the tennis community.

The “Rally For Bally” will feature a variety of current tennis stars and legends including Andy Murray, Martina Navratilova, Marion Bartoli, Agnieszka Radwanska and Petra Kvitova taking part in mixed doubles exhibition matches across Great Britain at the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club, the Aegon Classic in Birmingham and the Aegon International in Eastbourne. All funds raised will go to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and the Elena Baltacha Foundation, the charity attached to the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis.

“‘Rally For Bally’ is a great way to celebrate the never ending contributions Elena Baltacha has made to the game of tennis,” said WTA Chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster. “The WTA family is committed to keeping Bally’s dream, memory and legacy alive and through our efforts we hope to mobilize our fan base to give generously to this vitally important cause.”

In addition to “Rally For Bally”, the WTA fundraising initiative will see players, tournaments and staff worldwide donating directly to the Elena Baltacha Foundation, the charity founded four years ago to give more children from all backgrounds the opportunity to play tennis. WTA players will have the opportunity to donate a percentage of their prize money at upcoming grass court events at Birmingham, Eastbourne, ‘s-Hertogenbosch and The Championships, Wimbledon.

Bally with the girls from the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis.

Baltacha was diagnosed with liver cancer just two months after retiring from professional tennis and just a few weeks after marrying longtime coach and partner Nino Severino. The former British No.1 succumbed to the disease on May 4, 2014, at 30 years of age.

Fans worldwide can donate to “Rally For Bally” by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/rallyforbally.

The WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 2,500 players representing 92 nations competing for a record $118 million in prize money at the WTA’s 54 events and four Grand Slams in 33 countries. Close to 5.4 million people attended women’s tennis events in 2013 with millions more watching on television and digital channels around the world. The 2014 WTA competitive season concludes with the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, from October 17-26, 2014 and the Garanti Koza Tournament of Champions in Sofia, Bulgaria, from October 28-November 2, 2014. Further information on the WTA can be found at www.wtatennis.com; facebook.com/WTA and twitter.com/WTA.

For a link to this release including video: http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3897096/title/wta-rallies-behind-rally-for-bally

Topics: 10sballs, Agnieszka Radwanska, Andy Murray, Elena Baltacha, London, Marion Bartoli, Martina Navratilova, Petra Kvitova, Rally For Bally, Tennis, Wta

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10sBalls_com says:

June 11, 2014 at 8:44 am

WTA MOBILIZES TENNIS COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT ” RALLY FOR BALLY” IN LONDON , TENNIS IS GLOBAL.- http://t.co/m8kS45OOwO #tennis @WTA #Rally4Bally
outside_theball says:

June 11, 2014 at 9:12 am

RT @10sBalls_com: WTA MOBILIZES TENNIS COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT ” RALLY FOR BALLY” IN LONDON , TENNIS IS GLOBAL.- http://t.co/m8kS45OOwO #tenni…
Vicky_Solomon says:

June 12, 2014 at 4:47 am

RT @10sBalls_com: WTA MOBILIZES TENNIS COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT ” RALLY FOR BALLY” IN LONDON , TENNIS IS GLOBAL.- http://t.co/m8kS45OOwO #tenni…