Yahoo Sport 
Francesca Jones out to inspire after defying doctors with Grand Slam debut: ‘Please, don’t have limits’
When Francesca Jones packed her bags for Australian Open qualifying in Doha, she included just one pair of pyjamas in her suitcase.
So unexpected was her passage into her first Grand Slam draw that a month on from flying to Qatar from the UK, she has still not been back home.
The 20-year-old will make her Grand Slam bow against American Shelby Rogers. What makes Jones’ achievement all the more impressive is a rare genetic condition which means she was born with three fingers and a thumb on each hand, three toes on her right foot and four on her left.
And speaking from Melbourne today, she said: “It’s great to be here and to be able to get my message across that, please, don’t have any limits and keep pushing yourself, keep doing what you’re doing and commit to it.
“And if I can have any positive impact on children then that would be great. My objectives are bigger than just qualifying here but to continue to spread the word over the years.”
Jones was just eight years old when doctors told her she would not be able to play tennis but she defied the medical experts to adapt her game to climb up to 241st in the world.
Against a player of Rogers’ experience – the 28-year-old American is a two-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist – Jones is not expected to progress to the second round.
But the Yorkshire player, who relocated to Barcelona at the age of 10 to pursue her sporting ambitions, said: “Here, I’m an uncomfortable draw for many players. I’m a young gun coming in with nothing to lose. This is new territory for me and it’s quite nice to be the dark horse here.”
Growing up, she had rackets specially adapted for her, and modifications made to her shoes to enable her to play.
Despite the setbacks – she still needs constant treatment on her hip because of the extra strain put on it by how she puts weight on her feet while playing – Jones is adamant she never doubted her physical capabilities.
“I never doubted my opportunity to be a professional tennis player as a result of my syndrome but my abilities – the doubts every pro player encounters on the journey to the top,” she said. “I never thought I would give up. I want to be persistent. If the result is not what I set out for at least I won’t have regrets.”
Her parents Simon and Adele are consigned to watching their daughter’s current career next week from the family home, and she credits them with her success. As she puts it: “They’ve put a lot into this and made a lotof sacrifices.
When she qualified for Australia, they were the first people she called, by her own admission an emotional conversation.
And as for the pyjamas, she finally has a new set, a rare day off and freed from quarantine enabling her to buy a pair from the Melbourne shops yesterday.
Read More
Francesca Jones defies doctors’ expectations to reach main draw for the Australian Open
Australian Open set to go ahead as planned despite 507 players and staff caught up in Covid scare
