Francesca Jones, 15 years old, passed the first round of the Wimbledon junior tournament despite having a rare disease that causes her hands and feet to develop abnormally.

Francesca Jones has had EED syndrome since birth, causing each hand to have only three normal fingers and an abnormal-looking thumb. She also only has a total of seven toes.

Her right hand, the one holding the racket, is unusually small. But that obstacle was not enough to stop the 15-year-old tennis player from winning the right to participate in a youth Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

She is determined to compete in the 2016 Wimbledon junior tournament, even though she had to undergo three wrist surgeries last year alone. Francesca lost to American Kayla Day in the second round of women’s singles, but she continued to compete in doubles.

“If I have to have another surgery, I won’t give up. I am absolutely ready to do that, and accept all challenges to get to the game where I want to appear in this world,” Francesca declared.

Smaller hands and fewer fingers than normal people clearly affect tennis playing technique. She specifically described this difficulty: “There are some small problems that affect my play, such as my nails were cracked today. That’s something that happens quite often, because I always have to hold my hand on the racket very tightly and strongly. I have seven toes, and only three on my right foot, so balance has always been a weakness of mine on the court.”

Francesca was born in Bradford, England. The first years of her life were mostly spent in and out of the hospital. She came to tennis because she initially felt “a bit fat” and believed she had the ability to play this sport well.

Initially, Francesca needed the help of a specially equipped handle to help her hold the racket. After winning several youth tournaments, she moved to a tennis academy in Barcelona at age nine, living hundreds of miles away from her parents. Her parents, financial consultants, still live and work in England. “My parents do everything for me. They are unbelievably wonderful people,” Francesca added.

She was ranked fourth in the U14 world, and had hoped to compete in the Wimbledon junior tournament last year, but surgeries forced her to wait until this year.

“I’m really proud to be able to play tennis well in these conditions. I will not let it hinder my career, because for me it is not a negative issue,” Francesca expressed her determination.

“Many people criticized me and said bad things. But that only makes me more motivated with tennis. Many people commented that I couldn’t hold the racket properly. I don’t pay much attention to those kinds of words. I see it as something positive. Everyone has seen me where I want to be today, and hopefully everyone will see me where I want to be in the future,” Francesca said optimistically.