Husband has love competition, a poet (6)
I believe the answer is:
horace
'a poet' is the definition.
(Roman poet)
'husband has love competition' is the wordplay.
'husband' becomes 'h'.
'has' says to put letters next to each other.
'love' becomes 'o' (love means zero in tennis).
'competition' becomes 'race' (race is a kind of competition).
'h'+'o'+'race'='HORACE'
(Other definitions for horace that I've seen before include "Roman poet and satirist" , "Roman poet; -- Walpole" , "Boy's name - Roman poet" , "Roman lyric poet, d.8BC -- a chore (anag)" , "Odist" .)