Britain's Francesca Jones has overcome many adversities in her life. She will now take on World No 60 Shelby Rogers from the United States in the Australian Open first round.
Jones, who suffers from a rare genetic condition, reached her maiden Grand Slam after beating China's Lu Jiajing in the final round of Australian Open qualifying in Dubai.
When asked how her parents felt, “They didn’t really have much to say,” Jones told The Guardian.
“All I could hear was crying, screams and my dog was barking. It was quite an emotional call because obviously we’ve gone through a lot together,” she added.
Jones suffers from ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia syndrome, a condition which meant she was born with three fingers and a thumb on each hand, three toes on her right foot and four toes on her left.
The 20-year-old was told by doctors as a child that she would not be able to pursue a professional tennis career due to her physical disadvantages, which Jones says spurred her on to prove them wrong.
The world No. 241, who finds balance to be the biggest shortcoming due to her condition, has since overcome the odds.
"I'm just super happy to qualify and really looking forward to getting out to Australia," said Jones, who has had over 10 surgeries in her life already," she told Reuters after qualifying for Australian Open.
"I've never been before and I'm sure it's going to be an amazing experience. I guess any draw for me would be a fascinating one. I look forward to any match I'll play, whether it'll be Serena Williams or another qualifier."