DESPITE a Wimbledon to forget, Oxenhope tennis player Francesca Jones is looking forward with confidence as she prepares to leave the junior ranks behind.

Jones found the going tough on the grass courts of the All England Club last week, exiting the first round of both the girls' singles and doubles.

Her nemesis proved to be Xin Yu Wang, with the Chinese player responsible for the Brit’s defeat on both occasion, first in the singles before teaming up with Xiyu Wang to triumph 7-5, 7-5 against Jones and Ali Collins.

The latter two were not without their chances in the match though, with six break points across the encounter although they were only able to take a third of them.

With the exception of next year’s Wimbledon, Jones will now turn her back on the junior circuit with the 16-year-old citing the gradual rise to prominence of 26-year-old fellow Brit Johanna Konta, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon this year, as one of her inspirations behind the decision.

“I could carry on and play US Open and all the Slams but I just decided it’s more important to take a different path really,” she explained.

“Everyone has their own way of making it to the top.

“Jo Konta is a very good example of that. Some juniors transition straight from juniors to elite senior very well but a lot also drop even quicker. I’m not going to be that type of person.

“I’m going to be the type of person who does it more gradually and Jo Konta is a very good example of that.

“Two years ago she would have walked around Wimbledon and no one would have known who she was and now she is a semi-finalist.

“She is not the nicest tennis to watch but she is good mentally and an unbelievable athlete who works really hard.

“I have a limit of the amount of WTAs (Women's Tennis Association tournaments) I can play but I will use that whole limit and just do a lot of fitness blocks and hopefully next year have a slightly different body shape.”

Jones has a rare condition called Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia, or EEC syndrome, meaning she has four fingers on her right hand and seven toes in total.

She has had numerous operations over the years, including repeated wrist surgery after the bone started to tear through the tendon, although for now, the rising star was concentrating on an improved overall approach to her tennis.

“There is always a chance that I might need further operations but none that I am aware of now,” she added.

“It’s just going day by day and making sure I’m ok but I’m looking after myself 100 per cent better than I used to.

“I’m following a better diet and I’m going to try and improve the fitness aspect so hopefully that will have some kind of impact on my situation.”

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