Wimbledon tennis star Ross Hutchins has not picked up a racket in six months, but this weekend he and his friends will take over the Aegon Championships finals day at Queen’s Club.

Hutchins, 28, was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer, at the end of last year and, while his chemotherapy programme comes to an end this week, he faces a month-long wait to discover if the treatment has been successful.

However, rather than withdraw into the shadows, Hutchins, pictured, with the help of Queen’s tournament director Chris Kermode, decided to take on cancer face to face.

The duo launched Rally Against Cancer in January to raise funds for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, and the main event is at Queen’s on Sunday.

Hutchins, ranked the number 28 doubles player in the world before his illness, said: “The fun starts a  few minutes after Sunday’s final.

“We have a GB versus Czech Republic doubles match, with Ivan Lendl and Tomas Berdych against Andy Murray and Tim Henman, followed by about 90 minutes of some well-known faces putting on a show of match-play. It will be a lot of fun.

“When you have someone like Andy leading the big names, you know it is going to be a fantastic day.

“Everyone wants to see Andy against Ivan, and Ivan hasn’t played on a grass court for 20 years.

“The BBC and Eurosport are covering it, so the charity is going to be well publicised.

“We’ve been working on a daily basis to make this event something we’re proud of and something that will be good for all the fans.

“It will be something to take great pride in, apart from winning tennis matches.”

Should Hutchins’ scan, in a month’s time, give him the all clear, a further scan three months later will be needed to make sure the cancer has not returned.

While it seems a long time to wait, his involvement in Rally Against Cancer has been a welcome distraction.

He said: “It has given me the passion to do something that keeps me occupied during the day.

“For six months I have not hit a ball or done any training, so it has been a distraction.

“There are some tough days with the chemo. As long as you realise what the worst could be – you hear of people with huge nausea problems, having to spend nights in hospital, and I’ve only had to spend one night in hospital. I have been fortunate with that.”

To donate to the cause, go to justgiving.com/rallyagainst cancer2013.