British number five Fran Jones has revealed her on-court collapse in Bogota came after a lack of acclimatisation meant her “heart worked a little too hard”.
The 24-year-old, fresh from winning her eighth career title in Brazil over the weekend, was two points from defeat in her round of 32 match with Julia Riera when she staggered while attempting to serve before falling to the floor.
She was taken out on a wheelchair and withdrew from the tournament.
Taking to Instagram on Wednesday she reassured supporters over her health and blamed the episode on difficult preparations that denied her adequate conditioning time in Colombia.
Jones explained that she spent 24 hours travelling after her win in Brazil and was unable to train in the high altitude of Bogota on Monday due to rain.
She posted on her Instagram story: “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. After a few days rest, I will continue to build on the improvements made to date this season.”
Jones, who is ranked 129 in the world, has to deal with physical challenges on court after being born with the rare genetic condition Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia.
She is missing one finger on each hand and has only seven toes, and finishing matches has been a challenge throughout her career, with Jones suffering bouts of severe cramp. This was the 19th time in her career she has retired during a match and the second time this year.
In the US, British number seven Heather Watson suffered a straight-sets defeat in the first round of the Charleston Open.
The 32-year-old was beaten 7-6 (8) 6-4 by Belarusian world number 215 Iryna Shymanovich.
