Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Tennis, Australian Open
Marcus Chan
A British tennis player was left in tears before being forced to retire from the Australian Open.
On Sunday, the 2026 Australian Open got underway in Melbourne, with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Alexander Zverev and Jasmine Paolini all winning their first-round matches.
It was also a good day for the Brits, as Cameron Norrie and Emma Raducanu sealed passage to the next round.
In addition, youngster and qualifier Arthur Fery delivered an almighty upset to dispatch 20th seed Flavio Cobolli 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 6-1.
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However, Monday was a different story for the British players, with Jacob Fearnley losing to Kamil Majchrzak.
Meanwhile, Francesca Jones was forced to retire from her match against Linda Klimovicova.
Heading into the tournament, it was reported that Jones had been dealing with a groin issue.
During her first round match, the Brit suffered a gluteal injury in the same right leg after a stumble and was visibly emotional before requiring medical attention.
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As per the Daily Mail, the 25-year-old was heard sobbing as she was being treated by the physio.
Midway through the second set, Jones decided to retire as she was unable to continue.
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Speaking afterwards, an emotional Jones said: "I normally stay under control in front of you guys, but I might struggle today.
"I went for a slice, and the leg that I had injured, I slipped on it and fell. I felt something pull in my glute. I tried to see if it would settle but obviously aware of then multiple injuries in one leg. Very difficult to think about the match at that point."
She continued: "Obviously, I'm at a career-high (ranking). I'm probably in the main draws of the Masters, and then you are thinking, should I continue? Do I fight because it's a slam? There's money, there's points on the line. Equally, with my history, it's probably not the smartest thing to keep pushing.
"It kills me that it's here because, this slam, I absolutely adore. It was my first main draw slam I ever played. It's now my first direct entry. If I was someone that didn't know how to pick myself up quickly, I would be F'd.
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"So I let it all out, kicked and screamed for an hour, and now I've just been sat, speaking to (my team) about where do we go from here. I think I have to think about a few things around what's best for me next and moving forward if we need more expertise coming in to see how I then push up my physical capacity."