British No 1 Cameron Norrie retired from his first-round match at the French Open while trailing Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo and struggling with a pre-tournament rib injury.
Norrie, the 20th seed in the men’s singles draw, revealed the issue on the eve of Roland Garros, following a lengthy five-hour practice match with fifth seed Ben Shelton.
One of the toughest competitors in the sport, Norrie’s retirement is a further blow to British tennis, with Jack Draper missing the entire clay-court season due to a knee injury.
With Emma Raducanu also missing long spells due to post-viral symptoms, before returning to a first-round defeat to Solana Sierra, Sonay Kartal is also currently sidelined with a back issue.
Norrie lost the first set on a tiebreak and retired while trailing 2-0 in the second set to Vallejo, the world No 70, who will next play history-making 17-year-old Moise Kouame.
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