After making an attempt twice with out success, Francesca Jones (Bradford, England, 20) took to the monitor, swept China’s Lu Jia-jing (6-0 and 6-1) and certified for the Open d ‘Australia kicking off this week. It was not simply any triumph, as the tennis participant was born with ectodermal dysplasia resulting from electrodactyly, a uncommon syndrome. “I have four fingers on each hand and on my left foot, and three on my right foot,” Jones – now quantity 245 in the world – tells EL PAÍS, sympathetic and cerebral.
A handicap that Francesca avoids with the racket between her fingers, now going through North American Shelby Rogers, 60 years previous in the world, in the first spherical. “The worst thing you can do is tell me I can’t do something…” says Frany, as her associates know her, in good Spanish as she has been dwelling in Barcelona since she was 10, initially. educated at the Sánchez-Casal Academy and now in Barcino by Andreu Guilera. He got here to tennis by probability.
Before the summer time of 2005, Francesca’s father, Simon – a monetary advisor along with his spouse, Adele – needed to do business from home with three youngsters on him. So at some point after they completed faculty they drove previous the Heaton Tennis Club and their dad swerved to park the automobile and enroll them in school for these months. For Francesca, nonetheless, time goes on as she by no means let go of the racket, all the time with the grips [empuñaduras] as skinny as attainable and now produced for her by the Wilson manufacturing facility. It was tennis prefer it may have been one thing else. “I loved the feeling of running. I think if it had been another sport, like football, I would also have tried to the end. It was about building a good relationship with sport, ”admits Francesca, with a protracted phrase that reveals her ardour for studying, devouring books and likewise worldwide information in newspapers.
As she grew older, Francesca needed to endure greater than 10 surgical procedures. “One day the doctor told me that my body was not made to be a professional athlete or tennis player,” she remembers; “But my parents told me I can be whatever I want. And I believed them… ”, she lets out amused. And he provides: “At that point, I decided to do it; These words did the opposite, they made me be so determined. ”This doesn’t imply that he has extra danger of damage as a result of the peculiarity of his toes and the uneven load that he places in distributing the weight of the physique make his stability a bit of tough. “Many humans are generally fragile. Like Dembélé [jugador del Barça] or like me. But I work hard and nothing happens, ”he explains to replicate his will. “Many say this is my greatest virtue,” he says; “Maybe sure as a result of there are few issues that I like greater than preventing on a monitor and making an attempt to the most. And she can be loopy if her tennis was handed on as Amélie Mauresmo did when she was a baby, then on the Roland Garros courts. “Each athlete has his virtues and it’s a must to know find out how to maximize them. Mine is psychological toughness, which saved me going. Over time, I’m grateful to have had experiences that folks haven’t had. “And he adds:” In the finish, I’m human… And I discovered to see life from a distinct perspective, which gave me my independence and made me play tennis. “
Now he has to meet his different little dream, which is to face Serena Williams (39) earlier than retiring. “She is the total champion, the best in history,” he slips. But his mirror was one other. “Rafa, Rafa [Nadal]”, it is said; “I have always been very inspired by his work ethic. That, and that we share the emotion for the game and the competition ”.
It stays to be seen what occurs in Australia and the way far it goes, however nobody doubts, not even that physician who as soon as stated no, that Francesca can obtain what she units out to do.
