Australian Open 2026: Francesca Jones was ‘pretty serious’ about retiring before enjoying best season of her career

In a parallel universe, Francesca Jones might now be sitting at home preparing applications for university courses.

Instead, the 25-year-old British player is preparing for the Australian Open after a season that changed her life and injected new energy into her tennis career.

Jones, who has a rare genetic condition that causes her to play with a modified grip, defied the odds to compete among the elite.

The world number 71 was born with ectodermal dysplasia (EEC), which left her with three fingers and a thumb on each hand, three toes on her right foot and four toes on her left foot.

Doctors asked the Yorkshire-born player to forget about playing professionally, and the physical challenges continued throughout her career.

After a difficult 2024 and finding herself outside the top 150 players in the world, Jones decided to retire if her results and ranking did not improve next season.

Instead, she made 2025 the best year of her career and will hope to continue that progress when she faces Polish qualifier Linda Klimowiczova in her opener in Melbourne on Monday.

“I was very serious [about retiring]. “It was a case of doing our best for another year,” said Jones, who gained direct entry into a Grand Slam for the first time.

“If I were [ranked] 101, I wasn’t going to quit. But that was the feeling I had.

“They were smaller goals that, if I completed them, would have led me to be in the top 100.”