Jill MacMillan (often written as Jill Macmillan) is the mother of American professional tennis player Tommy Paul, and she was the first tennis coach he ever had. Most of what the public knows about her comes from her son’s interviews and tournament coverage, because she has never built a public career of her own. If you searched “who is jill macmillan” expecting a celebrity biography, the honest answer is simpler and more human than that: she is a private person whose most visible role is the one she played at the very start of her son’s tennis journey.
A Jill Macmillan biography has to be built from limited material, because she keeps her personal details out of the spotlight. Her date of birth has never been publicly confirmed, and she has not given major interviews of her own. Still, tennis journalists and profiles of Tommy Paul have documented enough over the years to draw a clear picture: a former college tennis player, a working professional in audiology, a mother of three, and the woman who fed Tommy Paul his first tennis balls when he was a small child growing up in Greenville, North Carolina.
Key Takeaways
Jill MacMillan is Tommy Paul’s mother and his first tennis coach. She reportedly played college tennis at East Carolina University and works as an audiologist. She has three children: Jessie, Tommy, and Dylan. She lives a private life on a farm in South Jersey with Tommy’s stepfather. Her age, date of birth, and net worth are not publicly disclosed.
Who Is Jill Macmillan?
Jill MacMillan is best known publicly as the mother of Tommy Paul, the American tennis player born on May 17, 1997, who reached the semifinals of the 2023 Australian Open and won a bronze medal in men’s doubles at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Beyond that famous connection, she is a private individual who has stayed deliberately out of the spotlight while her son’s career grew into one of the more prominent stories in American tennis.
The spelling of her name varies across sources. “Jill MacMillan” with a capital M in the middle appears most often in tennis coverage, while “Jill Macmillan” with a single lowercase m is also common, which explains why searches use both versions. There is no indication she prefers one spelling publicly, and both refer to the same person.
Unlike the athletes she raised, Jill has no documented public career in entertainment, business, or politics. Her appearances in the press are almost always tied to her son: photographed in the stands at his matches, quoted recalling his childhood, or mentioned when Tommy talks about home. That is the context in which every verifiable fact about her sits.
Did Jill Macmillan Play Tennis Herself?
Yes, at the college level. Jill MacMillan reportedly played collegiate tennis at East Carolina University, a detail that appears across multiple tennis publications profiling the Paul family. Her own playing background is what qualified her, in a very practical sense, to teach a child the game. There is no reliable record of her competing professionally, and none of the coverage of Tommy’s rise suggests she had a pro career before motherhood.
That college experience gave her something most tennis parents do not have: actual technique to pass on. Tommy has said his mother was the one feeding him balls and teaching him fundamentals on the courts, first on public courts and later at the family health club. She was not just a supportive parent in the stands; in his earliest years, she was his coach in the literal sense.
Outside of tennis, Jill is reported to work as an audiologist, a healthcare profession focused on hearing and balance disorders. The detail surfaced in tennis coverage noting, for example, that she flew to Melbourne for the 2023 Australian Open quarterfinals still dressed in her work scrubs. It is one of the few documented facts about her professional life, and it underscores how ordinary her day-to-day life has remained despite her son’s fame.
How Did Jill Macmillan Become Tommy Paul’s First Coach?
The story starts in Greenville, North Carolina, where the Paul family settled when Tommy was just three months old. Jill and her then-husband owned and operated a health club there that included tennis courts, so Tommy essentially grew up inside a tennis facility. He and his older sister Jessie spent their afternoons playing at the club, and the courts were simply part of the family’s daily routine.
A widely repeated family story involves an older woman the children called Grandma Betty, who was not actually their grandmother. She gave Tommy his first tennis racket when he was about five years old. According to Tommy’s own retelling, he took it outside and started banging it against a tree, and she followed him out to explain that was not how it was used.
From there, Jill took over the teaching. She fed him balls, drilled the fundamentals, and had him playing tournaments by around age six. She has recalled that at that stage he barely understood the rules or how to keep score; he just loved hitting the ball. Winning came naturally and early, and by his junior years Tommy was one of the top young American players, culminating in the 2015 French Open boys’ singles title.
Her role as coach naturally ended as professional training took over, but her role as supporter never did. She remains a familiar face courtside at his biggest matches. One of her most visible appearances came in January 2023, when she flew from the United States to Melbourne to watch Tommy’s Australian Open quarterfinal against fellow American Ben Shelton. Photographed in the stands next to Tommy’s girlfriend, Paige Lorenze, she watched him win and reach the semifinals, making him the first American man to get that far at the Australian Open since Andy Roddick in 2009.
Who Are Jill Macmillan’s Three Children?
Jill MacMillan is the mother of three: an older daughter, Jessie; her middle child, Tommy; and a younger son, Dylan. Tennis runs through the family, though to very different degrees in each child’s life.
- Jessie: The eldest, Jessie grew up playing alongside Tommy at the family health club and later played collegiate tennis herself. Like much of the family, she keeps a low profile, and little else about her is publicly documented.
- Tommy: Born May 17, 1997, in Voorhees Township, New Jersey, Tommy Paul became the family’s breakout star. After the 2015 French Open boys’ singles title, he climbed the professional ranks, won ATP titles, reached the 2023 Australian Open semifinals, and took Olympic bronze in men’s doubles at Paris 2024 alongside Taylor Fritz. He is in a public relationship with influencer Paige Lorenze.
- Dylan: The youngest of the three, Dylan Paul has the least public information attached to him of any family member. He has chosen to keep his life private, and credible sources offer almost nothing beyond his name.
The sibling dynamic shaped Tommy’s competitive edge. His earliest goal, by his own account, was simply beating his older sister on the court. That rivalry, played out daily at the Greenville health club under their mother’s eye, was arguably his first real tennis education.
What Is Known About Jill Macmillan’s Family and Marriage?
Tommy Paul’s father has been identified in tennis coverage as Kevin Paul. Reports describe Jill and Kevin as the parents who raised the three children in the sports-centered household in Greenville, with Kevin encouraging Tommy’s natural athleticism across sports like basketball, surfing, and dirt biking. Details about Kevin’s own professional life are not widely documented, and the couple’s marriage and divorce dates have not been publicly confirmed.
Jill later remarried. Tommy has spoken publicly about his mother and stepfather, but the stepfather’s name is not clearly identified in available reporting. What is documented is where they live now: together on a farm in South Jersey, which Tommy visits whenever his tour schedule allows.
Where Does Jill Macmillan Live Now?
Jill MacMillan now reportedly lives on a farm in South Jersey with Tommy’s stepfather. Tommy has described the property in interviews, saying it holds roughly 100 chickens, six sheep, two dogs, a horse, and a cat. It is, by all accounts, a deliberately quiet life far from the tournament circuit, and Tommy has said he helps with farm work when he is home.
Her son seems genuinely attached to the place. He has shared family moments from the farm on his social media and spoken about missing home while on tour. For a player whose professional life is airports, hotels, and stadiums, his mother’s farm functions as the anchor, which may explain why Jill’s most consistent public image is not a red carpet but a working farmhouse in New Jersey.
How Old Is Jill Macmillan?
Jill MacMillan’s age is not publicly disclosed. No credible source provides a verified date of birth, and unlike her son, whose birthday (May 17, 1997) is a matter of public record, she has never had that detail published. Any website claiming a specific age or birthday for her is doing so without a checkable source, so those numbers should be treated as unverified.
What Is Jill Macmillan’s Net Worth?
Jill MacMillan’s personal net worth is not publicly known. There is no reliable reporting on her income, assets, or finances, and Tommy Paul’s career earnings should not be confused with his mother’s wealth. As with her age, the honest answer is that the figure has never been publicly disclosed, and any site presenting a dollar amount is speculating.
Jill Macmillan Quick Facts
| Detail | What Is Known |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jill MacMillan (also written Jill Macmillan) |
| Known for | Mother of tennis player Tommy Paul; his first tennis coach |
| Tennis background | Reportedly played college tennis at East Carolina University |
| Profession | Reportedly works as an audiologist |
| Children | Jessie, Tommy, and Dylan |
| Former husband | Reportedly Kevin Paul |
| Current residence | Reportedly a farm in South Jersey |
| Age | Not publicly disclosed |
| Net worth | Not publicly known |
More Honest Profiles on The Weird News Blog
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FAQs
Who is Jill Macmillan?
Jill MacMillan is the mother of American professional tennis player Tommy Paul and was his first tennis coach. She reportedly played college tennis at East Carolina University, works as an audiologist, and lives a private life on a farm in South Jersey.
How is Jill Macmillan related to Tommy Paul?
She is his mother. She introduced him to tennis as a young child, coached him through his earliest years, and remains one of his most visible supporters at major tournaments.
What is Jill Macmillan’s age?
Her age is not publicly disclosed. No credible source has published a verified date of birth for her.
Did Jill Macmillan play professional tennis?
There is no reliable record of her playing professionally. She reportedly played at the college level for East Carolina University, and her tennis background is documented through her role as Tommy’s first coach.
What does Jill Macmillan do for a living?
She is reported to work as an audiologist. Tennis coverage has noted her traveling to tournaments in her work scrubs, which is one of the few documented details of her professional life.
Where does Jill Macmillan live?
She reportedly lives on a farm in South Jersey with Tommy Paul’s stepfather, where the family keeps around 100 chickens, six sheep, two dogs, a horse, and a cat.
How many children does Jill Macmillan have?
Three: her older daughter Jessie, her son Tommy the professional tennis player, and her younger son Dylan.
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