Inspiring tennis star qualifies for AO - 8th February 2021

Francesca Jones, a 20 year old British tennis pro with a rare genetic condition, is making impressive progress in the competitive game. She secured a place at the Australian Open following a decisive, two-set victory over China's Lu Jia-Jing in the final qualifying round in Dubai.

Jones is a remarkable tennis prodigy. She was diagnosed with a rare condition that causes developmental problems in hands and feet, known as ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia syndrome. With her hands only having 3 fingers and a thumb each, she was in and out of hospital for much of her youth.

Jones has lost count of the number of surgeries she had to endure during her early playing career. Growing up, she struggled to maintain a firm grasp on her racquet, and due to her right foot having only 3 digits, she had issues keeping her balance on the court.

According to doctors, Jones stood no chance of becoming a professional tennis player. Driven by her scepticism of those medical specialists, she dedicated herself to the game. Before she'd turned 10, she'd caught the attention of Barcelona's prestigious Sanchez Casal Academy.

Jones is well aware of the potential of her story to encourage others to follow her example. She explained, “the reason that I started committing as a professional and wanting to achieve big things in the game is because I want people to hopefully take positives from what I’ve managed to do so far and inspire themselves.”

However, Jones is keen not to be treated differently from any other professional athlete, saying: "At the same time, I’m another tennis player here that has similar goals with the other players here."

The opening match of the Australian Open will be played on 8th February in Melbourne.