Tennis-Britain’s Jones says altitude sickness led to collapse mid-serve in Colombia

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(Reuters) – Briton Francesca Jones said playing in Bogota without acclimatising to the high altitude led to her collapse mid-serve at the Colsanitas Cup, where she was taken off court in a wheelchair.

Jones, 24, was losing 6-2 5-7 5-3 to Argentina’s Julia Riera when the Briton suddenly staggered after tossing the ball up to serve before collapsing on the court as tournament officials rushed to her side.

Bogota is over 2,600 metres (8,500 feet) above sea level and can cause altitude sickness.

“After winning the event in Brazil on Sunday, our total trip took over 24 hours, with minimal rest and recovery from a long week. Bogota is renowned for its altitude and often takes a few days to adapt,” Jones said on Instagram on Wednesday.

Jones added that she had been unable to practise before her match due to rain.

“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 said they conducted multiple tests which concluded her “heart worked a little too hard” but that there was no long-term impact on her health.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)