Last week, Grace Owens and Tennis4Cancer – Tennis Ireland’s official charity partner – announced that an incredible €160,000 had been raised in 2025 for ARC Cancer Support Centres and the National Breast Cancer Research Institute. Before delving into 2026 planning – which, believe us, she already has! – we asked Grace to tell us about Tennis4Cancer and how it all came about.
“In 2018, I had an idea to get the game I love to give something back to the fight against cancer, after a few people very close to me were affected by the disease.
Because cancer doesn’t discriminate — and everyone, sadly, knows somebody who has been affected — I decided to use my connections across various tennis clubs to encourage them to host their own fundraising events. And so, Tennis4Cancer was born. All funds raised are divided equally between ARC Cancer Support Centres and the National Breast Cancer Research Institute.
The concept is simple: a tennis club can host an event or tournament of their choice, and all monies raised are transferred directly to the charities, either through the club’s own T4C iDonate page or directly to the causes.
Since 2018, Tennis4Cancer has continued to grow year on year. To date, the tennis community has raised over €430,000. In 2025 alone, nearly 50 clubs took part — together raising over €160,000, which is truly phenomenal.
As Tennis Ireland’s charity partner, Tennis4Cancer has also become a focal point for the wider Irish tennis family, with clubs proudly aligning their fundraising with national campaigns and events across the country.
“I’m honestly blown away by the extraordinary generosity and kindness of everyone involved — from organisers and sponsors to club members and players — for their ongoing support of T4C.
“This year, T4C formed a new committee made up of representatives from both charities and several tennis clubs. It has already been a great success, bringing in new contacts, ideas, and initiatives, and we’re really looking forward to building on that momentum in 2026.
“Ultimately, we’d love to bring a company or business on board as a lead sponsor. That support would enable us to take T4C to the next level — helping us provide more event packs (T-shirts, caps, balloons, banners, etc.) and raffle prizes for the clubs who host events.
“Save the Date: T4C Weekender will take place from 17th–19th April 2026. If that date doesn’t suit your club’s diary, you’re more than welcome to choose another that works best.
“It’s truly wonderful to see the tennis community coming together and rallying behind T4C, supporting these two amazing charities. On behalf of ARC and NBCRI, I’d like to sincerely thank everyone for their tremendous support — it’s so very much appreciated.”
Tennis Ireland’s CEO, Kevin Quinn said: “Tennis Ireland were delighted to partner with Grace and Tennis4Cancer in 2025. Grace and her volunteer committee do amazing work and we were delighted to play our small part in helping to promote and amplify their impressive fundraising events for cancer research. 2025 was a record breaking year for T4C and our Clubs and the wider tennis playing community – a brilliant effort by everyone. It’s great to see Grace and her committee already putting fundraising plans in place for 2026 and Tennis Ireland looks forward to playing our part again to help get even more Tennis Clubs involved to support T4C’s ongoing fundraising efforts for cancer research. “
Keep an eye on the Tennis4Cancer Instagram for more news.
