Eight months on from a fractured wrist and Jordanne Whiley has staked her claim as the most successful British wheelchair tennis player ever with a fourth Wimbledon doubles title on the trot.
The 25-year-old sustained the injury in the wrist she also suffers from tendonitis and arthritis in, causing her to take eight months off from the tour and only return for last month’s French Open.
Unsuccessful at Roland Garros, the Halesowen star also lost in the first round of the singles in SW19 and had not played with her long-time doubles partner Yui Kamiji for 12 months.
But the pair made it through Friday’s semi-final and came back from dropping the first set in the final to beat Dutch second seeds Diede de Groot and Marjolein Buis 2-6 6-3 6-0, to secure their fourth title in a row..
“My body actually feels pretty good. I’m happy,” said Whiley. “This definitely feels the most special to me because of the time I had out. It’s been eight months.
“I really didn’t even expect to get to a final, no matter about winning it. I think that just shows how strong me and Yui really are.
“We haven’t played together for a year, I’ve had a lot of time out, but we can still come back and win Wimbledon again.”
Whiley’s win puts her on 11 Grand Slam titles and level with Peter Norfolk in the all-time standings.
The so-called ‘Quadfather’ can also boast two Paralympic gold medals to his name, and Whiley admitted she is keen to keep going until the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
“To be honest, I didn’t even think about the record,” she added. “I was so focused on getting four Wimbledons because it sounds better than three, that I forgot now I was actually into double figures individually, which is incredible.
“I’ve always wanted to get into double figures. Now I am. I’ve equaled Peter, so it’s a healthy rivalry between me and him.
“Definitely going for a gold medal now. I don’t have a gold medal. Hopefully in three years’ time, I can do that in Tokyo.”
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