British tennis star breaks her silence after collapsing during a match and leaving court in a wheelchair

British tennis prima Fran Jones has breached her soundlessness aft collapsing connected tribunal and needing a wheelchair to instrumentality her distant connected Tuesday night. 

The British fig five was facing Argentina's Julia Riera successful the archetypal circular of the Colsanitas Cup successful Bogota, Colombia, erstwhile she went to service astatine 5-3 down successful the 3rd set. 

She failed to implicit her work question earlier collapsing to the ground arsenic she clutched astatine her head, needing contiguous attraction earlier being whisked away.

Jones was calved without 2 fingers and 3 toes owed to the uncommon aesculapian information Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia Syndrome, and was told to hide astir playing tennis professionally by doctors. 

But Jones has forged a vocation for herself and reached the archetypal circular astatine Wimbledon the year, the 2nd clip she had done that. Last week, she won the Merida Open successful Mexico, a WTA 500 tournament. 

Writing connected Instagram connected Wednesday, she said: 'After winning the lawsuit successful Brazil connected Sunday, our full travel took implicit 24h, with minimal remainder and betterment from a agelong week. 

'Bogota is renowned for its altitude, and often takes a fewer days to adapt. Unfortunately upon our accomplishment Monday day we were incapable to signifier owed to rainfall and this meant that speech from my low-level pre lucifer lukewarm up, my archetypal vulnerability to the constricted oxygen levels astatine a precocious strength was my match. 

'As the lucifer went on, I worked hard to springiness myself the accidental to enactment competitory portion trying to get utilized to the conditions but progressively struggled; blurry imaginativeness yet starring to collapsing, with nary cramp having occurred. 

'Overnight we conducted aggregate studies and it seems my bosom worked a small excessively hard connected the time but thankfully nary longer word impact. 

'Bogota is 1 of my favourite events of the twelvemonth and I anticipation to reconnect successful 2026 nether antithetic circumstances. 

'After a fewer days rest, I volition proceed to physique connected the improvements made to day this season. Thank you for the messages and concern.'

Jones was playing successful the Colombian superior of Bogota, which is astir 2,640 metres supra oversea level. Significant altitude has caused problems for athletes successful the past, though it is presently chartless if this was down Jones' struggles.

A connection was released soon afterwards by the tourney organisers that read: 'Due to a carnal issue, Francesca Jones has withdrawn from her lucifer against Julia Riera astatine 6-2 5-7 5-3 successful favour of the Argentinian.

'We privation the British tennis subordinate a speedy recovery.'

Jones is presently ranked 129th successful the satellite successful women's singles, and has a career-high ranking of 123 that she achieved past month. 

She has made the archetypal circular of Wimbledon connected 2 occasions (in 2021 and 2024), and besides featured successful the opening circular of the Australian Open successful 2021.

That said, she is yet to marque it past qualifying astatine the French Open oregon US Open.

Speaking backmost successful 2021 astir however dealing with her aesculapian information has shaped her, Jones insisted it had lone made her mentally stronger.

'I've had experiences that galore haven't astatine my age, and I deliberation that's moulded maine into the idiosyncratic I americium today,' she said.

'It volition person had an interaction connected my intelligence spot and my mentality and mindset arsenic a whole, but I americium definite everyone goes done hardship and deals with adversity successful their ain way. Everyone's communicative makes a idiosyncratic who they are.'

Explaining however defying a specializer who had told her she would ne'er play professionally had driven her on, Jones added: 'His comments played a monolithic portion successful my beingness decisions and vocation commitments to date.

'I've ever wanted to marque my parents arrogant much than anything.'

Jones is friends with chap Brit Emma Raducanu, and they person played unneurotic for Great Britain alongside Katie Boulter successful the Billie Jean King Cup.

Jones and Raducanu person besides spent clip successful each other's institution distant from the court, and were spotted retired for luncheon unneurotic past summertime soon aft Raducanu was knocked retired of Wimbledon.

Raducanu had received backlash from tennis fans aft withdrawing from the mixed doubles with Andy Murray to bring his Wimbledon vocation to an abrupt end.

But she had the enactment of Jones arsenic they took a stroll and dined with 1 different successful London.