Serena shows way for new mothers like me – Whiley
Jordanne Whiley, the British wheelchair tennis player, has revealed that Serena Williams inspired her to return to competition following childbirth.
Whiley won her fourth Wimbledon doubles title in 2017 while 11 weeks pregnant with son Jackson, who was born in January 2018. Whiley was unsure whether she would compete again, but seeing the example of Williams, who reached the Wimbledon and US Open finals in 2018 after the birth of her daughter the previous year, gave her the extra spur she needed.
“When I saw her at the US Open, she did incredibly well and I thought, ‘Good, it’s actually possible to come back after a baby’, because I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like,” Whiley told the Press Association. “I had so many injuries before I had Jackson so I didn’t know if my body would hold out. It just gave me a bit of hope.”
Since returning earlier this year, Whiley has captured five singles titles and risen to eighth in the world rankings, which resulted in her being granted a wild card to compete in the singles and doubles at Wimbledon. In the doubles, she will partner Japan’s Yui Kamiji, with whom she won four straight titles here between 2014 and 2017.
“I didn’t expect it to go this well,” Whiley said. “I’ve had the hardest draws, I’ve always got the first seed in the second round or something, and then next thing I know I’ve won. There’s a lot riding on Wimbledon for me because if I do well I could qualify for the US Open, but I have to make at least the semis”
Whiley has had no regrets over her return, despite the wrench of leaving her son behind. “Every single tournament I go to it’s because I absolutely need to,” she said.