Another British injury? Cameron Norrie the leading Brit at Roland Garros amid rib problem: “I haven’t been able to hit yet since I arrived here"

Cameron Norrie is the leading name among the British contingent at the French Open. Other casualties from the ATP and WTA Tours have left him best place to go deep and get the British tennis fans off their seat cheering as we enter the second Grand Slam of 2026.

It has not been a brilliant tournament for the former world number nine. His fourth round last year was his best ever showing at Roland Garros. He will be hoping to repeat and maybe even improve that this time around.

“I think I would have liked some more wins and some deeper runs in tournaments, but the preparation has been going well,” he told the media. “I think I’ve been hitting the ball really, really well and moving well. So, yeah, it’s good.”

Norrie opted to participate the Geneva Open in hope of getting some valuable preparation ahead of Roland Garros and some wins on the board. It did not go to plan, losing in his opening match against the eventual champion Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-4. “I didn’t feel too great,” he explained. “I was not feeling my best in the match and I had a small problem with my rib. I probably shouldn’t have finished the match, but I did.

“That was a tough moment for me because I prepared so well. I had such a good practice week after Rome and I was really hungry to come back and have a good run in Geneva like I did last year, and get some matches before Roland-Garros. But I was barely able to complete the match, so that was difficult for me.”

He gave a positive update on the rib injury. “I haven’t been able to hit yet since I arrived here, so I’ve just been enjoying Paris and resting. But I think I needed the rest, so maybe it’s a good thing.

“I really know that I’m feeling the ball well. I’ve practised so, so much. I’ve been playing really well with not so much to show for it. Luckily, I’m scheduled on Tuesday, so I have some time to recover. But I’ve just been resting these days, playing some cards with my team and just enjoying Paris and taking a step back from the typical day-in, day-out full training and doing everything I can. Maybe it’s exactly what I needed.”

Norrie is a very robust competitor, rarely injured despite his physical style of play which sees him running around the court all day long. It was a frustrating moment for him, but nevertheless a learning curve. “Especially with the timing, it’s not ideal. But I think it’s good learning,” he admitted.

“I had a tough match in Rome, but I think it was my most enjoyable practice week and the most fun I’ve had on the practice court before Rome. I would say it was the best I’ve ever played in practice before Rome. Then I had an average match, but my opponent played really well, so credit to him.

“So it’s frustrating, but like I said, maybe it’s a positive. I’m able to rest and spend time with my team talking about how I’m feeling and how everything’s going. I’m always a player who’s going to do extra — extra fitness, extra work — but this doesn’t really give us a chance to push, so we’re forced to rest. So maybe it’s a good thing. “’m excited being here in Paris, another opportunity to play. I think it puts everything back into perspective to have something minor like this happen.”

It has not been a great time as of late for British tennis. Jack Draper has endured a torrid 10 months which has seen him on top of the world in 4th before injury struck, plummeting him down outside the top 70. Him and Sonay Kartal will miss Roland Garros with Emma Raducanu having just returned to the fray following a virus.

Norrie was asked whether there was any common theme to it with him the most recent one getting injured. “It’s a good question. Everyone’s in different situations — different styles, different schedules, different ways of going about things,” he commented. “For me personally, I just maybe wasn’t honest enough with myself about being tired. I thought a couple of days off and I’d be okay, rather than listening to myself more and communicating better with my team.

“With Jack Draper, he had something else going on. He had a big injury and then something else after that. And with Sonay Kartal, I actually don’t know too much about it. But injuries are part of being a professional athlete. You see it in all sports. At some point, it’s going to happen.”

He was thankful for his team around him keeping him in great shape and condition. “Luckily I have a really good team around me and I take advice from them all the time. Maybe this is good learning — to listen to yourself more instead of just pushing and assuming everything will be fine because I’ve generally been lucky with my body. Hopefully nothing major comes from this, and if not, I’ve got the rest of the year to enjoy and play tennis. I don’t think it’s a big issue for me.”

Norrie had very esteemed company in practicing for the event. Him and world number six Ben Shelton played out a five-set match to get into the swing of things ahead of the extended format at Grand Slam level. It is not something that he does often.

“Every time I’ve planned to do that, something’s happened where one guy hasn’t been able to do it or something came up. It was kind of strange because we started at 2 p.m. and there was pretty much no one watching. It was pretty serious practice. Every time after a set, we swept the court, watered it, and then went again.”

Fortunately for the 30-year-old, he came out on top, with some good fortune. “I luckily ended up winning the practice match in the fifth. He served for the match in the fourth.”

Any five-set practice matches coming up may have been abruptly cancelled with rest on the mind of the British number one, albeit that is a hard task. “I’m not the best at relaxing, to be honest. But luckily my fiancée came yesterday, so I’ve just been relaxing with her and taking my mind off tennis, enjoying Paris,” he stated.

“Not too often you get to do different stuff. Usually you’re always thinking: “When’s the next practice? When’s the next fitness session?” Now I’m able to just play a lot of cards with my team, go eat with them, rest and get mentally ready, bringing back the level of enjoyment and excitement before a Slam.

“I’m trying to have the best perspective possible, but we don’t know how it’ll feel on match day. I’m going to do my best to get ready, but it’s not the worst thing in the world. I know I’ve been hitting the ball so well that I’m not really stressed about needing to practise constantly. So we’ll try a little bit tomorrow.”

On the tourism side of things, there was not much to comment on. “I went for like two seconds near the Arc de Triomphe yesterday and took a photo, then left and had dinner nearby. But otherwise, just resting — not too much sightseeing.”