‘I’m proud of my condition’: Teen tennis star was born with THREE fingers on each hand but still made it to Wimbledon
Francesca Jones, 15, doesn't see her condition as a negative as it's why she's so determined to succeed
A TEENAGE tennis sensation who was born with just three fingers and a thumb on each hand is happy to be defined by her condition.
Francesca Jones, 15, is from Yorkshire and has been competing at the Junior Wimbledon tournament.
She was knocked out by America's Kayla Day on Tuesday but is still in the running in the doubles section and has no intention of stepping off the gas.
The sports star was born with ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia syndrome, which means she had issues with her hands and feet.
Her right hand is smaller than usual, plus she has three fingers on each hand, as well as only three toes on one foot and four on the other.
"I don’t mind being defined by it because it is something that I am actually proud of, but I am not going to let it get me down in any way because it is not a negative," she .
“I have had so many people criticise me and say things. That just motivates me more. I just think watch me do it. You have got to keep on using it to your advantage."
The tennis player had three operations on her wrists over the last 12 months, but she doesn't let that get her down.
If she needs to have more surgeries she will as her main aim is to be as good a player as possible.
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Her syndrome does affect her game in some ways, with Francesca explaining: "There are small things, like my nail broke today, which happens quite often because I have to hold on to the racket very hard.
“I have three toes on my right foot, which is obviously my dominant foot, so balance had always been a weakness of mine. As I matured, as I got older, I have just worked on that, day in, day out."
Francesca started playing tennis as a kid because she was "a bit chubby" and it was quickly obvious she had a knack for it.
At first she needed special handles on her racket, and she ended up going to a tennis academy in Barcelona for training.
Before she was 14 she was ranked number four in the world, and the plan had been for her to head to Wimbledon in 2015. That didn't happen because of the operations though.
Francesca's been criticised by some for the way she holds her racket, but it just drives her to do even better.
What is ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia?
- Also known as EEC, it's caused by a genetic trait
- It can mean people have one or more missing fingers or toes
- It can also mean people don't have sweat glands, so their skin is dry
- Sometime hair will be thin and it's usually blonde
- Eyebrows and eyelashes might also be sparse, and nails can be brittle
- Some people may have facial clefts too