HALESOWEN tennis ace Jordanne Whiley MBE is to be given the freedom of Dudley borough.

Councillors in Dudley will approve plans to make tennis Miss Whiley the borough’s first ever freewoman at a meeting of the full council next week.

The former St Margaret of Hasbury Primary School pupil is ranked as number one wheelchair tennis player in Great Britain and has topped the world doubles rankings this year.

The council is recognising Jordanne for her outstanding achievements in tennis and contributions to charity, including being the patron of the Brittle Bone Society, the disease that she suffers from herself, otherwise known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

Jordanne, 23, is a singles and doubles champion and has achieved a long line of firsts, including becoming the first British woman in 2014 to win a Grand Slam tournament and ended that year with four Grand Slam titles; the Australian, French and US Open and home tournament, the iconic Wimbledon championships.

She also made history by winning the US Open Singles title this year which she regards as her biggest win to date.

Jordanne Whiley, said: “I am delighted to be become a Freewoman of the Borough and believe I am the first female and first person with a disability to receive this honour.

“In my sport I get to travel to some of the most exciting countries in world competing in some fantastic tournaments but I will be proud to come back to Dudley borough to accept this honour.”

Councillor Pete Lowe, leader of the council, is delighted the tennis player is getting the borough's highest honor.

He said: “It is with great pleasure that we are to honour Jordanne Whiley as the first Freewoman of the borough in Dudley’s history.

“As one of Dudley’s most successful citizens the council wanted to recognise her for services to sport and charity.”

He added: “Jordanne is a fantastic role model for young people, demonstrating that dedication and drive can lead to great things and is particularly inspirational to women in sport and paralympic sportspeople.

“This follows Jordanne’s success earlier this year where she was recognised for her contribution to sport at the council’s prestigious civic awards and the MBE that she received last month.”

Full Council will be asked to agree the proposal at its meeting on November 30. Once this is agreed, Jordanne will be invited to a special celebratory event later in the year where she will be presented with a traditional Freedom of the Borough scroll.