A tennis tournament in Colombia is overshadowed by dramatic scenes. British tennis player Francesca Jones collapses during a match.
Francesca Jones collapsed during the last set of her match at the Colsanitas Cup in Bogota. The 24-year-old Briton had to be treated on the court on Tuesday evening and was eventually taken off the court in a wheelchair. Pictures on social media showed the incident. The match against the Argentinean Julia Riera was thus awarded to her opponent.
The 24-year-old collapsed in the third set while trailing 3-5, when she started to serve and failed to hit the ball. The medical team rushed to her side and treated her on the spot before she was taken off the court to the applause of the spectators.
The background to the incident is being investigated
The tennis match took place in Bogotá, which lies at around 2,640 meters above sea level, which has often led to problems for athletes. Whether the altitude was also the reason for Jones’ collapse is still unclear. Further investigations should clarify this.
Tournament organizers issued a brief statement saying, “Due to a physical problem, Francesca Jones has abandoned her match against Julia Riera with the score at 6-2 5-7 5-3 in favor of the Argentine. We wish the British tennis player a speedy recovery.”
Jones later posted an update on her condition on social media, writing on Instagram: “Apart from my light warm-up before the game, I was confronted with the limited oxygen and high intensity for the first time in the game. As the game progressed, I worked hard to stay competitive while getting used to the conditions, but it became increasingly difficult.” She added: “We did several tests overnight and it seems that my heart worked a little too hard that day, but fortunately it didn’t have any long-term effects.”
Jones is currently ranked 129th in the world in the women’s singles and reached a career-high ranking of 123rd last month. She has faced physical challenges as a result of being born with the rare genetic condition ectrodactyly (ectodermal dysplasia). She is missing a finger on both hands and has only seven toes. Finishing matches has been a challenge throughout her career as Jones has suffered from recurring severe cramps. This is the 19th time she has retired during a match and the second time this year.
