The parents of British Wimbledon wildcard Ryan Peniston credited his battle with cancer for giving him the strength to succeed.
The 26-year-old added his struggles as a child were a “blessing in disguise” after he defeated Henri Laaksonen in his Grand Slam singles debut today.
After watching his straight-sets win, proud mum Penny, 66, told the Mirror: “He’s such a determined fighter.”
When aged one, Ryan’s parents found a lump on his thumb and he was diagnosed as rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer in soft tissue. He had to endure surgery and two bouts of chemotherapy before getting the all-clear 18 months later.
The treatment left a large scar across his abdomen, and affected his tennis career as his growth was stunted until he was about 16.
Ranked 135 in the world, he beat the odds again by overcoming his No95 seed opponent.
After his win, Ryan, from Southend, Essex, said: “It’s been such a long journey and difficult. But super rewarding.”
The British No6 was always a foot smaller than his peers but he said it made him “tougher as a player and a person”.
Nurse Penny said she spent eight months in hospital with her son after the diagnosis, adding: “It was a terrible time. We just feel proud of him.”
Dad Paul, 66, an ex-train driver, was Ryan’s coach until 18 months ago and discovered his talent by accident.
After hurling stones, he saw him hitting apples off a tree with a racket.
