Francesca Jones confirmed that her Bogota scare was caused by the Colombian altitude and shared that she conducted tests which revealed that her heart worked abnormally that day but should escape without any long-term consequences.
On Tuesday, the British tennis player took on Julia Riera in her opening match at the WTA 250 tournament in Bogota. After nearly two and a half hours of grueling play and two points away from losing the match, the world No. 129 collapsed on the court and the match ended there.
Last week, Jones a Futures event in Vacaria, Brazil. In a message posted on her Instagram, the Briton said that her trip from Brazil to Colombia took more than 24 hours and that left her with "minimal rest and recovery." Since she didn't have time to practice in Bogota, she couldn't get the feel the conditions until the day of her first-round match.
Jones: I was exposed to the limited oxygen levels, my heart worked too hard
"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," Jones wrote in the message.
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"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 favorite events of the year and I hope to reconnect in 2026 under different circumstances."
Despite the scary situation, the 24-year-old has no hard feelings toward the Bogota tournament as she expressed in her message a desire to return to the event next year and make it more positive.
Jones also shared that she plans to rest for a few days and then get back to work.
