Norrie's French Open preparations hit by rib injury

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• Published23 May 2026, 13:34 BST

In a season when British players have been beset by fitness problems, Cameron Norrie delivered more concerning news at the French Open - a rib injury has hampered his preparation.

The British number one faces a race to be fully fit for his first-round match against Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo on Tuesday.

Norrie, who has not practised at Roland Garros, said it might have been a mistake not to retire during his Geneva Open defeat by Argentina's Mario Navone on Wednesday.

"It is a small problem with my rib. I overdid it with the preparation and not listening to my body and my mind," Norrie, who is seeded 22nd, told BBC Sport.

"I probably should have retired. I kept pushing because I had never retired before in a match in my career, so I wasn't sure what to do.

"But I'm here. Luckily I'm scheduled on Tuesday, so it gives me some time to get ready."

Norrie has developed a reputation as the 'Mr Dependable' of British tennis, having reached at least the third round in 15 of the past 20 majors.

The 30-year-old has been the man left carrying the flag at 14 Grand Slams over the past five years, including the Australian Open in January.

But the season-opening Grand Slam tournament was the second successive major where a British singles player failed to reach the second week.

Norrie reached the French Open fourth round last year and, given his pedigree and ranking, represented the obvious bet to end that unwanted run in Paris.

"We'll see how we can get myself ready to play and give it everything on Tuesday. If not, it's not the end of the world," he added.

Injuries expose Britain's lack of depth

If Norrie is seriously hampered by the issue, it would be a further blow to British singles hope at the French Open.

Jack Draper, who replaced Norrie as British number one in 2024, has been ruled out with a knee injury.

It is the latest in a long line of fitness struggles for Draper, who had only just returned from almost six months out with bone bruising in his serving arm.

Sonay Kartal, who cracked the top 50 last year, has missed the entire clay-court swing because of a back injury suffered during her run to the Indian Wells fourth round.

Norrie is one of six British players in the French Open singles main draws - and most have been hampered by injury this year.

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Jacob Fearnley has played only two tournaments in the past two months because of a rib injury, while Francesca Jones has endured a "tough" season in which she suffered a head injury in the gym.

Emma Raducanu delayed the start of her season because of the bruised foot which cut short her 2025 campaign, then has been set back in the past two months by a viral infection.

Katie Boulter has avoided injury this season, although she arrives at Roland Garros having recently been laid low by flu, while French Open qualifier Toby Samuel has been racking up victories on the Challenger tour after missing most of 2024 with an arm injury.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) internally audits the injuries suffered by British players and says there is no repeat pattern.

"I don't necessarily think there's one reason for all," said Boulter.

"Everyone is an individual case. It just seems to be that everything has happened at once."

Jones agreed the flurry of issues is simply "bad luck", pointing to the injuries suffered across the tours and suggesting the packed calendar is the root of the problem.

As well as Draper, several other star names are missing from the men's draw.

On Saturday, French 19th seed Arthur Fils - who many feel has the potential to end France's 43-year wait for a home men's singles champion - withdrew because of a hip injury.

Fils, 21, says he did not want to "be stupid" after playing through pain at his home major last year, which led to the aggravation of a back injury and more than six months off tour.

Two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz is already missing with a wrist injury commonly caused by the repetition of ball-striking, while Italy's Lorenzo Musetti - a semi-finalist last year - was ruled out with a thigh problem.

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  • Published16 August 2025