Tennis Star Cancels Retirement After Career-Best Season

A year ago, British tennis player Francesca Jones was planning her exit strategy from professional tennis and eyeing university applications. Today, the 25-year-old is competing at the Australian Open after the best season of her career.

Jones was born with a rare genetic condition called Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia. She plays with three fingers and a thumb on each hand, three toes on her right foot, and four on her left. Doctors told her family she'd never play professionally.

After struggling in 2024 and falling outside the world's top 150, Jones made herself a deal. Give it one more year, and if she didn't crack the top 100, she'd walk away for good.

"I was very serious," Jones said about her retirement ultimatum. "It was a case of going all out for one more year."

The gamble paid off spectacularly. In July, Jones won her first WTA 125 title, then captured another to break into the top 100. By August, she qualified for the US Open as the top seed in her bracket.

This January, she stunned American Emma Navarro, the world number 15, for the biggest win of her career by ranking. Now ranked 71st in the world, Jones has earned direct entry into a Grand Slam for the first time.

During the pandemic, Jones studied to become a financial adviser. Last year, she even visited Oxford University with fellow British player Emma Raducanu to explore college options. She's always valued keeping her mind sharp off the court.

"I have always been academic," Jones explained. "For me, it was always a big thing in my life to make sure I could take my brain elsewhere."

Why This Inspires

Jones's story shows that success doesn't always follow a straight line. She faced physical limitations that would have stopped most people before they started, worked through years of doubt, and gave herself permission to walk away. That freedom, paradoxically, helped her break through.

Her modified grip and adapted playing style prove that different doesn't mean less capable. Jones carved her own path to the elite level, proving the doctors wrong and showing young athletes with disabilities what's possible.

When tennis ends, Jones plans to take on a "passion project" before rushing into the next chapter. She loves law and politics but knows the value of not forcing what comes next.

For now, she's focused on Monday's opening match against Polish qualifier Linda Klimovicova, grateful she stuck around long enough to see what was possible.