British tennis star hits back at 'disgusting' claims Fran Jones faked collapse
Yesterday at 11:48 AM
British tennis player Tara Moore has branded wild claims Fran Jones faked her collapse ‘disgusting’.
There were worrying scenes at Colombia’s Colsanitas Cup on Tuesday as Jones, the British No.5, appeared to faint during her first-round contest with Julia Riera.
Pictures showed Jones failing to make contact with an attempted serve before clutching her head and falling to the ground, with medics rushing onto the court to treat the 24-year-old in Bogota.
Jones was lifted into a wheelchair, with the help of her Argentinian opponent, and subsequently taken away from the scene for further assessments.
Forced to retire hurt, Jones later revealed that a failure to acclimatise to the altitude in Colombia’s capital had directly led to her collapse.
'After winning the even in Brazil on Sunday, our total trip took over 24h, with minimal rest and recovery from a long week. Bogota is renowned for its altitude, and often takes a few days to adapt,' Jones told her followers in an Instagram story.
'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.
'As the match went on, I worked hard to give myself the opportunity to stay competitive while trying to get used to the conditions 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 has previously opened up about being born with Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia Syndrome, a rare medical condition that meant she was born with two fingers and three toes missing.
The reaction to clips of Jones’ frightening ordeal was overwhelmingly one of concern amongst the wider tennis community, with fans flooding the Brit’s social media pages with messages of love and support.
However, Moore, formerly the women’s doubles British No.1, felt obliged to silence a small minority of conspiracy theorists on social media outlandishly suggesting Jones may have faked the fall.
Replying to a video of the incident, X user @JesseMurphe linked to a previous post they had made calling for Jones to be ‘investigated’ for ‘consistently’ retiring in games.
‘How can you feel bad for someone who does this consistently when she's about to lose… ridiculous it doesn't get punished such a good actor,’ they wrote.
In response, an enraged Moore tweeted: ‘Honestly disgusting looking at some of the comments about what happened to Fran.
‘She's an incredible fighter & literally got in last night from a different country to play here. Altitude is no joke.
‘Just because you lost a bet doesn't mean a player is cheating you.’
In 2021, Jones revealed how some unwanted advice from a specialist – who encouraged her to give up on her tennis dream – had actually provided her with extra motivation to go on and be successful in her career.
'His comments played a massive part in my life decisions and career commitments to date,' she explained.
'I've always wanted to make my parents proud more than anything.'
She added: ‘I've had experiences that many haven't at my age, and I think that's moulded me into the person I am today.
‘It will have had an impact on my mental strength and my mentality and mindset as a whole, but I am sure everyone goes through hardship and deals with adversity in their own way.
‘Everyone’s story makes a person who they are.’
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