LONDON - Elena Baltacha, a former top-50 professional tennis player who had been fighting liver cancer since retiring from the game, died Sunday. She was 30. The former British No. 1 died peacefully surrounded by family and friends, the Womens Tennis Association said on its website. The Kyiv-born Baltacha, who represented Britain at the 2012 London Olympics, was diagnosed with the illness in January, two months after retiring from tennis and only weeks after she married her long-time coach Nino Severino. "We are heartbroken beyond words at the loss of our beautiful, talented and determined Bally," Severino said in a statement. "She was an amazing person and she touched so many people with her inspirational spirit, her warmth and her kindness." Baltacha was born into a sporting family. Father Sergei played football for Dynamo Kyiv and English club Ipswich, and won a bronze medal for the Soviet Union at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Mother Olga represented the Soviet Union in the pentathlon. After being diagnosed with a chronic liver condition aged 19, Baltacha dealt with illness throughout her career, receiving medication and regular blood tests. "Elenas journey was never an easy one and yet she consistently showed her strength, good humour and indomitable spirit," WTA chairman Stacey Allaster said. Her best ranking was 49th in 2010, and she reached the third round at Grand Slam tournaments three times — at Wimbledon in 2002, and at the Australian Open in 2005 and 2010. Ankle problems eventually forced her to retire in November, and she had hoped to use her experience to develop the next generation of British players. "We have lost a shining light from the heart of British tennis - a true role model, a great competitor and a wonderful friend," former Fed Cup coach Iain Bates said. "We have so many special memories to cherish, but this leaves a gaping hole for everybody in both British and womens tennis, and words simply cannot express how saddened we are by this news." Baltacha had already planned a tennis charity event in June, "Rally for Bally," to raise money for a cancer hospital and her tennis academy. It will go ahead in her memory, with competitors including childhood friend Andy Murray, Martina Navratilova and Tim Henman. "Bally was such a caring human being, always putting others before herself, and a warm, fun person," the WTAs Allaster said. "A shining example of her commitment to looking out for the welfare of others is the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis, which she established so that children from disadvantaged backgrounds could learn to play the game she loved so dearly." Air Jordan Retro 12 Wholesale . Masahiro Tanaka has touched down in the United States and the courting of the Rakuten Golden Eagles stud pitcher has begun in earnest by a bevy of MLB teams interested in the Japanese ace. Cheap Real Jordan 12 .C. United to a 4-1 victory over short-handed FC Dallas on Saturday night. http://www.cheapairjordan12uk.com/ . In a pregame tribute commemorating his final contest at Coors Field on Wednesday night, Helton caught the ceremonial first pitch from his daughter with his wife, younger daughter and good friend Peyton Manning watching from the field. Air Jordan 12 Wholesale . At least 90 players who had college eligibility remaining are expected to enter the draft, shattering last years record number of 73. "Its a humongous number, so the first reaction is it makes you step back a little bit," said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former scout with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles. Cheap Jordan 12 Uk .cas NHL Play of the Year showdown continues today with a man whos spent most of his career on highlight reels and a goalie actually "reaching back" for a save.The first place Calgary Stampeders play the fourth place Edmonton Eskimos this week which will be another chance with three games to go for Jon Cornish to move toward winning the CFL rushing title. The second place Saskatchewan Roughriders play the third place BC Lions and that will be an opportunity for Kory Sheets to win the CFL rushing title. Three of those four teams are also playoff bound so when do personal goals enhance team goals of winning? Well the way I look at it is that football is a funny sport. Everyone is dependent on everyone else but to be successful there always has to be individual success that is in the public eye. Now coach Hufnagel in Calgary and coach Chamblin in Saskatchewan will have game plans that include both Cornish and Sheets. But they are part of the plan, not THE plan. Having said that there is nothing wrong with highlighting possible individual accomplishments as it motivates all involved to create success for that player. Whether Sheets or Cornish win the title over the next three weeks, all of those involved with take pride in that moment. Those who block, pass and call the plays are all rushing title holders too and as any running back knows he cant do his job effectively unless other do theirs as well. Presently it is pretty close. Cornish had played 14 games, carried the ball 215 times, gained 1,545 yards and has 11 rushing touchdowns. Sheets has played in 13 games, had 251 carries, and has gained 1,408 yards. He also has 11 rushing touchdowns. Is one back better than the other? Not really when you discuss the top four or five. When you compare them to the 10th or lower than absolutely. If you wantt to depend on mathematics than Cornish has gained 137 more yards, has a 1.dddddddddddd.6 yard per carry average better and has 36 less carries. But then Sheets missed a game due to injury so where would he be if he had played that game? The last three weeks of the season are always a little different. You realize time is finite - not infinite - which is what the season looks like back in May. Youre tired in many ways, not dramatically but almost subconsciously. The East and West All-Star teams are to be announced soon. Trust me when I say this, every player wants to be on an All-Star team. Not just for the incentive-based monetary enhancement, more it is acknowledgment of a job well done that your peers are forced to recognize. The end of the season is the end of a journey and one that may not be repeated by any fault of yours. This is when football gets really interesting because you just dont know how the team will play with the success or failure to be determined in a short period of time. I am confident that if you asked either Sheets or Cornish if the choice is Grey Cup Champion or CFL rushing champion they would take the former before the latter. Still there is nothing wrong with going after the individual record because if you get it, it probably means you are a step closer to the ring, which lasts forever. I hope it comes down to the last game. Calgary at BC for Cornish, Edmonton at Saskatchewan for Sheets. Slight advantage for Sheets as he plays on a Saturday, Cornish on the Friday so Sheets will know how many yards he needs. Cornish will get as many as he can. I will be bringing my calculator to work that day. China NFL JerseysCheap Nike NFL JerseysNFL Jerseys CheapWholesale NFL JerseysCheap Basketball Jerseys OnlineStitched Hockey JerseysWholesale Baseball JerseysFootball Jerseys OutletCollege Jerseys For SaleCheap MLB JerseysWholesale Soccer JerseysWholesale Jerseys For SaleWholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '