Jordanne Whiley celebrates Wimbledon victory with son
Halesowen tennis ace Jordanne Whiley has hailed a ‘special’ Wimbledon win after her first Grand Slam victory on home soil since the birth of her son Jackson.
The 29-year-old once again teamed up with Japanese doubles partner Yui Kamiji for the tournament.
Facing Britain’s Lucy Shuker and South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane, Whiley and Kamiji dispatched them in straight sets winning 6-0 and 7-6 on Saturday.
It was their 12th slam title together since they joined forces in 2014 and Whiley’s first at Wimbledon since the pair won it in 2017.
Whiley was in the early stages of pregnancy at the time of that victory and gave birth to son Jackson in 2018, taking some time away from the sport.
Following the win on Saturday, three-year-old Jackson joined in with the celebrations on the court and was paraded across the turf with the trophy in hand by a proud Whiley.
“It’s amazing. I had forgotten how long it had actually been since we won the title here,” Whiley said.
“They changed it up a bit in the second set. They got together and started putting us under pressure, but at the same time we made more errors and I think we got a little bit nervy. It was really special. The last time I won here with Yui, I was pregnant and he (Jackson) is here doing a lap of honour on the court with the trophy, so that was really nice.”
This Wimbledon win is their first of the year after not taking part in the Australian Open and losing in the final of the French Open.
The US Open starts at the beginning of August.
Whiley and Kamiji have picked up 12 Grand Slam titles together, including five Wimbledon titles, three Australian Opens, two French Opens and two US Opens. In 2014, the year they began playing together, they picked up a calendar Grand Slam, meaning they won all four titles in the same year. That accomplishment saw Whiley become the first British player to achieve that feat.
The Halesowen star also has two bronze medals at the Paralympics to her name, picking them up at London 2012 and Rio 2016. This year she will be aiming for gold when she travels to Tokyo, after being named in the tennis squad.
Although Whiley will be away from her son for three weeks during the Games, she has insisted the delayed start – after last year’s postponement – has been a blessing in disguise as she improves her fitness.
