Jordanne Whiley MBE

Wheelchair Tennis

Region

Ickenham
Date of Birth

10/06/2018
Classification

Open

Bio

Jordanne was encouraged to start playing wheelchair tennis by her father Keith, who was a bronze medallist in the L3 100m at the 1984 New York Paralympic Games.

She made her own Paralympic debut in 2008, where she reached the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles playing alongside Lucy Shuker.

On Jordanne’s second Games appearance at London 2012, the British duo paired up again in the women’s doubles competition. This time, Lucy and Jordanne succeeded in claiming a medal, winning the bronze medal match against their Thai opponents 7-6(8), 6-7(2), 3-6.

In 2014 Jordanne made history as the first British tennis player in any category, ever to win a calendar year Grand Slam when she partnered Japan’s Yui Kamiji to win the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. Whiley and Kamji are now seven-time Grand Slam doubles champions.

Jordanne returned to the US Open in 2015 to become the first Brit to win a women’s singles Grand Slam wheelchair tennis title. She ended 2015 by being named Disability Sportswoman of the Year and was also awarded an MBE in last year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

At Rio 2016, the successful pairing of Jordanne and team-mate Lucy Shuker matched their achievement from London 2012 to take bronze once again, as they beat Japan’s fourth seeds 6-3, 0-6, 6-1. After the Japanese pairing of Yui Kamiji and Miho Nijo dominated the second set, Lucy and Jordanne fought back to win in one hour and 27 minutes.

Whiley, playing against her regular doubles partner in Kamiji, was happy to overcome a wrist injury that hampered her performance in the women’s singles competition, where she lost in the quarter finals.

Jordanne enjoys singing, studying languages, speaks basic French and Dutch, and she has aspirations to coach abroad once she has finished competing.

Jordanne has brittle bone disease and is a Patron of the Brittle Bone Society.