Francesca Jones was forced to withdraw from her Australian Open first-round encounter in Melbourne after sustaining a glute injury, marking the 22nd retirement of her professional career.
The British player, who lives with the rare genetic condition ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia, was visibly distraught following the stoppage, lying face down on court while sobbing as a physiotherapist attended to her back and hip.
Speaking to journalists two hours later with tears still streaming down her face, the 25-year-old rejected any connection between her withdrawals and her condition.
Jones said: "I don't relate any of the retirements directly to what could be referred to as 'kid with a syndrome'."
Jones was born with three fingers and a thumb on each hand, along with just seven toes across both feet.
Her condition, known as EEC, means she has had to overcome significant physical disadvantages throughout her tennis career.
Reaching a career-high ranking of 69th in the world stands as one of British sport's most underappreciated accomplishments.
Her success demands that she challenge conventional thinking daily.
Francesca Jones was forced to withdraw from her Australian Open first-round encounter in Melbourne
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Though Jones refuses to use her condition as a justification for setbacks.
Her physical vulnerability has resulted in numerous difficulties, including a full-body cramp that saw her wheeled off court at Nottingham in 2021 and an altitude-related collapse in Bogota last year.
Instead, Jones attributed her history of withdrawals to insufficient support during her formative years.
She explained: "What I relate it to is that I don't think I had a team in place and the expertise that I needed from a younger age.
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The British player was visibly distraught following the stoppage
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The athlete added: "My age might say 25, but I'm still quite early in my physical journey."
The British player acknowledged her tendency to overexert herself.
Jones said: "I'm terrible at reining it in. I push myself too far. It's against my identity to come off a court."
Melbourne holds particular significance for Jones, as it hosted her first main-draw grand slam appearance and now represents her first direct entry based on ranking. Her parents had travelled to Australia for the tournament.
Francesca Jones lay on the court while sobbing as a physiotherapist attended to her back and hip
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The contest against Linda Klimovicova, ranked 146th globally, had appeared a promising opportunity for Jones, particularly following her career-best victory over world number 15 Emma Navarro in Auckland two weeks earlier.
However, that tournament had left her with a nagging groin issue that likely contributed to her slip during the fourth game in Melbourne.
Despite the injury, Jones continued for another nine games before conceding at 6-2, 3-2 down against the powerful 21-year-old Czech prospect.
Fellow Briton Jacob Fearnley also endured a challenging day, suffering a heavy fall that affected his performance in a 7-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 defeat to Kamil Majchrzak.
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