Fran Jones, the 25-year-old British tennis player born with a rare genetic condition, achieved a milestone victory at the French Open, winning her first Grand Slam match in an emotional three-set battle against former semi-finalist Beatriz Haddad Maia.
A Long-Awaited Breakthrough
Jones, who has only three fingers and a thumb on each hand and seven toes across both feet due to Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia, defeated Haddad Maia 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 at Roland Garros. The victory came after a challenging year marked by a leg injury and concussion that pushed her out of the top 100 rankings. Overwhelmed with emotion, she rushed to embrace her parents, Adele and Simon, who have been her steadfast supporters.
“She kept believing in herself,” said Adele. “She’s had such a bad year with all the injuries. It’s just maintaining that belief. We don’t coach, we don’t know anything about tennis, just believe in your body, believe in yourself. So proud of her.”
Overcoming Adversity
Jones, who moved from Yorkshire to Barcelona at age nine to train, struggled early in the match, losing the first set 6-1. However, she fought back, saving set points in the second set before winning the tie-break. In the deciding set, she trailed 2-0 but reeled off six consecutive games to seal the win.
“Normally I’m one to say you shouldn’t cry until the tournament is over, but everything I’ve been through this year has been really challenging,” Jones said in her press conference. “It’s been tough on my parents throughout the concussion process. They’ve been on the other side of the world. It was a real challenge, and I think they’ve suffered with me, even from a distance.”
A Monumental Moment
Jones, who was told she could not play tennis due to her condition, reflected on the significance of her win. “If we go back to the fact that I was told I couldn’t play tennis, when you’re winning matches in the main draws of slams and beating someone that was 10 in the world, it kind of nips that in the bud a bit. It’s a monumental moment, but I’ll be going after the next match. I hope I can do this more often to keep getting the message across.”
Jones will face Czech player Marie Bouzkova in the next round, looking to build on her breakthrough performance.
