After frustrating start to year, Jones is looking to build herself back up
MIAMI -- It's been a bittersweet start to the year for Francesca Jones.
After reaching the quarterfinals in Auckland in early January -- and picking up her first career Top 15 win over Emma Navarro -- the 25-year-old from Great Britain broke into the Top 70 in the PIF WTA Rankings, a new career high.
But then came the lows. She had to retire from her first-round match at the Australian Open after slipping and suffering a gluteal injury in her right leg. She received medical attention early in the second set, and shortly after she tearfully decided she had to call it quits. She followed that up with two consecutive losses, in Austin and then Indian Wells.
On Thursday, in her Miami Open debut, it was sweet again. Actually, more than sweet -- it was full circle.
Jones defeated one of her childhood idols, Venus Williams, 7-5, 7-5 to advance to the second round. Jones, who had the opportunity to hit with Williams in Austin last month, met her at Wimbledon when she was five years old, and she still has posters of her on her childhood bedroom wall.
"I genuinely couldn't stop smiling when she walked on the court with that jacket on," said Jones, referring to Venus' silver jacket that had the words Game Changer spelled out in beads. "...[Venus and Serena are] what made me trust myself that I would figure out a way to get here.
"It's no secret that I was told I wouldn't be able to play tennis, and Venus and Serena are two of the people that really made me believe."
Jones, currently No. 93 in the world, is referencing her Ectrodactyly-Ectodermal Dysplasia-Clefting (EEC) syndrome, a rare genetic condition that resulted in her being born with three fingers and a thumb on each hand, and seven toes.
Jones is obviously aware of how the odds were stacked against her, and hopes that in the future she'll be able to properly look back, reflect on her career and achievements, and appreciate it.
But life on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz doesn't leave a whole lot of time for reflection, and Jones is hyperfocused on the present. That means her next opponent, the heavily favored Jessica Pegula, and recovering physically, which remains a work in progress.
Jones attributes her injury struggles to playing a full schedule for the first time last year, and the toll that can take. In her pursuit of optimal health and strength, she's one of the few players on tour who's opted for a full-time physio rather than a full-time coach.
She has two coaches who split time, but her physio is with her always.
"That's the priority for me," she said after her win over Williams, "and we do everything we can. I'm sure there's things that I could do better. I'm always trying to reflect on that."
Generally when a player reaches a new career high, it's accompanied by a great deal of momentum. For Jones, it was the opposite, which was incredibly frustrating. Though the number next to her name looked great, she was unable to compete at her highest level.
"It's very frustrating and challenging," Jones said of her injuries. "Mentally, that's something I’ve been working through. ...But that doesn't mean that I'm not in a place to still compete at this level and win matches at this level."
The win over Williams was proof of that, and it provided a much-needed confidence boost as she continues to navigate the tricky road ahead. If she falls back slightly in the rankings -- as she has since the Auckland quarterfinals run -- she can live with that, she says. With such a busy schedule, there are fresh opportunities every week, and that's what Jones is focused on.
Fortunately for Jones, those opportunities will soon come on clay.
"I'm excited to actually get on the court, back to full fitness," she said. "Especially around the Clay Court swing. It's no secret that I really love the clay, so I'm looking forward to it, and just using this period to build for that."
This will be the first career meeting between Jones and Pegula.