Elena Baltacha Trophy for winner of WTA Aegon Open in Nottingham
Monday 4 May 2015 13:23, UK
The winner of this year's inaugural Aegon Open in Nottingham will be presented with the Elena Baltacha Trophy, in memory of the former British No 1 who died last year.
Baltacha was just 30 when she died of liver cancer in early May, less than four months after being diagnosed with the illness.
She only retired from competitive tennis in 2014 and, to mark the one-year anniversary of her death, it has been announced that a newly-commissioned trophy bearing her name will be awarded to the winner of the tournament next month.
Baltacha won her 11th and final ITF title at Nottingham in 2013 and the WTA has described the trophy as being an art nouveau bowl in sterling silver, measuring 24 centimetres tall with a diameter of 26 centimetres.
Her long-time coach Nino Severino, who married Baltacha in 2013, said: "The loss of our darling Bally is a heartbreak that will never go away. It's very touching that the British Tennis family is remembering her this way.
"We're all working together to keep her legacy alive through the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis and getting more kids of all backgrounds playing tennis."
Judy Murray, Great Britain's Fed Cup captain, said: "This is a wonderful way to remember Bally. She was one of the best competitors I ever saw and had a lot of success at the Nottingham event. I know she would be thrilled with this."
The Aegon Open Nottingham will see two tournaments take place next month, with the women's WTA event running from June 8-14, while the men's ATP competition is being staged from June 20-27.
