- Briton was born with three fingers and thumb on each hand
- Jones meets Shelby Rogers in first round of Australian Open
It is not often that one of the lowest ranked players in a grand slam championship is the focus of international media attention before they even strike their first ball at that level. But as the most prominent tennis players prepared for their pre-tournament media availability on Friday ahead of the Australian Open they were followed into the main interview room by Francesca Jones, who was requested to tell them her story once more.
Speaking shortly after being drawn to face the world No 60, Shelby Rogers of the US, in the British player’s first grand slam tournament main draw match of her career, she discussed the flurry of attention that had followed her success while competing with ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia syndrome. The genetic condition means she was born with three fingers and a thumb on each hand, three toes on her right foot and four on her left. She showed considerable patience at the wave of questions that greeted her.
