The sun had barely set over the Colombian capital of Bogotá when the tennis world was jolted by a harrowing scene at the Colsanitas Cup. Francesca Jones, Britain’s No. 5 and a rising star at 24, was locked in a grueling first-round battle against Argentina’s Julia Riera. The match, a rollercoaster of momentum swings, had reached a critical juncture—5-3 in the deciding third set, with Jones trailing and poised to serve. Then, in an instant, everything changed. As she prepared to launch the ball into the thin, high-altitude air, Jones staggered, her body betraying her mid-motion. She crumpled to the clay, clutching her head, and the packed stands fell silent, gripped by a mix of shock and concern.
It was a moment that turned a routine Tuesday night into a tableau of distress. Jones, ranked 129 in the world and fresh off a title win in Brazil just days earlier, had been pushing her limits. She’d claimed the first set 6-2 with her trademark tenacity, only to drop the second 7-5 as Riera mounted a comeback. The third set was a test of endurance, and Jones had been visibly laboring, her breathing heavy in the thin air of Bogotá, a city perched 2,640 meters above sea level. Commentators noted her struggle, one remarking, “She has been really struggling for a while, she threw the ball up and then suddenly…” before trailing off as the gravity of the situation sank in. Medics rushed to her side, their urgency palpable as they tended to her on the court. After a tense few minutes, Jones was gently lifted into a wheelchair—assisted by both the medical team and, poignantly, her opponent Riera—before being wheeled off to applause tinged with worry.
The tournament organizers swiftly confirmed her withdrawal. “Due to a physical issue, Francesca Jones has withdrawn from her match against Julia Riera at 6-2, 5-7, 5-3 in favor of the Argentinian,” they announced, adding a heartfelt wish: “We hope the British tennis player a speedy recovery.” The statement was a stark punctuation to a match that had showcased Jones’s fighting spirit, a quality she’s honed through years of overcoming adversity. Born with ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia cleft syndrome, a rare condition that left her with three fingers and a thumb on each hand and fewer toes, Jones has defied skeptics who once told her a tennis career was impossible. Her journey—from a Grand Slam debut at the 2021 Australian Open to a career-high ranking of 123 last month—has been a testament to her resilience, making this collapse all the more jarring.
Speculation swirled in the aftermath. Bogotá’s altitude, a notorious challenge for athletes unaccustomed to its thin oxygen, may have played a role. Jones’s packed schedule—winning her eighth career title in Vacaria, Brazil, over the weekend before jetting to Colombia—left little room for recovery, potentially compounding the strain. “A very unsatisfactory and disturbing end to proceedings here,” a commentator lamented as she was wheeled away. “The British hopeful Jones collapsing on court and unable to continue, a career dogged by injury, looked like maybe illness coming into this…” The words hung heavy, a reminder of the physical toll elite tennis exacts, even on its brightest talents.
For Jones, this isn’t the first time her body has forced a pause. Injuries have punctuated her ascent, including a year-long hiatus in 2022-23 due to elbow, shoulder, and foot issues. Yet, her return has been marked by triumphs, like that recent Brazilian victory over Riera herself in a semifinal clash. Their Bogotá rematch, just days later, was shaping up as another chapter in their budding rivalry—until fate intervened. Riera, advancing to face America’s Iva Jovic in the round of 16, offered a gesture of sportsmanship by helping Jones off the court, a quiet acknowledgment of the bond forged in competition.
The tennis community rallied around Jones in the hours that followed, her collapse a stark reminder of the sport’s unforgiving demands. Close friend and fellow Brit Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, knows her tenacity well—they’ve teamed up for Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup and shared off-court moments, like a supportive lunch after Raducanu’s Wimbledon exit last summer. As Jones undergoes further assessment, the focus shifts to her recovery. Bogotá’s clay courts, where she reached the semifinals in 2023, will wait for her return. For now, the image of her wheelchair exit lingers—a sobering snapshot of a warrior paused, but far from defeated.
Fran Jones collapsed on court in Bogota and had to retire. Really scary to see, my prayers are with her 🙏 pic.twitter.com/P5ktrDf4Ep
— Owen (@kostekcanu) April 2, 2025
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