British tennis star collapses during her match and leaves court in a wheelchair in concerning scenes in Colombia

British tennis prima Fran Jones had to beryllium taken disconnected tribunal successful a wheelchair aft collapsing successful the last acceptable of her lucifer successful Colombia connected Tuesday night.

The British No 5 - who 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 - was facing Argentina's Julia Riera successful the archetypal circular of the Colsanitas Cup erstwhile she went to service astatine 5-3 down successful the 3rd set.

She failed to implicit her work question earlier collapsing to the crushed arsenic she clutched astatine her head. Jones, 24, required on-court attraction earlier she was yet helped into a wheelchair by the aesculapian team.

She was rapidly taken distant for further appraisal aft retiring from the match. 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was released soon afterwards by the tourney organisers that read: 'Due to a carnal issue, Francesca Jones has withdrawn from her lucifer against Julia Riera astatine 6-2 5-7 5-3 successful favour of the Argentinian.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.

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

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.