HOPE SHE’S PROUD
Five years after her death, Baltacha is inspiring a new generation
‘Judy Murray’s been amazing, a massive supporter’
It is with a mix of pain and pride that Nino severino recalls the lengths his late wife, Elena Baltacha, would go to in order to look after the girls coached by her foundation.
it has focused on taking tennis to children from less affluent backgrounds in the ipswich area, and she found one of them had a father with a serious drug problem. so, while still a high-ranking player, she visited the family one evening.
‘she went to the council block where they lived and talked to them about the issues they were facing,’ recalls severino. ‘she was a top player and had a profile. You wouldn’t expect it from someone like that but it happened on quite a few occasions. that’s the kind of person Bal was.’
Baltacha is gone now — it is the fifth anniversary of her death at 30 from liver cancer early next month — but her legacy lives on. Had things turned out differently she might have had a part to play in this weekend’s Fed Cup promotion play- off between Great Britain and Kazakhstan, having been a stalwart of the team.
But at least there will be a party of 10 children attending from the Elena Baltacha Foundation she established while building a career that took her to No 49 in the world. Her long-time rival, and latterly friend, Anne Keothavong, is the GB captain.
severino, a former karate champion, was Baltacha’s coach and husband, the two of them marrying six weeks before she was diagnosed in early 2014.
He admits the last five years have been extremely tough, although he has been sustained by support from the tennis community and the desire to ensure the foundation thrives.
He also cites a bond he has established with Martyn Waghorn, the striker ipswich town sold to Derby County for £8million, as a significant factor in his emotional recovery.
Waghorn is among the higher profile supporters of the foundation, which was set up to provide tennis opportunities to girls from more deprived areas of ipswich. it subsequently extended to taking in boys as well.
More than 10,000 children have been through its programmes, with some making a mark on a wider scale. in one suffolk county team, five out of eight girls came through the foundation. One graduate, 14 year-old Justice Hall from the Nanton area of ipswich, has represented Great Britain.
severino says: ‘We try to support them on their tennis journey, whether that is as a recreational player, a regional player or someone aiming to reach the very top, and we try to integrate it with the clubs. We also incorporate advice on health and lifestyle issues.
‘ tennis clubs tend to lean towards middle- class kids and don’t have much interaction with those from more deprived areas. But the parents from the less well- off areas have exactly the same aspirations for their children, and the kids often have that extra hunger you need. they have a lot of fight.’
Fight was a quality most identifiable with his late wife, who did not have the silkiest of games but gave no quarter from the baseline. Her death left him broken.
‘i can’t tell you how much i miss her,’ he says. ‘i was heartbroken. i spent several years trying to think my way out of it, and fight my way out of it. Because i was her coach and partner, we were with each other 24/7. Anyone who loses a soulmate will know it’s the most horrendous thing. i’ve come out of it in the last 10 months or so and started to feel stronger.’
the support from some of Britain’s most prominent coaches has been a major factor.
‘Judy Murray has been amazing, a massive supporter. Anne Keothavong, Nigel sears, Louis Cayer, Leon smith, as well as all the local help. they are still giving that support and it has been huge for me. i guess it also tells you a lot about what they thought of Bal.’
And then there was a chance meeting two years ago with Waghorn, who was looking for somewhere his young son could play tennis. they struck up a rapport and severino became the footballer’s sports science coach, working with his speciality of improving athletic movement.
‘i was still struggling quite badly when i met Martyn. We clicked. i’ve never met any athlete like Martyn with such an awareness about the technicalities of sport and how to improve. i advised him on sports science and movement, we became close and he ended up being sold for £8m.
‘When i heard he’d got that big move, i cried with happiness, and that hasn’t happened for a long time. i can’t help wondering if he came into my life for a reason.’
the fifth anniversary of Baltacha’s passing will awaken painful memories, but there will also be cause for celebration in what she left behind, such as the trip to London for this weekend’s match, for teenagers who might not otherwise have had such a world opened up to them.
severino says: ‘i just hope she is proud of what we have carried on and that she knows she has left a real legacy.’