Australian Open 2026: Francesca Jones, Felix Auger-Aliassime & Marina Stakusic all retire with injuries in Melbourne

Jones was born with Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia (EEC) and has three fingers and a thumb on each hand, three toes on her right foot and four toes on her left.

After a difficult 2024 where she found herself outside the world’s top 150, Jones planned to retire in 2025 if her ranking did not improve.

Instead, she enjoyed a life-changing season that pumped new energy into her tennis career.

Jones had received direct entry into the Australian Open main draw for the first time, but this marked a sad exit to what had been a proud moment.

There was a sombre atmosphere on the court as Jones sobbed loudly while receiving treatment in the third set.

The crowd applauded her sympathetically as Jones limped off with a towel covering her head.

It is the 16th time she has retired from a match since the start of the 2023 season.

“I don’t relate to any of the retirements directly to what could be referred to as ‘kid with a syndrome’,” Jones said.

“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.

“So my age might say 25, but my physical journey, I’m still quite early in.”