JORDANNE Whiley, the Wimbledon wheelchair doubles champion from Halesowen, has announced she is expecting her first child.
The 25-year-old Paralympian was 11 weeks pregnant when she won Wimbledon with doubles partner Yui Kamiji earlier this month.
Whiley’s partner of five years is Marc McCarroll, who is also her coach.
Whiley, a 10-time grand slam champion and two-time Paralympic bronze medallist, told women’s sport website The Mixed Zone: “It was planned. After Rio we decided we wanted a family.
“I thought, ‘If we start trying in May I could still play Wimbledon’, and it worked. But I had no idea how incredibly sick I’d be.
“I plan to come back in a year or 18 months. Obviously I’ll have to see how I go. But I haven’t ruled out the Tokyo Paralympics.
“I’ve been encouraged by seeing what Sarah Storey and Jess Ennis have achieved. It’s definitely possible for mums to be elite sportswomen.”
Serena Williams discovered she was expecting shortly before winning the Australian Open without dropping a set in January, while Kim Clijsters won three majors after having a child.
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