BRITISH tennis star Fran Jones was forced to retire from her Copa Colsanitas first-round match after collapsing on the court.
The 24-year-old was about to serve in the final set of her match against Julia Riera when she became disorientated and fell to the ground.
She promptly received treatment from nearby medics before being taken off in a wheelchair.
A statement was subsequently released by tournament organisers.
It read: “Due to a physical issue, Francesca Jones has withdrawn from her match against Julia Riera at 6-2 5-7 5-3 in favour of the Argentinian.
“We wish the British tennis player a speedy recovery.”
Jones had appeared to be struggling with her breathing at times during the deciding set of the first-round clash.
She had won the opening set 6-2 before losing the second 7-5 to Riera.
The Brit was trailing 5-3 in the decider before she collapsed.
Jones posted an update for fans the following morning.
It read: “Bogota is renowned for its altitude and often takes a few days to adapt.
“Unfortunately upon our arrival Monday afternoon we were unable to practice due to rain and this meant that aside from my low-level pre-match warm-up, my first exposure to the limited oxygen levels at a high intensity was my match.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Grand Slam champion given extra security after threatening harassment from fan – weeks after Raducanu stalker nightmare” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6370601957112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“As the match went on, I worked hard to give myself the opportunity to stay competitive but progressively struggled, blurry vision eventually leading to collapsing, with no cramp having occurred.
“Overnight, we conducted multiple studies and it seems my heart worked a little too hard on the day but thankfully no longer-term impact.
“Bogota is one of my favourite events of the year and I hope to reconnect in 2026 under different circumstances.
“After a few days’ rest, I will continue to build on the improvements made to date this season. Thank you for the messages and concern.”
Jones is currently ranked world No129 in women’s singles.
She achieved a career-high ranking of 123 last month.
The 24-year-old defied the odds to become a professional tennis player.
She was born without two fingers and three toes due to a rare medical condition called Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia Syndrome.
Doctors previously told Jones to give up on her tennis career, but she has since featured at Wimbledon and the Australian Open.
She is yet to make it past qualifying at the US Open or French Open.
Jones is also friends with Emma Raducanu and the pair have represented Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup.
