As a child, Francesca Jones was told by the doctors she could not pursue a professional tennis career because of her physical disadvantages. Despite all physical challenges, British tennis player Francesca has defied all notions by reaching her first-ever Grand Slam main draw. Jones qualified for the 2021 Australian Open [https://www.essentiallysports.com/tag/australian-open-2021] after defeating China’s Lu Jiajing in the final qualifying round in Dubai. [https://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/130120211610542144-752x428-1.jpeg] Born with a rare genetic condition, ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia syndrome, meaning she only has three fingers and a thumb on each hand while having three toes on her right foot and four toes on her left. However, Jones overcame a rare disease and pulverized Lu 6-0 6-1. FRANCESCA JONES DEFIES ALL ODDS In an interview [https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/tennis/jones-defies-doctors-to-reach-australian-open#:~:text=Jones%20has%20ectrodactyly%20ectodermal%20dysplasia,four%20toes%20on%20her%20left] with BBC, Jones talked about when at an early age the doctors informed her she could not play tennis. Rather than losing heart over it, Jones has proved the doctors wrong instead. “When someone does say to you at eight, nine years old that you can’t do something, I suppose most people would be heartbroken, but I just tried to take it on the chin and see how I could prove that person wrong,” said Jones. After qualifying for the Australian Open, Jones is elated and is looking forward to the experience at Melbourne Park. Jones is so eager to compete that she doesn’t mind playing against the 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the first round. “I’m just super happy to qualify and really looking forward to getting out to Australia. I guess any draw for me would be a fascinating one. I look forward to any match I’ll play, whether it’ll be Serena Williams or another qualifier.” remarked Jones. The 20-year-old will now board a chartered flight to Melbourne and has less than three weeks to prepare for the Australian Open. Upon arrival, Jones will have quarantine for two weeks as per the issued guidelines but will be allowed to train for five hours each day. Francesca’s inspirational journey is a huge lesson on what sheer determination and will power can achieve in the face of adversity. 

British tennis player Francesca Jones has qualified for the main draw of a Grand
Slam event for the first time in her career.

Kshitij Tayal is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having played
district-level tennis competitions, Kshitij is also a tenured journalist of the
sport with over four years of experience. At EssentiallySports, he pens down
some thought-provoking pieces on players and tournaments across the ATP and WTA.
Given his hard work and complete dedication to his trade, Rafael Nadal is the
player Kshitij admires the most. When he's not covering tennis, Kshitij works in
business development and marketing.

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Kshitij Tayal

blockquote

script

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<h2><strong>Australian Open: Latest News, Results and Records</strong></h2>
The Australian Open is the youngest of all the Grand Slams, having first started in 1905.

The tournament holds the record for the highest attendance at a Grand Slam event, where 743,667 people attended during the 2018 edition of the Australian Open. It also has the honor of being the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat.

There are three main courts, the Rod Laver Arena, the Melbourne Arena and the Margaret Court Arena. Aside from that, they have courts 7 to 15 and even court 19 and 20. The tournament first became open to all from 1969 onwards, a year after the remaining 3 did so.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-136876 size-full" src="https://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/ao-4.jpg" alt="" width="3000" height="2000" />
<h2><strong>Records</strong></h2>
<a href="https://www.essentiallysports.com/tag/novak-djokovic/">Novak Djokovic</a> is the most successful player of the Australian Open in the Open era. The Serbian star has clinched eight Australian Open titles.

In the women's side of the game, <a href="https://www.essentiallysports.com/tag/serena-williams/">Serena Williams</a> is the most successful player with seven titles to her credit. Again, this was set in the Open era. Overall, Williams is still four behind tennis legend Margaret Court.

The youngest winner in the men's singles game was Australian player Ken Rosewall. Meanwhile, on the women's side, it was Martina Hingis. The players were 18 years, 2 months and 16 years, 4 months old respectively.

With regard to the oldest players, Rosewall bagged this crown at the aged 37 years and 2 months. However, if <a href="https://www.essentiallysports.com/tag/roger-federer/">Roger Federer</a> wins the Australian Open, he could overtake Rosewall. In the women's side of the game, Thelma Long was the oldest winner at 35 years and 8 months.
<h2>Australian Open 2021 Plans</h2>
The two Grand Slams held after the Australian Open 2020 saw major changes than usual. The <a href="https://www.essentiallysports.com/tag/us-open-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">US Open 2020</a> and <a href="https://www.essentiallysports.com/tag/french-open-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">French Open 2020</a> were held inside a bio-secure bubble on account of the complications arising due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The US Open 2020 was held behind closed doors, while the French Open 2020 saw just 1000 spectators allowed inside the Roland Garros fields.

Australian Open organizers are planning to allow 50 percent of the seats to be filled by fans. This is subject to government clearance. They also <a href="https://www.essentiallysports.com/that-wont-happen-australian-open-2021-proposes-to-relax-strict-quarantine-measures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">plan</a> on introducing relaxations on a lot of the quarantine restrictions the players had in Paris and New York.

While the 14-day quarantine will be there on arrival at Melbourne Park, there is expected to be some freedom for players and their team members.

Australian Open 2021 is expected to be held from January 18-31, 2021.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-99443" src="http://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Australian_Open_logo.svg_.png" alt="" width="1280" height="458" />
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><b>Edition</b></td>
<td>108th
Open Era (52nd)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Current Prize Money</b></td>
<td>$4.5 million (men's and women's champion)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Number of Entries (Main Draw)</strong></td>
<td>128</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Current Champions</b></td>
<td><strong>Men's Si</strong><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;">ngles</strong><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;"> - Novak Djokovic</span>

<strong>Women's Singles</strong> - Sofia Kenin

<strong>Men's Doubles</strong> - Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury

<strong>Women's Doubles</strong> - Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic

<strong>Mixed Doubles</strong> - Barbora Krejčíková/Nikola Mektic</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b>Most Titles</b></td>
<td><strong>Men's Singles</strong> - Novak Djokovic (8)

<strong>Women's Singles</strong> - Margaret Court (11)

<strong>Men's Doubles</strong> - Adrian Quist (10)

<strong>Women's Doubles</strong> - Thelma Coyne Long (12)

<strong>Mixed Doubles</strong> - Harry Hopman, Colin Long, Daphne Akhurst Cozens, Nell Hall Hopman, Nancye Wynne Bolton, Thelma Coyne Long (4)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Australian Open

Australian Open: Latest News, Results and Records The Australian Open is the youngest of all the Grand Slams, having first started in 1905. The tournament holds the record for the highest attendance at a Grand Slam event, where 743,667 people attended during the 2018 edition of the Australian Open. It also has the honor of being the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat. There are three main courts, the Rod Laver Arena, the Melbourne Arena and the Margaret Court Arena. Aside from that, they have courts 7 to 15 and even court 19 and 20. The tournament first became open to all from 1969 onwards, a year after the remaining 3 did so. Records Novak Djokovic is the most successful player of the Australian Open in the Open era. The Serbian star has clinched eight Australian Open titles. In the women&#8217;s side of the game, Serena Williams is the most successful player with seven titles to her credit. Again, this was set in the Open era. Overall, Williams is still four behind tennis legend Margaret Court. The youngest winner in the men&#8217;s singles game was Australian player Ken Rosewall. Meanwhile, on the women&#8217;s side, it was Martina Hingis. The players were 18 years, 2 months and 16 years, 4 months old respectively. With regard to the oldest players, Rosewall bagged this crown at the aged 37 years and 2 months. However, if Roger Federer wins the Australian Open, he could overtake Rosewall. In the women&#8217;s side of the game, Thelma Long was the oldest winner at 35 years and 8 months. Australian Open 2021 Plans The two Grand Slams held after the Australian Open 2020 saw major changes than usual. The US Open 2020 and French Open 2020 were held inside a bio-secure bubble on account of the complications arising due to the coronavirus pandemic. The US Open 2020 was held behind closed doors, while the French Open 2020 saw just 1000 spectators allowed inside the Roland Garros fields. Australian Open organizers are planning to allow 50 percent of the seats to be filled by fans. This is subject to government clearance. They also plan on introducing relaxations on a lot of the quarantine restrictions the players had in Paris and New York. While the 14-day quarantine will be there on arrival at Melbourne Park, there is expected to be some freedom for players and their team members. Australian Open 2021 is expected to be held from January 18-31, 2021.   Edition 108th Open Era (52nd)  Current Prize Money $4.5 million (men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s champion)  Number of Entries (Main Draw) 128  Current Champions Men&#8217;s Singles &#8211; Novak Djokovic Women&#8217;s Singles &#8211; Sofia Kenin Men&#8217;s Doubles &#8211; Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury Women&#8217;s Doubles &#8211; Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic Mixed Doubles &#8211; Barbora Krejčíková/Nikola Mektic  Most Titles Men&#8217;s Singles &#8211; Novak Djokovic (8) Women&#8217;s Singles &#8211; Margaret Court (11) Men&#8217;s Doubles &#8211; Adrian Quist (10) Women&#8217;s Doubles &#8211; Thelma Coyne Long (12) Mixed Doubles &#8211; Harry Hopman, Colin Long, Daphne Akhurst Cozens, Nell Hall Hopman, Nancye Wynne Bolton, Thelma Coyne Long (4)

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The first Grand Slam of the year, Australian Open 2021, will begin on the hard courts of Melbourne. It will be the 109th edition of the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific.
<h2>Where will the Australian Open be held?</h2>
Known as the 'happy slam' the Australian Open 2021 will be held at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. It is played on cushion acrylic hard courts and is organized by Tennis Australia.

[caption id="attachment_456877" align="alignnone" width="1920"]<img class="size-full wp-image-456877" src="https://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/GettyImages-506383362.jpg" alt="Australian Open 2021/tennis" width="1920" height="1280" /> A general view of Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park on in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)[/caption]
<h2>When will the Australian Open 2021 be held?</h2>
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Australian Open was delayed. It is yearly played during last weeks of January, but this year it will be held from the 8th of February to the 21st of February.
<h2>What is different at the Australian Open 2021?</h2>
The Australian Open 2021 is very different because of the coronavirus pandemic. The major change is in the qualifying rounds that will now be played outside Australia. The women's qualifying event will take place in Doha, Qatar whereas the men's qualifying event will take place in Dubai, UAE. The Junior Australian Open tournament has been postponed.

Coming to the spectators, the organizers of the Australian Open are confident of holding 50% of the spectator count of the Grand Slam. The 2020 Australian Open had a record spectator count of 812,000 people.

Prior to the Grand Slam, players will be quarantined under strict protocols for 14 days.
<h2>Australian Open 2021 defending champions</h2>
World No.1 Novak Djokovic is the defending champion in men's singles. He is the record holder for most Australian Open titles.

[caption id="attachment_430578" align="alignnone" width="1920"]<img class="size-full wp-image-430578" src="https://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/GettyImages-1203948447.jpg" alt="Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic" width="1920" height="1280" /> 2020 Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)[/caption]

American ace Sofia Kenin is the defending champion in women's singles. She won her first Grand Slam in Melbourne last year.

The duo of Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are the defending men's doubles champions from 2020. And Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic are the defending women’s doubles champions.

Barbora Krejčíková and Nikola Mektić are the defending mixed doubles champions in the 2021 Australian Open.

[caption id="attachment_482816" align="alignnone" width="1920"]<img class="size-full wp-image-482816" src="https://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/GettyImages-1203337700.jpg" alt="Sofia Kenin - Australian Open" width="1920" height="1280" /> 2020 Australian Open women's singles champion Sofia Kenin. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)[/caption]
<h2>Australian Open 2021 Prize Money</h2>
Despite the coronavirus pandemic hiccup, the organizers have managed to carry forward the same prize money of $71.5 million from the 2020 edition.
<h2>Australian Open 2021 Schedule</h2>
The Australian Open 2021 will begin on 8th February. It will have both day and night sessions. The day sessions will begin at 11 am EST. And the night sessions begin on 7 pm EST.
<h2>Which channels are showing the Australian Open?</h2>
Africa: bein sports, Eurosport, SuperSport

Central Asia: Eurosport, Sony Six

Middle East: bein sports, Eurosport

Indian Subcontinent: Sony Six

China: CCTV, iQIYI, Guangdong TV, Great Sports Channel (Shanghai), Fox Sports.

Japan: NHK, WOWOW

Southeast Asia: Fox Sports

Australia: Nine

New Zealand: Sky

Europe (all territories): Eurosport,

Europe (local): SRG SSR, RTVS.SK, ServusTV

Latin America and Caribbean: ESPN International

Canada: TSN, RDS

USA: ESPN, Tennis Channel

Australian Open 2021

The first Grand Slam of the year, Australian Open 2021, will begin on the hard courts of Melbourne. It will be the 109th edition of the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific. Where will the Australian Open be held? Known as the &#8216;happy slam&#8217; the Australian Open 2021 will be held at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. It is played on cushion acrylic hard courts and is organized by Tennis Australia. A general view of Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park on in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images) When will the Australian Open 2021 be held? Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Australian Open was delayed. It is yearly played during last weeks of January, but this year it will be held from the 8th of February to the 21st of February. What is different at the Australian Open 2021? The Australian Open 2021 is very different because of the coronavirus pandemic. The major change is in the qualifying rounds that will now be played outside Australia. The women&#8217;s qualifying event will take place in Doha, Qatar whereas the men&#8217;s qualifying event will take place in Dubai, UAE. The Junior Australian Open tournament has been postponed. Coming to the spectators, the organizers of the Australian Open are confident of holding 50% of the spectator count of the Grand Slam. The 2020 Australian Open had a record spectator count of 812,000 people. Prior to the Grand Slam, players will be quarantined under strict protocols for 14 days. Australian Open 2021 defending champions World No.1 Novak Djokovic is the defending champion in men&#8217;s singles. He is the record holder for most Australian Open titles. 2020 Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images) American ace Sofia Kenin is the defending champion in women&#8217;s singles. She won her first Grand Slam in Melbourne last year. The duo of Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are the defending men&#8217;s doubles champions from 2020. And Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic are the defending women’s doubles champions. Barbora Krejčíková and Nikola Mektić are the defending mixed doubles champions in the 2021 Australian Open. 2020 Australian Open women&#8217;s singles champion Sofia Kenin. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) Australian Open 2021 Prize Money Despite the coronavirus pandemic hiccup, the organizers have managed to carry forward the same prize money of $71.5 million from the 2020 edition. Australian Open 2021 Schedule The Australian Open 2021 will begin on 8th February. It will have both day and night sessions. The day sessions will begin at 11 am EST. And the night sessions begin on 7 pm EST. Which channels are showing the Australian Open? Africa: bein sports, Eurosport, SuperSport Central Asia: Eurosport, Sony Six Middle East: bein sports, Eurosport Indian Subcontinent: Sony Six China: CCTV, iQIYI, Guangdong TV, Great Sports Channel (Shanghai), Fox Sports. Japan: NHK, WOWOW Southeast Asia: Fox Sports Australia: Nine New Zealand: Sky Europe (all territories): Eurosport, Europe (local): SRG SSR, RTVS.SK, ServusTV Latin America and Caribbean: ESPN International Canada: TSN, RDS USA: ESPN, Tennis Channel

Why Did Doctors Rule Australian Open Qualifier Francesca Jones Out From Tennis?

Francesca Jones defies all odds