French Open 2026: No British Men Reach Second Round After Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley Exit
Cameron Norrie was forced to retire from his French Open match against Luciano Vallejo on a hot afternoon in Paris after struggling with a suspected rib injury. The British player stayed competitive through a closely fought opening set, but his movement became increasingly limited after he failed to convert four set points in the tie-break. Vallejo then broke serve at the start of the second set, deepening Norrie’s physical problems.
Norrie asked for medical attention soon after losing his serve and was seen pointing to his rib while resting in the shade. He later told his team that “every serve is a struggle,” but initially tried to continue. The setback proved too much, however, and he stopped play midway through his next service game.
Despite his frustration, Norrie said he believed he could still compete at around 20%, but he chose not to risk making the injury worse with Wimbledon approaching. He will return to London on Wednesday for a scan to assess the extent of the problem. The 2022 Wimbledon semi-finalist remains hopeful that he will recover in time to begin the British grass-court season at Queen’s in two weeks.
Former British number one Annabel Croft said Norrie made the sensible decision by avoiding further damage and focusing on rest and treatment before building back up for Wimbledon. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, she said it was better not to exacerbate the injury and to return to the UK for recovery. Croft also noted how physically demanding tennis has become, pointing to Novak Djokovic’s comments about how the body changes in the thirties and does not respond as well as it once did.
The retirement adds uncertainty to Norrie’s preparation for the grass-court swing, but his team is expected to monitor the injury closely in the coming days. His immediate priority will be scans, recovery and a careful build-up toward Queen’s and Wimbledon rather than risking a longer layoff through continued play in Paris.
