Judy Murray
Judy Murray was the patron of the Elena Baltacha Foundation between 2013 and 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_Murray
Judy Murray OBE is a former Scottish tennis player, a former captain of Great Britain’s Fed Cup team, an author, and one of the most influential and inspiring voices in British female sport. She won 64 Scottish tennis girl’s and women’s titles as well as the British Hard Court doubles Championship in 1981. She represented Great Britain at the World Student Games in 1981.
Judy is well-known for coaching her sons, Andy and Jamie, both of who became Grand Slam tennis champions at singles and doubles respectively. She is also known for her advocacy for women's tennis, founding initiatives like Miss-Hits and Set4Sport, and as a motivational speaker. Her book, Knowing the Score, was published in 2023.
She started as a volunteer coach at her local club and has had experience of every aspect of tennis, from showing beginners how to swing a racquet for the first time, to the terrors and pleasures of watching her offspring compete in Wimbledon finals. For 10 years, Judy was the National Coach of Scotland and was the first woman to receive the Lawn Tennis Association’s Performance Coach Award, while she initiated the Scottish Development Squad programme, which ultimately produced four Davis Cup players, and one Fed Cup player.
Written and published August 2025
Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova was the patron of the Elena Baltacha Tennis Academy (the precursor to the Elena Baltacha Foundation) between 2005 and 2013. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martina_Navratilova
Martina Navratilova is a legendary Czech-American former professional tennis player widely considered one of the greatest sports players of all time. Navratilova dominated tennis in the 1970s and 1980s, accumulating 59 Grand Slam titles: 18 in women’s singles, 31 in women's doubles, and 10 in mixed doubles. Of note, she won a record nine Wimbledon Ladies Singles titles – a record for both men’s and women’s tennis.
Born in 1956 in Prague, she began playing tennis at age four and later defected to the U.S. in 1975 to pursue her career. She became a citizen of the U.S. in 1981. Later, in 2008, she once again became a Czeck citizen. Apart from tennis, Martina has authored or co-authored several books including a biography entitled Martina (in U.S.) and Being Myself (outside U.S.) which was published in 1985.
She is a prominent advocate for human rights and LGBTQ+ causes. As a trailblazer, she was one of the first openly gay sports people, using her platform to advance women's sports, advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and address other social causes.
She currently commentates and consults on tennis through various media outlets. She continues to be very active in the sports world and can be seen at many tennis events at tournaments around the world.
Written and published August 2025
