Tennis star launches summer tennis-a-thon to raise money for young people with cancer

Tennis star Ryan Peniston, 28 from Southend, Essex, is encouraging fellow tennis players to take part in Young Lives vs Cancer’s tennis-a-thon this summer to raise money for young people facing cancer. Ryan has been an ambassador of Young Lives vs Cancer since July 2022 after being diagnosed with cancer himself as a baby.

This August, tennis players from up and down the UK are invited to take part in a tennis-a-thon to raise money for Young Lives vs Cancer, the UK’s largest charity for children and young people (0-25) with cancer and their families. From beginners to Wimbledon favourites, tennis players of any age or level can sign up for the challenge.

Ryan was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma (a type of soft tissue cancer) when he was just one, and had eighteen months of treatment at St Bartholomew’s hospital in London, including chemotherapy and surgery. He went into remission after treatment but suffered various late side effects, which he says did have an impact on his tennis.

Ryan said: “It stunted my growth so I was a lot smaller than my peers. The other kids who are a foot taller than me all had quite a physical advantage over me. They started getting quite powerful serves and I, a foot smaller, couldn’t really do that so I had to rely on other things like running around, relying on my mental strength and my attitude to win matches.”

When Ryan became ambassador for Young Lives vs Cancer he said his main goal would be “to give hope to the kids and families that are going through similar things because it is one of the most emotional and stressful times of their lives. You can go on afterwards and still achieve your dreams and still do what you want to do in life.”

This summer’s tennis-a-thon is the next step in Ryan’s goal of helping young people with cancer.

Ryan said: “I’m so excited to support Young Lives vs Cancer’s tennis-a-thon this summer. Not only is it a great chance to get people up and down the UK out playing tennis but it will also help to raise vital funds for this incredible charity.

“I have been an ambassador for Young Lives vs Cancer for over two years now. I was diagnosed with cancer as a baby, it turned my family’s life completely upside down. That’s why I am passionate about supporting Young Lives vs Cancer, to help families like mine get the support they need at this tough time. I can’t wait to see lots of fellow tennis players join me in this year’s tennis-a-thon.”

Young Lives vs Cancer is encouraging anyone who signs up for this year’s tennis-a-thon to complete the challenge however works best for them during the month of August. The strapline is ‘Your game, your way’ so it could be completed in one day, over a weekend or throughout the whole month. There are suggestions like playing for as long as you can, having competitions against friends and family at your local club or in the garden or playing tennis for a certain amount of hours over one day.