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Wimbledon 2016: Female tennis player with six fingers describes how her condition has made her better

'I don’t mind being defined by it because it is something that I am actually proud of'

Maya Oppenheim
Wednesday 06 July 2016 14:02 BST
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Jones says she is proud of her condition and criticism of it impells her to work harder
Jones says she is proud of her condition and criticism of it impells her to work harder

A 15-year-old tennis player, who has a rare condition called Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia, has gained a position at Junior Wimbledon.

Francesca Jones was born with EDD which causes development problems with hands and feet. She has just a thumb and three fingers on each hand and three toes on her right foot. Jones also struggles with balance and holding her racquet.

Despite having three operations on her wrists in the last year, Jones managed to make it to Junior Wimbledon. Although she lost in the second round of the girls’ singles championship to American teenager Kayla Jones, she remains in the doubles.

Jones, who ranked fourth in the world when she was under 14, expressed her determination to succeed at the game despite her condition.

“If I have to do them [the operations] again, I’ll do them again. I’m 100 per cent into doing this and giving it everything to get to where I want to be in the world,” she told The Guardian.

Jones said she was proud of her condition and criticism of it impelled her to work harder.

“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 said. “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.”

“People say that I can’t grip the racket properly and I get called names. I don’t take much notice of it, but again it is using it as a positive. If people can see that I am where I am now and hopefully where I will be in the future with my condition then I am proving a point that I have always wanted to.”

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