Miami: S. Williams vs Diyas
Serena Williams takes on Zarina Diyas in the third round of the Miami Open.
Serena Williams takes on Zarina Diyas in the third round of the Miami Open.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Angie Cunningham, the WTA’s former Vice President of Player Relations and On-Site Operations, has passed away after a long battle with Motor Neurone Disease.
A staunch campaigner in raising awareness of the disease, Angie died at her Melbourne home on Tuesday, surrounded by family.
As a teenager Angie was a leading junior player, going on to work at the WTA for eight years before moving back to Australia with husband Pat to raise their two children, Maggie and Sophie. In 2012, she was diagnosed with MND, but even as her condition deteriorated she continued the fight.
Not only fight the disease, for which there is no known cause, or effective treatment, but also to raise funds and awareness for other sufferers.
Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, Rennae Stubbs, Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt were among those who rallied behind the cause, many of whom took to social media to mourn the passing of an inspirational figure in the tennis community.
My courageous friend Angie Cunningham lost her fight with MND last night. I miss u we will fight on @pattweetingham pic.twitter.com/7NmI7sjbVe
— rennae stubbs (@rennaestubbs) October 5, 2016
Motor Neurone Disease is a group of neurological diseases that affects the voluntary muscles in the body, which control activities like speaking, walking, swallowing and general movement. It progresses over time, causing debilitating disability and eventually death. The life expectancy is two to three years.
There is no known cause for the disease, although many sufferers are athletes. In the US the disease is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, after the famous baseball player who died from it.
The Australian Open starts today, and here’s how Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams and more have been preparing for the fortnight.
An interview with Madison Keys after her third round win at the Miami Open
Angelique Kerber had a second shot of the day on Wednesday at the China Open.
How have Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska and the rest of the Top 16 seeds fared at the year’s first Grand Slam?
Madison Keys takes on Roberta Vinci in the third round of the Miami Open.
An interview with Zhang Shuai after her win in the round of 16 at the China Open.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | As she hunts for a 23rd Grand Slam title, Serena Williams will also try to wrest the No.1 ranking from Angelique Kerber at the Australian Open.