British tennis ace Fran Jones collapsed during her Colsanitas Cup first-round match with Julia Riera and had to be assisted from the court in a wheelchair.
Jones, the British No.5, went down in a heap in deeply worrying scenes while trailing 5-3 to her Argentinian opponent in the third set of Tuesday’s first-round contest, which had been finely poised up until that point.
Pictures showed Jones failing to make contact with an attempted serve and clutching her head.
The Bradford-born star proceeded to lose her balance before hitting the deck, with medics rushing onto the court in Bogota, Colombia, to treat the stricken 24-year-old, who was forced to retire hurt.
There was silence in the crowd as Jones was eventually helped into a wheelchair and taken away from the scene for further checks.
‘Due to a physical issue, Francesca Jones has withdrawn from her match against Julia Riera at 6-2 5-7 5-3 in favour of the Argentinian,’ a Colsanitas Cup statement read.
‘We wish the British tennis player a speedy recovery.’
Before collapsing, Jones – ranked 129 in the world – had fought back from losing the first set 6-2 to battle to a 7-5 victory in the second.
Last summer, Jones qualified for the first round at Wimbledon, only to be knocked out by Croatia’s Petra Martic.
She did the same in 2021 before the American Coco Gauff stopped her in her tracks in her opening contest.
Jones was born with two fingers and three toes missing due to a rare medical condition, Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia Syndrome, and doctors encouraged her to give up on her tennis dream as a young player.
‘I’ve had experiences that many haven’t at my age, and I think that’s molded me into the person I am today,’ Jones said in 2021.
‘It will have had an impact on my mental strength and my mentality and mindset as a whole, but I am sure everyone goes through hardship and deals with adversity in their own way. Everyone’s story makes a person who they are.’
Jones revealed how some unwanted advice from a ‘specialist’, urging her to leave tennis behind, had actually driven her on in her career and provided her with extra motivation.
‘His comments played a massive part in my life decisions and career commitments to date,’ she added.
‘I’ve always wanted to make my parents proud more than anything.’
More to follow.
