British number three Fran Jones was left in tears after being forced to retire from her first round Australian Open match.The 25-year-old had worked tirelessly to boost her ranking to the top 70 in the world to gain automatic entry to the Grand Slams.Jones was reduced to tears as she was forced to retire in the second setShutterstock EditorialShe faced Polish qualifier Linda Klimovicova, but she was clearly struggling with her movement from the off.Jones’ participation at the Australian Open was already in doubt because of a groin issue she picked up in the tournament in Auckland earlier in January.She had picked up her biggest career win by beating Emma Navarro in Auckland and this was the first time gaining automatic entry to a Slam.Jones sought treatment at the end of the first set and could be heard telling her team it was a glute issue rather than her groin.She could be seen hitting her racket on the side of the court in frustration.When Jones received further treatment in the second set, she buried her head in her arms and her sobs were audible around the court.She decided she could no longer continue at 6-2 3-2 down.It was another bitter blow for the world number 69, who is no stranger to dealing with physical challenges due to a genetic condition meaning she only has three fingers and a thumb on each hand.Fran Jones’ career pathDoctors had initially told Jones to forget about playing tennis professionally due to her physical challenges.She would go on to find herself outside the top 150 in 2024 and made a vow to retire if her ranking did not improve.Jones’ sobs were audible around the court as she received treatmentGettyJones left the court in tears after she was forced to retireGettyThen 2025 was the best of her career as she propelled herself into the top 100.“I was very serious [about retiring]. It was a case of going all out for one more year,” said Jones earlier this month.“If I would have been [ranked] 101, I wasn’t going to quit. But it was a feeling that I had.“It was smaller objectives that, if I completed those, would have led to me being in the top 100.”Australian Open withdrawalsJones was not the only player to retire from their first round Australian Open match as temperatures climbed.Felix Auger-Aliassime, who was touted for a strong run in Melbourne, suffered cramps during his match with Nuno Borges.Canadian Auger-Aliassime was forced to retire after suffering from crampsGettyHe reached the semi-finals at the US Open, but had to retire trailing 3-6 6-4 6-4.“I don’t have all the answers now,” said the seventh seed. “I’m trying to be very professional at everything I do.“Obviously it hurts even more because, if I was self-aware and I was, like, ‘Well, I wasn’t really ready,’ or I wasn’t doing everything, then you have to be honest with yourself.“But, even with being honest with myself, I’m not totally finding the reasons why this is happening. I can’t recall ever in my life this (happening this) early in a tournament, this early in a match.”Auger-Aliassime was clearly struggling with his left thigh and, after calling the trainer, he played just two points of the fourth set before shaking hands.“I want to be on the court winning,” he said of his decision. “I want to be on the court competing with my opponent. I don’t want to be just standing there like a punching bag.”Auger-Aliassime was not the only player stricken by cramp, with Canadian Marina Stakusic taken off court in a wheelchair after being forced to retire from her match.