British heartbreak continues at French Open as Cameron Norrie retires from first-round match against Daniel Vallejo and Jacob Fearnley loses

Cameron Norrie exited the French Open at the first hurdle after retiring through injury shortly after losing the opening set, while Jacob Fearnley was also beaten.

Norrie admitted concerns about a rib injury ahead of his first-round clash against Daniel Vallejo, but kept pace with his Paraguayan opponent in the opening set as they both held all the way until a tie-break.

The British No. 1 spurned four set-point opportunities before Vallejo clinically disposed of his first - taking the opening set at Roland-Garros.

During the break, he was embroiled in some intense discussions with his entourage.

Wimbledon

10 Brits out in 10 hours: What went wrong on 'tough day' for home hopefuls?

30/06/2026 at 16:11

After Vallejo opened an immediate advantage in the second set with a break of serve, Norrie underwent a lengthy medical time-out. He opted to return to the court as Vallejo held to 15 and went on to establish two break points for 3-0, and that was the moment Norrie decided he could go no further.

"It's sad," TNT Sports expert Anne Keothavong said. "You never want to see a player go out of a tournament like this. Especially at a Grand Slam.

"Go back 12 months ago, this tournament felt like a real turning point for him in his season, he was able to go all the way through to the fourth round, his ranking then moved in the right direction. I think today was too much, too soon.

Watch: Norrie opts to continue after lengthy medical time out in injury scare

Video credit: TNT Sports

"That rib injury of his, he's been trying to manage for the last week and a half. We thought it had maybe settled down, but it's a very awkward injury for any tennis player to deal with.

"He's someone who can tolerate and deal with a lot of pain, he's not one to retire from matches. Hopefully, taking a long-term view, and he'll come back stronger for the grass-court season."

British interest in the men's singles draw was ended later on Tuesday as Fearnley was beaten by world No. 56 Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

Qualifier Fearnley broke in the opening game of the match, but went on to suffer a 6-2 7-6(7) 7-6(7) defeat.

Norrie came into the French Open as Britain's best hope in the men's draw, following the announcement that Jack Draper would miss the tournament with a knee injury.

The 30-year-old reached the last 16 in Paris last year, where he was beaten in straight sets by Novak Djokovic.

• Medvedev in public spat with wife as frustrations boil over in Paris
• Wawrinka reveals how Federer shaped his early years in tribute

"This is not the situation you want to find yourself in as a player," Johanna Konta said in the TNT Sports studio. "It's one of those injuries that can also affect other areas.

"Things can go wrong in other places, because as soon as you start compensating, you can't breathe properly, move properly, it's more likely you can pull something else. There is a knock-on effect. I really feel for him, you can see he's gutted."

Vallejo progresses through to the second round, where he will face French wildcard Moise Kouame.

Meanwhile, Norrie will work towards a recovery for his home Slam, Wimbledon, which gets underway on June 29.

Women's British No. 1 Emma Raducanu also exited the French Open in the first round with defeat to Solana Sierra, while compatriot Toby Samuel was beaten in straight sets by Alex de Minaur. Fran Jones and Katie Boulter both sealed their spots in the second round.

TNT Sports is providing live text coverage of every day at the French Open. Click here to follow along.

---

Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this.

Stream every court from the 2026 French Open exclusively live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Roland-Garros Men's Singles -

Zverev explains how cramps helped power him to French Open win after 'unstable' fourth set

07/06/2026 at 23:23

Roland-Garros Men's Singles -

Experts debate if Grand Slam 'floodgates' will open for Zverev and if he can be part of 'Big Three'

07/06/2026 at 20:57