A tennis player told by doctors to give up her dream of going pro because of a rare disability just qualified for her first Grand Slam
- Britain's Francesca Jones qualified for her first ever Grand Slam tournament on Wednesday with a commanding victory over Lu Jia-Jing in the final round of Australian Open qualifying.
- "I'm just super happy to qualify and really looking forward to getting out to Oz," she said. "I'm sure it's going to be an amazing experience."
- Due to a rare genetic condition, called ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia syndrome, Jones, 20, was born with only three fingers and a thumb on each hand, four toes on her left foot, and three toes on her right.
- As a youngster, she was told by doctors that there was no point her pursuing a career in tennis, however she says such skepticism has only spurred her on.
- "My body isn't built to become an athlete, but that doesn't mean I can't be," she said.
British tennis player Francesca Jones qualified for her first ever Grand Slam tournament on Wednesday with a commanding victory over China's Lu Jia-Jing in the final round of Australian Open qualifying.
Jones lost just a single game on the way to a 6-1, 6-0 victory against Lu, in a match that was over in just one hour and one minute.
"I'm just super happy to qualify and really looking forward to getting out to Oz," she said. "I've never been before and I'm sure it's going to be an amazing experience."
Jones has ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes the malformation or absence of the fingers and toes of those affected.
She was born with only three fingers and a thumb on each hand, four toes on her left foot, and three toes on her right.
As a youngster, she was told by medical specialists that her condition meant that there was no point her pursuing a career in tennis.
In her childhood, Jones struggled to grip the tennis racquet and often had issues with her balance due to her condition, the Guardian newspaper reported.
"There are small things, like my nail broke today, which happens quite often because I have to hold on to the racket very hard," she said in a 2016 interview.
"I have three toes on my right foot, which is obviously my dominant foot, so balance had always been a weakness of mine. As I matured, as I got older, I have just worked on that, day in, day out."
The 20-year-old, who plays with a light racquet and very small grip, says the skepticism of others has fueled her rise to the top.
"I went to the doctors and the doctors told me I wouldn't be able to play tennis due to whatever disadvantages they thought I had," she told the International Tennis Federation.
"And that was kind of my decision where I was like, 'Ok, you know what, because you've said that, I'm now going to go prove you wrong."
"My body isn't built to become an athlete, but that doesn't mean I can't be."
Speaking about her disability in 2016, Jones added: "I don't mind being defined by it because it is something that I am actually proud of, but I am not going to let it get me down in any way because it is not a negative."
The Australian Open begins on February 8.
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